PNO-III-08-012, A - Quad Cities Notice of Unusual Event Due to Onsite Explosion - Update
| ML083030340 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Quad Cities  |
| Issue date: | 10/29/2008 |
| From: | Ring M Division of Nuclear Materials Safety III |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PNO-III-08-012A | |
| Download: ML083030340 (1) | |
October 29, 2008 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE -- PNO-III-08-012A Update This preliminary notification update 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 the Region III staff on this date.
Facility Licensee Emergency Classification Quad Cities X Notification of Unusual Event 22712 206th Ave. Alert Cordova, IL Site Area Emergency General Emergency Not Applicable
SUBJECT:
Quad Cities Notice of Unusual Event Due to Onsite Explosion - Update DESCRIPTION:
At 3:03 a.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on October 27, 2008 with the Quad Cities Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, operating at full power, the licensee declared a Notice of Unusual Event.
The site declared this emergency when an explosion occurred in a building on site that collects wastewater for processing.
The explosion did not significantly impact the operation of the facility and both reactors remained at full power. No injuries occurred as a result of the event.
Subsequent to the event, the licensee identified that the cause of the explosion resulted from a buildup of methane gas in the wastewater tank that was released from organic materials in the tank. The methane gas flowed through the ventilation system and was likely ignited from an electrical source in the area. There were not believed to be any security issues associated with this event, and the licensee did not change the site security posture.
In response to this event, the NRC entered the Monitoring Mode at 3:58 a.m. CDT on October 27 and monitored this event from the Region III Incident Response Center. The region also has Resident Inspectors on site to monitor the event and to report observed conditions to the Region III office.
The licensee developed procedures to purge the tank and associated building. The licensee initiated purge activities at 12:40 p.m. CDT on October 28, 2008. Air samples taken and analyzed confirmed the absence of an explosive concentration of methane. The licensee exited the NOUE at 3:30 pm CDT and the NRC secured from the Monitoring Mode at 5:24 pm CDT on October 28, 2008.
The States of Illinois and Iowa were notified. The information in this preliminary notification has been reviewed with licensee management.
This information is current as of 5:45 p.m. CDT on October 28, 2008.
CONTACT: Mark Ring (630) 829-9703