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| Entered date | Event description | |
|---|---|---|
| ENS 57174 | 14 June 2024 15:35:00 | The following information was provided by the licensee via email: At approximately 1100 CDT on June 14, 2024, during routine fuel inspections required under Technical Specification 4.1.5, a fuel pin (serial number 11420) did not pass the go/no-go test for transverse bend. This measurement is described in Technical Specification 3.1.5.2.a as part of the fuel inspection conducted under the surveillance described in Technical Specification 4.1.5. Failure of an element to meet any one of the specifications listed in Technical Specification 3.1.5.2 specifies that the fuel element is considered 'damaged' and therefore may not be used in reactor operations. Visual inspection of the pin prior to placement in the test rig did not indicate any obvious degradation that would be exceptional for a pin with seventeen years of burnup history. There have been no indications of cladding failure on routine primary coolant analyses. The pin has been removed from service and will be replaced with a spare unused element. As required by Technical Specification 4.1.5.2, an inspection of the entire core fuel inventory will be initiated and will be completed prior to resuming routine operations. After the identification of the failure, the test rig calibration was confirmed and the pin was checked again, confirming the element failed the transverse bend specification. The reactor was not operating at the time of the event. NRC Project Manager has been notified.
The following information was provided by the licensee via email: During the Technical Specification (TS) 4.1.5.2 required inspection of the entire core resulting from the finding detailed above, an additional element (SN 11391) failed to pass the inspection for transverse bend on Friday, June 21, 2024, requiring that element to be declared as 'damaged' in accordance with TS 3.1.5.2 (same as above). As this meets the definition of a 'reportable occurrence' under the definitions in TS 1.3. In accordance with the requirements of TS 6.6.2 and 6.7.2, we have hereby notified the HOO (Headquarters Operations Officer) by a revision or update of the previous report of damaged fuel, Event Number 57174. Additional details: 1. Visual inspection of the pin prior to placement in the test rig did not indicate any obvious degradation that would be exceptional for a pin with seventeen years of burnup history. 2. There have been no indications of cladding failure on routine primary coolant analyses. 3. The pin (SN 11391) has been removed from service and will be replaced with a spare element. 4. We have also informed our project managers. 5. The inspection of the remaining uninspected elements is almost complete, as of this writing no further "damaged" elements have been identified. Notified NRR PM (Boyle), NPR Event Coordinator (Waugh) |
| ENS 56898 | 19 December 2023 16:15:00 | The following information was provided by the licensee via phone and email: At approximately 1100 CST on December 15, 2023, the facility was discovered to be in violation of a Limiting Condition of Operation (LCO) according to Technical Specification 3.3.2.2, which requires that the static pressure measurement in the confinement exhaust system measure -0.1 inches of water or less during operation. It was discovered that this plant variable was not tied to the PANALARM trip for 'Building Pressure', nor was the sensor output value available in the control room to be checked by operators. The PANALARM trip for 'Building Pressure' was set to a different variable not related to the LCO required value. This condition has existed since 2006. The reactor was not in operation at the time of the discovery, and the situation creating this LCO violation is being corrected prior to the next reactor startup. The following additional information was obtained from the licensee in accordance with Headquarters Operations Officers Report Guidance: The issue was discovered by the vendor when a controller board was being replaced after damage from a power outage. |
| ENS 56595 | 29 June 2023 10:20:00 | The following information was provided by the Texas A&M University (TAMN) via phone and email: At approximately 1315 CDT on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, during routine fuel inspections required under Technical Specification (TS) 4.1.5 ('Reactor Fuel Elements'), a fuel pin (serial number 11394) did not pass the test criteria. The pin was bloated enough to not fit in the bend test rig. This meets the definition of a `Reportable Occurrence' under the definitions in TS 1.3. In accordance with the requirements of TS 6.6.2 and 6.7.2, TAMN notified the NRC Headquarters Operations Officer within one working day. Visual inspection of the pin did not indicate any obvious degradation that would be exceptional for a pin with sixteen years of burnup history, other than a slight bloat in the middle of the pin. There have been no indications of cladding failure on routine primary coolant analyses. As required by TS 4.1.5.2, TAMN is initiating an inspection of the entire core fuel inventory once TAMN finishes the regularly scheduled fuel inspections for the year. TAMN informed the NRC Project Manager. |