Junk Safety Culture at Hope Creek.

This is caused by poorly designed instrumentation and inadequately trained employees. You catch all the unnecessary scrams and transients at this extremely important three plant resource.

It has to be looked at as contextual with all the other issues at the facility!!!

Reactor Scram Due to Invalid RRCS Actuation

On September 28, 2015, at 20:46, with the Hope Creek reactor operating at 100% power, a human error during surveillance testing resulted in the actuation of the Redundant Reactivity Control System (RRCS), and subsequently, an automatic reactor scram on a valid low water level signal. At the time of the transient, a surveillance test of division 1 of the RRCS system was in progress. The test simulates a high reactor pressure signal. Plant data show the signal was entered in both channels of division 1 of the RRCS system. The resulting system actuation caused a trip of both Reactor Recirculation Pumps, and the actuation of the Alternate Rod Insertion (ARI) function of the RRCS system. As a result of these two actuations, reactor power lowered, causing reactor water level to lower to the Reactor Protection System (RPS) trip set point of +12.5 inches. The RPS initiated an automatic reactor scram. Reactor operators recovered water level to within the desired band using the feedwater system. Reactor pressure was maintained using turbine bypass valves discharging to the main condenser.

CAUSE OF EVENT

The cause of this event is that the technician made an error in the performance of the surveillance test. The error was most likely caused by pressing the incorrect key on the common keyboard for the panel (placing the wrong channel in test). Based on a review of plant data (alarms and indications) and surveillance test simulation on the RRCS training simulator, it was concluded that the technician most likely recognized the unexpected conditions and attempted to correct his error. The technician did not understand that the pressure test signal had sealed in on the incorrect channel. When faced with an unexpected condition, the technician did not stop and seek supervisory guidance .. When the test signal was subsequently entered into the correct channel, the RRCS system actuation resulted. When the cause analysis determined that the cause was associated with a human error, and also determined the most probable error sequence, technician response to further questions could not be obtained, because the technician who was involved had resigned.