| U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center Event Reports For
02/13/2006 - 02/14/2006 ** EVENT NUMBERS ** |
 | Fuel Cycle Facility | Event Number: 42165 | Facility: PADUCAH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT
RX Type: URANIUM ENRICHMENT FACILITY
Comments: 2 DEMOCRACY CENTER
6903 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE
BETHESDA, MD 20817 (301)564-3200
Region: 2
City: PADUCAH State: KY
County: McCRACKEN
License #: GDP-1
Agreement: Y
Docket: 0707001
NRC Notified By: KEVIN BEASLEY
HQ OPS Officer: BILL HUFFMAN | Notification Date: 11/22/2005
Notification Time: 15:54 [ET]
Event Date: 11/22/2005
Event Time: 12:05 [CST]
Last Update Date: 02/13/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
RESPONSE-BULLETIN
| Person (Organization):
KERRY LANDIS (R2)
SCOTT FLANDERS (NMSS)
| Event Text IMPROPER CRITICALITY SPACING FOR WASTE DRUM
"At 1205 CST, on 11-22-05 the Plant Shift Superintendent was notified that during waste drum remediation activities, a drum was discovered that was in violation of one leg of double contingency. Drum #39666W has been determined to contain up to (deleted) g (grams) U235 exceeding the allowed (deleted) gram limit for NCS Spacing Exempt drums. This drum was previously located in an NCS (Nuclear Criticality Safety) Spacing Exempt storage area in violation of NCSA WMO-001 requirements. The drum was moved to the C-335 storage area under an approved Remediation Guide which established a safety basis for the movement of drums that had been roped off and posted per earlier direction. This drum is currently stored in a Temporary Fissile Storage Area maintaining a minimum 2 foot edge-to-edge spacing under NCSA WMO-001, which maintains double contingency."
SAFETY SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS
"While the (deleted) gram U235 limit was exceeded for this drum; DAC-832-2A1280-0001 demonstrates that drums containing less than (deleted) grams U235 in an NCS Spacing Exempt array are subcritical. The storage area is roped off and posted to prevent the addition of fissile material to the area; therefore another upset would be required before a criticality is possible."
POTENTIAL CRITICALITY PATHWAYS INVOLVED (BRIEF SCENARIO(S) OF HOW CRITICALITY COULD OCCUR)
"This drum is currently stored in the Temporary Fissile Storage Area under NCSA WMO-001, meeting double contingency. In order for a criticality to occur, two independent, unlikely, and concurrent events would have to occur."
CONTROLLED PARAMETERS (MASS, MODERATION, GEOMETRY, CONCENTRATION, ETC.)
"Double contingency is maintained by implementing two controls on mass."
ESTIMATED AMOUNT, ENRICHMENT, FORM OF LICENSED MATERIAL (INCLUDE PROCESS LIMIT AND % WORST CASE CRITICAL MASS)
"The drum has been determined to contain (deleted) grams U235. Calculations performed demonstrate that drums containing less than (deleted) grams U235 each, in an NCS Spacing Exempt array are subcritical."
NUCLEAR CRITICALITY SAFETY CONTROL(S) OR CONTROL SYSTEM(S) AND DESCRIPTION OF THE FAILURES OR DEFICIENCIES
"Although the drum contains greater than the WMO-001 limit of (deleted) grams U235 for NCS Spacing Exempt drums, it has been shown to be less than (deleted) grams U235 based on independent sample results. Calculations performed demonstrate that drums containing less than (deleted) grams U235 each, in an NCS Spacing Exempt array, are subcritical. Therefore, an additional process upset (i.e., spacing upset) would be necessary in order to have a criticality. Therefore, while the drum contained greater than (deleted) grams U235 in the spacing exempt array, the array has been shown to be subcritical for drums containing less than (deleted) grams U235 thus maintaining one leg of double contingency."
CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO RESTORE SAFETY SYSTEMS AND WHEN EACH WAS IMPLEMENTED
"At the time of discovery, the drum was being stored according to NCS approved spacing controls. The drum will continue to be handled according to approved controls until the U235 mass can be reduced to meet the NCS Spacing Exempt criteria per NCSA WMO-001.
The NRC Senior Resident Inspector has been notified of this event."
See Related Event Report #40700.
* * * UPDATE 1802 EST ON 2/13/06 FROM K. BEASLEY TO S. SANDIN * * *
"At 1100 [CST], on 02-13-06 the Plant Shift Superintendent was notified that two additional waste drums were discovered that exceed the allowed [deleted] gram limit for NCS Spacing Exempt drums and had previously been located in an NCS Spacing Exempt storage area in violation of NCSA WMO-001. The drums are currently stored in a Temporary Fissile Storage Area under NCSA WMO-001, which maintains double contingency.
"The NRC Senior Resident Inspector has been notified of this event."
Notified R2DO(Ayres) and NMSS(Camper). |
| General Information or Other | Event Number: 42320 | Rep Org: CALIFORNIA RADIATION CONTROL PRGM
Licensee: CONVERSE CONSULTANTS
Region: 4
City: SAN BERNARDINO State: CA
County:
License #: CA-4507-19
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: CJ SALGADO
HQ OPS Officer: BILL GOTT | Notification Date: 02/08/2006
Notification Time: 12:05 [ET]
Event Date: 02/07/2006
Event Time: 18:30 [PST]
Last Update Date: 02/08/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
ANTHONY GODY (R4)
MICHELE BURGESS (NMSS)
EMAIL TO TAS ()
FAX TO CNSNS ()
| Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STOLEN MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE
In the evening on 02/07/06, the gauge operator drove to his residence to retrieve paperwork. At 1830, when the operator returned to his truck he noticed his Troxler Model 3440 (s/n 32207 8 millicuries Cs-137 and 40 millicuries Am-241/Be) was missing. The theft was reported to local law enforcement. The gauge was locked in the bed of the truck. The company's Radiation Safety Officer is enroute to conduct an investigation.
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. |
| General Information or Other | Event Number: 42321 | Rep Org: OHIO BUREAU OF RADIATION PROTECTION
Licensee: FLOWSERVE CORPORATION
Region: 3
City: State: OH
County:
License #:
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: STEPHEN JAMES
HQ OPS Officer: BILL GOTT | Notification Date: 02/08/2006
Notification Time: 16:22 [ET]
Event Date: 11/30/2005
Event Time: [EST]
Last Update Date: 02/08/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
ROGER LANKSBURY (R3)
LARRY CAMPER (NMSS)
EMAIL TAS ()
| Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST STATIC ELIMINATOR DEVICES
The State provided the following information via email:
"Flowserve Corporation, a General Licensee, reported to Ohio Department of Health (ODH) on 2/8/06 that they were unable to account for two ionizer bars from static eliminator devices. Each device was from an NRD model P-2001 and contained an estimated 4 mCi each of Po-210. The devices were removed from a facility being shut down over the time period June 2005 through December 2005. The devices were discovered missing when the manufacturer notified Flowserve that it was time to exchange the Po-210 sources. Flowserve determined that the devices had gone to one of three places: 1. to another Flowserve facility; 2. mistakenly placed in a roll-off container and disposed of as construction debris; or 3. mistakenly placed in a roll-off container and disposed of as scrap metal. An investigation by Flowserve has determined that the devices were not sent to another facility. Flowserve has contacted their decommissioning contractors and have determined that all construction debris was disposed of at various landfills throughout the greater Cincinnati/Dayton area, and that all scrap metals were disposed of through a broker which immediately sent the metals on for processing/recycling. Flowserve does not consider any further investigation to be beneficial at this time."
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. |
| General Information or Other | Event Number: 42325 | Rep Org: ARIZONA RADIATION REGULATORY AGENCY
Licensee: ALPHA GEOTECHNICAL & MATERIALS, INC.
Region: 4
City: PHOENIX State: AZ
County:
License #: AZ 7-444
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: AUBREY V. GODWIN
HQ OPS Officer: STEVE SANDIN | Notification Date: 02/09/2006
Notification Time: 17:51 [ET]
Event Date: 02/08/2006
Event Time: 14:00 [MST]
Last Update Date: 02/09/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
ANTHONY GODY (R4)
LARRY CAMPER (NMSS)
TAS (via email) ()
MEXICO (via fax) ()
| Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT INVOLVING A STOLEN NUCLEAR DENSITY GAUGE
The following information was received via facsimile:
"At approximately 6:20 PM February 8, 2006, the Agency was informed that the Licensee had lost a Nuclear Density Gauge from the back of a pickup truck, while working in the area of Southern and Cortez Roads in Apache Junction, Arizona. The missing gauge is a CPN Model MC-3 gauge, SN M37037422. The disappearance occurred between 1 PM and 2 PM on February 8, 2006. The gauge contains 8 mCi of Cesium-137 and 40 mCi Am:Be-241.
"The Licensee is offering a $500.00 reward for the recovery of the sources. A press release is to be made. Please contact Alf Wold, Operations Manager for Alpha Geotechnical.
"The Agency continues to investigate.
"The states of CA, NV, CO, UT, and NM and Mexico and U.S. NRC and FBI are being notified of this event."
Arizona First Notice: 05-11
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. |
| Power Reactor | Event Number: 42334 | Facility: SUSQUEHANNA
Region: 1 State: PA
Unit: [1] [2] [ ]
RX Type: [1] GE-4,[2] GE-4
NRC Notified By: MARTIN LICHTNER
HQ OPS Officer: BILL HUFFMAN | Notification Date: 02/13/2006
Notification Time: 17:18 [ET]
Event Date: 02/13/2006
Event Time: 09:33 [EST]
Last Update Date: 02/13/2006 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
50.72(b)(3)(ii)(B) - UNANALYZED CONDITION
| Person (Organization):
PAUL KROHN (R1)
|
| Unit | SCRAM Code | RX CRIT | Initial PWR | Initial RX Mode | Current PWR | Current RX Mode | | 1 | N | Y | 100 | Power Operation | 100 | Power Operation | | 2 | N | Y | 100 | Power Operation | 100 | Power Operation | Event Text LOSS OF SINGLE POWER SUPPLY COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VENTILATION FOR DC SUBSYSTEMS IN BOTH UNITS
"At 09:33 on February 13, 2006, a Susquehanna field operator inadvertently tripped an essential instrument AC panel breaker, while applying an energy control tag. He immediately communicated this condition to the control room, and then closed the breaker to restore power. During the subsequent investigation to determine applicable technical specifications, control room operators discovered that the tripped breaker resulted in a momentary loss of both battery room exhaust subsystems. To comply with the required actions for a loss of both battery room exhaust subsystems, Susquehanna declared all Unit 1 and Unit 2 DC subsystems inoperable, which resulted in LCO 3.0.3.
"Although the entry into LCO 3.0.3 is not reportable, Susquehanna did discover an unanalyzed condition on both units that significantly degrades plant safety, which is reportable in accordance with 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(ii). The loss of a single power supply could result in the loss of ventilation and cooling for all DC subsystems on both units, leading to degradation of essential DC power sources. This condition does not meet single failure criteria for safety-related equipment."
The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector. | |