ML20028H436

LER 90-024-00:on 901129,portion of Contents of Waste Gas Decay Tank 6 Discharged While Maint Performed.Caused by Personnel Error.Shift Supervisor counseled.W/901228 Ltr

ML20028H436
Person / Time
Site:	Wolf Creek
Issue date:	12/28/1990
From:	Mike Williams, Withers B WOLF CREEK NUCLEAR OPERATING CORP.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
LER-90-024, LER-90-24, WM-90-0205, WM-90-205, NUDOCS 9101070078
Download: ML20028H436 (5)

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' W44.F CREEK NUCLEAR OPERKilNG CORPORATION mart D. womers Pree.eerd ord ChW EnocWwe 0 %er Decernber 28, 1990 i

M4 90-0205 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk Hall Station P1-137 Washington, D. C. 20555

Subject:

Docket No. ?!.482: Licensee Event Report 90-024-00 Gentlemen:  :

The attached Licensee Event Report (LER) is being submitted pursuant to 10 CPR 50.73 (a) (2) (1) concerning a Technical Specification violation.

Very truly yours,

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Bart D, Withets President and Chief Executive Officer BDW/jra Attachment .'

cca A. T. Howell (NRC), w/a R. D. Martin (NRC), w/a D.-V. Pickett (NRC), w/a l H. E. Skow (NRC), w/a j l

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910107O078 901228 P.O. Box 411/ Burhrgton, KS 66839 / Phone;(316) 364 8831 F'DR ADOCK 0500t 2 An EW opporturdy Empeyer M FACVET 4 ,

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. ao n e AC t m-, w o a w.<.. . . ...-, ,,, as,... .. . w.. . ,, o..~,,.. s .o o s, Cn Novmber 29, 1990 a portion of the contents of Waste Gas Decay Tank l (m) #6, 'IHA01G, was discharged while maintenance was being perfomed on its relief valve, HA7831C. Confusion with the Clearance Order allowed the maintenance activities associated with m #6 to continue even though WGDT

1. 6 had not been purged. This situation constitutes a violation of Technical Specification 3.11.2.1, which requires, in part, sampling of a NGDP prior to its release.

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'Ihe root. cause of this event was the failure of the Shift Supervisor to recognize the need to postpone work activities when confusion arose with its Work Request / Clearance Order. - 'Ihe Shift Supervisor has been counseled on the need to stop naintenance activities when confusion exists with any _

Clearance Order. In addition, a letter has been sent to Operations personnel sphasizing this point. All Radwaste Operators have been informed '

to innediately contact Chantstry in the event of an unplanned release. .By January 17, 1991, procedure changes requiring Operations personnel to notify c

i Chanistry in the event of a Process Radiation HI or Process Radiation HI HI alarm will be inplernented.

Calculations perfomed subsequent to this event verified that no release limits were exceeded during this event.

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IN M UUCT1W On Ibvmber 29, 1990, a portion of the contents of Waste Gas Decay Tank (m) #6,11R01G (WE-TK), es discharged while naintenance was being performed on its relief valve, Im7831C (WE-RV). This situation constitutes a violation of 7bchnical Specification 3.11.2.1, which requires, in part, sampling of a m prior to its release. Therefore this event is being reported pursuant to 10 CFR 50.73(a)(2)(1) concerning a condition prohibited by the plant's 7bchnical Specifications.

DESCRIPI' ION OF WIWP On !bvmber 28, 1990, the Shif t Supervisor obtained the Clearance Order frm the Radeste Operator in preparation for naintenance on the Gasoous Radweste Systm the following day. The Clearance Order, which had bean prepare:i on October 8,1990, allowed for the inpimentation of several Corrective Work Requests and stated that M s #6 and #8 should be purged prior to performing unintenance on the systs. This information wac contrary to the Radwaste Supervisor's Night Orders for the evening of Ibvmber 28, which stated to purge only m #8.

After discussions with the Radweste Supervisor, the Shift Supervisor deleted the pnzging requiramnt tor m #6 frm the Clearance Order. The Radwaste Supervisor had inforned him that the wrk on m #6 outlet isolation valvo imV127 (WE-V) would be postponed. Following this conversation, the Shift Supervisor noticed that the Clearance Order indicated that valve imV127 was associated with Ibrk Request 03398-90, although the Work Roquest itself governed m #6's relief valve, im7831C. After discussions with the Operations / Maintenance coordinator, the Shift Supervisor deleted the reference to valvo imV127 and inserted relief valve Im7831C to ccrrespond with Work Request 03398-90 on the Clearance Order. The Shift Supervisor failed to adequately review the scope of the work activity and to ensure that syst m lineups were appropriate for the work to proceed. Consequently, the Shift Supervisor did not recognize that relief valve im7831C was also associated with m #6 and that m #6 would have to be purged before perfoming the naintenance. The nodified Clearance Order was then issued for naintenance on the gaseous radwaste systm by the Shift Supervisor at' approxinately 1530 CST.

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On Novamber 29, 1990 at approximtely 0745 CST, the Mechanical Maintenance

personnel perfoming the mintenance en WP #6's relief valve HA7831C were cautioned by the Shift Supervisor that residual gas my still exist in the systan. At approxim tely 0845 CST, the Maintenance personnel proceeded to bruak the seal on the relief valve to allow any reining gas trapped in the systm to escape. We relief valve rmained open a few minutes until a portable radiation nonitor indicated an increasing radiation level in the arua. We relief valve fitting was rutightened and the Control Rom ws contactod. We Control Rocra instructed the Maintenance personnel to tighten i the fitting back to its proper torque and further stated that the job would be cm pleted at a later date. During the tine that the gas was being released, the pressure dropped frun 5.7 psig to 2.0 peig in er #6.

At 0848 CSr, the Control Rocen received a process radiation high alann on radiation nonitor GH-RT-23 [II,-MON) for the Radweste Building Waste Gas Vent. Health Physics was contacted and confitned that the alann was valid.

We area was evacuated and air samples wre taken to detennine the airborne activity in the surrounding area. % e area was than posted for airborne radioactivity.

At approximately 1800 CST, Chmistry ws infonned of the release. Because the Gaseous Radwaste Systs was still out of service for mintenance on the Waste Gas Cmpressors, Chmistry personnel wre unable.to obtain a sample of ,

the tank's contents. herufore, calculations wre perforned using a sample taken Septmber 11, 1990 which had been corrected for decay. %ese calculations showod Technical Specification limits had not been exceoded during the ovent. A sample of the tank's contents was taken after the maintenance activities were empleted on the, Gaseous Radwesto Systan; however, the tank's contents had been diluted several times and the use of this sample data would have given faulty results.

'Ibchnical Spocification 3.11.2.1 requires, in part, that Waste Gas Docay Tanks should be sampled prior to release. Since a portion of Mr #6 contents was released wlll.out prior sanpling, this requirmont of Tochnical Specification 3.11.2.1 was not satisfied.

HOOT CALEE AIO O@RICPIVE AC'fl06 he root cause of this event was the failure of a Shitt Supervisor to recognize the need to postpone non-urgent work activities when confusion arose with the Work Request / Clearance Order. In addition, Chmistry personnel were not infonned of the event within a reasonable time frame so that release calculations could be performed.

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O! ?) 4 Ol 0 l 014 0F Ol 4 w <.., ~ .n. ~ ~ . m o - ,an 7ho Shitt Supervisor has boon counselod on the nood to stcp mintenanco activities when confusion exists with any Cloaranco Order. Also a lotter has boon sont to Operations personnel cuphasizing this point. 7he Radwaste Operators have boon infonnr.xi to innodiately contact Chunistry in the went of an unplanned release. Changos are boing m de to procodures AIR 00-061A,

" Process Radiation III III", and AIR 00-061B, " Process Radiation HI",

requiring Operations personnel to notify Chanistry in the event of a Process Radiation III or Process Radiation III lII alann. These proceduru changes will be inplatonted by January 17, 1991.

_N_I)I'!7(BW, INKNOWl'ICDI The unit'was operating in Mode 1, Pwor Operation, at approximtely 100 percont reactor power during the event. Ib release limits min excoodod during this event as veriflod by calculations based on the radiological contents of the M . Therefort, there us no thrust to the health and safety of site porsonnel nor the public.

PInvious similar occurroncos of a Waste Gas Decay Tank release withc.at prior ,

sampling aiu discussed in Licensoo Event Reports 06-047-00 arxi 90-017-00. '

Licensee Event Report 86-047-00 describes an event in which the contents of NGt7r #8 were leaking into m #2 during a plannod release. The loakago.was caused by a mlfunction of a drain valve which allwod a portion of Etyr #8 to be released without prior sampling. Licensoe Event Report 90-017-00 describos an event in wttich a portion of the contents of WI7T #3 was discharged to the Radwasto Duilding lleating,- Ventilation and ALr  !

Conditioning Systan. Ship event was caused by an inadoquate mtar supply in the connecting d sin traps. The corrective actions taken in these occurrences addrused specific circumstances and had no correlation with this event. <

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14RC f orse 344A (64191

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