North American Member News June 2023

In June, while workers were filling a cylinder with UF₆, a leak of material was visually detected by workers. According to the event report filed by Honeywell with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a remotely operated valve closing mechanism failed to close a UF₆ cylinder value. Operators closed the cylinder valve manually.

Honeywell reported the event as required by the NRC and suspended all UF₆ cylinder filling while the incident is being investigated. The NRC began a special inspection of the facility on June 28, which will focus on how Honeywell inspects and maintains the safety controls associated with its cylinder-filling operations. The inspection will also include a review of the facts surrounding the event, the company’s response, and the corrective actions taken to prevent a similar safety equipment failure.

The nuclear fuel cycle industry has been anxiously awaiting the return of Metropolis Works to production of UF₆ as the current UF₆ production capacity is significantly lower than annual UF₆ requirements. Metropolis Works had been scheduled to return to service in the second quarter of 2023.