ML20198J889
| ML20198J889 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant |
| Issue date: | 12/23/1998 |
| From: | Jonathan Brown UNITED STATES ENRICHMENT CORP. (USEC) |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM) |
| References | |
| GDP-98-2053, NUDOCS 9812300283 | |
| Download: ML20198J889 (2) | |
Text
_ _.
r,
(.,
USEC A Global Energy Company December 23,1998 GDP 98-2053 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attention: Document Control Desk Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS)
Docket No. 70-7002 Event Report 98-15 Pursuant to the 10CFR 76.120(c)(2), Enclosure 1 provides the required 30 day written Event Report, for an event involving the failure of an Autoclave Viton 0-Ring at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Investigation and testing activities are continuing to determine the cause and corrective actions for this event. The revised report is scheduled for March 30,1999. There are no new commitments contained in the report.
Should you require additional information regarding this event, please contact Scott Scholl at (740) 897-2373.
Sincerely,
(
h
. Morris Brown General Manager
. Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant
Enclosures:
As Stated cc:
NRC Region III Office NRC Resident inspectors - PORTS I
4 6D l
9812300283 981223 9 PDR ADOCK 0700 2
C l
P.O. Box 800 Portsmouth. OH 45661 Telephone 614-897-2255 Fax 614-897-2644 http://www.usec.com Offices in Livermore, CA Paducah, KY Portsmouth, OH Washington, DC
GDP 98-2053 Page1of1 Event Report 98-15 Description of Event On November 23,1998, at approximately 0600 hours0.00694 days <br />0.167 hours <br />9.920635e-4 weeks <br />2.283e-4 months <br />, X-344 Autoclave (AC) #2 was in Mode 11 heating a 48" Uranium llexaflouride cylinder when an operator heard air leaking from the autoclave.
After noting that air was leaking from the twelve o' clock position of the autoclave shell the operator placed AC #2 in Mode VII (shutdown). When the autoclave shell was opened the operator noticed a gap between the two ends of the Viton 0-ring at the spliced joint. After removal of the cylinder from the autoclave an as-found pressure decay test was ran. The test concluded the autoclave exceeded the 10 psi /hr TSR Surveillance limit. The leak is reportable as a safety system failure in accordance with the Safety Analysis Report (SAR), Table 6.9-1, J(1).
Cause of Event The cause for the air leak was a failure of the Viton 0-ring at the twelve o' clock position where the 0-ring is spliced together. There are two probable causes for the O-ringjoint failure. One being the failure of the glue joint to hold the O-ring together and the other being a misalignment between the autoclave head and shell. Investigation and testing activities are continuing to confirm the suspected causes of the event. Corrective actions will be included with the revised event report. A revised event report is scheduled for March 30,1999.
Corrective Actions The corrective actions will be provided with the revised report.
Extent of Exposure ofIndividuals to Radiation or Radioactive Materials There were no exposures to individuals from this incident to radiation or radioactive materials.
Lessons Learned j
The Lessons Learned will be provided with the revised report.
I