The Beginning of the River Bend Startup Watch-1% Power Today

Feb 2

This article implies I see broad weaknesses in Entergy's southern Fleet. I was trying to give Entergy the benefit of doubt. But the "startup watch" indicated I thought this might be a shaky and prolonged startup. Instead we got a quick scram. 

This is probably a instrumentation problem or employees inproperly calibrating the instrumentation. There is greater than a slight chance of reactor damage.

    

Power Reactor	Event Number: 53192
Facility: RIVER BEND Region: 4 State: LA Unit: [1] [ ] [ ] RX Type: [1] GE-6 NRC Notified By: Timothy Gates HQ OPS Officer: VINCE KLCO	Notification Date: 02/01/2018 Notification Time: 14:23 [ET] Event Date: 02/01/2018 Event Time: 10:57 [CST] Last Update Date: 02/01/2018
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(B) - RPS ACTUATION - CRITICAL	Person (Organization): RICK DEESE (R4DO)

Unit	SCRAM Code	RX CRIT	Initial PWR	Initial RX Mode	Current PWR	Current RX Mode
1	M/R	Y	27	Power Operation	0	Hot Shutdown

Event Text

MANUAL REACTOR SCRAM "At 1057 CST on February 1, 2018 with the unit in Mode 1 at approximately 27% power, a manual actuation of the Reactor Protection System (RPS) was initiated due to an unexpected trip of the B Recirc Pump with A Recirc Pump in fast speed. B Recirc Pump tripped during transfer from slow to fast speed resulting in single loop operation. Operators were unable to reconcile differing indications of core flow. This resulted in a conservative decision to initiate a manual scram. The cause of the B Recirc Pump trip and the apparent issues with core flow indication are under investigation. The plant is currently stable in Mode 3. "The plant response to the scram was as expected. All control rods [fully] inserted as expected; the feedwater system is maintaining reactor vessel water level in the normal control band and reactor pressure is being maintained with steam line drains and main turbine bypass valves. "The NRC Senior Resident [Inspector] has been notified."

Update Feb 1

20%

***1% today. 

I expect these guys to come right up to 100%.