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Is there any word if Byron has offsite back to unit 2 yet? Writing up a summary for the website.

SUBJECT:

Dear Mr. Pacilio:

On June 30, 2011, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed an integrated
inspection at your Byron Station, Units 1 and 2. The enclosed report documents the results of
this inspection, which were discussed on July 14, 2011, with Mr. T. Tulon and other members of
your staff.

The inspection examined activities conducted under your license as they relate to safety and
compliance with the Commission’s rules and regulations and with the conditions of your license.
The inspectors reviewed selected procedures and records, observed activities, and interviewed
personnel.

Based on the results of this inspection, one NRC-identified finding of very low safety
significance (Green) was identified. The finding was determined to be a violation of NRC
requirements. However, because of its very low safety significance, and because the issue
was entered into your corrective action program, the NRC is treating this violation as a non-cited
violation (NCV) in accordance with Section 2.3.2 of the NRC Enforcement Policy. Additionally,
a licensee-identified violation is listed in Section 4OA7 of this report.

BYRON STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2, NRC INTEGRATED INSPECTION
REPORT 05000454/2011003; 05000455/2011003
docs.google.com
and further violations
docs.google.com

So far since we have been here Browns Ferry lost offsite power when a tornado hit the area. North Anna lost offisite power during the east coast quake and now Byron lost offsite power because it is Monday. I am sure I missed a few. It sure seems like this is a widespread problem.

surrey lost offsite power last april during the tornados also www.nrc.gov

"Since 1997 the Byron plant has been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for various violations of its operating license, including falsifying surveillance reports, silt buildup, and Emergency Core Cooling System venting." www.dailykos.com

@lilly.. I would think they have to have more than one source because a single failure could wipe out all the power.. redundancy goes out to include incoming power... have to get 100% proof of that tho...

So where is the weak link in these systems. 4 reactors lost all offsite power in less than 12 months. All from rather petty issues. Browns Ferry & Surry from nearby tornados. N. Anna in the quake. Bryon today. Something is failing. IIRC in North Anna it was in the switchyard something was damaged.

North Anna has 7 yes 7 main transformer failures in the 1980's then the NRC got worried. www.nrc.gov

@lilly, one thing that is different in the reactor where I worked, we had to have a diesel generator running while the reactor was running to ensure critical components would have power to operate with a loss of commercial power

@dean what I am reading is hinting at something in the switchyards are the failure point rather than how many incoming power lines. Part of the issue at Fuku with their power was the one incoming line fell down. The other one was still out of service so they lost incoming power before it got to the plant.

compiled article on Byron done www.simplyinfo.org

good @lilly on article

are*

All the examples in the German document show cross over redundancy between units and power sources.

lots of cooling system diagrams .
A four-loop Westinghouse plant has four steam generators, four reactor coolant pumps, and a
pressurizer. The four-loop units in the United States are Braidwood 1 and 2, Byron 1 and 2, Callaway,
Catawba 1 and 2, Comanche Peak 1 and 2, D. C. Cook 1 and 2, Diablo Canyon 1 and 2, Indian Point 2
and 3, McGuire 1 and 2, Millstone 3, Salem 1 and 2, Seabrook, Sequoyah 1 and 2, South Texas Project
1 and 2, Vogtle 1 and 2, Watts Bar 1, and Wolf Creek. Each of these plants has 193 fuel assemblies
arranged inside a reactor vessel that has an internal diameter of 173 inches (except South Texas has an
internal diameter of 167 inches). The fuel assemblies are arranged in 17 x 17 array except for Cook and
Indian Point, which have 15 x 15 fuel
www.nrc.gov

well done Elaine :-)