ML20085D362

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Ro:On 630809-19,three Unsuccessful Attempts Made to Pump Gas Into Gas Decay Tank 3.Caused by Small Hole Through Which Gas Was Escaping.Failure of Piping Caused by Impact of Tool or Falling Object
ML20085D362
Person / Time
Site: Saxton File:GPU Nuclear icon.png
Issue date: 10/09/1963
From: Layman W
SAXTON NUCLEAR EXPERIMENTAL CORP.
To:
US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC)
Shared Package
ML20083L048 List: ... further results
References
FOIA-91-17 NUDOCS 9110160117
Download: ML20085D362 (4)
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Text

. . . _ - - - - - - a g t. iou-y, SAX.ON NUCLEAR EXPERIMElJAL CORPORATION n,

GENERAL P U B LIC UTILITIES SYSTEM j

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Teleph 2nei L--_ " '; 2"_" - _ ; * ""

P.dsnhear#2deedsman fag suten 63N937 r.3. nex 99, saxton, Pa.

october 9, 196)

Director Division of Liomuttng and Eagulation U.S. Ateenio Energy Cammaission vashington 25, D.C.

Deer Sirs i

The folluving report of an inaident kt baxton involving the unintentional release of a -11 quantity (less than 2 millieuries) of radiomative gas is formrded. Saxton does not believe that a report is requird by our license s#R-4 since no poemible unute condition satisted, nor did the release rwtuire reporting I

by AEC Regulation ID CDL 20J bowever, our AEC sempliance inepeeter stated that 1%

his opinion a report is required by our lieanse DPn-A paragrege 3 D (1) so we are l

I forwarding this report for your infomation.

hinoersly, W. 61. Iayman General Manager oos Manager, New Yoric '#eration Office LMARC 376 Hudson Street, New York 14, N.Y.

G. RLeewe, fAM Safety Committee J. O'Rielly G. F. Trowbridge .

S. R2rtnoff kNykON y

tu c m _jfu *10424 g,

Saxton Ihtalear %tal Oermerstism l Inciduit Remrt 9

Litt intentional Release _tr<m oss Decar Tank .11.3 Resorintion of grants During the period August 9,1%) through August 19,1%) three unsueeessful attempts were made to psap gas into the No. 3 Qas Decay Tank which is a part of the gas handling systen in the Radiactive kaste Disposal Fasility at the Saxtsu Reaster Plant. Pressure failed to build-up in the tank each time it ws placed in service.

Following %e first attempt, the rupture diso which protects the tank from crerpreocure was inspected and found to be intact and a osall leak at one of the tank instrunernt lines was located and repaired. The eeoand attempt to pump gas into t!.e tank occurred on August 17. Folicwing this attenpt, the npture disc was again renoved and tested arid a ==411 leak was discovered. A new rupture dine we installed arxi a thid attetapt to use Oas Decay Tank No. 3 was made on August 19. After coveral hours operation the tank was again taken out of service since no prwsure build-up was obearved.

h gas decay tanks and satch of their associated piping are located epproximately six feet below trutnd level ant adjasant to W Waste Lispoul Plant.

The remainder of the piping connooted to %ese tanks is located in the pipe tunnel ami Waste Disposal Plant. It was apparent Wt aneWr leak existed and hat a testing program wa necessary to inoate W leak. All leak tests wre contuoted with non-radiomative nitrogen gas. Testa were first conducted to determine if the leak was located in the exposed piping or through valves located in the esposed piping eennected to the tank. No leaks were located by those tuts so it was decided to dig a series of holes in the plant yard, first at those lomtions where be pipes eaanesting Gas Decay Tank No. 3 pass through the wil of We pipe tunnel. The procedure used was to excavate to the water table and loosen the ear % around the pipe balow. The tank wss them pressurised to approvinately 30 peig and the bottaa of the exoavation was observed for 24 appearanoe of gas bubbles in W water. The socoed such test located no ink approscinately 2 feet from W tumnal wall in a !" line whiek is provided to drain any liquid in the gas doeay tank to one of W 10,000 gallen underground storage tanks. The maali hole through which gas was escaping was located in an indsettation in tho top of the pipe. The indentation probably was caused by We impact of a tool or faliina object during plant eonstruction. The tank and associated piping entisfactorily passed strength and leak tests before plant operation began. It is believed that the failure was eausad hy a weakening of the pipe well es a roeuh, of W indentation.

Radiolerieal Durvaars At the time the leak was leested and also during previous exoavation procedures, radiation survers with a aide-window Q-M surver meter did not indiosto any radioaotivity above background either in W vicinity of the essavations or en maintenance personnel perfonsing the wed. After W Ink ms loonted, ground water samples were ecllected and analysed and it we detenmined that the grose beta-gamma activity was lose than the average background activity of the adjacent Raysteun Rranch of W Amiata River.

L l

In addities, the rooeNo of W aff-aits andiation sureg stations were studied for the period August 9 through August 19 during whiek attempts were made to pump plant eft-gases into Osa Deear Fank so. 3. This study imileated that W two, contirmously roeordad, eft-site, moving filter paper type, radiation monitertag snannels (RIC.4 and RIC-9) did not reced av ehange in the normal haakground ruiioactivity. The reseMs of a meteorological enreg station leested adjasent to the plant site whian sentinuously records wiad velasity and directies were alas studied and these records indleate hat the prevailing wimde during he paried were fron the soun-west, which is the direction from the leaking drain line to the radiation monitaring ehannel AIC 4 The neerds of armlyses of the fixed-fLiter paper type, air partlealate sunpler fran Livtronmental Radiation Survey Station No. I were alas studied. This station is located appmximately 600 feet east of the leoation of the leak. These recoNo indicate tnat a tilter paper which was in service during the period August 9 thrvugh August 19 oollected background radioactivity in an amount consistunt with the airbome activity being observed at this survaqr station during the enamner of 1%).

Based on the foregoing ebaarvations, it was oancluded that particulate radioactivity was not released. However, it was recognised that thc. fission gases Krd) and Isl33 may have beau released and an analysis of the maximum supeeted eencontrations of W ese gases, he k en-site and off-site, was made. It was determined that tue maw 4== eameentration of these gases was well below he mar 4== permissibla coneantrations in restricted and unrestricted areas.

Armivsis of _h=4-- Canoantratlam #Amased The shalysis of the marimm eongentration of fispise Lases eat eeuld have been rolessed is based en (1) the volume of gar r ped through the leak and subsequently diffused through the earth, (2) W ===t=m commentretion of radioastivity cf tse relemmed gas, (3) the meteerelegical parameters ter Suttamis Equation for the site as given in the Final Safeguardo Repert, and (4) the metaal mean viad l velocity and direction la the valley of the asystown Esanch of he Jumista River reeestled during the period of %e leak.

The plant records indicate h at during the period of July, August, and september 1%3 me average imput rate to the gas desar tanks in the Radteagtive

Waste Disposal Famility was 0.1 eubie feet par minute. Since no unusual operetiens

! were observed auring the period of someers there is no rences to mastans that a l higher than avessgo input rate esisted.

i l

Also, during the period of July, August, and September he roeords of the continuously recorded Staak Gas Detestar (RIC-3) indiaate that %e radioactivity I released tran all gas decay tanks, eroept for hoes oceassions when 2e tanks were knoen to oantain purged off-gases, was below the minimum detestable sensitivity of this detector. The Staak Gas Deteeter was salihasted wi% kneemt eensentretiens of ,

K 45 and the minissa detestable sensitivity van by the salibration surve for 1  ;

oount per second above boekground is 3 x microcuries per subio esatimeter.

I

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Gas doesy tank releases balaw the sensitivity of the staek detester have boom made during ammal operatism at potes between ene and seven suhis fed per mimata. These releases wors diluted by %e plant ventilating eyetam output of 15,000 suble feet per mimte prior te -nwant hy the Staak Oss Deteetor. The point where the gas doeay 4

tank release is mixed wi% he ventilating eyeten output is five fed frema the staek

! deteeter and sensequently it could be asemed Wt eenplete mixing does not oseur.

llowwver, a senservative mad == eeneantation based on a release rete af 2 subie feet per minute is used. This value, led to a ralsase m e of 0.1 subie feet pes-mimte yields a =dmum activity asse rate of 1 x mieresaries per second and o total release of radionetivity of less than 2 millieuries.

turing the period of eencom, the site wisul voleeity had a mesa value of 5 miles per hour with wind blowing fram the south-west. Using the maderate lapse rete

. cdeorological paremotors far Sutton's rquation detenmined for the site and givest in the Final f>afeguards Keports ami utilisity; button's Equation for a point soures at grourd laval W dihtion factor, at the controlled area fence 30 notere away trea the location of the lekk, in a north-easterly direetion, at an elevation of one meter from the ground, was found to be 5 5 x 10-9 YtzAs, for a release rute of 1 x 10-2 mieresuries per second the soneantration et the controlled area fanee, one meter above ground level, would be 5.5 x 10-11 mierocuries per subio sentimeter. This is apprezimately ens-tenWuaand2 the unrestricted area =d== pomissible sancentrations for Kr65 and Xe13).

In the case of pereennel within the santrolled trem W madam sensentassion i would occur 3 5 aders from a point eaures and 1 ader above the ground. This i e- ooneentration wuld have been 1 x 10-9 ue/oe which is below the MFC for a l 40 hour4.62963e-4 days <br />0.0111 hours <br />6.613757e-5 weeks <br />1.522e-5 months <br /> work week. In the astual omse this area is not a nerarl weding area and no pereennel remained in tN area for more than a few mismates during the period being discussed. The assumption of a point sourse at ground level is overly conseavative since W metual gas bubbled up through ground wter, and then diffused upward through six feet of earth.

Osmalunion Based en the foregoing analyses, it is concluded that any unintentional release of redienstivity related to this inaident did not represent a possible unsafe condition relative to he operation of the facility or an unsafe situation with regard to any publie hasavd.

1 l' W . IL

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