DOE-Idaho Bi-Weekly Operations Summary
For the Period of September 18 to October 1, 2006

Environmental Management

Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP)

Summary of Occurrence Reports

(Note: Date below indicates when notification was made of the incident)

September 25: Fire department personnel responded to a fire alarm in Building WMF-676 and found a smoldering exhaust fan belt and pulley. The situation was controlled by applying carbon dioxide followed by water from hand held fire extinguishers. There were no visible flames or injuries. Appropriate notifications were made and a fact-finding meeting will be conducted.
(EM-ID–BBWI-AMWTF-2006-0022)

Operational Status

Through September 23, 2006, a cumulative total of 12,556 cubic meters of transuranic waste has been shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. AMWTP made 23 waste shipments during the week ending September 23, 2006.

Environmental Management

Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP)

Summary of Occurrence Reports

(Note: Date below indicates when notification was made of the incident)

September 18: During excavation work, a track hoe struck and damaged a twelve-inch service waste line near Building CPP-1647. No liquid was released from the line. Work was stopped, a temporary cover was placed over the damaged line, and a critique was held. The critique determined that the track hoe operator had dug too close to the pipe and did not comply with the requirements of the work order. A temporary cover was placed over the damaged area of the pipe.
(EM-ID–CWI-LANDLORD-2006-0010)

September 26: An employee driving a government vehicle fell asleep entering a parking lot and collided with two parked vehicles. The employee was not injured, but was taken to an onsite medical facility for evaluation. All three vehicles required towing from the parking lot because of damaged sustained in the collision. Appropriate notifications were made and an investigation was initiated by INL Security and the Butte County Sheriff. (EM-ID–CWI-LANDLORD-2006-0011)

September 26: During weekly instrument checks a continuous air monitor (CAM) in the water treatment area was discovered to have an expired calibration sticker. Appropriate management notifications were made, and the CAM was removed from service.
(EM-ID- -CWI-FUELRCSTR-2006-0016)

September 28: A Potentially Inadequate Safety Analysis condition was declared when it was determined that the thermocouples in use at the Fuel Conditioning Station were not compliant with the Safety Analysis Report. Fuel conditioning and drying operations were suspended, appropriate notifications were made, and an Unreviewed Safety Question Determination was initiated.
(EM-ID–CWI-FUELRCSTR-2006-0017)

September. 28: During the routine removal of lids, readying 55-gallon drums for receiving waste, one of the lids popped off a drum due to residual pressure in the drum, and the lid fell to the ground. There were no injuries and a stepback/stopwork procedure was initiated. The area was placed in a safe configuration. (EM-ID–CWI-RWMC-2006- 0021)

Operational Status

The Final Request for Task Proposal (RTP) to decontaminate and decommission (D&D) Pit 9 facilities was transmitted to the Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contractors on September 11, 2006. Final arrangements for transfer of selected excess equipment to the AMWTP contractor are underway. The RTP requires D&D to be completed by October 31, 2007.

Nuclear Energy

Idaho National Laboratory (INL)

Summary of Occurrence Reports

(Note: Date below indicates when notification was made of the incident)

September 19: A routine review of safety documentation at the Advanced Test Reactor determined that current documentation does not discuss the potential for operators to transition to the long-term Emergency Firewater Injection System (EFIS) prior to two hours. Following a seismic event, operators are currently required to take temporary actions prior to transitioning to long-term EFIS as part of the water management plan. No compensatory measures were required, appropriate notifications were made, and a more detailed safety review process was initiated.
(NE-ID–BEA-ATR-2006-0018)

September 19: During a routine safety review at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), a condition was identified regarding the frequency of a required surveillance for the ATR Reactor Shutdown System mode selector switches. No compensatory measures were required, appropriate notifications were made, and a more detailed safety review was initiated. (NE-ID–BEA-ATR-2006-0019)

September 19: During a routine safety review at the Advanced Test Reactor, it was determined that current procedures for verifying firewater pump startup set points and response times were not up to standards. No compensatory measures were required, appropriate notifications were made, and a more detailed safety review was initiated. (NE-ID–BEA- ATR-2006-0020)

September 21: The monthly Technical Safety Requirements (TSR) surveillance for the Advanced Test Reactor’s Instrument, Utility and Plant Protective System batteries was not performed within the required time interval. Appropriate notifications were made, the missed TSR surveillance procedure was subsequently performed, and a critique was held. (NE-ID–BEA-ATR-2006-0021)

September 22: While performing preventative maintenance on the fire protection system, maintenance personnel opened and failed to close, without erecting a barricade, an energized electrical cabinet. The facility’s operations supervisor discovered the open cabinet and determined that an energized 120-volt electrical circuit was present in the cabinet. A stop work was initiated, appropriate notifications were made, and a critique was held. (NE-ID–BEA-MFC-2006-0006)

September 27: The Advanced Test Reactor entered Limiting Conditions for Operations (LCO) due to a fault in the control room alarm indication system. During troubleshooting efforts, it was discovered that the problem was in the annunciator system. The plant protective system and monitoring of plant systems is not affected by this problem. Entering the LCO requires local monitoring of the canal level on an hourly basis when no cask handling is in progress. The annunciator system was repaired and tested satisfactorily. (NE-ID–BEA-ATR-2006-0022)

September 28: While lifting an 800-pound grout pump using a forklift, the grout pump fell to the ground. There were no personnel injuries. Work was stopped, the area was secured, and appropriate notifications were made. (NE-ID–BEA-MFC-2006-0007)

Operational Status

On September 18, 2006, Idaho National Laboratory completed the FY-2006 goal to treat 108 kilograms of spent nuclear fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor II. The fuel treatment was completed using the electrometallurgical process in the Fuel Conditioning Facility. Four new Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) related to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems were signed. The first is with Detroit Edison, a private utility company from Michigan that will test a representative SCADA system and network infrastructure for potential security weaknesses. The second is with Open Systems International, a system vendor that will partner with INL to help identify industry susceptibilities while at the same time developing protection and mitigation strategies. The third agreement is with American Transmission Company, LLC, an electric utility asset owner who will work with INL to build an understanding of vulnerabilities in SCADA user environments. This work will involve an on-site assessment at an American Transmission site to validate the test results and recommendations from the lab. The fourth is with ABB, Ltd., a system vendor, to establish a testing and evaluation project to determine the susceptibilities and the value of protection strategies for ABB SCADA systems. The goal of all of these agreements is to enhance SCADA and utility system robustness and security for the benefit of the nation.