PNO-II-97-026, on 970503,during Cooldown,Plant Operators Secured 3A & 3B HPI Pumps,Following Indications of Low Flow & Pump Cavitation.Further Plant Cooldown Put on Hold,While Licensee Investigates Cause of Problem
| ML16299A525 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oconee  |
| Issue date: | 05/03/1997 |
| From: | Casto C NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| FACA, PNO-II-97-026, PNO-II-97-26, NUDOCS 9705060163 | |
| Download: ML16299A525 (2) | |
CATEGORY REGULATcW INFORMATION DISTRIBUTIONWSTEM (RIDS)
ACCESSION NBR:9705060163 DOC.DATE: 97/05/03 NOTARIZED: NO DOCKET #
FACIL:50-287 Oconee Nuclear Station, Unit 3, Duke Power Co.
05000287 AUTH.NAME AUTHOR AFFILIATION
.CASTO,C.
Region 2 (Post 820201)
RECIP.NAME RECIPIENT AFFILIATION
SUBJECT:
PNO-II-97-026:on 970503,during cooldown,plant operators secured 3A & 3B HPI pumps,following indications of low flow
& pump cavitation.Further plant cooldown put on hold,while C
licensee investigates cause of problem.
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RES/DRA RES/DRA/DEPY 1
RES/DST RES/DST DEPY 1
RES/RPHEB RGN2 FILE 01 1
EXTERNAL: LITCO BRYCE,J H 1
NOAC NRC PDR 1
j D
0 C
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3, 1997 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE PNO-II-97-026 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by Region II staff in Atlanta, Georgia on this date.
Facility Licensee Emercrency Classification Duke Power Co.
X Notification of Unusual Event Oconee 3 Alert Seneca,South Carolina Site Area Emergency Dockets: 50-287 General Emergency Not Applicable
Subject:
DEGRADED HIGH PRESSURE INJECTION PUMPS DURING PLANT COOLDOWN On May 2, 1997, the Oconee Unit 3 reactor had been shutdown and a plant cooldown was begun in order to examine'the condition of piping connections to the Reactor Coolant System (RCS) (see PNO-II-97-023B). At 9:20 a.m. on May 3, 1997 during the cooldown, plant operators secured the 3A and 3B High Pressure Injection (HPI) pumps following indications of low flow and pump cavitation. Further plant cooldown was put on hold while the licensee investigates the cause of the problem.
Following a briefing by the on site Resident Inspectors and the licensee management regarding plant status and the degraded HPI pumps, and with an unknown cause for pump degradation, the agency was placed in the monitoring phase of the Normal Mode of emergency response and a Region II manager was dispatched to the site. The licensee now suspects level instrumentation problems with the Letdown Storage Tank (LDST) which normally supplies water to the HPI pumps.
Subsequently, at 3:04 p.m. the licensee declared a NOUE when it was determined that repair plans would extend into the next shift. The licensee also established a Significant Event Investigation Team from the corporate office to independently assess the event.
This information is up to date as of 6:30 p.m., May 3, 1997. The reactor plant is stable at about 212F and 270 psig. The NRC Region II Incident Response Center staff and resident inspectors are closely monitoring the licensee efforts to align the remaining 3C HPI pump to the alternate suction source (Borated Water Storage Tank), and subsequent cooldown.
Region II received notification of the degraded HPI pumps from the on site NRC senior resident inspector at about 10:00 a.m. on May 3, 1997.
The State of South Carolina has been notified.
The licensee has issued a press release.
Contact:
C. CASTO (404) 562-4510 9705060163 970503 PDR I&E PNO-II-97-026 PDR