U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center
Event Reports For
03/06/2003 - 03/07/2003
** EVENT NUMBERS **
39638 39639
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|Transportation |Event Number: 39638 |
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| REP ORG: STATE OF WV RAD HEALTH PROGRAM |NOTIFICATION DATE: 03/06/2003|
|LICENSEE: UNKNOWN |NOTIFICATION TIME: 01:24[EST]|
| CITY: PARKERSBURG REGION: 2 |EVENT DATE: 03/06/2003|
| COUNTY: STATE: WV |EVENT TIME: 01:15[EST]|
|LICENSE#: AGREEMENT: N |LAST UPDATE DATE: 03/06/2003|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |CAROLYN EVANS R2 |
| |C.W. (BILL) REAMER NMSS |
+------------------------------------------------+JOSEPH HOLONICH IRO |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: DAN HILL |NANCY OSGOOD DOT |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: HOWIE CROUCH |GIBSON DOE |
+------------------------------------------------+CAPT. HOLLAND LLEA |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|NINF INFORMATION ONLY | |
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| | |
| | |
| | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT INVOLVING RADIOGRAPHY SOURCE |
| |
| At 0124 EST on 3/06/2003, NRC Headquarters was contacted by State of WV |
| Radiation Health Program that an automobile/truck accident had occurred in |
| Parkersburg, West Virginia that involved a Iridium-192 radiography source. |
| Local HazMat responders do not have radiation monitoring equipment. |
| Currently, LLEA is in contact with Camden-Clark Hospital to obtain proper |
| radiation monitoring equipment to determine if packaging is intact. (It was |
| determined that Camden-Clark is unable to respond). Vehicle is located in |
| local towing impound yard. West Virginia will be responding in the morning |
| to perform surveys. |
| |
| Notified NMSS EO (Reamer), R2DO (Evans), DIRO Mgr. (Holonich), NRC |
| Transportation (Osgood), DOT (LT. (jg) Johnson) and DOE (Gibson). |
| |
| * * * * UPDATE FROM D. HILL TO M. RIPLEY AT 1250 EST 3/6/03 * * * |
| |
| The State of WV Radiation Health Program completed an inspection and |
| radiation survey. The Iridium-192 radiography source was found intact. |
| Radiation levels were normal and there was no spread of radioactivity. The |
| radiography equipment was released to the licensee for transport back to the |
| work site where it was being used. |
| |
| Notified NMSS EO (Reamer), R2DO (Evans & Pelchat), DIRO Mgr. (Holonich), |
| DOT-NRC Watch Officer, DOT (LT. Higgins), DOE Watch Officer, NTSB |
| (Belchius), USCG (LT. Gross), EPA R3 (Minnick). |
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|General Information or Other |Event Number: 39639 |
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| REP ORG: HOLTEC INTERNATIONAL |NOTIFICATION DATE: 03/06/2003|
|LICENSEE: AALBORG |NOTIFICATION TIME: 14:10[EST]|
| CITY: REGION: |EVENT DATE: 01/03/2003|
| COUNTY: STATE: |EVENT TIME: [EST]|
|LICENSE#: AGREEMENT: N |LAST UPDATE DATE: 03/06/2003|
| DOCKET: |+----------------------------+
| |PERSON ORGANIZATION |
| |MOHAMED SHANBAKY R1 |
| |CAROLYN EVANS R2 |
+------------------------------------------------+MONTE PHILLIPS R3 |
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: HOLTEC (fax) |DALE POWERS R4 |
| HQ OPS OFFICER: MIKE RIPLEY |TERRY REIS NRR |
+------------------------------------------------+ |
|EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY | |
|10 CFR SECTION: | |
|CCCC 21.21 UNSPECIFIED PARAGRAPH | |
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EVENT TEXT
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| PART 21 NOTIFICATION - AALBORG FLOW METERS |
| |
| Holtec International reports a potential defect in Aalborg model GFM671S |
| mass flow rate meters. The instruments are used to verify the correct |
| amount of helium is backfilled into dry spent fuel storage canisters. These |
| instruments were never used on a Holtec cask system containing spent nuclear |
| fuel because the problem was discovered during the preparatory phase before |
| fuel loading. |
| |
| Four meters were purchased for use at the Trojan nuclear plant to measure |
| the amount of helium gas injected into a loaded Holtec dry spent fuel |
| Multipurpose Canister (MPC). It was determined that erroneous data was |
| coming from the flow rate meters. It was determined by Aalborg that the |
| published correction factors for helium/nitrogen were incorrect for this |
| model flow meter. At the time the discrepant condition was identified, none |
| of the flow meters had been used on an MPC loaded with spent fuel and they |
| were subsequently removed from service until they could be correctly |
| calibrated. |
| |
| Four flow rate meters were procured and delivered to the Trojan nuclear |
| power plant. Three were not used in actual fuel loading activities due to |
| the discovery of the mis-calibration during dry run activities. The fourth |
| flow rate meter has been removed from the site. |
| |
| Aalborg is developing new helium correction factors. In the interim, they |
| have committed to using helium to calibrate all flow meters destined for use |
| in measuring helium. |
| |
| Trojan plant was the first plant where flow rate meters and flow totalizers |
| were to be used to confirm adequate helium backfill in Holtec MPCs loaded |
| with spent fuel. Therefore, no other Holtec client is affected for past |
| loading operations. For future MPC loading operations, Holtec users, as well |
| as other purchasers and licensees are being notified via this report that |
| Aalborg flow meters procured for use in important-to-safety activities may |
| not be calibrated correctly and that certain catalogue correction factors |
| have been determined to be incorrect. The calibration of Aalborg flow |
| meters should be confirmed prior to use in important-to-safety activities. |
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