ZOB ARTCC RADAR CTLR DID NOT EXPECT AN E3 ACFT MAKING LARGE CIRCLES AT FL290 TO SHORTEN A TURN AND CONFLICT WITH A CLBING ACR.

Narrative

VERY BUSY TIME OF DAY FOR THIS SECTOR: OVERFLTS XING; SEQUENCING FOR 2 MAJOR ARPTS; CLBING DEP TFC TO REQUESTED FINAL ALTS; DSNDING ARRIVING ACFT TO THE 'LOW' SECTORS. AN UNUSUAL HOLDING/CIRCLING WAS GOING BTWN 2 SECTORS BY A MIL E3; WHICH WAS TALKING TO THE 'OTHER' SECTOR. THE E3'S PREVIOUS CIRCUITS TOOK IT OVER A MAJOR DEP AIRWAY FOR CLBING ACFT AND XING THE ENRTE TFC. THE E3 HAD PREVIOUSLY MADE 30 MI OR MORE CIRCUITS AT FL290. I HAD 2 ACFT STOPPED AT FL280; WHICH WHEN I THOUGHT THE E3 WAS HEADED AWAY FOR A LARGE CIRCUIT; I CLBED TO AN ALT ABOVE THE E3'S ALT. BECAUSE OF THE E3'S CHANGING THE NORMAL FLOW PATTERNS OF TFC; I WAS DISTR BY EXTRA COORD AND NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE THE TFC AS QUICKLY AS NORMAL. THE E3 MADE A VERY TIGHT TURN ON THIS LAST PARTICULAR CIRCUIT. THE LEADER LINE WAS NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE ACTUAL FLT PATH AND THE CONFLICT ALERT DID NOT GO OFF. I OVERLOOKED THE HISTORIES OF THE ACFT AND DID NOT REALIZE HE WAS ON A CONFLICTING FLT PATH. WHEN I WAS MADE AWARE OF THE CONFLICT; I TOLD THE CLBING ACFT TO STOP THE CLB; THEN DSND TO THE ORIGINAL ALT OF FL280. AS FAR AS I KNOW; THE TCASII DID NOT GO OFF IN THE CLBING ACFT. I WAS CTLING ON WHERE I EXPECTED THE ACFT TO BE; AND TO BE DOING; NOT ON WHAT IT HAD DONE. I WOULD PROTECT CIRCLING ACFT LIKE DEVIATING ACFT WITH ALT SEPARATION; UNTIL NO CHANCE OF EITHER ACFT TURNING INTO THE OTHER'S FLT PATH IN FUTURE CIRCUMSTANCES. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 527337: AS RADAR ASSOCIATE; I WAS DOING POINTOUTS; AND COORD; AND I HEARD A PLT SAY 'WHAT ARE THE INTENTIONS OF THE ACFT AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK POS?' I SCANNED FOR THE SIT AND RADAR CTLR STOPPED THE ACFT'S CLB AND DSNDED IT BACK DOWN TO FL280.