Palisades Airlock Event

[retired nuke]

Anybody got any info on the stuck airlock last week - I saw that a special NRC team is coming in for an inspection....

[NJ]

I want to know the spin....

[slattmandu]

PCS walkdown in containment myself and 2 engineers,1 mechanic and resident NRC inspector stuck in containment. Someone didn't completely close the outer airlock door which left us stranded inside. Phones went down while we were inside. And emergency airlock inner door would not open when we attempted to operate it. So we removed some of our anti-c clothing and had a bottle of water and waited till someone came through airlock. At which time I turned all work groups around and called stop work for safety reasons. And yes the NRC are looking into this matter.

[slattmandu]

I'd like to refine my last post about airlock event after reviewing latest press release. Since it contains some misinformation in it. We were stranded in containment due to the work crew that came in behind us. They were the ones that discovered the phones were all down. And went back out to the laydown area outside containment waiting for a radio for communications. And when they exited they left outer airlock door unsecured. If the outer giz/in/out door is unsecured than the inner giz/out/in door won't let you out. So the BS posted about not knowing how to operate airlock doors in the press release. Was at the hand of the outsiders coming in. Not the hot insiders wanting to go out. Everyone stranded inside was proficient at operating these doors. My suggestion would be for whoever provided info to outside press, experience going into this building using these doors for themselves so they understand the design and operation of the airlock and doors. And misinformation about how they work also never happens again.     

[justatech]

My suggestion would be for whoever provided info to outside press, experience going into this building using these doors for themselves so they understand the design and operation of the airlock and doors. And misinformation about how they work also never happens again.     

Sounds like the same people who write most of the press releases - sitting behind the desk without venturing into the field. 
I agree with adding information to eliminate this occurrence from happening again. How long was the 2nd crew outside waiting on radios? What does the site intend on doing to eliminate this from happening - stationing an operator inside the airlock while on line and employees inside?

[cairnit]

Slatman....the crew waiting on the radio didn't enter then exit, we discovered the phones down when we were trying to get the jailhouse door open to get to the airlock. Since the phones were down, we couldn't get hold of the control room to open the jailhouse door, we had to wait in the hallway of the Aux building for the radio so that we could get the jailhouse door openned in order to get to the airlock and enter. This waiting delayed our entry by @ 20 minutes.

And Brian this was not a power type entry, we came down for a week and did valve replacements to fix a leak rate problem.

[slattmandu]

Facts are someone had to leave outer Giz/in/out door unsecured. Because it is physically impossible to operate that outer handwheel from inside containment by design of this airlock. If this airlock allowed a worker to do that. We hot sweaty types on the inside could have closed outer door and it would then allow us to open inner door and exit.

[slattmandu]

You know it was after midnight maybe this was the work of Gremlins. I've heard they get into all kinds of mischief after midnight. Seriously it really doesn't matter who didn't secure outer door. As long as this process is refined and helps prevent it from happening again. Also that we track the humans inside just like we were tracking tools and equipment going inside for FME purposes.

[justatech]

Not Gremlins.....................


On a more serious note: anytime we make an at power entry a Supervisor is outside. As for communications, we have radios and are required to call the control once we are inside. If the gai-tronics does not work - we communicate with the Supervisor and they communicate with the control room. If memory serves, a few years ago (2004) an east coast plant had the same problem and had to use the emergency escape hatch.

[slattmandu]

Procedure for power entries here also states, "1st thing RP tech. does is establish communications once inside". Difference here being we just came down for a forced outage. This was our 2nd trip in to complete PCS walkdown. 1st trip we took a radio in with us 2nd trip no radio.

[SloGlo]

yinz git a root cause for da failure of emergency airlock?  two me, dis is moor important than witch buncha bozos didn't due watt.

[snowman]

This ain't the kind of airlock events I sorta remember!

[retired nuke]

On a more serious note: anytime we make an at power entry a Supervisor is outside. As for communications, we have radios and are required to call the control once we are inside. If the gai-tronics does not work - we communicate with the Supervisor and they communicate with the control room. If memory serves, a few years ago (2004) an east coast plant had the same problem and had to use the emergency escape hatch.

I would damn rather have a journeyman mechanic or experienced AO outside that door than a supervisor...at least the craft will know how to operate the door.

[SloGlo]

I would damn rather have a journeyman mechanic or experienced AO outside that door than a supervisor...at least the craft will know how to operate the door.

theil know s.o.s. bangs onna door, to!

[justatech]

I would damn rather have a journeyman mechanic or experienced AO outside that door than a supervisor...at least the craft will know how to operate the door.

I can understand that at some plants but in defense of our first line supervisors - all departments - they come from the ranks.