IR 05000327/1994004
| ML20029E270 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Sequoyah  |
| Issue date: | 04/20/1994 |
| From: | Ebneter S NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | Kingsley O TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20029E271 | List: |
| References | |
| EA-94-030, EA-94-30, NUDOCS 9405180073 | |
| Download: ML20029E270 (6) | |
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APR 2 0 1994 j
Docket Nos.
50-327 and 50-328 License Nos. DPR-77 and DPR-79
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EA 94-030
.l Tennessee Valley Authority ATTN: Mr. Oliver D. Kingsley President, TVA Nuclear and Chief Nuclear Officer 3B Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801 Gentlemen:
SUBJECT: NOTICE OF VIOLATION (NRC INSPECTION REPORT NOS. 50-327/94-04 AND 50-328/94-04)
This refers to the routine resident inspection conducted by W. Holland of this office from January 9 through February 10, 1994.
The inspection included a review of the facts and circumstances related to your identification of a significant accumulation of gas in the Unit I reactor coolant system between September 6 and December 21, 1993. The event resulted in the undetected loss of over 30,000 gallons of reactor coolant system inventory during the period.
The report documenting the NRC inspection was sent to you by letter dated February 28, 1994. As a result of that inspection, apparent failures to comply with NRC regulatory requirements were identified. An enforcement conference was conducted in the NRC Region II office on March 10, 1994, to
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discuss the apparent violations, their cause, and your corrective actions to
preclude recurrence. A summary of this conference was sent to you by letter dated March 17, 1994.
After careful consideration of the circumstances surrounding this event, the i
NRC staff has concluded that the safety significance of the event did not i
warrant escalated enforcement.
Therefore, the violations identified in the enclosed Notice of Violation have been categorized at Severity Level IV.
However, your failure to monitor plant conditions effectively, the failure to pursue indications of abnormal plant conditions aggressively, and the deficiencies in your event review and analysis process are of concern.
The problems identified during this event indicate weaknesses in communications, management oversight, plant modification control, and support from engineering
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organizations. Moreover, your analysis and response to industry events, including Information Notice 87-46, " Undetected Loss of Reactor Coolant", and the April 1993 Sequoyah Unit 1 event, both involving inappropriate control of RCS inventory, were ineffective.
Finally, your investigation of the problem and corrective actions in response to identified problems were slow and narrow 1700$3 9405180073 940420
PDR ADOCK 05000327
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Tennessee Valley Authority-2-APR 2() seg in scope. The apparent lack of a questioning attitude by plant management and the operating staff, who failed to detect the loss of inventory control for a prolonged period of time, highlights the need for additional action.
Violation A described in the enclosed Notice of Violation involved a failure to properly control sequencing for calibration and testing of a modification prior to the component being returned to service.
Return to operation of the component prior to adequate testing contributed to excessive cooldown of water in the Unit 1 volume control tank and resulted in increased absorption of nitrogen gas into solution and its subsequent release into the reactor coolant system during the latter part of the gas accumulation event.
Violation B described in the enclosed Notice of Violation involved your failure to detect and correct gas accumulation in the Unit I reactor coolant system for over 100 days.
Your failure to detect the gas accumulation and resulting voiding of the upper portion of the reactor vessel and steam generators resulted in operation with less than two operable residual heat removal systems or one residual heat removal system and four filled steam generators for up to 13 percent of the time during this period. Also, after identification of the gas accumulation in the reactor coolant system on December 17, 1993, you took an additional 26 days to understand the extent to which the reactor coolant system inventory decreased.
We consider this period of time to be excessive.
In accordance with Section 2.790(a) of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be placed in the NRC's Public Document Room.
The responses directed by this letter and.its enclosure are not subject to the clearance procedures of the Office of Management and Budget as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, PL 96-511.
Should you have any questions concerning this letter, please contact us.
Sincerely, Stewart D. Ebneter Regional Administrator Enclosure:
Notice of Violation cc w/ encl: (See next page)
- SEE ATTACHED PAGES FOR CONCURRENCE RII:DRP RII:DRS RII:0RA RII:EICS RII:0RA
- JJaudon
- AGibson
- CFEvans
- Buryc
- EMerschoff 4/ /94 4/ /94 4/ /94 4/ /94 4/ /94
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l-APR 201994 Tennessee Valley Authority-2-in scope.
The apparent lack of a questioning attitude by plant management and the operating staff, who failed to detect the loss of inventory control for a prolonged period of time, highlights the need for additional' action.
Violation A described in the enclosed Notice of Violation involved a failure to properly control sequencing for calibration and testing of a modification prior to the component being returned to service.
Return to operation of the j
component prior to adequate testing contributed to excessive cooldown of water i
in the Unit 1 volume control tank and resulted in increased absorption of nitrogen gas into solution and its subsequent release into the reactor coolant system during the later part of the gas accumulation event.
Violation B described in the enclosed Notice of Violation involved your failure to detect and correct gas accumulation in the Unit I reactor coolant system for over 100 days.
Your failure to detect the gas accumulation and resulting voiding of the upper portion of the reactor vessel and steam generators resulted in operation with less than two operable residual heat removal systems or one residual heat removal system and four filled steam generators for up to 13 percent of the time during this period. Also, after identification of the gas accumulation in the reactor coolant system on December 17, 1993, you took an additional 26 days to understand the extent to which the reactor coolant system inventory decreased. We consider this period of time to be excessive.
In accordance with Section 2.790(a) of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be placed in the NRC's Public Document Room.
The responses directed by this letter and its-enclosure are not subject to the clearance procedures of the Office of Management and Budget as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, PL 96-511.
Should you have any questions concerning this letter, please contact us.
Sincerely, Stewart D. Ebneter Regional Administrator Enclosure:
Notice of Violation cc w/ encl: (See next page)
- SEE ATTACHED PAGE FOR CONCURRENCE RII:DRP Ril:DRS Ril:0RA CS R
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&
choff
- JJaudon
- AGibson CFEvans c
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4/f./94-
'/( /94
'4/7 /94 4/ /94 4/ /94
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i Tennessee Valley Authority-2-in scope.
The apparent lack of a questioning attitude by plant management and the operating staff, who failed to detect the loss of inventory control for a prolonged period of time, highlights the need for additional action.
Violation A described in the enclosed Notice of Violation involved a failure to properly control sequencing for calibration and testing of a modification prior to the component being returned to service.
Return to operation of the component prior to adequate testing contributed to excessive cooldown of water in the Unit 1 volume control tank and resulted in increased absorption of nitrogen gas into solution and its subsequent release into the reactor coolant system during the later part of the gas accumulation event.
Violation B described in the enclosed Notice of Violation involved your failure to detect and correct gas accumulation in the Unit I reactor coolant i
system for over 100 days.
Your failure to detect the gas accumulation and resulting voiding of the upper portion of the reactor vessel and steam generators resulted in operation with less than two operable residual heat removal systems or one residual heat removal system and four filled steam generators for up to 13 percent of the time during this period.
Also, after identification of the gas accumulation in the reactor coolant system on December 17, 1993, you took an additional 26 days to understand the extent to which the reactor coolant system inventory decreased.
We consider this period of time to be excessive.
ofthisletteranditsenclosure/(a)oftheNRC's"RulesofPractice,"acopy In accordance with Section 2.790
will be placed in the NRC's Public Document
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Room.
The responses directed by this letter and its enclosure $ are not subject to o
the clearance procedures of the Office of Management and Budget as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, PL 96-511.
Should you have any questions concerning this letter, please contact us.
Sincerely,
\\
Stewart D. Ebneter Regional Administrator Enclosure:
Notice of Violation cc w/ encl: (See next page)
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RII-RII RII:0RA RII:EICS RII:0RA Cfp JJau on AGibson CFEvans Buryc EMerschoff 4/p/94 4/g%'94 4g /94 4/ /94 4/ /94
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Tennessee Valley Authority-3-
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Mr. Craven Crowell, Chairman Mr. B. S. Schofield, Manager
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Tennessee Valley Authority Nuclear Licensing and ET 12A Regulatory Affairs 400 West Summit Hill Drive Tennessee Valley Authority Knoxville, TN 37902 4G Blue Ridge i
l 1101 Market Street Mr. W. H. Kennoy, Director Chattanooga, TN 37401-2801 Tennessee Valley Authority
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ET 12A Mr. Ralph H. Shell 400 West Summit Hill Drive Site Licensing Manager Knoxville, TN 37902 Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority Mr. Johnny H. Hayes, Director P. O. Box 2000 Tennessee Valley Authority Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 ET 12A 400 West Summit Hill Drive Mr. Roger W. Huston Knoxville, TN 37902 Tennessee Valley Authority Rockville Office Mr O. J. Zeringue, Senior Vice Pres.
11921 Rockville Pike Nuclear Operations Suite 402 Tennessee Valley Authority Rockville, MD 20852 3B Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Mr. Bill Harris Chattanooga, TN 37420-2801 Route 1, Box 26 Ten Mile, TN 37880 Dr. Mark 0. Medford, Vice President Technical Support Mr. Michael H. Mobley, Director 3B Lookout Place Division of Radiological Health 1101 Market Street 3rd Floor, L and C Annex Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 401 Church Street
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Nashville, TN 37243-1532 Mr. D. E. Nunn, Vice President Nuclear Projects County Judge Tennessee Valley Authority Hamilton County Courthouse 3B Lookout Place Chattanooga, TN 37402
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1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 bcc w/ encl: (See page 4)
Mr. Ken A. Powers, Site Vice President Sequoyah Nuclear Plant
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Tennessee Valley Authority
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P. O. Box 2000 Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 General Counsel Tennessee Valley Authority ET 11H 400 West Summit Hill Drive Knoxville, TN 37902
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Tennessee Valley Authority-4-DISTRIBUTION:
POR SECY CA JTaylor, EDO
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JMilhoan, DEDR
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JLieberman, OE SEbneter, RII LChandler, 0GC JGoldberg, 0GC WRussell, NRR
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Enforcement Coordinators
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RI, RII, RIII, RIV, RV FIngram, GPA/PA EJordan, AE0D BHayes, OI JBeall, OE
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EA File
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J. R. Johnson, RII J. P. Jaudon, Ril M. S. Lesser, Ril S. E. Sparks, RII
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B. M. Bordenick, OGC D. E. LaBarge, NRR G. C. Lainas, NRR
F. J. Hebdon, NRR
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Document Control Desk l
NRC Resident Inspector U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission l
2600 Igou Ferry Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379 NRC Resident Inspector U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Route 2, Box 700 Spring City, TN 37381 i
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