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ENS 5258128 February 2017 15:00:00Technical Specification Shutdown Due to Reactor Coolant System Pressure Boundary Leakage

On February 28, 2017 at 0930 (EST), a containment visual inspection was performed to identify the source of elevated RCS (Reactor Coolant System) leakage. A leak was identified between 13RC6 and 13SS661, 13 RCS hot leg sample isolation valves at 1000 (EST). These valves are manual isolation valves in the reactor coolant hot leg sample line. Leak isolation could not be initially verified and is considered RCS pressure boundary leakage. Salem Unit 1 entered Technical Specification 3.4.6.2a, RCS operational leakage, for the existence of pressure boundary leakage. This event is being reported under the requirements of 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(i) for 'The initiation of a plant shutdown required by Technical Specifications' and 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(ii)(A) or 'Any event of condition that results in the condition of the nuclear power plant, including its principal safety barriers being seriously degraded.' The unit was placed in mode 3 at 1554 (EST) on 02/28/2017. This condition has no impact on public health and safety. Per Technical Specifications, the unit is proceeding to mode 5. The leak rate at the time of shutdown was 0.33 gpm. This event has no effect on Unit 2. The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector. The licensee will be notifying the Lower Alloways Creek Township, the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM MATT MOG TO HOWIE CROUCH AT 1144 EDT ON 4/14/17 * * *

The purpose of this notification is to retract event report number 52581 made on 2/28/2017 at 1624 (EST). Previously, PSEG notified the NRC that Salem Unit 1 initiated a shutdown required by Technical Specifications (TS) for Reactor Coolant System (RCS) Pressure Boundary Leakage. Subsequent to the initial report, PSEG has determined that the leak occurred in tubing downstream of the design specification break between Safety Related, Nuclear Class 1, Seismic Class1 and Non-Safety-Related, Nuclear Class 2, Seismic Class 2. Therefore, the observed leakage is not RCS pressure boundary leakage as defined in the Salem Unit 1 Technical Specifications and in the tubing design classification specification. At the time of the event, during initial entry into the containment, the volume of steam present and the height of the break above the floor made it difficult to ascertain the location of the steam source with certainty. The initial judgment of RCS Pressure Boundary Leakage was conservative under these circumstances. The plant was taken offline to minimize radiation exposure when personnel operated the isolation valves. Following the shutdown, the leak was isolated. Based on an observed reduction in RCS leak rate and visual verification of leakage isolation, the TS Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) was exited and the unit remained in Mode 3, Hot Standby, to affect repairs. The condition did not meet the Technical Specification Pressure Boundary Leakage definition of leakage through a non-isolable fault in a RCS component body, pipe wall or vessel wall. The leakage did not impact the ability to shut down the unit and no TS limits were exceeded during this event. Therefore, the plant shutdown to investigate and correct leakage from flawed sample system tubing does not meet the reporting requirements of 10 CFR 50.72 and PSEG is retracting the notifications made under 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(i) and 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(ii)(A). The NRC Resident Inspector was notified of this retraction by the licensee. Notified R1DO (Jackson).

Pressure Boundary Leakage
ENS 5229411 October 2016 13:38:00Unanalyzed Condition Due to Failure of a Watertight Door to Close

At 0938 (EDT), the watertight door in the Unit 1 Inboard Service Water Penetration Area was unable to be closed. The watertight door serves as a High Energy Line Break (HELB) and Medium Energy Line Break (MELB) barrier between the mechanical penetration room and the service water penetration room. A HELB/MELB event occurring in a room with its barrier door open could adversely affect equipment in an adjacent room. Consequently, a HELB/MELB event could have rendered equipment in the adjacent room inoperable. At 1005, station maintenance was able to successfully close and latch the door restoring the barrier. This event is being reported under the requirements of 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(ii)(B) as, 'the nuclear power plant being in an unanalyzed condition that significantly degrades plant safety.' An ENS notification is required if an unanalyzed condition occurred within 3 years of the date of discovery even if the event is not on-going at the time of discovery. The licensee notified Lower Alloways Creek Township and the NRC Resident Inspector.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM JOHN OSBORNE TO JOHN SHOEMAKER AT 1545 EST ON 12/12/16 * * *

The purpose of this notification is to retract event report number 52294 made on 10/11/2016 at 1648 (ET). Previously PSEG reported that Salem Unit 1 was determined to be in an unanalyzed condition due to being unable to close the Unit 1 Inboard Service Water Penetration Area Water Tight Door. The watertight door was reported to serve as a High Energy Line Break (HELB) and Medium Energy Line Break (MELB) barrier between the mechanical penetration room and the service water penetration room. Subsequent review identified that the condition did not meet the reporting criterion. Engineering evaluation determined that the service water penetration room had been previously evaluated for the impact due to a HELB event occurring in the adjacent mechanical penetration area with the watertight door open and that the event would not impact the operability of the service system. Engineering evaluation also determined that the Salem Unit 1 Design Basis does not require analysis of a MELB event occurring in the service water penetration room. This is due to the timing of the Unit 1 operating license issue date. At the time of the issuance of the Unit 1 operating license analysis of a MELB event was not required. Therefore an unanalyzed condition for a MELB event did not exist. Additionally while the door was difficult to close, it was able to be closed and dogged in a reasonable time interval (27 minutes), therefore, any potential internal flooding which would have been detected immediately by the attendant with required actions taken to close the door and isolate the leak rapidly. Therefore PSEG is retracting the notification made under 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(ii)(B). The NRC Resident Inspector was notified of this retraction by the licensee. Notified R1DO (Schroeder).

Unanalyzed Condition
Time of Discovery
Internal Flooding
ENS 5212928 July 2016 09:41:00Source Range Instruments Reading Improperly During a Reactor Startup

This four and eight hour notification is being made to report that at 0541 (EDT) on 7/28/16, Salem Unit 1 initiated a shutdown to comply with Technical Specifications due to the inoperability of both source range nuclear instruments. During a reactor startup, with Unit 1 in Mode 2, both source range instruments were reading approximately one decade lower than expected compared to intermediate range and Gamma-Metric instruments and due to the proximity to the estimated critical condition. The condition could also have prevented the fulfilment of the source range instruments safety function to trip the reactor when required. Salem Unit 1 is currently stable in Mode 3. Reactor Coolant system pressure is 2235 psig and reactor coolant system temperature is 547 F with decay heat removal via the main steam dump and auxiliary feedwater systems. Unit 1 has one active shutdown tech spec action statement in effect due to the inoperability of the containment radiation monitor 1R11A. The inoperability of this radiation monitor had no effect on the event. All control rods were manually inserted to place Unit 1 in Hot Standby (Mode 3). No ECCS (emergency core cooling system) or ESF (emergency safety features) systems were required to function during this event. No major secondary equipment was tagged for maintenance prior to this event. No personnel were injured during this event. The reactor was manually shut down and a shutdown margin calculation verified sufficient margin. The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector and the local township.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM MATT MOG TO VINCE KLCO ON 9/26/16 AT 1519 EDT * * *

The purpose of this notification is to retract event report number 52129 made on 7/28/2016 at 0925 (EDT). Previously PSEG reported that Salem Unit 1 initiated a shutdown to comply with Technical Specifications (TS) due to the inoperability of both source range nuclear instruments. Additionally PSEG reported that the condition could have prevented the fulfillment of the safety function needed to, 'Shut down the reactor and maintain it in a safe shutdown condition.' Subsequent review identified that the condition did not meet either reporting criteria. Maintenance and Engineering evaluation of the source range nuclear instruments determined that the instruments were fully operable at the time of the event. TS 3.3.1.1, Reactor Trip Instrumentation remained met, no TS shutdown was required and the instruments were capable of performing their required function. Therefore PSEG is retracting the notifications made under 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(i) and 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(v)(A). The NRC Resident Inspector was notified of this retraction by the licensee. Notified the R1DO (Cook).

Safe Shutdown
Shutdown Margin
ENS 5166319 January 2016 21:30:00Unanalyzed Condition Discovered During Review of Outage Data

On January 19, 2016, while reviewing outage data, plant staff recognized that anomalous data collected in October, 2015, for the 21 Auxiliary Feed Pump time response loop resulted in an unanalyzed condition. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the condition most likely existed since April 20, 2015, when maintenance activities were performed on the auxiliary feedwater pump discharge pressure transmitter. Consequently, there were multiple instances when one of the other auxiliary feedwater pumps was removed from service, thus creating a condition which did not meet the accident analysis assumptions for auxiliary feedwater flow initial response. This event is being reported under the requirements of 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(ii)(B) as 'the nuclear power plant being in an unanalyzed condition that significantly degrades plant safety.' This condition was corrected on November 20, 2015. The auxiliary feedwater pump discharge pressure transmitter instrument isolation valve was inadvertently left closed after the April 20, 2015 maintenance. The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector and will notify the State of New Jersey, State of Delaware, and the local township.

  • * * RETRACTED ON 3/10/16 AT 1647 EST FROM JACK OSBORNE TO DONG PARK * * *

This event is being retracted. An engineering review determined that while the auxiliary feedwater flow loop response time test results did not meet the procedural acceptance criteria, the accident analysis assumptions remained valid. The ATWS (Anticipated Transient Without Scram) was the limiting accident, and the loop response time results were still bounded by the existing analyses. The failed loop response time did result in a condition prohibited by TS which will be reported in a Licensee Event Report (LER). This condition has been documented in the licensee's Corrective Action Program. The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector. Notified R1DO (Dimitriadis).

Unanalyzed Condition
ENS 5057329 October 2014 11:11:00Loss of Control Room Emergency Air Conditioning System Operability

At 0711 EDT, Salem Unit 2 entered TSAS (Technical Specification Action Statement) 3.0.3 due to the Salem Unit 1 - 1B Vital instrument bus inverter failing which resulted in a loss of the Unit 1 - 1B Vital instrument bus. The loss of power to the 1B Vital instrument bus resulted in Salem Unit 2 initiating the accident pressurized mode of control room ventilation. All dampers and fans repositioned correctly with the exception of the Unit 1 Control Room Emergency Air Conditioning System (CREACS) intake dampers, 1CAA48, 50, and 51. The 1CAA48 was pinned closed to support Unit 1 - 1A125VDC scheduled maintenance. The 1CAA50 and 51 failed to move to the open position (required for Unit 2 accident pressurized mode) due to the loss of power to the 1B Vital Instrument Bus. With the 1CAA48, 50 and 51 dampers closed, this isolated the Unit 1 CREACS intake in the closed position. For an accident in Unit 2, the CREACS intake for Unit 1 is required to open. Salem Unit 2 exited TSAS 3.0.3 at 0822 EDT when the 1CAA50 and 51 were pinned in the open position to implement accident pressurized mode for Salem Unit 2 in accordance with S1/S2.OP-SO.CAV-0001, Control Area Ventilation Operation. Salem Unit One is Defueled. This event is being reported under the requirements of 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(v)(D) as 'Any event or condition that at the time of discovery could have prevented the fulfillment of the safety function of systems that are needed to perform mitigation of the consequences of an accident.' The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector. No one was injured as a result of the failure of 1B Vital instrument inverter. The licensee notified Lower Alloways Township.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM BILL MUFFLEY TO HOWIE CROUCH AT 1529 EST ON 12/22/14 * * *

A subsequent review of the condition reported on 10/29/2014 in EN 50573 determined that the Control Room Emergency Air Conditioning System (CREACS) was operable and capable of performing its safety function. Therefore, there was no reportable condition. Circuit analysis identified that the Unit 2 Control Room Intake Isolation (CRIX) Train B circuit remained fully functional and able to respond to a Unit 2 Safety Injection (SI) signal or actuation from radiation monitor 2R1B Channel 1 (radiation levels in the Unit 2 normal Control Area Ventilation intake). The loss of the 1B vital instrument bus did not affect the normal actuation circuitry. The appropriate Unit 1 dampers would have received an open signal and the appropriate Unit 2 dampers would have received a closed signal, thereby isolating the Unit 2 CREACS intake and opening the Unit 1 CREACS intake. Thus, the CREACS would have been capable of mitigating the consequences of an accident. The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified. Notified R1DO (Ferdas).

Time of Discovery
ENS 5052712 October 2014 10:00:00Service Water Pumps Inoperable

At 0226 (EDT on 10/12/14), the 25 Service Water Pump Traveling Screen differential pressure transmitter high side valve, 2LD2729-HIV was discovered closed while performing the monthly bubbler blow down activity. The associated 25 Service Water Pump was operable at this time. The differential pressure transmitter high side valve, 2LD2729-HIV, in the closed/discovered position would have prevented the operation of the 25 Service Water Traveling Screen due to high differential pressure. The 25 Service Water Traveling Screen needs to be operable to support 25 Service Water Pump operability. 25 Service Water Pump Traveling Water Screen was restored to operable after differential pressure transmitter high side valve, 2LD2729-HIV was reopened. The station subsequently verified all Unit 1 and 2 high side and low side differential pressure transmitter valves positions were correct. At 0600 (EDT on 10/12/14), it was identified that the last manipulation of differential pressure transmitter high side valve, 2LD2729-HIV was on 9/7/14. Based on the last known manipulation it is assumed that differential pressure transmitter high side valve, 2LD2729-HIV remained closed from that time until the condition was discovered. Review of other activities performed from 9/7/2014 to present determined that surveillance testing of 21 Service Water Pump resulted in 21, 22, and 23 Service Water Pumps being inoperable on 9/18/2014 for several hours. During that surveillance, combined with the mis-positioned instrument valve on 25 Service Water Pump, five of the six Service Water Pumps would have been inoperable which may have prevented the fulfillment of a safety function. This event is being reported under the requirements of 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v)(B) as 'Any event or condition that at the time of discovery could have prevented the fulfillment of the safety function of systems that are needed to remove residual heat.' The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector. No one was injured as a result of the failure of 25 Service Water Traveling Screen inoperability.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM ROBERT CORDREY TO DONALD NORWOOD AT 1543 EST ON 12/2/2014 * * *

The purpose of this call is to retract event number 50527. On October 12, 2014, at 1307 EDT, notification was made to the NRC Operations Center by Salem Unit 2 reporting a condition under the requirements of 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v) as 'Any event or condition that at the time of discovery could have prevented the fulfillment of a safety function of structures or systems that are needed to: ...(D) Mitigate the consequences of an accident.' Subsequent to this report, Salem Unit 2 determined that the condition in which the 25 Service Water (SW) pump may have been considered inoperable, in conjunction with the other SW loop being out of service, was not occurring at the time of discovery and was thus not reportable under the reporting requirement of 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v). Further analysis of the event determined that the valve mis-positioning of the 25 SW pump traveling screen differential pressure transmitter which defeated the auto-start function of the traveling screen, did not impair the safety function of the traveling screen to minimize carryover of debris to the suction of the 25 SW pump. Thus, during the time in question, the 25 SW pump remained operable which maintained one loop of SW operable during the period of time the other service water loop was removed from service for pump testing. One loop of SW with two pumps operable from different safety related buses is capable of performing the safety function of the SW system during a design basis accident. This event is not considered a safety system functional failure and is not reportable to the NRC under the requirements of 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v) or 10CFR50.73(a)(2)(v). The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified. Notified R1DO (Dentel)

Time of Discovery
ENS 4894920 April 2013 08:22:00Accident Mitigation - Common Control Room Emergency Air Conditioning System

Salem Unit 2 was placed in a configuration that affected the ability to mitigate the consequences of an accident due to an inadvertent actuation of the common control room emergency air conditioning system (CREACS). CREACS was actuated as a result of an invalid Control Room air intake duct radiation monitor signal initiated on April 20, 2013 at 0422 hours (EDT). Salem Unit 1 is currently in Mode 6 with core offload in progress. Salem Unit 2 is in Mode 1 at 100% power. Unit 2 has two shutdown LCOs in effect. The first is for the CREACS, which is shared between Unit 1 & 2, being aligned for single train operation with the Unit 1 CREACS train out of service per LCO 3.7.6. The second shutdown LCO is for single source of offsite power due to scheduled maintenance. With Unit 1 having an invalid radiation monitor signal, the CREACS automatically aligned to accident pressurized mode. This mode of actuation starts the CREACS fans, isolates the Control Room Envelope from the normal control room ventilation system and aligns the two sets of CREACS outside air intake dampers. With a Unit 1 radiation monitor signal the Unit 1 CREACS intake dampers close and the Unit 2 CREACS intake dampers open. These damper positions are locked in until manually reset. With only one train of CREACS operable, the dose analysis indicates that the requirements of General Design Criteria (GDC) 19 can only be met during the worst case design basis accident if the Unit 2 CREACS intake dampers are closed and the Unit 1 CREACS intake dampers (are) open. Therefore, until the CREACS intake dampers were reset and realigned, Salem Unit 2 would not have been able to mitigate the consequences of an accident and is reportable in accordance with 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v). The CREACS system actuation was reset after the failed radiation monitor (2R1B ch. II) was removed from service and the dampers were realigned to their pre-actuation alignment at 0457 hours, restoring Salem Unit 2 to within the assumptions of the dose analysis. Total duration in the condition was 35 minutes. The only pieces of major equipment out of service on Salem Unit 2 are the 4 Station Power Transformer and 23 Station Power Transformer which are out of service for scheduled maintenance." The licensee will notifying Lower Alloways Creek township and the NRC Resident Inspector.

* * * RETRACTION FROM DAVID LAFLEUR TO PETE SNYDER AT 1304 EDT ON 6/13/13 * * * 

On April 20, 2013, Salem Unit 2 was placed in a configuration that was contrary to the current dose analysis of record due to an invalid actuation of the common Control Room Emergency Air Conditioning System (CREACS). The CREACS was initiated as a result of an invalid actuation of Control Room Air Intake Duct Radiation Monitoring Channel, 2R1B Channel 2. At the time of the actuation, the Unit 1 Train of CREACS was out of service due to scheduled maintenance leaving only the Unit 2 CREACS train operable. Unit 2 was at 100% power and Unit 1 was in Mode 6. With one train of CREACS out of service at the start of an accident the dose analysis of record requires that the CREACS Emergency Air Intake Dampers for the accident unit go closed and the opposite unit's emergency intake dampers go open. The actuation of the radiation monitoring channel 2R1B Channel 2 caused the Unit 2 Emergency Air Intake Dampers to open. If a design basis LOCA were to have occurred on Unit 2 during that period the alignment would have been contrary to the dose analysis-of-record. Subsequent to this event, an evaluation was performed utilizing the assumptions of the dose analysis of record with two exceptions. Actual measured Engineered Safety Feature system leakage outside containment and Containment Leakage at the time of the event were utilized in the evaluation. This evaluation determined that if a design basis LOCA had occurred on Unit 2 with the CREACS in accident pressurized mode with Unit 1 Emergency Intake Dampers closed and Unit 2 Emergency Intake Dampers opened, Control Room design dose limits would not have been exceeded. Based upon this evaluation, the CREACS system would have been able to maintain dose to Control Room operators below the limits of GDC-19 and the dose analysis of record. Since the CREACS was capable of performing its accident mitigation function, this event is being retracted." The licensee will notify the NRC Resident Inspector. Notified R1DO (Dentel).

ENS 4759514 January 2012 22:55:00Offsite Notification Due to a Chlorinated Water Discharge

Salem Generating Station made a 15 minute notification of a chemical discharge to the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection at 1806 (EST). The Salem Non-Rad Waste Chemical Treatment Building sump overflowed out of the building to a catch basin that discharges to the Delaware River. Approximately 100 gallons of chlorinated water was reported to the State of New Jersey as being discharged, which was terminated at 1806 (EST). There were no personnel injuries associated with this event. There was no impact to any Salem Station Safety-Related systems and all Safety-Related systems are available. Investigation into the cause of the event is in progress. The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector and Lower Alloways Township.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM DAN MCHUGH TO JOE O'HARA AT 1031 ON 1/17/12 * * *

On 1/14/2012 Salem Generating Station made a 15 minute notification of a chemical discharge to the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection at 1806. The Salem Non-Rad Waste Chemical Treatment Building sump overflowed out of the building to a catch basin that discharges to the Delaware River through DSN 488. Subsequent investigation has indicated that the spill was entirely contained within the onsite storm drainage system and that there was no discharge to the Delaware River. The storm drain system was plugged, flushed and pumped out for appropriate disposal of the waste water. Additionally, the spill to the ground was cleaned up within 24 hours. The licensee will notify the NRC Resident Inspector and has notified the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

ENS 4661011 February 2011 18:12:00Hydrazine Spill Onsite

On February 11, 2011 at 1312 hours, a notification was made to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection of a spill of approximately 5 gallons of steam/water solution containing hydrazine with a concentration of 30ppb which was not cleaned up within 24 hours of identification. The spill due to a steam leak on the Unit 2 Main Steam System, was identified on February 9, 2011. The solution was spilled onto a gravel substrate next to the Unit 2 Main Steam mixing bottle. The closest storm drain leading to the Delaware river was sampled and had no detectable levels of hydrazine. Leak isolation and spill containment/cleanup are in progress. There was no out-of-service safety related equipment that contributed to this event. No one was injured as a result of this event. The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector and Lower Alloways Creek Township.

* * * RETRACTION FROM JACK OSBORNE TO PETE SNYDER AT 1753 ON 2/11/11 * * * 

As a correction to the earlier information: the subject spill was cleaned up within 24 hours and is therefore not reportable. Notified R1DO (Bellamy).

ENS 441204 April 2008 16:59:00Accident Mitigation - Common Control Room Emergency Air Conditioning System

Salem Unit 1 was placed in a configuration that affected the ability to mitigate the consequences of an accident due to an inadvertent actuation of the common control room emergency air conditioning system (CREACS). CREACS was actuated as a result of an invalid Control Room air intake duct radiation monitor initiated on April 4, 2008 at 1259 hours. Salem Unit-2 is currently defueled. Salem Unit 1 is in Mode 1 at 100% power. Unit 1 has two shutdown LCOs in effect. The first is for the CREACS system, which is shared between Unit 1 & 2, being aligned for single train operation with the Unit 2 CREACS train out of service per LCO 3.7.6. The second shutdown LCO is for two outside air intake dampers being inoperable for scheduled maintenance. With Unit 2 having an invalid Radiation Monitor signal, the CREACS system actuates in accident pressurized mode. This mode of actuation starts the CREACS fans, isolates the Control Room Envelope from the normal control room ventilation system and aligns the two sets of CREACS outside air intake dampers. With a Unit 2 Radiation Monitor signal, the Unit 2 CREACS intake dampers close and the Unit 1 CREACS intake dampers open. These damper positions are locked in until manually reset. With only one train of CREACS operable, the dose analysis indicates that the requirements of General Design Criterion (GDC) 19 can only be met during the worst case design basis accident if the Unit 1 CREACS intake dampers are closed and the Unit 2 CREACS intake dampers open. Therefore, until the CREACS intake dampers were reset and realigned, Salem Unit 1 would not have been able to mitigate the consequences of an accident and is reportable in accordance with 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v)(D). The CREACS system actuation was reset after the failed radiation monitor (1R1B ch II) was removed from service and the dampers were re-aligned to their pre actuation alignment at 1316 hours, restoring Salem Unit 1 to within the assumptions of the dose analysis. Total duration in the condition was 17 minutes. The only piece of major equipment out of service on Salem Unit 1 is the 15 Service water pump which is out of service for scheduled maintenance. The Licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

  • * * RETRACTION PROVIDED BY ERIC POWELL TO JASON KOZAL ON 04/17/08 AT 2113 * * *

On April 4, 2008 Salem Unit 1 was placed in a configuration that was contrary to the current dose analysis of record due to an inadvertent actuation of the common control room emergency air conditioning system (CREACS). CREACS was initiated as a result of an invalid actuation of a Control Room air intake duct radiation monitoring channel (1R1B ch II). At the time of the actuation, the Unit 2 train of CREACS was out of service due to scheduled maintenance leaving only the Unit 1 CREACS train operable. Unit 1 was at 100% power and Unit 2 was defueled. With one train of CREACS out of service at the start of an accident the dose analysis of record requires that the CREACS emergency intake dampers for the unit having the accident to close and for the opposite units emergency intake dampers to open. The actuation of the radiation monitoring channel 1R1B channel II caused the Unit 1 emergency intake dampers to open which was contrary to the dose analysis of record. Subsequent to this event, an evaluation was performed utilizing the assumptions of the dose analysis of record with the exception of the actual measured engineered safety feature system leakage outside containment and the atmospheric dispersion factors (x/Q) associated with the Unit 1 CREACS intake. Based upon this evaluation, the CREACS system with one filtration train operable and the emergency intakes open on Unit 1 would have been able to maintain doses to the Control Room operators below the limits of GDC-19 and the dose analysis of record. Since the CREACS system was capable of performing its accident mitigation function, this event is being retracted. The licensee will notify the NRC Resident Inspector. Notified R1DO (Schmidt)

ENS 430387 December 2006 22:28:00Loss of Safe Shutdown Capability

The Unit 2 Spray Additive System was isolated due to an identified crack on a weld at a 'tee' section of pipe upstream of a sample point. The crack was identified during a system release for an unrelated maintenance activity. Isolation of the crack for repairs requires isolation of the Containment Spray Additive system from both Containment Spray headers. This isolation was also completed to comply with ASME (Technical Specification Action Statement) 3.4.11.1. Therefore the Containment Spray Additive system is unable to perform its safety function. Salem Unit 2 remains in TS A/S 3.6.2.2 until repairs are complete. TS A/S 3.6.2.2 is a 72 hour LCO (entered at 0503 on 12/07/06) and requires the plant to be in hot standby within 6 hours of the expiration of the LCO. The licensee will inform the Lower Alloways Creek Township and has informed the NRC Resident Inspector.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM ABBOTT TO HUFFMAN AT 2146 EST ON 2/05/07 * * *

On December 7, 2006, PSEG made a non-emergency report in accordance with the 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(v)(A) and 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(v)(D) (event report 43038) regarding the Salem Unit 2 Spray Additive System. Upon further investigation, PSEG determined that the identified crack on a weld which resulted in a one drop per minute leak would not have caused a loss of system function. Therefore, based upon the guidance provided in NUREG 1022 that there is reasonable assurance that the weld would have remained intact and would have satisfactorily performed its intended function in the event of a CS system actuation (i.e., there was no loss of system safety function) this event report is being retracted. The NRC Resident Inspector was notified of this retraction. R1DO (Cook) notified.

Safe Shutdown
ENS 4234316 February 2006 04:45:00Potential Uncontrolled Radiological Release

This is an 8-hour notification being made to report exceeding the design basis for reactor coolant leakage outside of containment. The normal daily RCS leakrate was completed at 2345 on 2/15/06. This leakrate indicated a step change in unidentified leakrate to .8 gpm from .09 gpm. This leakage value is within the 1 gpm allowed by Technical Specifications. Investigation is on going, and the source of the leak has not been determined at this time, however preliminary conclusion is that the leakage is outside of containment and related to the centrifugal charging pumps. The design requirement ECCS leakage outside of containment is 3840 cc/hour ( .1 gpm) to support GDC-19 limits for control room habilitability. No safety system actuation occurred or were required. No injuries have occurred due to this event. The licensee has performed troubleshooting to identify the source of the leak and to narrow down the portion of the charging system where they believe the leak to be located. The licensee believes the leak is in a relief valve or hard pipe system to the waste tanks, and that the leak is not external to the system. The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM PAUL ABBOTT TO JOE O'HARA AT 2119 ON 4/6/06 * * *

On February 16, 2006, PSEG made an 8-hour report (event number 42343) in accordance with 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v) because of exceeding the design basis limits for ECCS leakage outside containment. The leakage was determined to be approximately 0.8 gpm with a limit of 3840 cc/hour. Further investigation into this event determined that the leakage was not in the ECCS recirculation flow path. The cause of the elevated RCS unidentified leakrate was the failure of the automatic three-way high level divert valve (2CV35), which prevents a high level from occurring in the Volume Control Tank (VCT). This valve failed to fully isolate flow to the Chemical Volume Control (CVC) Hold-Up Tanks (HUTs) after VCT level dropped below the divert setpoint of 77% . This conclusion is based on the VCT level being at the divert setpoint a number of times during the shift, the increased use of the valve to control level, and valve performance to fully isolate flow to the CVC HUT'S. Because this flow path is automatically isolated on a Safety Injection signal by other means (valves), the leakage through this valve is not considered part of the ECCS recirculation flow path and therefore is not included in the calculation for ECCS leakage outside containment. The event is being withdrawn. The licensee will notify the NRC Resident Inspector. R1DO(Finney) notified.

ENS 4148914 March 2005 15:17:00Offsite Notification of Sodium Hypochlorite Spill

The following information was obtained from the licensee via facsimile (licensee text in quotes): This is a 4-hour notification to report a sodium hypochlorite spill from a pipe flange elbow on the permanent sodium hypochlorite tank to the ground at Salem generating station. The spill was over an excavation trench that was filled with rain water. The trench was being pumped to the nearest manhole. Maintenance personnel noticed a 2 drops per second sodium hypochlorite leak from the elbow. The operations shift manager made a 15-minute report to the State of New Jersey to report the spill. The sodium hypochlorite tank was out of service at the time undergoing corrective maintenance. The spill has been contained. Chemistry samples are being taken to determine if any reportable quantities were pumped to the nearest manhole. There was no effect on plant operation since the tank was out of service. Actions include follow up samples and if necessary remediation of the ground soil. There was no one injured during the event. The licensee notified State and local authorities and the NRC Resident Inspector.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM S. SAUER TO W. GOTT AT 2037 ON 3/18/05 * * *

The following information was obtained from the licensee via facsimile (licensee text in quotes): On March 14, PSEG reported to the NRC that Report had been made to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection regarding a spill of sodium hypochlorite (Event No. 41489). As the spill was cleaned up within 24 hours and there was no direct discharge to the Delaware River, this report has been retracted from the State of New Jersey. Chemistry samples taken indicated no reportable quantities pumped to the river. Ground water was pumped from the excavation to a concrete diked area and the excavation flushed with fresh water until chemistry samples indicated no residual sodium hypochlorite. This EVENT is retracted. The licensee will notify the NRC Resident Inspector. Notified R1DO (L. Doerflein)

ENS 4090429 July 2004 01:00:00Unidentified Reactor Coolant System (Rcs) Leak

This is an 8-hour notification being made to report exceeding the design basis for the reactor coolant leakage outside of containment. An unidentified reactor coolant system (RCS) leak of 1.0 gpm on Salem Unit 1 occurred on 7/28/04 at 2100 hours. It was discovered (that) a pressure instrument weld from 13 charging pump (PDP) discharge piping failed in the auxiliary building. Tech Specs for RCS unidentified leakage was entered. Station abnormal operating procedures (ABRC-001 RCS Leak) were entered and leakage monitoring program referenced. The leak was isolated closing the root valve of the instrument line (discharge pressure transmitter) by 2135 hours. The RCS leakage was outside of containment and was greater than design of 3840 cc/hr. This leakage would have exceeded the GDC-19 limits for control room habitability during the time of the leak initiation and leak isolation. 13 charging pump remained in service and the leak is locally isolated. The tech spec for RCS unidentified leakage was exited and ASME tech spec for the failed weld was entered. There were no unusual or unexpected responses. All systems functioned as required. There were no personnel injuries. A maintenance tech in the auxiliary building notified control room of a leak about the same time that control room personnel noticed that the Volume Control Tank level was decreasing approx. 0.3gpm. The area around the Positive Displacement Pump (PDP) was roped off and the leak was isolated. Airborne levels in the roped off area was 8000 cpm (from 2130 to 2200 hours). Nobody was evacuated from auxiliary building. At 0040 hours airborne samples were within normal limits. The area around # 13 PDP is still roped off until the surface contamination is cleaned up. Lower Alloways Creek Township will be notified of this by the licensee. The NRC Resident Inspector will be notified of this event by the licensee.

  • * * RETRACTION FROM SAUER TO CROUCH AT 1543 HRS. EDT ON 9/21/04 * * *

The following retraction was obtained from the licensee via e-mail: On July 28, 2004, it was discovered that a pressure instrument weld from 13 charging pump developed a leak into the auxiliary building. An 8-hour call to the NRC was made for exceeding the ECCS leakage outside containment (Event Number 40904). The leak was self-revealing, in that the area radiation detectors as well as the fire protection sensors detected it. The leak was identified and isolated by closing the manual root valve for the instrument line in approximately 35 minutes from discovery. Section 5 of Appendix A of Regulatory Guide 1.183 states that engineered safeguards feature (ESF) systems that recirculate sump water outside of the primary containment are assumed to leak during their intended operation. The guidance indicates that this release source includes leakage through valve packing glands, pump shaft seals, flanged connections, and other similar components. The guidance further indicates that this release source may also include leakage through valves isolating interfacing systems. The leak that was identified and isolated shortly after discovery was a piping system failure and not the type of leakage that is considered to be a release source for which the radiological consequences should be analyzed. Therefore, further review of the event indicated that identified leak did not challenge the limits of 10CFR100 for offsite releases and 10CFR50 Appendix A General Design Criterion 19 (GDC-19), thus event report 40904 is withdrawn. The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector of the retraction. The Headquarters Operations Officer notified R1DO (Caruso).

ENS 4066511 April 2004 04:23:00Plant Had a Valid Esf Signal to Start 1C Emergency Diesel Generator

THIS IS AN 8-HOUR NOTIFICATION TO REPORT A VALID ESF SIGNAL TO START 1C EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATOR THAT OCCURRED ON 4/11/04 AT 0023. Salem Unit 1 is defueled. The spent fuel pool cooling system is providing decay heat removal. Spent fuel pool temperature is being maintained at 106 degrees. RCS temperature is 75 degrees. The RCS is vented to atmosphere. Reactor level is 97.5 feet. 1C emergency diesel generator is cleared and tagged for maintenance. 13 station power transformer was returned to service on 4/10/04 at 2347. The operating crew briefed expected response and abnormal procedures if the 4kv vital bus did not transfer during the retest of 13 station power transformer. Operations successfully retested 1A and 1B 4kv vital bus transfer from 14 station power transformer to 13 station power transformer and back to 14 station power transformer in accordance with station operating procedures. Operations attempted to retest the 1C 4kv vital bus transfer from 14 station power transformer to 13 station power transformer. When the operator attempted to close 13CSD in feed breaker, the 14CSD in feed breaker opened as designed, but 13CSD breaker failed to close. The 1C 4kv vital bus deenergized due to both offsite power source in feed breakers opening and 1C emergency diesel generator unavailable. An ESF signal to start the 1C emergency diesel generator was provided by the safeguards equipment cabinet (SEC). Since the 1C emergency diesel was cleared and tagged for maintenance, it did not start. The cause of the failure to transfer is not known at this time. The operating crew implemented the appropriate abnormal operating procedures for the de-energized 1C 4kv vital bus. Operator and plant response was as expected. Decay heat continues to be removed by the spent fuel pool cooling system. Outage incident response team is evaluating and troubleshooting the cause of the loss of power to 1C 4kv vital bus. ORAM risk remains yellow. There were no personnel injured during the event. The licensee will inform Lower Alloways Creek (LAC) Township and the NRC Resident Inspector.

  • * * RETRACTED ON 5/30/04 AT 1103 EDT BY STEVE SAUER AND TAKEN BY GERRY WAIG * * *

The licensee provided the following information via facsimile: On April 11, 2004 at 0023 PSEG made an 8 hour notification to report a valid ESF actuation of the 1 'C' Emergency Diesel Generator (Event Number 40665). At the time of the event Salem Unit 1 was defueled. The spent: fuel pool cooling system was providing decay heat removal and spent fuel pool temperature was being maintained at 106 degrees. RCS temperature was 75 degrees and the RCS was vented to atmosphere. The 1 'C' EDG was cleared and tagged for maintenance. The 13 Station Power Transformer (SPT) had been returned to service on 4/10/04 at 2347. The operating crew was briefed on the expected response and reviewed the abnormal procedures if the 4kv vital bus did not transfer during the retest of 13 SPT. Operations successfully retested 1 'A' and 1 "B" 4kv vital bus transfer from 14 SPT to 13 SPT and back to 14 SPT in accordance with station operating procedures. When Operations attempted to retest the 1 'C' 4kv vital bus transfer from 14 SPT to 13 SPT, the 14 SPT in feed breaker opened as designed, but 13 SPT breaker failed to close and the 1 'C' 4kv vital bus de-energized. A signal to start the 1 "C" EDG was provided by the safeguards equipment cabinet (SEC), because the 1 'C' EDG was cleared and tagged for maintenance it did not start. Decay heat continued to be removed by the spent fuel pool cooling system. Subsequent Investigation into this event and further review of NUREG 1022 has determined that the condition described above is not reportable under the requirements of I0CFR50.72(b)(3)(iv) or 50.73(a)(2)(iv). NUREG-1022, section 3.2.6 states that valid signals are those signals that are initiated in response to actual plant conditions or parameters satisfying the requirements for initiation of the safety function of the system. In this case, plant conditions were such that it did not require the 1 'C' EDG to be capable of starting and loading automatically in response to an undervoltage signal. The reactor was defueled and spent fuel cooling system providing fuel cooling was unaffected by the event. NUREG-1022 states that train level actuations are reportable. However, in this instance, the EDG did not actuate because it was removed from service and was not required to be operable. NUREG-1022 states that single component actuations are typically not reportable because single components of complex systems, by themselves, usually do not mitigate the consequences of significant events. With the 1 'C' EDG removed from service, the 1 'C' bus undervoltage signal is not sufficient to complete the full actuation logic to mitigate the event. Therefore this event was not reportable under 10CFR50.72 or 50.73, as per the guidance provided in NUREG 1022. The licensee will notify the NRC Resident Inspector. Notified R1DO (Richard Conte)

ENS 406393 April 2004 15:50:00Valid Actuation of Auxiliary Feedwater System During Maintenance

This is an 8-hour notification being made to report that a valid ESF Auxiliary Feed actuation occurred. Salem Unit 1 is in mode 5 with RHR providing shutdown cooling. '11' Aux Feed Pump was in service to fill '13' and '14' steam generators for wet lay-up conditions. Actual levels were low in both '13' and '14' steam generators but jumpers were installed on steam generator narrow range level channel III and IV to prevent an ESF actuation. On 4/03/04 at 1050 AM, a breaker effecting reactor protection system channel III was cleared and tagged as part of preparations to remove 1C 4KV vital bus from service. The actual low level in '13' and '14' steam generators along with the power loss to channel III caused 2 out of 3 logic to be satisfied and initiated an AFW actuation. '11' Auxiliary Feed Pump remained running. '12' Auxiliary Feed Pump auto started. '13' Auxiliary Feedwater Pump was removed from service prior to the actuation and did not start. The '13' and '14' steam generators continued to fill. '11' and '12" Auxiliary Feed Valves (11AF21 and 12AF21) were closed and no level rise was observed. The breaker was restored and reactor protection system channel III was placed back in service. All auto start signals cleared after power was restored and the '12' Aux Feed Pump was stopped at 1101. There were no unusual or unexpected plant response from the actuation. All safety systems and equipment performed as expected. Entry into mode 6 is expected this afternoon and progress of the refueling outage is expected to continue. There were no personnel injured. The licensee will inform the Lower Alloways Creek Township (LAC) and has informed the NRC Resident Inspector.

  • * * RETRACTION ON 05/05/04 AT 1252 EDT FROM S. SAUER TO A. COSTA * * *

On April 3, 2004 at 1410 PSEG made an 8 hour notification to report a valid ESF actuation of the auxiliary feedwater system (Event Number 40639). At the time of the report 11 Auxiliary feedwater pump was in service to fill the 13 and 14 steam generators for wet lay-up. The levels on those generators were low (as previous plant condition had demanded) and the jumpers had been installed in the level detectors to prevent the automatic start of the auxiliary feedwater pumps. 12 auxiliary feedwater pump was out of service. The steam driven auxiliary feedwater pump was tagged out of service. Core heat removal was being provided by the Residual Heat Removal System. On April 3, with the steam generator level being carried below the low level setpoint, in accordance with procedures, as a result of other activities associated with the refueling outage the installed jumpers were removed causing the auto start of the 12 pump. Subsequent investigation Into this event and further review of NUREG 1022 has determined that the condition described above is not reportable under the requirements of 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(iv) or 50.73(a)(2)(iv). As stated In NUREG 1022 the intent of reporting under this paragraph is '..to report actuations of systems that mitigate the consequences of significant events .. The Staff does not consider this to include single component actuation because single components of complex systems, by themselves usually do not mitigate the consequences of significant events.' Furthermore valid signals are defined as ' those signals that are Initiated in response to actual plant conditions .. Satisfying the requirements for initiation of a safety function of the system.' (emphasis added on safety function). In this particular event the required Safety Function to maintain the core cooled and decay heat removal was being accomplished by the Residual Heat Removal System and it remained unaffected throughout this event. The plant was in a condition where the steam generators in conjunction with the Auxiliary Feedwater System were not part of the ultimate heat sink or a principal means to remove decay heat. The Auxiliary Feedwater System was only functional and available to provide a means to place the steam generators in wet lay-up in support of outage activities. The 11 pump was already in service providing for this non-safety related function. Thus the auto start of the 12 pump was not as a result of a valid signal for a significant event that required initiation of a mitigating function; e.g. an ESF actuation. Therefore this event was not reportable under 10CFR50.72 or 50.73, as per the guidance provided in NUREG 1022. The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector. Notified R1DO(Della Greca).

Ultimate heat sink