Event Notification Report for June 16, 2023

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STUCK OPEN SHUTTER

The following is a summary provided by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via email:

On June 8, 2023 at 0920 CDT, the licensee (Roquette America Inc.) in Gurnee, IL, advised the Agency of a stuck open shutter (Ohmart fixed gage, 15 mCi, Cs-137). The reportable equipment failure was discovered during a routine shutter check. The Radiation Safety Officer confirmed that the gauge will remain in its mounted condition attached to a small sectional tank and that operators were immediately advised of the inoperable shutter. The manufacturer was notified and confirmation for a site visit to repair the shutter is pending. No personnel exposures occurred as a result. The incident was reported to the Agency within 24 hours as required under 32 Ill. Adm. Code 340.1220(c)(2). Agency staff will perform a reactionary inspection to ensure adequate control of the gauge and area until the shutter is repaired.

Illinois event number: IL230012

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE

The following is a summary of information provided by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via email:

On 6/8/23, the licensee (SKS Engineers) was transporting a moisture density gauge (Troxler Model 3440, serial number 30126, 40 mCi Am-241/Be, 8 mCi Cs-137), and it fell out of the truck. The truck bed door was found down upon arrival at the work location. The licensee was transporting the device within its case from Decatur, IL to a work location in Mt. Zion, IL which represented a 9.4-mile path.

Illinois event number: IL230013

* * * UPDATE ON 6/9/2023 AT 1627 EDT FROM GARY FORSEE TO IAN HOWARD * * *

The following information was provided by the Agency via email and phone:

"The gauge has been located and returned to safe storage. A member of the public located the gauge and facilitated its return to the licensee. The gauge was undamaged and still contained within the locked case."

Notified R3DO (Nguyen), NMSS (email), and ILTAB (email).

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

OFFSITE NOTIFICATION - OIL RELEASE

The following information was provided by the licensee via email:

"On 6/13/23 at approximately 1030 PDT, testing was being conducted on a lubricating oil system which interfaces with a cooling water system that has a pathway to the Columbia River. Due to an equipment failure, an indeterminate amount of oil leaked into the cooling water system, with a maximum potential loss of 300 gallons of oil. At 1230 PDT, an oil sheen was identified on the water basin which is the suction and discharge for this cooling system. The discharge pathway to the river was isolated at 1235 PDT. Investigation at the Columbia River showed no signs of oil sheen. This is being reported to offsite agencies under the Columbia Generating Station NPDES [National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System] Permit section S3.E.b. l and RCW [Revised Code of Washington] 90.56.280 due to the discharge of oil which has the potential to cause a sheen on the surface of the river.

"This condition is being reported pursuant to 10CFR50.72(b)(2)(xi) for news release or notification of other government agencies related to health and safety of the public or protection of the environment. Notifications to off-site agencies were performed at 1842 PDT on 6/13/2023.

"United States Coast Guard National Response Center Incident Report# 1369989.

"Washington State Emergency Management Division Report# 23-2245.

"Discharge pathway will remain secured until on-site cooling water system has been remediated.

"The NRC resident has been informed."

FITNESS-FOR-DUTY REPORT

The following is a summary of information provided by the licensee via email:

A non-licensed, non-supervisory employee was identified bringing a prohibited item into the protected area. The employee's access to the plant has been terminated.

The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified.

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LEAKING SOURCE

The following information was provided by the the Colorado Department of Health via email:

"On June 12, 2023, as the semi-annual leak tests/inventory were being performed at Sky Ridge Medical Center (RAML 1053-01), a leaking Co-57 Benchmark mini flood source (SN BM552021321103) was found. The exact timing of when the source started leaking is unknown. The source was last inventoried in December 2022, and was at background. [A staff member] from the Colorado Associates in Medical Physics (CAMP) found the source had 185 Bq (0.005 micro-Ci) or more removable contamination in excess of the regulatory limits. The initial removable contamination resulted in a wipe count of 3835 cpm (0.00525 micro-Ci) of removable contamination. The source was cleaned with paper towels and dish soap and when re-wiped had a lower count (1900 cpm), but remained above background even after additional wipes. All paper towels used for cleaning surveyed at background (0.03 mR/hr) and were disposed of in the hot trash in the hot lab.

"The source was wrapped in a thick trash bag, secured with tape and was placed in the shielded decay cabinet. The activity of the source on 6/12/2023 was 5.02 milli-Ci. The storage container, the cardiac single-photon emission computed tomography camera, and the hot lab counters were all wiped and surveyed, and all readings were at background (0.03 mR/hr).

"The source did not appear damaged or broken. CAMP will dispose of the source, and they have initiated a disposal inquiry. In the meantime, the source will remain in the shielded decay cabinet."

Colorado event report ID number: CO230016

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS POWER LIMIT VIOLATION

The following information was provided by the licensee via phone and email:

"[Oregon State University Radiation Center is] providing this information as a follow-up with the phone call to the Headquarters Operations Center made today at 1325 EDT (EN-56579). On the morning of 5/31/2023, a senior reactor operator and a trainee operator were performing a square-wave operation to raise power from 100 W to 1 MW. After firing the transient rod, the reactor immediately scrammed on both safety and percent power channels. Review of the chart recorder shows that reactor power likely reached 1.45 MW. This is potentially a violation of Technical Specification 3.1.1 which limits power to 1.1 MW during steady-state operations.

"Reviewing the power chart recorder, it appears that two immediately adjacent steps required for the square-wave operation were performed inadvertently out of order. The chart's sample rate is 1 Hz, so the resolution on the data is limited. Within 10 seconds, the final procedure steps for square-wave operation were performed (with the mode switch in square-wave mode). Once the transient rod air actuation button was pushed, starting the square-wave, the safety channel shortly thereafter (approximately 1 second) went from 0.02 percent to 145.91 percent of 1 MW. The reactor immediately scrammed and shut down the reactor as the safety and percent power channels exceeded their scram setpoints of 106 percent of 1 MW, which were checked on the daily startup checklist. The cause of the event was that two steps in the procedure were performed out of order, causing the regulating rod to withdraw to match demand power as the transient rod withdrew. As a result, this caused an additional 18 cents of reactivity to be inserted above the planned reactivity insertion of 80 cents.

"[Oregon State University Radiation Center plans] on following this up with a more thorough report within 14 days."

AUTOMATIC REACTOR TRIP DUE TO LO-LO STEAM GENERATOR LEVEL

The following information was provided by the licensee via email:

"[On June 16, 2023,] at 1832 CDT, Unit 1 reactor automatically tripped on lo-lo level in the '1-04' steam generator (SG). Prior to the trip, the 1B [main feedwater pump] (MFP) tripped due to speed oscillations and a runback to 700MW was in progress. Both motor driven auxiliary feedwater pumps started due to the lo-lo level in SG '1-04'.

"Unit 1 is being maintained in hot standby (Mode 3) in accordance with Integrated Plant Operating Procedure IPO-007A. The Emergency Response Guideline network has been exited. Decay heat is being rejected to the main condenser via the steam dump valves."

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

The following additional information was obtained from the licensee in accordance with Headquarters Operations Officers Report Guidance:

Unit 1 is in a normal post-trip electrical line-up. There was no effect on Unit 2 due to the Unit 1 trip.