“In particular, the NRC reports indicated that MHI’s use of its computer codes in the design of the steam generators inaccurately predicted thermal hydraulic conditions in the steam generators, leading to tube vibration and wear, and a steam generator tube leak,” the statement continued. “The NRC inspection findings reinforced an NRC Augmented Inspection Team report in 2012 that identified MHI’s computer modeling errors.”
It was a global 4.7 Billion dollar deal with all the parties
Certainty the NRC is up to their eyeballs with incompetence on Songs for a decade, they might be trying to cover-up that. They might feel if they told the truth, there would be a severe integrity hit on the agency with a "once every hundred year" fracting cheap electricity storm approaching the electric industry.
Is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries more sophisticated than I believe, to be feeding the NRC with secret confidential SCE internal documents in defense of the legal suite? Is this a cheap legal suite as a negotiating tactic to get better terms.
It is very plausible...
The NRC had/has the experienced engineering PhDs to quickly uncover "the steam generators being deliberately run too hot, too hard and too fast to make a quick profits. Too many NRC employees would have had information as such and a conscientious odd ball employee would have stuck up his head by now. I don't think a senior fire safety or electric engineer would have the professional skill to ferret this out.
(New) One wonders if SCE engineered intentionally tanking the plant through the improperly designed steam generators, then thought they could corruptly make a big bungle over killing the plant, decommissioning, paying for the improper steam generator job and purchasing replacement power. This guy was a profit dog for a decade or more and it tremendously ate up top SCE executive resources. Wasn't this a 3.5 billion dollar deal to hang on the ratepayers. There is no doubt the interveners and SCE were in bed with each other. The first swipe of the settlement was exactly that. I don't think anything about this revolves around stupidity. Its actually the opposite. It is the immoral use of high intelligence for a amoral purpose.
(New) One wonders if SCE engineered intentionally tanking the plant through the improperly designed steam generators, then thought they could corruptly make a big bungle over killing the plant, decommissioning, paying for the improper steam generator job and purchasing replacement power. This guy was a profit dog for a decade or more and it tremendously ate up top SCE executive resources. Wasn't this a 3.5 billion dollar deal to hang on the ratepayers. There is no doubt the interveners and SCE were in bed with each other. The first swipe of the settlement was exactly that. I don't think anything about this revolves around stupidity. Its actually the opposite. It is the immoral use of high intelligence for a amoral purpose.
If this is true, this is a breathtaking NRC cover-up...
Update 7/20Report: San Onofre Shutdown Due to Steam GeneratorsThe cause of a leak in 2012 that led to the permanent shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was steam generators being deliberately run too hot, too hard and too fast, according to a report released Tuesday by an independent watchdog organization.But Southern California Edison countered that the source of the report was misinformed.The analysis asserts that operators of the plant in northern San Diego County intentionally red-lined the system beyond its breaking point until it was overloaded and began to shake itself to pieces, according to the Public Watchdogs organization.The study was conducted by Vinod Arora, a former fire protection engineer at SCE, co-owner of the power plant with San Diego Gas & Electric, according to a statement released by Public Watchdog.The group said the conclusion was based on confidential documents that were released by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under the Freedom of Information Act.“Edison knew they were pushing San Onofre’s steam generators past the original design limit, but did it anyway for the sake of short-term profits and to correct other design deficiencies as a result of SCE’s unverified analytical assumptions,” Arora alleged.“SCE was forced to make those assumptions because of time pressures to deploy the generators quickly,” Arora said. “As a result, SCE failed to perform the necessary research or ask the critical questions required to understand the impact of their design changes between the original and replacement steam generators.”Shaking steam tubes, or what SCE called “critical in-plane vibrations” from tubes filled with superheated pressurized radioactive water, caused the tubes to bang together violently as a result of dry steam, according to Arora.He said the impact of the abrasion and metal fatigue from the tube collisions ultimately created dangerous leaks.Previous investigations have faulted the design of the steam generators, manufactured by the Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Edison, which has retired San Onofre’s two reactors, is seeking financial compensation from the company.Rosemead-based SCE released a statement saying the release issued today by Public Watchdog “relies on comments by a former SONGS employee that is simply misinformed.”“As far back as September of 2013, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission identified flaws in how Mitsubishi Heavy Industries used its computer codes to design the failed steam generators at SONGS. The NRC further issued a ‘Notice of Non-Conformance’ against MHI for its flawed computer modeling in the failed design,” the statement said.“In particular, the NRC reports indicated that MHI’s use of its computer codes in the design of the steam generators inaccurately predicted thermal hydraulic conditions in the steam generators, leading to tube vibration and wear, and a steam generator tube leak,” the statement continued. “The NRC inspection findings reinforced an NRC Augmented Inspection Team report in 2012 that identified MHI’s computer modeling errors.”
When I was under the same kind of gun in 1992 just before I got fired for raising a host of safety issues, the big dog executives were coming to me with their secrets. I was continuously in the media at the time and everyone at the plant thought I had a special "ins" with the sitting governor (I did). If the big dog executives had a grudge on their boss or wanted to get promoted, they would leak damaging documents or secrets to me trying to get their targets fired. I took out numerous big dog executives through these leaks and I knew most of it was sour grapes and settling long past grudges. I was a pariah at the plant at the time. I was frightened when these executives approached me. They would begin a dizzying friendly conversation, then begin "I know you have powerful friends outside the plant". Believe me, I got it, the leak to me was settling a grudge or wishing promotions. But it conformed with the revolution I was trying to do. I always felt dirty after the deed was done. I mean, as a whistleblower, I never fully understood the exact agenda of the approaching executive, I did the best analysis as I could, then would say what the hell. This stuff was always very dangerous to me if I got it wrong and there was a huge legal/jail risk to me. But what the hell?
It is highly plausible to me a disgruntled steam generator specialist or senior engineer buddies trying to save Mr. Arora's job would be leaking documents or derogatory information to Mr. Arora. Least told him were the bones were buried to get even. They all knew he was heading out the door.
The "in charge" senior engineer at Songs in control of the steam generator job and all engineering at the huge facility...he was known by the lower employees as a monster from the years prior to this. He'd fire you on a dime to keep everyone else in line. I was coached secretly by insiders about the songs steam generator job months ago trying to understand why it happened. The top engineer at the site was jumping serially from one plant or faculty for years with this reputations until Songs.
Vinod Arora: Was it sour grapes or something else?
Safety Concerns at Shuttered Nuke Plant
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CN) - Southern California Edison forced a fire inspector to quit after he raised concerns about the safety and security of its San Onofre nuclear power plant, the man claims in court.
Vinod Arora, an inspector and engineer, claims SoCal Edison, majority owner of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, constructively fired him in 2012 after he raised concerns about plant safety amid disharmony between Edison and Mitsubishi - the company hired to design and deliver two replacement steam generators.
Edison announced last summer that it would permanently retire two nuclear reactors at the plant. Decommissioning the plant cost thousands of jobs and estimated losses of $10 billion.
In a July lawsuit , minority shareholder San Diego Gas & Electric blamed Mitsubishi for the shutdown, claiming the Japanese multinational sold the plant $135 million steam generators that began leaking radiation in their first year of service.
Arora worked for Edison as a fire inspector for almost six years before he resigned in 2012.
Under the Energy Reorganization Act, Edison was forbidden from retaliating against him for reporting his concerns, he says in the lawsuit.
Arora's troubles began, he says, when he wrote a report critical of the plant's maintenance director Bob Sholler, after longstanding concerns about fire risks associated with welding, grinding and cutting work at the plant.
That was in January 2012, around the time when the leak and cracks in the generator tubes were discovered. The plant stopped generating power shortly thereafter.
Arora claims that rather than address his concerns, Nuclear Oversight Director Oscar Flores marched him over to Sholler's office and demanded that he apologize.
Arora says that a few days later he warned supervisors that their failure to monitor a reactor was increasing the risk of a fire. Though a 2001 fire had shut down one of the reactors for 5 months at a cost of $100 million, the supervisors ignored his warnings, Arora claims.
Later in 2012, Arora says, Flores and his immediate supervisor Russ Nielsen confronted him with "insults and harassment" after he pointed out "competing priorities" over safety between Edison and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Arora claims he wrote a notification seeking to resolve the issue, but his superiors forced him to cancel it.
When he tried to take action after an anonymous report stated that 1,300 workers had not completed cyber-security training, Flores and Nielsen again admonished him, according to the complaint.
The harassment continued, Arora says, when he wrote emails to Mitsubishi and Edison warning about potential problems in one of the reactors. For his trouble, he claims, Flores and Nielsen tried to drum up phony charges against him by forcing him to take psychological and drug tests.
When those efforts failed, Edison ramped up its efforts to discredit him, Arora says.
"It was no coincidence that Arora begin receiving employment write-ups entered into his personnel file containing false accusations of missed work and being late to work without permission from his superiors. SCE [Southern California Edison] corporate investigators began to monitor Arora's actions and watch him carefully throughout his daily activities," the lawsuit states.
Arora had injured his right arm and elbow when he fell from a turbine deck during a January 2012 inspection. Though the injuries did not interfere with his work, Edison used them as a pretext to force him to resign, writing him up and setting "unreasonable deadlines" for his work, according to the complaint.
Arora seeks damages for constructive termination, breach of implied contract, breach of faith, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
He is represented by Thomas McIntosh.
Edison, the only named defendant, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment after business hours Wednesday.
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