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The following information was obtained fro … The following information was obtained from the licensee via email :</br>Facility:</br>Westinghouse Electric Company, Commercial Fuel Fabrication Facility, Columbia SC,</br>low enriched ((DELETED)) PWR fuel fabricator for commercial light water reactors. License: SNM-1107.</br> </br>Time and Date of Event:</br>February 4, 2005, 0900 hours: </br> </br>Reason for Notification:</br>Double contingency protection for non-favorable geometry (NFG) bulk containers is based on preventing moderation from entering the bulk powder blending room and by then preventing the moderator from entering the bulk containers.</br>Prevention of moderation from entering the bulk powder room is assured by controls such as a double roof, restrictions on firefighting combined with limits on combustible materials, limits on moderators for maintenance and cleaning, and rigorous control over powder moisture to ensure that no carts enter the bulk room that have polypaks with moisture above 0.3 wt%.</br>Prevention of moderator from entering the bulk container is assured by controls such as procedure requirements to ensure visual inspection of all powder before it is dumped into a bulk container and the polypak dump hood interlock system. </br>In order to dump a polypak into a bulk container, the operator must scan the polypak's unique barcode and place the polypak into the polypak dump hood mechanism. After the barcode is scanned, the interlock function checks the moisture data associated with the polypak to ensure it is <0.3 wt%. If the moisture results are not <0.3 wt%, the dump hood locks up, preventing further dumping of powder until the discrepancy is resolved.</br>During routine dumping operations, an infrared (s)ensor became misaligned in the polypak dump hood in bulk powder blending room. This resulted in a failure of the polypak dump hood interlock to finish its 'cycle' for that pack. It was expected that this sort of problem would be promptly self revealing, i.e. that the scanning of the next pack would result in an error indicating that the previous pack had not been 'consumed.' While the errors were generated, they were not readily apparent, except to an attentive operator. The barcode scanner sounded the same, the visual cues were subtle, and the dump (hood) interlock did not lock up. The operator was able to scan additional paks and dump them. The moisture database would not have been consulted for any of these paks.</br>In accordance with Westinghouse Operating License (SNM-1107), paragraph 3.7.3 (c.5b), this event satisfies the criteria for a 24-hour notification, specifically, 'Any nuclear criticality safety incident, in an analyzed system, for which less than previously documented double contingency protection remains (multi-parameter control or single-parameter control) and less than a safe mass is involved.' and 10CFR70, specifically Appendix A.b.2 'Loss or degradation of items relied on for safety that results in failure to meet performance requirements of 10CFR70.61.'</br> </br>As Found Condition:</br>An operator found the problem after dumping the first polypak of a blend.</br> </br>Summary of Activity:</br>The affected equipment has been shut down.</br>New programming and other improvements are being developed.</br> </br>Conclusions:</br>There was less than a critical mass of SNM involved.</br>At no time was the health or safety to any employee or member of the public in jeopardy. No exposure to hazardous material was involved.</br>The Incident Review Committee (IRC) has determined that this is a safety significant incident in accordance with governing procedures.</br>A causal analysis will be performed.</br>The licensee will be notifying NRC Region II of this incident.ill be notifying NRC Region II of this incident.
14:00:00, 4 February 2005 +
41,372 +
14:38:00, 4 February 2005 +
14:00:00, 4 February 2005 +
The following information was obtained fro … The following information was obtained from the licensee via email :</br>Facility:</br>Westinghouse Electric Company, Commercial Fuel Fabrication Facility, Columbia SC,</br>low enriched ((DELETED)) PWR fuel fabricator for commercial light water reactors. License: SNM-1107.</br> </br>Time and Date of Event:</br>February 4, 2005, 0900 hours: </br> </br>Reason for Notification:</br>Double contingency protection for non-favorable geometry (NFG) bulk containers is based on preventing moderation from entering the bulk powder blending room and by then preventing the moderator from entering the bulk containers.</br>Prevention of moderation from entering the bulk powder room is assured by controls such as a double roof, restrictions on firefighting combined with limits on combustible materials, limits on moderators for maintenance and cleaning, and rigorous control over powder moisture to ensure that no carts enter the bulk room that have polypaks with moisture above 0.3 wt%.</br>Prevention of moderator from entering the bulk container is assured by controls such as procedure requirements to ensure visual inspection of all powder before it is dumped into a bulk container and the polypak dump hood interlock system. </br>In order to dump a polypak into a bulk container, the operator must scan the polypak's unique barcode and place the polypak into the polypak dump hood mechanism. After the barcode is scanned, the interlock function checks the moisture data associated with the polypak to ensure it is <0.3 wt%. If the moisture results are not <0.3 wt%, the dump hood locks up, preventing further dumping of powder until the discrepancy is resolved.</br>During routine dumping operations, an infrared (s)ensor became misaligned in the polypak dump hood in bulk powder blending room. This resulted in a failure of the polypak dump hood interlock to finish its 'cycle' for that pack. It was expected that this sort of problem would be promptly self revealing, i.e. that the scanning of the next pack would result in an error indicating that the previous pack had not been 'consumed.' While the errors were generated, they were not readily apparent, except to an attentive operator. The barcode scanner sounded the same, the visual cues were subtle, and the dump (hood) interlock did not lock up. The operator was able to scan additional paks and dump them. The moisture database would not have been consulted for any of these paks.</br>In accordance with Westinghouse Operating License (SNM-1107), paragraph 3.7.3 (c.5b), this event satisfies the criteria for a 24-hour notification, specifically, 'Any nuclear criticality safety incident, in an analyzed system, for which less than previously documented double contingency protection remains (multi-parameter control or single-parameter control) and less than a safe mass is involved.' and 10CFR70, specifically Appendix A.b.2 'Loss or degradation of items relied on for safety that results in failure to meet performance requirements of 10CFR70.61.'</br> </br>As Found Condition:</br>An operator found the problem after dumping the first polypak of a blend.</br> </br>Summary of Activity:</br>The affected equipment has been shut down.</br>New programming and other improvements are being developed.</br> </br>Conclusions:</br>There was less than a critical mass of SNM involved.</br>At no time was the health or safety to any employee or member of the public in jeopardy. No exposure to hazardous material was involved.</br>The Incident Review Committee (IRC) has determined that this is a safety significant incident in accordance with governing procedures.</br>A causal analysis will be performed.</br>The licensee will be notifying NRC Region II of this incident.ill be notifying NRC Region II of this incident.
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00:00:00, 4 February 2005 +
SNM-1107 +
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23:39:14, 24 November 2018 +
14:38:00, 4 February 2005 +
0.0263 d (0.63 hours, 0.00375 weeks, 8.62974e-4 months) +
14:00:00, 4 February 2005 +
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