New York nuclear plant shutdown triggered by digital camera

[jpak]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--indianpointshutdo0611jun11,0,1540899.story

BUCHANAN, N.Y. (AP) _ An emergency shutdown of a reactor at the Indian Point nuclear power plant was caused by signals from a worker's digital camera, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Federal regulators said radio frequencies from a camera too close to a control panel interfered with a boiler pump that provides water to four steam generators, The Journal News reported on its Web site.

Water levels dropped because of the March 23 incident, and Indian Point workers had to shut down the reactor two days before a scheduled refueling shutdown. No radiation was released.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said plant owner Entergy Nuclear investigated the incident, determined it was initiated by someone taking photos and reported it to the NRC.

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[Greyskye]

1. "It's a good thing to learn from," he said.

No shit.

[Wilms]

2. Well that's a bit awkward. n/t

[losthills]

3. They shut down all the time.

It's called "intermitancy....."

[Greyskye]

4. Evidently.

Entergy and the NRC said information about the camera incident would be passed to other nuclear plants, which have experienced similar woes, such as when camera flashes caused the release of Halon gas at the Haddam Neck Plant in Connecticut in 1997.

[FREEWILL56]

5. Gee now this is stupid to bring to light

as what would a terrorist do with this information? I was in the industry and heard much about that power plant (all negative), but to say how to cause a power plant that is nuclear trouble is shear stupidity and even more stupid are those that are at that facility not trying to improve their wonderful record of operations let alone go to the point of being able to thwart efforts a terrorist might take.

[bananas]

7. It's not stupid to bring to light

It's stupid to pretend that this isn't a goddamn fucking problem.

[FREEWILL56]

19. So what are you saying?

Are you saying that bringing that problem to light will force them to fix the problem or face possible terror attacks not to mention more accidents from happening? Do you think they fucking care? They don't because that takes away from their bottom line. They'd take their chances still. The proof of what I say is the fact they allowed the use of such garbage equipment in the first place. Even if your idea of spreading the word works in pressuring them, they can't institute those changes quickly.
If you must bring the problem to light, you don't allow it to be the knowledge of those who would do harm if they had the opportunity and you don't have to be a terrorist as there are enough nutjobs here that would do it for the fun of it. How's that for a goddamn fucking problem?

[bananas]

6. "radio frequencies from a camera too close to a control panel interfered with a boiler pump that pro

Holy fucking crap.

[Zachstar]

8. Nothing to do with safety tho as SCRAM is on its own system.

You know the system. If humans vanished or power is cut to the holding motors the rods slide in using gravity.

This just sucks because until it is restarted that is another few tons of coal exhaust into the atmosphere.

[greenman3610]

9. then they'll have to be down for 6 weeks to refuel

By comparison, distributed wind power, eventually with
storage, is much more reliable..

[ElectricGrid]

10. I call BS. Radio Freqs do not trigger properly designed electronics....

let alone pumps.

[madokie]

11. Thats what I think too

welcome to DU :hi:

[bananas]

17. Not BS - it really happened

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6201116

<snip>

"The direct cause was radio frequency interference from the camera," NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said. "All that had to happen was for the camera to be on."

Entergy, which uses cameras to document its equipment and was taking photos as part of its preparation for the scheduled March 25 outage, has changed its photography procedures because of the incident, Sheehan said.

The NRC was confident the radio frequency interference close to the control panel can't be caused from far away, he said.

Entergy and the NRC said information about the camera incident would be passed to other nuclear plants, which have experienced similar woes, such as when camera flashes caused the release of Halon gas at the Haddam Neck Plant in Connecticut in 1997.

<snip>

[ElectricGrid]

21. IF it is true it is sadly pathetic design.

[madokie]

27. I was agreeing with "Radio Freqs do not trigger properly designed electronics...."

I didn't intend to imply I didn't believe the official story, that I do.

[skids]

12. Height of moronicity...

...if true the only way this could happen is if they were using wireless control systems.

Were I designing a nuclear power plant all control systems would be wired, redundant, route diverse, at least one primary fiber link (no EMF danger) and at least one copper link (more heat resiliant), with wireless backup only activating in the case of a failure of all hard lines.

And we thought retail stores using unencrypted commodity WiFi units for credit card transactions from their cash registers was stupid. This is just beyond the pale. What are these people thinking?

[ElectricGrid]

14. I work in idustrial controls and

we simply do not put wireless devices in unless there is not other alternative or the function of the item controlled is not critical.

[One_Life_To_Give]

18. Not surprising for the time

These controls were all built and installed before the current crop of EMC standards were written. Now I can hope the developers tested for immunity with the equipment that was available during the day. I still see the occasional system in the EMC Lab that can't handle what you might think of as minor EMC disturbances.

[ElectricGrid]

22. I would think they they should have refit with newer tech by now though...

but I know squat about the nuke controls.

[One_Life_To_Give]

25. Refit, In Industrial Controls?

The whole longevity in Industrial COntrols amazed me when I first started. Computer printers have a manufacturing life of 6 months. Industrial controlers are frequently built and supported for 10-20 years or more. And in the case of a facility falling under the NRC. They want the exact same revision of the controllers, I/O etc. that was originally qualified when the plant was commissioned.

[Throckmorton]

15. Feedwater control is not Nuclear Safety Related Equipment.

Therefore, it is not as robust as safety related systems.

Most nuclear safety related systems still pass analog data with 4 to 20 ma current loops, and "Digital" data with coil to contact isolation.

[Kolesar]

16. With you

Control systems are actually tested for interference before they are activated

[SidDithers]

13. And, another case of Nuclear Safety Systems working ...

just as they were supposed to.

Sid

[OKIsItJustMe]

20. So, let me see if I've got this straight...

The RFI from a digital camera is enough to knock out the controls...

Okay, so how about a more powerful transmission, from outside the building? With a focused beam? Say... using a parabolic reflector?

Do you suppose http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/marconi/exhibition/marconiarrives.htm">Marconi could have brought it down?

[diane in sf]

23. So would an EMP weapon or sunspots affect its delicate nerves as well?

[kristopher]

24. EMP testing was done over thirty years ago by the Air Force

and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and equipment were addressed. I'd speculate that the buildings themselves are shielded, which would also explain why they may have not felt a need to protect internal circuits further.

[One_Life_To_Give]

26. Tough to defend against an EMP weapon

Sun spots don't have much field strength. And the frequency range of Sunspots is a bit high for upsetting these older electronics. On the other hand an EMP weapon could fry most any places electronics. With the possible exception of some critical military installations. But this weapon would likely cost more than a simple explosive weapon, that would deliver the same result.