ML14042A390
| ML14042A390 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Limerick  |
| Issue date: | 02/10/2014 |
| From: | Eugene Dipaolo Reactor Projects Region 1 Branch 4 |
| To: | Cuthbert D Alliance For A Clean Environment |
| bower, fl | |
| References | |
| Download: ML14042A390 (2) | |
Text
From:
DiPaolo, Eugene Sent:
Monday, February 10, 2014 12:53 PM To:
aceactivists@comcast.net Cc:
Bower, Fred
Subject:
RE: URGENT - LIMERICK ALARM QUESTION Mrs. Cuthbert, I wanted to follow up with regard to the cause of the Limerick emergency preparedness siren which unexpectedly alarmed continuously on Friday, January 3. The siren controls were sent back to the manufacturer for failure analysis. The manufacturer and Exelon concluded that the unexpected actuation of the siren was caused by a power surge from the electrical grid (the sirens normal power supply) that resulted in damage to the sirens controller. The power surge and controller damage caused the siren to shift its power source to its backup battery and to continuously alarm. Siren operation was terminated when internal fuses appropriately open circuited due to the continuous operation. For this one siren, Exelon replaced all siren controls, remote communications controls, and the siren head and returned the siren to service on January 8. In accordance with Limerick emergency response plan, alternate means existed to notify local residents in the vicinity of this one siren of an emergency if one had occurred while the siren was inoperable. The siren has been fully returned to a standby status and is ready for operation, if needed.
I hope that you find this information helpful.
Gene DiPaolo USNRC Senior Resident Inspector Limerick Generating Station Office: 610-327-1345 Cell: 484-459-9521 From: aceactivists@comcast.net [1]
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2014 5:55 PM To: DiPaolo, Eugene
Subject:
Re: URGENT - LIMERICK ALARM QUESTION
- Gene, Thank you for the response. Please inform us of the determination when the investigation is completed.
Donna Cuthbert From: "Eugene DiPaolo" <Eugene.DiPaolo@nrc.gov>
To: aceactivists@comcast.net Cc: "Fred Bower" <Fred.Bower@nrc.gov>
Sent: Monday, January 6, 2014 4:58:06 PM
Subject:
RE: URGENT - LIMERICK ALARM QUESTION
Mrs. Cuthbert, Thank you for your questions concerning a Limerick emergency preparedness siren that was alarming on Friday, January 3, at approximately 11:00 p.m. During my review of the issue, I discovered that operators were aware that a siren in South Coventry had sounded and that no actual emergency existed at the time. The Exelon personnel who investigated the siren determined that the siren was malfunctioning because no signal had been sent to actuate the siren. Limerick personnel contacted appropriate state and local authorities due to the spurious actuation of the siren. As a result of the condition and offsite notifications, Exelon made a Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 50.72 report. As a part of the notification process, I was contacted about the incident that evening. A copy of the 10CFR 50.72 (Event Number 49691) report can be viewed through the following link: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/en.html The vendor who maintains the siren system is currently in the process of troubleshooting and repairing the siren. At this point in the investigation, the problem was caused by an equipment failure within the siren. The other 164 Limerick emergency preparedness sirens remain functional. Additional investigation to determine the exact cause of the failure will be performed.
Gene DiPaolo USNRC Senior Resident Inspector Limerick Generating Station Office: 610-327-1345 Cell: 484-459-9521 From: aceactivists@comcast.net [2]
Sent: Friday, January 03, 2014 11:38 PM To: DiPaolo, Eugene
Subject:
URGENT - LIMERICK ALARM QUESTION
- Gene, We were just contacted by North Coventry residents who are very worried.
The Limerick alarm went off just a short time ago, a little after 11:00 P.M.
It was ringing for a long period of time, in fact until a few minutes ago.
Can you PLEASE look into it and let us know why that alarm went off?
Thank you, Donna Cuthbert