IR 05000313/1987005

Discusses Insp Rept 50-313/87-05 on 870201-28 & Forwards Notice of Violation & Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty

ML20216H158
Person / Time
Site:	Arkansas Nuclear
Issue date:	06/25/1987
From:	Martin R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:	Campbell G ARKANSAS POWER & LIGHT CO.
Shared Package
ML20216H165	List: IR 05000313/1987005 ML20216H190
References
EA-87-062, EA-87-62, NUDOCS 8707010324
Download: ML20216H158 (4)

Text

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1. % 4 UNITED STATES yi / , NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION h REolON IV 611 HYAN PLAZA DRIVE, SUITE WOO ARLINGTON,1tXAS 76011

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JUN 2 51987 Doc 2et No. 50-313/87-05 License No. DPR-51 EA No. 87-62 Arkansas Power and Light Company ATTN: Mr. Gene Campbell Vice President Post Office Box 551  ;

Little Rock, Arkansas 72203

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Gentlemen:

SUBJECT: NOTICE OF VIOLATION AND PROPOSED IMPOSITION OF CIVIL PENALTY (NRC INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50-313/87-05)

This refers to the inspection conducted during the period February 1-28, 1987, at Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1 (AN0-1), Russellville, Arkansas. The licensee identified the fact that one of two pressurizer code safety valves was found with a significant out-of-specification set pressure and reported this in

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Licensee Event Report 86-007 Follcwing a review of the circumstances associ-ated with'the event by the resident inspectors and issuance of the report doca-menting the results of the inspection transmitted by letter dated March 20, 1987, an enforcement conference was held on April 3, 1987, in tne Region IV office The violation described in tLe enclosed Notice of Violation and Proposed Impo-sition of Civil Penalty (Notice) involves the circumst6nces encountered when, on December 21, 1986,~the licensee conducted an in-situ verification test of the lift set pressure for the two pressurizer code safety valves. While ANO-1 was in hot shutdown in preparation for startup, one valve was found to have a set pressure approximately 500 psi higher than specified in the bases for the pertinent Technical Specification. Review of documentation and interviews with personnel established that there had been no maintenance or work done to this valve since it was refurbished in September 1985. Disassembly and inspection of the subject valve did not reveal conditions or damage which caused an increase in the setpoint. Thus, the NRC concludes, based on the findings to date, that mechanical defects have not caused the excessive lift pressur The documentation prepared to support the refurbishment and post-maintenance testing was deficient in that the maintenance documents did not fully annotate l the fact that the spring was relaxed for spindle removal. It was also noted CERTIFIED MAIL i RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

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Arkansas Power & Light Company -2- 25 g that quality control witness and hold points were not included especially for such items as ring settings which are not verifiable after assembly. Likewise, j the test documentation was devoid of quality control involvement and also was 1

incomplete in that it did not contain valve identification or serial numbers to i I

document the actual valve tested. Since no conditions have been found to support a possible mechanical failure, the maintenance documentation is not complete, and experience with this type safety valve has shown no upward drift i in the lift setpoint of this magnitude without a mechanical defect, the NRC has {

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concluded that the spring was overcompressed during refurbishment activities and the correct valve was probably not tested after the refurbishment in  ;

September 198 It was also noted that the lift setpoint for the other pressurizer safety valve 1'

was found slightly below the allowable tolerance range. The cause can be attributed to an initial setting in the lower portion of the allowed range and drift during operation. No action regarding this safety valve is being take To emphasize the need for proper control of maintenance, testing, and inspection activities, I have been authorized, after consultation with the Director, Office of Enforcement, to issue the enclosed Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in the amount of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) for the violation described in the enclosed Notice. In accordance with the 10 Enforcement Actions", " General CFR PartStatement ofCPolicy (and Procedure for NRC1987) (Enforce 2, Appendix the violation described in the enclosed Notice has been categorized at a Severity Level III. The base value of a civil penalty for a Severity Level III violation is $50,000. The Enforcement Policy allows for reduction of a civil penalty under certain circumstances. While it is recognized that you have had generally good performance in the maintenance area, full mitigation is not warranted given the duration of the violation and the lack of timeliness of your corrective action You are required to respond to this letter and should follow the instructions specified in the enclosed Notice when preparing your response. In your response, you should document the specific actions taken and any additional actions you plan to prevent recurrence including changes, if any, to your QA program to provide greater assurance that maintenance and testing are performed adequately. In addition, your response should address your basis for waiting until October 1987 to determine the root cause for this problem. After reviewing your response to this Notice, including your proposed corrective actions and the results of future inspections, the NRC will determine whether further NRC enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with NRC regulatory requirement In accordance with Section 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," Part 2, Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be placed in the NRC Public Document Roo >

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Arkansas Power & Light Company -3- JUn 2 5 Tf7 .

i The responses directed by th'is' letter and the-enclosed Notice are not-subject i to the clearance procedures of the Office of Management and Budget as required

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Sincerely, i obert D. Martin Regional Administrator Enclosure: Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty cc: Arkansas Radiation Control Program Director

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