U-601513, Forwards Rept of 890720 Spare Transformer Oil Spill Per App B of Environ Protection Plan.Caused by Pressure Buildup in Atmoseal Tank Resulting in Three Inch Crack.Floating Booms Placed in Lake to Contain Spill

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Forwards Rept of 890720 Spare Transformer Oil Spill Per App B of Environ Protection Plan.Caused by Pressure Buildup in Atmoseal Tank Resulting in Three Inch Crack.Floating Booms Placed in Lake to Contain Spill
ML20245K569
Person / Time
Site: Clinton Constellation icon.png
Issue date: 08/14/1989
From: Holtzscher D
ILLINOIS POWER CO.
To:
NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
U-601513, NUDOCS 8908210073
Download: ML20245K569 (3)


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. CLINTON POWER STATidN. P.O. Box 678' CLINTON' ILLINOIS 61727.

< ' August 14, 1989-

.,r le Docket No. 50-461 l-u . .

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. Document. Control Desk Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 Y -

Subject:

Spare Transformer Oil Spill at'Clinton' Power Station

Dear' Sir:

. Illinois-Power Company.(IP) is submitting the attached report in accordance with Appendix B - Environmental Protection Plan of the Clinton' Power Station (CPS) Technical Specifications. This report addresses' the. oil spill which occurred on July 20, 1989.

If you have any. questions, please contact me at (217) 935-8881,.

extension 3400.

Sincerely yours, N  ?

h)

D. L. Holtzscher Acting Manager -

Licensing and Safety

- WSI/krm Attachment cc: 'NRC Clinton Licensing Project Manager

.NRC Resident Office .

'NRC Region III, Regional Adm[nistrator Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety

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8908210073 890814 .

DR' ADOCK 050004611 FDC Lu

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Attachment 1 Page 1 of 2 Soare Transformer Oil Snill Summery Between approximately 0015 and 0215 hours0.00249 days <br />0.0597 hours <br />3.554894e-4 weeks <br />8.18075e-5 months <br /> on July 20, 1989, about 200 gallons of very light transformer mineral oil (Exxon Univolt N61) were released from the spare main power transformer at the Clinton Power Station (CPS). CPS was shutdown for a maintenance outage due to the replacement of the condenser seal.

Contract technicians from General Electric (GE) were refurbishing the spare transformer when the spill occurred. The technicians were filtering the mineral oil in the transformer. During the filtering process, oil is drained from the transformer to a trailer where the oil is filtered and pumped back into the transformer via a component at the top of the transformer called the Atmoseal Tank. This component functions as an expansim tank during normal operation of the transformer. A pressure buildup in the Atmoseal Tank caused a crack to form, about three inches in length, on the top of the tank r. ear the welded seam that joins the two halves of the tank. The width of the crack was between 1/16 and 1/8 inch. CPS personnel did not become aware of the spill until approximately 0630 when a CPS engineer making a routine check of the work site discovered the spill and notified the Shift Supervisor. During the period of the spill, it was raining heavily.

The transformer holds approximately 11,000 gallons of oil and was about 1,000 gallons below capacity at the time of the spill. An earthen berm containment structure had been built around the transformer as a precautionary measure in case of an oil spill. However, the containment structure proved inadequate because a certain amount of the oil was sprayed over the top of the containment structure and the heavy rains mixed the water and oil causing it to exceed the capacity of containment constructed in a drainage channel leading to the Clinton Lake.

The exact quantity of oil which flowed past the containment structure and into Clinton Lake is unknown. A thin sheen of oil was observed on l the lake at daybreak. This sheen covered a narrow area of the lake near (but not immediately adjacent to) the intake structure of the plant.

There were no PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) in the oil and there was no observed impact on the aquatic life.

Personnel at the plant acted swiftly to contain the spill and to control the impact of the oil on the lake. Strands of floating booms, made of highly absorbent material, were placed in the water to prevent the oil from moving farther out into the lake. The plant's circulating water pumps were removed from service to prevent water from entering the plant and to keep the water calm near the sheen. The impacted areas near the transformer were cleaned utilizing absorbent pads.

As a result of this event, GE personnel have been advised that all releases of oil must immediately be brought to the attention of CPS personnel. Additionally, the containment around the transformer has been enlarged.

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Attachment 1 o' .Page 2 of 2 The National. Response Center, Illinois Emergency Services and Disaster-

-Agency (IESDA),'and Illinois. Environmental Protection Agency _(IEPA)-were notified shortly after-IP.was made' aware of the oil spill. TheLinitial responses of these organizations were limited to determining factual ~

.information-regarding the spill and IP's ability to contain and' clean up the spill. A field inspector from_the: Champaign Illinois regional'.

office of the.IEPA visited the site at approximately 1400 hours0.0162 days <br />0.389 hours <br />0.00231 weeks <br />5.327e-4 months <br /> the-same day.the spill. occurred and was satisfied with the clean up ar.tions taken by plant personnel.

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