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Event Notification Report for March 4, 2003








                    U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

                              Operations Center



                              Event Reports For

                           03/03/2003 - 03/04/2003



                              ** EVENT NUMBERS **



39632  39633  39634  



+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

|Power Reactor                                    |Event Number:   39632       |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| FACILITY: LIMERICK                 REGION:  1  |NOTIFICATION DATE: 03/03/2003|

|    UNIT:  [] [2] []                 STATE:  PA |NOTIFICATION TIME: 14:44[EST]|

|   RXTYPE: [1] GE-4,[2] GE-4                    |EVENT DATE:        03/03/2003|

+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME:             [EST]|

| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  JOSEPH E. THOMPSON           |LAST UPDATE DATE:  03/03/2003|

|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  ERIC THOMAS                  +-----------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------+PERSON          ORGANIZATION |

|EMERGENCY CLASS:          NON EMERGENCY         |MOHAMED SHANBAKY     R1      |

|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                             |

|ARPS 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(B)  RPS ACTUATION - CRITICA|                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+

|UNIT |SCRAM CODE|RX CRIT|INIT PWR|   INIT RX MODE  |CURR PWR|  CURR RX MODE   |

+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+

|                                                   |                          |

|2     A/R        Y       25.5     Power Operation  |0        Hot Shutdown     |

|                                                   |                          |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

                                   EVENT TEXT                                   

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| RPS ACTUATION WHILE CRITICAL                                                 |

|                                                                              |

| "Unit 2 Reactor SCRAM occurred during scheduled down power associated with   |

| 2R07 activities. The Reactor SCRAM occurred as a result of an RPS actuation  |

| following a manual turbine trip due to elevated vibration levels. All        |

| systems actuated as designed. This report is being made pursuant to 50.      |

| 72(b)(2)(iv)(B) due to the actuation of the Reactor Protection System (RPS). |

| Scheduled 2R07 activities continue."                                         |

|                                                                              |

| All rods inserted normally.  All systems functioned as designed.  There was  |

| nothing unusual or not understood.  Decay heat removal method will be to the |

| main condenser followed by establishing shutdown cooling with the RHR        |

| system.                                                                      |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+



+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

|Power Reactor                                    |Event Number:   39633       |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| FACILITY: SUSQUEHANNA              REGION:  1  |NOTIFICATION DATE: 03/03/2003|

|    UNIT:  [1] [2] []                STATE:  PA |NOTIFICATION TIME: 20:38[EST]|

|   RXTYPE: [1] GE-4,[2] GE-4                    |EVENT DATE:        03/03/2003|

+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME:             [EST]|

| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  DONALD ROLAND                |LAST UPDATE DATE:  03/03/2003|

|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  GERRY WAIG                   +-----------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------+PERSON          ORGANIZATION |

|EMERGENCY CLASS:          NON EMERGENCY         |MOHAMED SHANBAKY     R1      |

|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                             |

|APRE 50.72(b)(2)(xi)     OFFSITE NOTIFICATION   |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+

|UNIT |SCRAM CODE|RX CRIT|INIT PWR|   INIT RX MODE  |CURR PWR|  CURR RX MODE   |

+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+

|1     N          Y       100      Power Operation  |100      Power Operation  |

|2     N          Y       85       Power Operation  |85       Power Operation  |

|                                                   |                          |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

                                   EVENT TEXT                                   

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| OFFSITE NOTIFICATION OF 2 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES  REPORTING TO THE SITE WITH     |

| RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION                                                    |

|                                                                              |

| "Two contract General Electric employees reported to the plant from a        |

| foreign nuclear power plant with levels of radioactive contamination which   |

| alarmed the plant's portal monitors while exiting the protected area.  The   |

| radionuclides identified were Co-60 and Mn-54.  These 2 personnel had not    |

| entered the RCA at Susquehanna.  Additional follow-up radiological surveys   |

| are in progress.                                                             |

|                                                                              |

| "The Resident NRC Inspector and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental     |

| Protection have been notified.                                               |

|                                                                              |

| "A press release is planned once the additional surveys are complete."       |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+



+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

|General Information or Other                     |Event Number:   39634       |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| REP ORG:  GENERAL ELECTRIC                     |NOTIFICATION DATE: 03/03/2003|

|LICENSEE:  GENERAL ELECTRIC                     |NOTIFICATION TIME: 20:51[EST]|

|    CITY:  San Jose                 REGION:  4  |EVENT DATE:        03/03/2003|

|  COUNTY:                            STATE:  CA |EVENT TIME:             [PST]|

|LICENSE#:                        AGREEMENT:  Y  |LAST UPDATE DATE:  03/03/2003|

|  DOCKET:                                       |+----------------------------+

|                                                |PERSON          ORGANIZATION |

|                                                |MOHAMED SHANBAKY     R1      |

|                                                |WALTER RODGERS       R2      |

+------------------------------------------------+MONTE PHILLIPS       R3      |

| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  JASON S. POST                |DALE POWERS          R4      |

|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  ERIC THOMAS                  |MICHAEL JOHNSON      NRR     |

+------------------------------------------------+                             |

|EMERGENCY CLASS:          NON EMERGENCY         |                             |

|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                             |

|CCCC 21.21               UNSPECIFIED PARAGRAPH  |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+



                                   EVENT TEXT                                   

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| PART 21 NOTIFICATION - FUEL CHANNEL BOW                                      |

|                                                                              |

| GE Nuclear reports a new phenomenon that causes fuel channel bow.  "Shadow   |

| Corrosion" is the hydrogen-induced growth of the channel wall closest to the |

| control blade when the fuel channel is in a highly controlled location       |

| during its initial fuel cycle.  The hydrogen-induced growth leads to channel |

| bowing toward the control blade late in life.  This condition is believed to |

| be most significant for BWR/6 plants.                                        |

|                                                                              |

| There are two effects of the new phenomenon:                                 |

| 1.  It is not accounted for by thermal limit calculations                    |

| 2.  The bias towards the control blade can lead to control rod-fuel channel  |

| interference.                                                                |

|                                                                              |

| To mitigate the impact on thermal limits, an interim penalty of .02 has been |

| applied to the Operating Limit Minimum Critical Power Ratio for all BWR/6's. |

| In the long-term, updated channel bow data will be used in the approved fuel |

| licensing models and this data will be incorporated into future reload       |

| licensing analyses.  Recommended actions for non-BWR/6 plants are expected   |

| by June 6, 2003.                                                             |

|                                                                              |

| Concerns related to the control rod-fuel channel interference include: 1)    |

| friction that could cause fuel bundle lift, 2) transfer of forces to reactor |

| internals causing higher stresses, and 3) slower scram speeds.  There have   |

| been no interim actions designated to mitigate these effects, but            |

| recommendation for a surveillance to help detect control rod-fuel channel    |

| interference is expected by April 28, 2003.                                  |

|                                                                              |

| Affected plants at present are all BWR/6's.  Potentially affected plants are |

| all BWR's, with the exception of Columbia Generating Station.                |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+



                    

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