More problems at the aging, decrepit H-Canyon reprocessing plant at SRS: violation of the Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs)

H-Canyon: H-Canyon personnel violated the Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) when they failed to enter an operational restriction for having inadequate purge airflow into a canyon vessel. (An operational restriction is similar to a Limiting Condition for Operation, but prescribed by an Evaluation of the Safety of the Situation rather than the TSRs). When performing rounds, an operator found one of the safety significant purge rotameters out of range and properly reported the issue. The vessel in question had two other rotameters reading within range, which is all the TSRs require. On the following day, another operator found a second rotameter out of range on the same vessel. The rounds procedure directs the user to inform the shift operations manager (SOM) of the issue and to evaluate entering the appropriate operating restriction. The operator informed the SOM of the issue but, did not mention the necessary evaluation of the operating restriction. The SOM misunderstood the operator and believed them to be speaking of the rotameter that was found out of range on the previous day. The error was discovered later that day when H-Canyon personnel attempted to resolve the first rotameter issue and informed the SOM of the second issue again. Because the process vessel vent system was operating at the time of the issue there was no unsafe condition associated with a buildup of hydrogen. This is the first TSR violation at H-Canyon since November 2017.

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