Headquarters Daily report JULY 18, 1994 *************************************************************************** REPORT NEGATIVE NO INPUT ATTACHED INPUT RECEIVED RECEIVED HEADQUARTERS X REGION I X REGION II X REGION III X REGION IV X *************************************************************************** PRIORITY ATTENTION REQUIRED MORNING REPORT - REGION I JULY 18, 1994 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co. MR Number: 1-94-0079 Maine Yankee 1 Date: 07/18/94 Wiscasset,Maine SRI PC Dockets: 50-309 PWR/CE Subject: PLANT SHUTDOWN DUE TO INCREASING PRIMARY TO SECONDARY LEAKAGE Reportable Event Number: N/A Discussion: On Friday, July 15, 1994, operators commenced a plant shutdown at the rate of 10% per hour because the primary to secondary leakage rate was increasing at a faster than expected rate. The leakage at that time was 39.77 gallons per day (GPD). While the Abnormal Operating Procedure (AOP 2-49) allowed plant operation with up to 75 GPD, the licensee determined that with the rate of increase, a plant shutdown was appropriate. During the shutdown, a leakage of 50.66 GPD was measured. The Technical Specifications limit for plant shutdown is 216 GPD. During the plant shutdown, when the reactor was in hot standby (less than 2% power), operators received a high vibration (26 mils) indication on reactor coolant pump (RCP) #2. According to the corresponding Abnormal Operating Procedure (AOP), operators entered EOP E-0 and manually tripped the reactor from about 1% power at 2:07 a.m. on Saturday, July 16. Plant equipment repsonded as expected and there was no safety injection (SI) actuation. By 9:40 a.m., the reactor had been depressurized and was in the process of cooldown. Subsequent investigation revealed that the high vibration signal was a result of a failed instrumentation power supply. The licensee has scheduled a 16-day outage to repair the leaking steam generator (SG #2) tubes and perform other maintenance activities, and has issued a press released. Regional Action: The resident inspectors and regional staff are following up on the licensee's repair activities. Contact: Jimi Yerokun (207)882-7519 William Lazarus (610)337-5231 PRIORITY ATTENTION REQUIRED MORNING REPORT - REGION II JULY 18, 1994 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Agreement State Licensee MR Number: 2-94-0061 Quadrex Recycle Center, Inc. Date: 07/16/94 Oak Ridge,Tennessee Call From State of Tennessee Subject: Fire In Operations Building Reportable Event Number: N/A Discussion: On July 16, 1994 a representative from the State of Tennessee, Division of Radiological Health, advised the Headquarters Operations Center of a fire which occurred at the Quadrex Recycle Center, Inc., Oak Ridge, Tennessee (an Agreement State Licensee). The licensee provides decontamination to the industry. During discussions with State officials over the weekend, Region II was advised that the fire occurred in Building B, an operations building, was thought to be under control at 7:00 pm, but subsequently flared up resulting in significant damage to the building. A State inspector was on-site during this second phase of the fire, and he was in direct communication with the Fire Chief, City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A fire brigade from the Department of Energy, Y-12 facility, also responded to provide assistance. While there was concern over the radiological aspects of the fire, the major concern was chemical in nature, Building B apparently contained large quantities of nitric acid, as well as other hazardous/toxic materials. The fire was extinguished and under control at 8:30 pm on July 16, 1994, after which the State confirmed that neither the lapel monitors worn by the fire fighting personnel or the perimeter area monitors indicated any activity levels above background. The State determined that there were no personnel exposures or any off-site releases as a result of the fire. Both NRC Headquarters and Region II offered technical assistance to the State, which was declined. There has been local media interest in this incident. State inspectors will visit the facility this morning to further investigate the cause of the fire, as well as conduct additional radiological environmental surveys. Regional Action: Region II will continue to follow the State's inspection activities of this facility, to include the results of additional radiological surveys. Contact: Robert Trojanowski (404)331-5597 PRIORITY ATTENTION REQUIRED MORNING REPORT - REGION III JULY 18, 1994 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Non-Licensee MR Number: 3-94-0128 Nucor Steel Date: 07/18/94 Crawfordsville,Indiana TELECON W/ST OF IN DEPT OF HEALTH Subject: RADIATION ALARM ON INCOMING SHIPMENT Reportable Event Number: N/A Discussion: Region III was informed by a representative of the Indiana State Department of Health Radiation Control Program that a railcar containing metal shavings (borings) caused the radiation monitoring system to alarm at Nucor Steel in Crawfordsville, Indiana on July 12, 1994. The railcar and its contents were segregated from other shipments and secured until a representative of the Indiana State Department of Health arrived at Nucor Steel on July 13, 1994. Using a microR meter, the State representative found a maximum reading of 10 microR/hr near the bottom surface of the railcar (background reading-3.5 microR/hr). It was determined that the increased radiation levels resulted from a sand-like material located in the bottom of the railcar. The maximum radiation level detected near the sand was 25 microR/hr. The metal shavings did not exhibit radiation levels greater than background. The railcar and its contents were rejected by Nucor and shipped back to its originator, Eaton Iron & Metal Company of Glasgow, Kentucky. The scrap shipment was brokered by David J. Joseph Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. While enroute to Glasgow, Kentucky, the railcar will be parked temporarily at a CSXT rail yard in Evansville, Indiana. The local train master in Evansville has been informed of the contaminated material in the railcar. The State of Indiana informed the Commonwealth of Kentucky radiation control program of the shipment. Region II, the Office of State Programs and NMSS have been notified. Regional Action: Region III referred this matter to EPA for followup in accordance with the draft Federal Radiological Response Plan. Contact: B.J. HOLT (708)829-9836