[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
more Davis Besse problems; and Db looks for re-start date
Hi all,
More on Davis-Besse
Please note the key line in this story:
> The Akron utility
>
> has acknowledged that its concerns about profit, not safety, led to the damage.
>
All along we at Unplug Salem have said that too often the nuke industry
puts short-term profits ahead of safety. We get poo-poo-ed by the
"pro-nukers" for saying that, but here, like at Indian Point, is a
perfect example. For a few more months of operaiton, DB officials risked
a LOCA, or worse.
Norm
"Dr. Bill Corcoran at NSRC" wrote:
> Colleague, Please scroll down for an article that may give you some
> insights. Admittedly one robin does not make a spring, but one wonders
> if robins fly alone. Ask yourself the assessment question: What's
> wrong with this picture? OBTW: The Akron Beacon-Journal, the Cleveland
> Plain Dealer, and the Toledo Blade should be rated "exceeds
> expectations" on their coverage. Best Regards, Bill Corcoran W. R.
> Corcoran, Ph.D., P.E.
> Nuclear Safety Review Concepts
> 21 Broadleaf Circle
> Windsor, CT 06095-1634
> 860-285-8779 Fax: 702-993-2408
> Mission: Saving lives, pain, assets, and careers through thoughtful
> inquiry. Check out our e-groups at
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Root_Cause_State_of_the_Practice/
> where you will find all back issues of "The Firebird Forum" and at
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DBRVH_LTBL/
> where you will find a dialogue on the Davis-Besse near miss LOCA.,
> including photos, polls, files, tables, and links. For a complimentary
> subscription to our e-newsletter on root cause, organizational
> learning, and safety send a message to firebird.one@alum.MIT.edu
> Visit our web site at
> http://pages.prodigy.net/corcoran.nsrc/index.html
> _______________________________________________________________________________________Ohio
> Energy Company, Regulators to Discuss Date to Reopen Nuclear Plant
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> By Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio -- Sept. 18 FirstEnergy
> hopes to restart its Davis-Besse nuclear power plant as soon as Dec.
> 7, but it is again being forced to explain shoddy workmanship, this
> time regarding the crane used to lift a huge replacement part into
> place.
>
>
> Meeting with FirstEnergy managers Tuesday at Oak Harbor High School,
> Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials said they still have many
> questions about the plant and its work force, including management.
>
> In particular, NRC officials questioned why plant managers and
> supervisors did not prevent slipshod workmanship on the large crane
> inside the reactor. The upgrade was started after the crane had been
> used to help remove the old vessel head and install the new one.
>
> The NRC and FirstEnergy are scheduled to meet this morning to discuss
> how the Akron utility is working to correct management and work force
> deficiencies at the power plant.
>
> "It's clear that in at least one work activity you haven't addressed
> the issues," Jack Grobe, an NRC official, said. "It's critical those
> expectations come to life in the plant."
>
> NRC permission is necessary before the plant can restart, but he said
> more work needs to be done. "The important thing is, we are not
> committed to restart," said Grobe, chairman of a panel checking into
> the readiness of Davis-Besse. "We are committed to safety."
>
> Mike Stevens, director of maintenance at Davis-Besse, said he
> discovered during an inspection of work on the interior crane that
> screws were missing on some panels, light bulbs were out, metal
> shavings were left behind and other parts of the project did not meet
> standards. The crane was being upgraded by a contractor, he said.
>
> A contractor's employee working on the crane was more concerned about
> meeting a schedule than replacing light bulbs or making sure all the
> panel screws were filled in, Stevens said. While work on the crane has
> been halted, he and others have used the opportunity to emphasize to
> plant employees and contractors the need to meet quality goals, not
> schedules, he said.
>
> "The crane wasn't falling apart," said Lew Myers, chief operating
> officer for FirstEnergy's Nuclear Operating Co. "It just didn't meet
> our requirements."
>
> The crane work did not affect plant safety, Grobe said. He said his
> concern is that it took Stevens, a senior manager, to catch the
> workmanship problems.
>
> Work continues to progress at the plant, including major upgrades of
> some safety systems, FirstEnergy managers said. About 1,300
> contractors are on site working on repairs, upgrades and maintenance,
> Myers said. The plant has about 800 full-time employees as well.
>
> Davis-Besse has been kept shut down since early March after a safety
> inspection found two boric acid-created cavities on top of the plant's
> former reactor vessel head. The Akron utility
>
> has acknowledged that its concerns about profit, not safety, led to
> the damage. An inspection of the damaged vessel head in the past two
> weeks found tiny cracks on a thin stainless steel lining, all that was
> left to hold back high pressure, radioactive coolant at the location
> of the largest of the two cavities.
>
> The new vessel head is in place, and nuclear fuel could be installed
> as early as Oct. 30 as part of a testing process to bring the plant
> back up to full power and generating electricity by early December,
> FirstEnergy managers said. The NRC does not have to approve the
> refueling, Grobe said. A schedule unveiled at Tuesday's meeting showed
> that FirstEnergy hopes to get NRC approval to restart the nuclear
> plant on Nov. 18 and gradually bring it up to full power.
>
> "There's a lot that has to happen before then," Grobe said. Final
> authority on allowing Davis-Besse to restart rests with NRC regional
> administrator Jim Dyer, in consultation with NRC headquarters, Grobe
> said.
>
> A massive hole cut into the concrete and steel containment building
> that protects the nuclear reactor will be repaired in upcoming weeks.
> The hole was needed to remove the old vessel head and to install the
> new one, which came from an unused nuclear reactor in Michigan
>
> FirstEnergy will install a new sump system at Davis-Besse that will
> significantly improve plant safety if there is a loss of coolant
> accident inside the containment chamber, officials said. The sump
> would be used to recirculate water back into the reactor to keep it
> cool. The larger the sump, the better the safety margin, officials
> said. The Davis-Besse upgrade will enlarge the area of the sump from
> about 50 square feet to as much as 1,200 square feet.
>
> The company will also install a new, permanent seal around the reactor
> at a cost of several million dollars that will minimize coolant leaks
> that typically occur during the refueling process, Myers said. The
> company previously has used a series of temporary seals that were
> prone to leaks, he said.
>
> Cost of the repair project could hit as much as $300 million.
>
> To see more of the Akron Beacon Journal, or to subscribe to the
> newspaper, go to http://www.ohio.com/bj
>
> (c) 2002, Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio. Distributed by Knight
> Ridder/Tribune Business News. FE,
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> DBRVH_LTBL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
--
Coalition for Peace and Justice and the UNPLUG Salem Campaign; 321 Barr
Ave., Linwood, NJ 08221; 609-601-8583 or 609-601-8537;
ncohen12@comcast.net UNPLUG SALEM WEBSITE:
http://www.unplugsalem.org/ COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE WEBSITE:
http://www.coalitionforpeaceandjustice.org The Coalition for Peace and
Justice is a chapter of Peace Action.
"First they ignore you; Then they laugh at you; Then they fight you;
Then you win. (Gandhi) "Why walk when you can fly?" (Mary Chapin
Carpenter)
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/