Entergy: Yankee leaked radioactive water
|
|
Toolbox
By Susan Smallheer Herald Staff - Published: January 8, 2009
BRATTLEBORO — A valve leaking radioactive water inside Vermont Yankee's reactor building was undergoing emergency repairs Wednesday, Entergy Nuclear said.
The leak did not require the company to shut down or even reduce power, according to Entergy Nuclear spokesman Laurence Smith.
Smith said the leak, which was losing about 2-1/2 gallons of "slightly radioactive" water a minute, had been discovered about two weeks ago during routine company inspection by plant operators.
Smith said the radioactive water, which comes from the reactor water's cleanout system, was cleaned and filtered before being returned to the reactor building. The water is not discharged to the Connecticut River, he said.
He said the leaking radioactive water went into a sump drain, was filtered and was eventually returned to the reactor water system.
Smith said the metal gasket in the valve was located on what was essentially a "pool filter" on the cooling water in the reactor.
According to an e-mail from Entergy Nuclear spokesman Robert Williams, the company brought in a specialist who can repair the gasket in the valve without shutting down the valve, and the plant, as a result.
Neil Sheehan, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the repair would only be temporary, and a permanent repair would have to be done at the plant's next refueling outage, which is expected in 2010.
Sheehan said the NRC's resident inspectors are closely monitoring the valve gasket repair.
News of the leak prompted a longtime Vermont Yankee critic to say the leak was just the latest in a long line of leaks at the 37-year-old reactor and another indication that Entergy and the NRC was not managing the aging problems at the plant.
"Sounds like another Bondo and duct-tape job," said Raymond Shadis, senior technical adviser to the New England Coalition, who noted that nuclear power plants had thousands of valves.
"They've had many problems at Vermont Yankee with leaky valves," said Shadis, noting the portion of the system that sprung a leak in the reactor building wasn't in the crucial safety systems at the plant.
But Shadis said that any leak at a nuclear plant was cause for concern.
"It's an indication of a declining, deteriorating situation," he said.
"This is another failure of NRC oversight," he said. "Yes, Vermont Yankee should find these problems on their own, but they should find them before they become a serious leak. This all comes under the heading 'aging management.'"
Vermont Yankee has been faulted repeatedly for its lack of maintenance and oversight because of a series of leaks at the plant's cooling towers, which are not considered part of the nuclear part of the plant and those not directly associated with safety.
Uldis Vanags, the Department of Public Service's nuclear engineer, said in a series of e-mails Wednesday that the leak was "not serious but needs to be repaired." He said the leak occurred on the plant's 4-inch reactor water cleanout line. He said he didn't know the cause of the failure or why the problem wasn't caught earlier.
Sheehan said the plant could only operate a short time without the cleanout line, which filters and demineralizes the water used in the reactor.
He said the radiation is removed from the water with a series of filters and resins.
Contact Susan Smallheer at susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com.
13