When on-load refuelling of coolant channel B-15 was in progress, three pairs of spent fuel bundles were received in downstream fuelling machine in auto mode of operation. Subsequently manual mode of operations was being carried out to receive fourth pair of fuel bundles using ram-B and ram-C strokes in the upstream machine instead of using second ram extension as envisaged in Auto programme. This was done to reduce disturbance to reactor power. After the completion of these operations, it was found that only one bundle of fourth pair had entered into magazine of downstream machine with one bundle left back in the channel, but operator thought that the fuel string consisting of 13 bundles would have got loaded against downstream shield plug to a value higher than the safety limit of 545 kgs,
stipulated in Technical Specifications. However, subsequent analysis confirmend no damage to any of the fuel bundles. As a matter of caution, all the fuel bundles in this channel were replaced with new bundles. The event involved outside operational limits and conditions for a short time and hence it is rated as level 1 as per clause III 3.1.3 of INES user's manual.
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