ML20134L286

Special Rept:On 850822,wide-range Noble Gas Stack Monitor RM-063L,M,H Removed from Svc for Calibr & Not Restored within 7 Days.Caused by Unavailability of Sources Necessary for Completion of Monitoring Calibr

ML20134L286
Person / Time
Site:	Fort Calhoun
Issue date:	09/05/1984
From:	Andrews R OMAHA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
To:	Jay Collins NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
References
LIC-84-301, NUDOCS 8509030179
Download: ML20134L286 (2)

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Omaha Pubilc Power District 1623 Hamey Omaha. Nebraska 68102 402/536 4000 September 5, 1984 LIC-84-301

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Mr. J. T. Collins, Administrator i r, n m.s' , ~FQ U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 'iU \5 ri y Region IV ,

611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 1000 SEP I O 1984 Arlington, TX 76011

Reference:

Docket No. 50-285 L__ .-

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Dear Mr. Collins:

Special Report on the Inoperability of Wide Range Noble Gas Stack Monitor RM-063L,M,H The Omaha Public Power District, holder of Operating License DPR-40, submits this special report pursuant to the requirements of Fort Calhoun Station Unit No. 1 Technical Specification 2.21, " Post Accident Monitoring Instrumentation."

This specification, and Table 2-9, require that RM-063L,M,H be operable.

If the number of operable channels is less than one for each of the three detectors for greater than 72 hours8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br />, the preplanned alternate method of monitoring the appropriate parameters must be initiated. If the channels are not restored within seven days, a special report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must be submitted with 14 days following the event, outlining the action, the cause of the inoperability, and the plans and schedules for restoring the system to operable status. This report is pursuant to Technical Specification 5.9.3.

On August 22, 1984, RM-063L.M,H was removed from service for calibration.

Seventy-two hours of inoperability expired on August 25, 1984, at which time the preplanned alternate means of determining stack parameters was considered to be in place. This consisted of use of normal stack monitors, RM-060, 061, 062 and 052 to monitor these parameters to the upper end of their ranges. Should the release icvels be greater than the monitors' ranges, post accident procedure OI-PAP-7 would be implemented for stack sampling and stack dose rate to curie conversion. Seven days of inoperability expired on August 29, 1984.

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Mr. J. T. Collins LIC-84-301 Page Two The cause of continued inoperability was the unavailability of sources necessary for the completion of the monitor calibration. The calibration consists of checking and adjusting electronic parameters and exposing the L, M and H detectors to Bal33 button sources supplied by the monitor vendor, Victoreen, in order to confirm that the detectors' sensitivities continued to correspond to the vendor's factory calibration using Xel33.

The method of confirming the Bal33 - Xe133 correlation was selected over the method of using accident levels of Xel33 due to the adverse ALARA consequences of extremely high levels of Xel33. The Ba133 sources supplied by Victorcen were properly stored and locked in the Fort Calhoun Station health physics source safe. During a recent monthly inventory, health physics personnel incorrectly determined the sources to have been unused and surplus and disposed of them in accordance with approved plant procedures. Instrumentation and Control personnel were unaware that the discarded sources were integral to the correlation process and initiated an "on-the-spot" procedure change to substitute other sources in order to continue the electronic portion of the calibration.

The discovery of the missing sources by people knowledgeable of their necessity was made on August 28, 1984. Immediate action was to order equivalent sources from Victorcen. On receipt of the sources, which is expected by September 6, 1984, the calibration process will be continued.

Completion of the calibration and return to operability of RM-063L,M,H is expected by September 14, 1984. A source disposal review mechanism is being investigated to assure critical sources remain available for use. This determination will be completed by October 1, 1984.

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'~rIR.L.Andrews

- Division Manager Nuclear Production RLA/DJM/rj b cc: LeBoeuf, Lamb, Leiby & MacRae 1333 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20036 Mr. E. G. Tourigny, NRC Project Manager Mr. L. A. Yandell, Senior Resident Inspector l J