Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Junk And Dead Ender Pilgrim Plant: Hydrogen Issues?

This must be the startup alarm. I don't get why a normal part of startup is reportable.

The hydrogen is on a regulator too maintain pressure. It connected to 10 or 15 big bottles of high pressure hydrogen. Once the generator is shutdown the machine and hydrogen cools down. The hydrogen in the generator contracts and the pressure regulator demand more hydrogen into the generator to maintain a set pressure. Now if you startup up and heat up the gas in the generator with all this extra hydrogen, you will over pressurize generator. The  relief valve will lift bringing the generator gas back to normal pressure.

Might this be a indication the control room staff being overwhelmed forgetting to isolate the hydrogen bottles into the generator? Shutting the isolation upon shutdown is a normal part of the shutdown procedure.

This happened in another recent event and it bit them in the ass. Did they notify the fire chief?

Junk and Dead Ender Pilgrim: The Fire Chief Says Its A Cover-up

Facility: PILGRIM
Region: 1 State: MA
Unit: [1] [ ] [ ]
RX Type: [1] GE-3
NRC Notified By: KEVIN P. O'ROURKE
HQ OPS Officer: JEFF HERRERA
Notification Date: 12/20/2016
Notification Time: 19:45 [ET]
Event Date: 12/20/2016
Event Time: 18:30 [EST]
Last Update Date: 12/20/2016
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
50.72(b)(2)(xi) - OFFSITE NOTIFICATION
Person (Organization):
JAMES NOGGLE (R1DO)

UnitSCRAM CodeRX CRITInitial PWRInitial RX ModeCurrent PWRCurrent RX Mode
1NN0Cold Shutdown0Cold Shutdown
Event Text
OFFSITE NOTIFICATION - RELEASE OF HYDROGEN GAS IN EXCESS OF THE REPORTABLE QUANTITY OF TEN POUNDS

"At 1830 EST on 20 December, 2016 the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Plymouth Massachusetts Fire Department were notified of a Hydrogen release in accordance with plant procedures and 310CMR40.300, Massachusetts Contingency Plan Notification for Oil and Hazardous Material; Identification and Listing of Oil and Hazardous Material, due to a release of hydrogen gas to the environment exceeding the reportable quantity of ten pounds. The release, which is an expected part of a routine plant start-up was from the generator hydrogen cooling system.

"This event posed no danger to the health and safety of plant personnel or members of the general public.

"The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified."

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