ML20196C209

Discusses Insp Rept 70-7001/98-13 on 980721-0901 & Forwards Notice of Violation Re Failure to Maintain Normetex Pump Discharge Bellows Pressure to within Established Safety Limit

ML20196C209
Person / Time
Site:	Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
Issue date:	11/24/1998
From:	Caldwell J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:	John Miller UNITED STATES ENRICHMENT CORP. (USEC)
Shared Package
ML20196C217	List: ML20196C209 ML20196C231
References
70-7001-98-13, EA-98-455, NUDOCS 9812020010
Download: ML20196C209 (4)

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NUCLEAR RECULATORY COMMIS810N

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UNITED STATES u

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REGION Ill -

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801 WARRENVILLE ROAD

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November 24,.1998 5

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l Mr. J. H. Miller;

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Vice President - Production 1 J

3 United States Enrichment Corporation LTwo Democracy Center.

i 6903 Rockledge Drive Bethesda, MD;20817 i

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SUBJECT:

NOTICE.OF VIOLATION AND EXERCISE OF ENFORCEMENT DISCRETION

- (NRC INSPECTION REPORT 70-7001/98013(DNMS))

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Dear MN. Miller:

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- This refers to the routins inspection completed on September 1,1998, at your Paducah

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Gaseous Diffusion Plant. L The ' purpose of the inspection'was to review, among other things, the

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circumstances surrounding a Normatex Pump trip, about which you made a voluntary :

notification of the event to the NRC on August 27,1998. The subject inspection report, which Twas issued on October 16,1998, characterized this issue as an apparent violation.

i Based on all the availatde information, the NRC has determined that a violation of NRC ~

r requirements occurred.9 The violation is cited in the enclosed Notice of Violation (Notice) and -

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the circumstances surrounding it are' described in detail in the subject inspection report.L In y

summary, on August 20,1998, the Number 2 Normetex Withdrawal Pump in Building C-315 i

tripped while running in. Mode 2 (Withdrawal) and caused a pressure transient that momentarily.

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1 exceeded an establishod safety limit. :The pump tripped, per design, when the pump discharge valve went closed for ni unknown reason'. This pressure transient, which reached j

approximately 46 psia,; lasted only a few seconds and pressure was decreasing when the -

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operator established a vent path back to the cascade.

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i l Normally, the NRC considers any violation involving exceeding a safety limit as having a very

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? significant regulatory concemi in this case, however, the NRC determined that your failure to

maintain the Normetex pump discharge bellows pressure to within the established safety limit

_ had minimal, if any, potential safety consequences for three reasons; First, the pump bellows,

. the weakest link in the system, would not have failed unless the pressure reached about

,90 psia.' Second, the presence of a proces,s gas leak detection system, a separate safety j

system, would have mitigated the consequences from all Normetex pump discharge piping

failures. Third, based on review of the system configuration and costificatee engineering i

caiculations, the NRC has concluded that less than five pounds of UF, would be released from

? a discharge pipe rupture associated with the design basis accident discussed above. A release

'e "of five pounds would have limited, if any, potential safety consequences in the immediate area t

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To date the liconese's root cause evaluation has not determined the cause of the valve closure.

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. I of the release, in part, due to the plant's "See and Flee " policy, and would have no potential 2

safety consequences outside the plant or at the plant boundary.

j in accordance with Supplement VI.A.5 of the Enforcement Policy, violation of a safety limit would normally be classified as a Severity Level I violation.' However, given the minimal-potential safety consequences, I have been authorized, after consultation with the Director, Office of Enforcement, to exercise enforcement discretion in accordance with Section Vll.B.6 of the " General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions" (Enforcement Policy), NUREG-1600, not to propose a civil penalty in this case and to characterize this

. violation at Severity Level IV. However, significant violations in the future could result -in a civil a

penalty.

I The NRC has concluded that information regarding the reason for the violation, the corrective actions taken and planned to correct the violation and prevent recurrence, and the date when full compliance was achieved is already adequately addressed on the docket in inspection Report 70-7001/98013(DNMS). Therefore, you are not required to respond to this letter unless the description therein does not accurately reflect your corrective actions or your position in that case, or if you choose to provide additional information, you should follow the instructions provided in the enclosed Notice.

. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter, its enclosure, and your response if you choose to submit one, will be placed in the NRC Public t

Document Room.

Sincerely,.

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i James L. Caldwell Acting Regional Administrator Docket No. 70-7001 Certificate No. GDP-1

Enclosure:

Notice of Violation 1-l 2When UF. is released to the atmosphere a visible vapor cloud is formed The site workers are trained to evacuate the area and notify the control room if they see a cloud.

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-: J. ' Miller-1

' cc ' lencl:

H. Pulley, Paducah General Manager j

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L. L. Jackson, Paducah Regulatory Affairs Manager J. M. Brown, Poitsmouth General Manager.

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- S. A. Toolle, Manager, Nuclear Regulatory Assurance and Policy, USEC Paducah Resident inspector Office l

Portsmouth Resident inspector Office R. M. DeVault, Regulatory Oversight Manager, DOE '

J. C. Hodges, Paducah Site Manager, DOE l

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- J. Miller

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' Distribution:

Docket File w/enci PUBLIC IE-07 w/enci J. Lieberman, OE w/ encl 1

~N. Mamish, OE w/ encl

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- J. Goldberg, OGC w/enci i E. Ten Eyck, NMSS w/enct R. Pierson, NMSS w/ encl P. Ting, NMSS w/enci W. Schwink, NMSS w/enci

- P. Harich, NMSS w!enci M. L Hom, NMSS w/enci j

- J. L. Caldwell, Rill w/ encl C. D. Pederson, Rlll w/enci R. J. Caniano, Rlli w/enci Enforcement Coordinators w/enci Rl,' Rll, Rlli, and RIV i

R. Bellamy, RI w/enci EJM, Ril (e-mail)

. D. B. Spitzberg, RIV/WFCO w/enci LEO (e-mail)

DOCDESK (e-mail) 1-Greens w/o enci 1

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