ENS 42997
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
03:30 Nov 16, 2006 | |
| Title | Missing Well Logging Tool |
| Event Description | At 2130 CST on 11/15/06, Schlumberger reported that a well logging tool was missing from the truck transporting the tool. The tool contained 1.5 curies of Tritium in a neutron target. It appears that the tool was lost or fell from the truck along a 50 mile portion of County Road 3169 in Zapata County, TX. A search for the tool is in progress.
At 2130 on Nov 15, 2006, a third party transport driver noted that he was missing a well logging tool that contains a neutron generator. The tool appears to have fallen off the truck along a fifty mile stretch of county road 3169 in Zapata county. The neutron generator contains 1.5 curies of tritium that is impregnated into the target of tube and is sealed within the tube and tool. No radiation is emitted by the generator and no public exposure is expected. Schlumberger personnel are searching the fifty miles of road and if the tool is not located on the first search, the Zapata county sheriff's office will be contacted. The search will continue at daylight. Additional notifications have been made to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and State Operations Center (SOC). The tool is a model 7158 manufactured by Schlumberger and is ~10 feet in length with an outside diameter of one and 11/16 inches. The device is made of stainless steel and has few markings on the exterior surface. The external surface of each neutron generator target is engraved with a target assembly I.D. number consisting of year-month-day (date of construction) and target position and the sequential serial number assigned to the neutron generator. After tritiation, the neutron generators have the model number (758, 761, or 762) and 'Radioactive H3' etched or engraved on the annulus of the end Kovar piece at the pinchoff end. The remaining annular space is taken by a second engraving of the serial number. Specific Item Missing: 1 11/16 inches OD logging tool continuing neutron generator approximately 108 inches (9 feet) long. The tool is made of steel and is cylindrical. Neutron Generator: Schlumberger Model 7158 covered by SSDR NR-316-D-101-S-1 (attached), Serial Number, 5710 Activity and Nuclide: 1.5 curies of tritium Description: Tritium is impregnated in a metal target contained within a sealed tube. The tube is sealed within an electronic housing (PNG-1032) and this electronic housing is contained with a well logging tool that is sealed and pressure rated to 15,000 psi. The generator only produces neutron radiation when high voltage is applied. R4DO (Johnson) and NMSS EO (Camper) notified. ILTAB notified via e-mail.
On 11/16/06, the licensee found the tool with the source intact, and it is reportedly at their Laredo facility. Notified R4DO (C. Johnson) and NMSS (G. Morell) and emailed to ILTAB. 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. |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Schlumberger Zapata, Texas (NRC Region 4) | |
| Organization: | Texas Department Of Health |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+5.4 h0.225 days <br />0.0321 weeks <br />0.0074 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Ray Jisha 08:54 Nov 16, 2006 |
| NRC Officer: | Bill Gott |
| Last Updated: | Nov 17, 2006 |
| 42997 - NRC Website | |
Schlumberger with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 529772017-09-19T05:00:00019 September 2017 05:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report - Well Logging Sources Stuck Down Hole ENS 429972006-11-16T03:30:00016 November 2006 03:30:00 Agreement State Missing Well Logging Tool ENS 429052006-09-21T05:00:00021 September 2006 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report Involving Abandonment of Two Sealed Well Logging Sources ENS 418732005-07-26T21:00:00026 July 2005 21:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Possible Lost Tritium Generators 2017-09-19T05:00:00 | |