ML20203C200

Provides 30-day follow-up Rept,Per Requirements of 10CFR70.50(c)(2).Event Involved Ventilation Hood 704,which Serves Drying Oven of Flouride Stripping Platform in URRS Area

ML20203C200
Person / Time
Site:	Westinghouse
Issue date:	02/02/1999
From:	Goodwin W WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY, DIV OF CBS CORP.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
CON-NRC-99-004, CON-NRC-99-4 NUDOCS 9902110270
Download: ML20203C200 (2)

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Westinghouse Commercial Nuclear orawer n Electric Corporation Fuel Division fgM8sgp9iano m 29250 3

NRC 99-004 g[

February 2,1999 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 l

Gentlemen:

1 Westinghouse Electric Corporation hereby provides a 30-day followup report in accordance with the reporting requirements of 10CFR70.50( c )(2). The initial report was made by telephone and FAX in accordance with the requirements of 10CFR70.50(b)(4).

A description of the event, location, equipment involved, date, time and exposure information are contained in the attachment to this letter.

The specific location was Ventilation Hood 704 which services a drying oven on the Fluoride Stripping Platform in the URRS Area.

The material involved was dried press cake, containing 2%-3% uranium, in the form of uranium oxides, and enriched to less than 5 weight percent in the U-235 isotope.

The event was caused by the failure of a URRS Area operator to allow the material removed from the j

oven to properly cool prior to placing it into a polypak. Corrective actions included: (1) On January 13, 1999, a Training Bulletin entitled, " Fire in Blue-M 704 Oven Hood," was published for URRS personnel to alert individuals to the event and to specify precautions when transferring materials into polypaks, (2) Procedure COP-830134, " Fluoride Stripping - Dry System," was revised January 28, 1999 to provide additional instructions for the operators to ensure that the dried material is sufficiently cooled prior to transferring the material to a polypak.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (803) 776-2610, Extension 3282, or write me at the above address.

Sincerely, l

WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION

~ mU W. L. Goodwin,' Manager 11003'a

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Regulatory Affairs cc:

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Region H j

Atlanta Federal Center i

61 Forsyth street, SW. Suite 23T85 Atlanta GA 30303 ADOCK07001151s[

9902110270 990202 PDR C

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10CFR70.50 NOTIFIABLE EVENT l

WESTINGHOUSE COLUMBIA, SC PLANT (NRC LICENSE SNM-1107)

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JANUARY 13,1999 l

Westinghouse is. making this notification in accordance with 10CFR70.50(b)(4), " Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material".

On January 12,1999, there was a minor fire in the URRS Section of the Chemical Area of the Columbia Plant.

L At approximately 10:45 AM, a URRS operator noticed a small fire in a polypak located in a ventilated hood which services an oven that is used to dry press cake. Approximately three hours i

- earlier, an operator had transferred the dried press cal;e from a metal pan into the polypak.

i Apparently, the press cake residue had not cooled sufficiently, and ignited inside the polypak.

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- The fire was promptly extinguished by the operator. Damage.was limited to the polypak, which l

was partially melted during the brief fire.

l The cause of the event was inadequate cooling of the press cake residue prior to transferring it to j

j the polypak.

The Site Emergency Plan was not activated because the fire was promptly extinguished by an j

operator.

l There were no significant personnel exposures as a result of this event, no significant elevated air l

sample results, and no releases to the environment.

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The Columbia Plant Incident Review Committee convened January 13 to review the event in

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accordance with Procedure RA-111, " Safety Significant Incident Investigations" to verify that appropriate actions are being taken to address the event.

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