| U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center Event Reports For
03/02/2011 - 03/03/2011 ** EVENT NUMBERS ** |
 | Agreement State | Event Number: 46643 | Rep Org: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Licensee: TRICAN WELL SERVICE
Region: 4
City: SPRINGTOWN State: TX
County:
License #: GLA G02259
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: KAREN BLANCHARD
HQ OPS Officer: JOE O'HARA | Notification Date: 02/25/2011
Notification Time: 19:03 [ET]
Event Date: 02/25/2011
Event Time: 16:15 [CST]
Last Update Date: 02/25/2011 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
VIVIAN CAMPBELL (R4DO)
ROBERT LEWIS (FSME)
| Event Text MISSING SHUTTER HANDLE ON BERTHOLD MODEL LB 8010 PORTABLE DENSITY GAUGE
On 2/22/11, Trican Well Service was preparing to use the portable gauge at a well jobsite in De Soto Parish, Louisiana when they discovered the gauge was missing its shutter handle. The crew stopped work, took surveys to ensure the shutter was fully closed, and placed the gauge out of service until a repair can be performed. The device is a Berthold Model LB 8010 serial number 10074 portable density gauge used in well servicing operations. The device contains 20 milliCuries of Cs-137, serial number 014808. The crew does not know when the handle became detached. They searched the jobsite for the handle but were unsuccessful in recovering it. The device is in the custody of the licensee. Berthold has been contacted and plans to repair the gauge on March 1, 2011.
Texas Incident No. I-8825 |
| Agreement State | Event Number: 46648 | Rep Org: IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Licensee: UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
Region: 3
City: IOWA CITY State: IA
County:
License #: 0037152AAB
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: RANDAL DAHLIN
HQ OPS Officer: CHARLES TEAL | Notification Date: 02/28/2011
Notification Time: 12:14 [ET]
Event Date: 02/22/2011
Event Time: [CST]
Last Update Date: 02/28/2011 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
BILLY DICKSON (R3DO)
ANGELA MCINTOSH (FSME)
| Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STATIC ELIMINATOR SOURCE SEAL INTEGRITY LOST
"The following report was received by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) on February 23, 2011. On February 22, 2011, the University of Iowa Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) staff discovered evidence that a Nickel-63 foil in a custom made static eliminator had lost its seal integrity. The source in question consists of two 8.951 mCi Ni-63 foils that are housed in a custom built static eliminator (2 inch diameter steel pipe with the foils glued to the walls of the pipe). The static eliminator is attached to a chamber apparatus located in a fume hood within a principal investigator's lab. The results of the leak test indicated approximately 40,203 dpm (0.0181 uCi's) of activity on a wipe taken of several areas in the apparatus housing the Ni-63 foils. EHS personnel bagged the static eliminator and returned it to EHS for disposal. The two Ni-63 sources were purchased from DuPont/Merck in March of 1995. The Principle Investigator (PI) had been conducting research using these sources since that time. The University RSO reports that the PI does not have any more of these custom devices and will be pursuing other options for research. A previous leaking Ni-63 foil was reported as NMED Item Number 100592."
Iowa Incident No. 110002 |
| Fuel Cycle Facility | Event Number: 46650 | Facility: GLOBAL NUCLEAR FUEL - AMERICAS
RX Type: URANIUM FUEL FABRICATION
Comments: LEU CONVERSION (UF6 TO UO2)
LEU FABRICATION
LWR COMMERICAL FUEL
Region: 2
City: WILMINGTON State: NC
County: NEW HANOVER
License #: SNM-1097
Agreement: Y
Docket: 07001113
NRC Notified By: PHILLIP OLLIS
HQ OPS Officer: JOHN SHOEMAKER | Notification Date: 03/02/2011
Notification Time: 11:10 [ET]
Event Date: 03/01/2011
Event Time: 15:00 [EST]
Last Update Date: 03/02/2011 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
OTHER UNSPEC REQMNT
| Person (Organization):
MALCOLM WIDMANN (R2DO)
THOMAS HILTZ (NMSS)
| Event Text FAILURE TO MAINTAIN MASS CONTROL OF UO2 POWDER
"At approximately 3:00 pm [EST] on Tuesday, March 1st, it was reported that 15.3kg of UO2 powder was removed from the UO2 Sinter Test Grinding Station [High Efficiency Particulate Air] HEPA filter housing transition. This clean-out was performed as a response to routine radiological surveys that indicated the presence of uranium. It was determined that this material was present during prior filter replacement in early February in which 30.9 kg of UO2 powder was removed. The total amount of UO2 powder present in the housing was therefore approximately 46 kg, which is greater than a safe mass.
"The Sinter Test Grinding Station and associated equipment was already shut down because of the HEPA filter housing clean-out and remained down pending investigation and implementation of corrective actions.
"Failure to maintain mass control resulted in a loss of double contingency for the filter housing. The double contingency controls required include (1) mass control and (2) moderation control. Moderation control, the 2nd leg of double contingency remained in place, was effective, and was not challenged. As a result, no unsafe condition existed.
"The UO2 in the HEPA housing was transferred into [a] favorable geometry [of] 3-gallon cans per procedure. An investigation is ongoing.
"At no time did an unsafe condition exist as the moderation control was in place, was effective, and was not challenged. Immediate corrective actions [are] complete [transfer of material into 3-gallons cans]. Investigation of [the] event and implementation of long term corrective actions [are] pending.
The licensee will be notifying the NRC Region II, State, and Local Authorities. |
| Non-Agreement State | Event Number: 46651 | Rep Org: DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Licensee: DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Region: 4
City: RED RIVER State: TX
County: RED RIVER
License #: 37-30062-01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: DAVID COLLINS
HQ OPS Officer: JOE O'HARA | Notification Date: 03/02/2011
Notification Time: 15:20 [ET]
Event Date: 03/01/2011
Event Time: [CST]
Last Update Date: 03/02/2011 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
20.2201(a)(1)(ii) - LOST/STOLEN LNM>10X
| Person (Organization):
ANTHONY DIMITRIADIS (R1DO)
BOB HAGAR (R4DO)
ROBERT LEWIS (FSME)
ILTAB EMAIL ()
MEXICO ()
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| This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material. | Event Text LOST CHEMICAL DETECTION EQUIPMENT CONTAINING NI-63 SOURCES
"As part of a mass turn in of Chemical Detection Equipment (CDE) containing radioactive sources, an Air Force (AF) unit located in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. reported that it had shipped 52 CDE systems, each containing Ni-63 with 20 milli Curie sources, to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Distribution Center at Red River Texas. The CDE systems were shipped in 7 separate packages and confirmation of 7 separate packages was provided which showed the receipt by DLA on 21 May 2010. An inventory, conducted on 2 February 2011, of the 7 packages at the DLA Distribution Center could only account for 40 of the 52 CDE systems. The AF Radiation Safety Office contacted the DLA Radiation Safety Office indicating that there was a discrepancy in the number of items receipted compared to the number of items identified as shipped by the unit. The AF Radiation Safety Office provided the list of serial numbers for the 52 items reportedly shipped which were compared to the current inventory on hand. It was confirmed that there were 12 serial numbers identified on the shipping list that were not in the current inventory. An initial search of the designated Radioactive Material Storage area did not locate the items.
"It has been identified that a major issue with the turn-in process was the lack of prior notification of transfer of the CDE from the AF units to the DLA Distribution Site at Red River. A global instruction was provided by the AF PM to ship the material, without the PM providing the turn-in documents. Had the AF PM directed all of the shipment, a document would have been generated and the number of items to be shipped would have been provided to the depot. In the current process, the depot could only act reactively based on available material and paperwork.
"The transfer of CDE systems to the DLA Distribution Centers has been suspended until a more accountable process can be determined. Additionally the AF will, in the future, direct all shipments directly to Wright Patterson AFB for demilitarization and disposal. A continued effort to search the hazardous material warehouses for these items will continue."
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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf
This source is not amongst those sources or devices identified by the IAEA Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Sources to be of concern from a radiological standpoint. Therefore is it being categorized as a less than Category 3 source | |