Nuclear mattersConcerns about Illinois nuclear safety trigger inspections
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently performing Special Inspections at the Byron and Braidwood Nuclear plants in Illinois after issues were identified in February and March of 2011; at issue is the ability of pumps to cool the reactor in case of a reactor trip or any reason the system for heat removal became unavailable at both Byron and Braidwood stations which are similar in design
Exelon's nuclear power plant in Byron, Illinois // Source: worldchanging.com
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently performing Special Inspections at the Byron and Braidwood Nuclear plants in Illinois after issues were identified in February and March of 2011.
In February, during routine NRC inspections at Byron, inspectors suspected a problem with the Byron plant Auxiliary Feedwater (AFW) pumps used to remove heat from the reactors in case of an accident. Auxiliary Feedwater pumps are not used in regular plant operations but instead as a backup system in case regular reactor cooling equipment is no longer available.
The Examiner reports that the NRC ordered Exelon to provide an assessment of this equipment’s ability to cool the reactor in case of a reactor trip or any reason the system for heat removal became unavailable at both Byron and Braidwood stations which are similar in design.
Exelon’s initial evaluation indicated that the pumps would be available to perform their safety function. The NRC stated, however, that after confirmatory calculations were completed, the company concluded that the pumps would not be operable.
On 24 March, in a separate issue concerning alarms in the Braidwood Station, Unit 2 plant control room, a NRC notice of events of possible safety or public interest significance. The incident was categorized as an Unusual Event, the lowest level of emergency in the NRC’s emergency classification system.
The Examiner writes that the results of the special inspection will be available within forty-five days after completion through the NRC RIII Office of Public Affairs and at the NRC Web site.
