Neil Sheehan spray pump a spokesman
for the spray pump Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that the problem was mist pump traced to a lack of lubrication. “They identified a lack of lubrication aerosol valve on the pilot (control) valve for the stop valve,” Sheehan wrote in an email. Turbine stop valves are swing disc-type valves on the spray valve lines carrying steam from the reactor to the turbine, he said, and they are designed to abruptly close when the reactor trips, or shuts down, causing the turbine to slow down and eventually stop. Sheehan stressed that the sprayer valve problem occurred in what the NRC considered was the “non-nuclear” side of the plant, meaning the power-generating side of the plant. “Problems involving the turbine can mist pump force a shutdown, which can challenge plant operators,” he added.