PNO-IV-99-038A, on 990929,restart of Waterford 3 Occurred. Cause Identified as Failed Seal Water Heat Exchanger Baffle. New Battle & Seal Assembled Were Installed & Reactor Coolant Pump 2B Was Returned to Svc Satisfactorily

PNO-IV-99-038A:on 990929,restart of Waterford 3 Occurred. Cause Identified as Failed Seal Water Heat Exchanger Baffle. New Battle & Seal Assembled Were Installed & Reactor Coolant Pump 2B Was Returned to Svc Satisfactorily

ML20212H586
Person / Time
Site:	Waterford
Issue date:	10/01/1999
From:	Thomas Farnholtz, Harrell P NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:
References
PNO-IV-99-038A, NUDOCS 9910010195
Download: ML20212H586 (1)

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October 1,1999 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE PNO-IV-99-038A This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE-

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safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by Region IV staff in Arlington, Texas on this date.

- Facility Licensee Emeroency Classification Entergy Operat@ns, Inc. Jotification of Unusual Event Waterford 3 Alert Killona, Louisiana ~ Site Area Emergency l

Dockets: 50-382 General Emergency j X Not Applicable

Subject:

' RESTART OF WATERFORD 3 On September 10 at 7:58 p.m. (CDT),Waterford 3 operators manually tripped the reactor -

from 100 percent power in response to indications of a failure of the Reactor Coolant Pump 2B seal. The pump was secured immediately following the plant shutdown. The 1 senior resident inspector responded to the site and verified that operator actions were - 'I appropriate and that plant equipment functioned as expected following the reactor trip.

The licensee cooled down the plant to Mode 5, cold shutdown, and drained the reactor  ;

coolant system to reduced inventory conditions to investigate the cause'of the seal failure i

, and perform repairs. The cause was identified as a failed seal water heat exchanger l baffle. A new baffle and sea assembly were installed, and Reactor Coolant Pump 2B was retumed to service satisfactorily.

- A reactor startup was commenced and criticality was achieved at 5:59 a.m. on September

29. The plant reached 100 percent power on September 30.

The state of Louisiana will be notified.

This information has been discussed with the licensee and is current as of October 1, 1999, at 7:05 a.m (CDT).

Contact:

Tom Famholtz Phil Harrell

'(504)783-6253 (817)860-8250

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