View source for PNO-IV-87-002, on 870110,spill of Approx 1/2 Lb UF6 Occurred During Evacuation of Fill Line to Cold Trap.Caused by too- Quick Opening of Downstream valve.UF6 Cylinders Will Not Be Filled Until Necessary Revs & Repairs Made

{{Adams
| number = ML20207P243
| issue date = 01/12/1987
| title = PNO-IV-87-002:on 870110,spill of Approx 1/2 Lb UF6 Occurred During Evacuation of Fill Line to Cold Trap.Caused by too- Quick Opening of Downstream valve.UF6 Cylinders Will Not Be Filled Until Necessary Revs & Repairs Made
| author name = Fisher W
| author affiliation = NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION &amp; ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
| addressee name = 
| addressee affiliation = 
| docket = 04008027
| license number = 
| contact person = 
| document report number = PNO-IV-87-002, PNO-IV-87-2, NUDOCS 8701150290
| document type = PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR OCCURRENCE (PNO,, TEXT-INSPECTION &amp; AUDIT &amp; I&amp;E CIRCULARS
| page count = 2
}}
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_*                                                                                     ..1 yegsea9 January 12, 1987 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE -- PNO-IV-87-02 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY. notice of events of POSSIBLE safety-or public. interest significance. The inforntion is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by the Region'IV staff on this.date.
FACILITY: Sequoyah Facility                          Licensee Emergency Classification:
Sequoyah Fuels Corporation                  Notification of Unusual Event Gore, Oklahoma.                             Alert License No. SUB-1010                        Site Area Emergency General Emergency Not Applicable X

==SUBJECT:==
UF6SPILL AT SEQUOYAH FUELS CORPORATION'S UF     FACILITY 6
:               At approximately 4:00 a.m. on January 10, 1987, a spill of about one half pound of UFe occurred while a fill line was being evacuated to a cold trap at SFC's uranium conversion facility near Gore, Oklahoma. The resulting reaction products of HF and UO F were largely confined to the fill station enclosure which was isolated by2 ma,nual action of the operator. The ventilation' system designed to collect traces'of UF gand reaction products that may be released
.                during filling operations clearea the air of reaction products witnin about 30 minutes.      Subsequent health physics surveys confirmed there was no release to general' areas of the plant; however, air samples above the enclosure showed elevated uranium concentrations indicating some leakage from the enclosure.
Urine samples were collected from the operators for evaluation. The fill.
station was-easily decontaminated the same morning. No offsite environmental uranium concentrations above background were noted.
The event initiated when an operator moved the pigtail end of the fill line (not connected to a cylinder) and noticed the release of a trace quantity of UF . He
!               . departed from the fill station,. isolated the area by closing doors, and 6
                -initiated action to evacuate any residual UFc in the fill line back to a cold trap. To properly evacuate the fill line, an upstream motor operated valve is opened first, a delay of 7 seconds then must occur while the valve cycles to the         ,
full open position, and finally a quick-operating downstream motor-operated valve is opened to allow the cold trap vacuum to clear the line. The spill occurred when the operator opened the downstream valve too quickly, thus                 i allowing the small amount of residual UFg to drain out of the line before vacuum 4
was fully established. A particle detector inside the fill station area activated local alarms as designed, but alarms in the control room dia not activate.
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)                                     PNO-Iv-87-OO2 PDR

PNO-IV-87-02                                  An NRC inspector unsite at the time of the incident followed the licensee's actions. Until any necessary procedure revisions and repairs to the control room alarm system are complete, the licensee will not fill any additional cylinders with UF6*
No press release was made by the licensee. The incident was not reportable under the regulations or the licensee's contingency plan.
The state of Oklahoma has been informed.
CONTACT: William L. Fisher (FTS: 728-8215)
DISTRIBUTION:
MAIL:
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