Information Notice 1985-27, Notifications to the NRC Operations Center and Reporting Events in Licensee Event Reports

Notifications to the NRC Operations Center and Reporting Events in Licensee Event Reports

ML031180347
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Three Mile Island, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, 05000000, Zimmer, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant, Skagit, Marble Hill
Issue date:	04/03/1985
From:	Jordan E NRC/IE
To:
References
IN-85-027, NUDOCS 8504010039
Download: ML031180347 (4)

SSINS No.: 6835 IN 85-27 UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT

WASHINGTON, DC 20555 April 3, 1985 IE INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 85-27: NOTIFICATIONS TO THE NRC OPERATIONS

CENTER AND REPORTING EVENTS IN LICENSEE

EVENT REPORTS

Addressees

All' nuclear power reactor facilities holding an operating license (OL) or a

construction permit (CP).

Purpose

This notice is provided to clarify the requirement for licensees to report to

the Headquarters Operations Center an event or condition that results in or

could result in multiple failures in safety systems. This guidance is also

applicable to the requirement for licensees to report events as Licensee Event

Reports (LERs). It is expected that recipients will review the information for

applicability to their facilities and take appropriate action. No specific

action or response is required by this notice.

Description of Circumstances

This issue has arisen as a result of a recent event at a nuclear power plant

during which multiple failures occurred in the scram system, but the licensee

did not consider it necessary to report the failures to the Headquarters

Operations Center.

The event occurrediwhile performing single control rod scram time testing.

One of the control rods scheduled.for testing failed to scram when the scram

pilot solenoid valve stuck in the energized position. Subsequent testing of

the remaining rods revealed that,3 additional rods would not scram and that 11 control rods exhibited initial hesitation. The unit was operating at power

when the problems occurred.

Discussion:

The paragraph of 10 CFR 50.72 that requires reporting of all multiple failures

and some single failures is paragraph 50.72(b)(2)(iii), which requires the

licensee to notify the NRC Operations Center as soon as practical and in all

cases within 4 hours4.62963e-5 days <br />0.00111 hours <br />6.613757e-6 weeks <br />1.522e-6 months <br /> of the occurrence of:

8504010039

IN 85-27 April 3, 1985 Any event or condition that alone could have prevented

the fulfillment of the safety function of structures or

systems that are needed to:

(a) Shut down the reactor and maintain it in a safe

shutdown condition, (b) Remove residual heat, (c) Control the release of radioactive material, or

(d) Mitigate the consequences of an accident.

10 CFR 50.73(a)(2)(v) also contains words identical to the preceding excerpt.

Multiple failures of redundant components required to perform any of the above

safety functions are reportable. A single failure in a component required to

perform any of the above safety functions is reportable when there is sufficient

reason to expect that the failure mechanism is one that could occur in a

redundant component.

Multiple failures of redundant components of a safety system are sufficient

reason to expect that the failure mechanism, even though not known, could

prevent the fulfillment of the safety function. While the failure of a single

rod to scram may not cause a reasonable doubt that other rods would fail to

scram, the failure of multiple rods to scram causes a reasonable doubt that

other rods could be affected and, thus, this is-an event or condition that

could prevent the fulfillment of the safety function (i.e., the RPS scram)

needed to shut down the reactor.

A single failure in a safety system is reportable when it is determined that

the failure mechanism could reasonably be expected to occur in a redundant

component or components of a safety system such that the fulfillment of the

safety function would be prevented. The preamble to the Federal Register

Notices that published the 10 CFR 50.72 and 10 CFR 50.73 rules provide as an

example:

if a pump fails because of improper lubrication, there

is a reasonable expectation that the functionally redundant

pump, which was also improperly lubricated, would have also

failed before it completed its safety function, then the

failure is reportable and the potential failure of the

functionally redundant pump must be reported.

Such a single failure is reportable to the NRC Operations Center as soon as

practical and in all cases within 4 hours4.62963e-5 days <br />0.00111 hours <br />6.613757e-6 weeks <br />1.522e-6 months <br /> of determining that the failure

mechanism could reasonably be expected to occur in a redundant component or

components of a safety system. Similarly such a single failure is reportable

in a Licensee Event Report within 30 days of determining that the failure

mechanism could reasonably be expected to occur in a redundant component or

components of a safety system.

IN 85-27 April 3, 1985 No written response to this information notice is required. If you need

additional information about this matter, please contact the Regional Admini- strator of the appropriate NRC regional office or the technical contacts listed

below.

wa d/ Jeordan, Director

Divis of Emergency Preparedness

and Engineering Response

Office of Inspection and Enforcement

Technical Contacts: 10 CFR 50.72 E. W. Weiss, IE

(301) 492-9005

10 CFR 50.73 F. J. Hebdon, AEOD

(301) 492-4480

Attachment: List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices

Attachment 1 IN 85-27 April 3, 1985 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

IE INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issue Issued to

85-26 Vacuum Relief System For 4/2/85 All BWR facilities

Boiling Water Reactor Mark having a Mark I or

I And Mark II Containments Mark II containment

and holding an OL or

CP

85-25 Consideration Of Thermal 4/2/85 All power reactor

Conditions In The Design And facilities holding

Installation Of Supports For an OL or CP

Diesel Generator Exhaust

Silencers

85-24 Failures Of Protective 3/26/85 All power reactor

Coatings In Pipes And Heat facilities holding

Exchangers an OL or CP

85-23 Inadequate Surveillance And 3/22/85 All power reactor

Postmaintenance And Post- facilities holding

modification System Testing an OL or CP

85-22 Failure Of Limitorque Motor- 3/21/85 All power reactor

Operated Valves Resulting facilities holding

From Incorrect Installation an OL or CP

Of Pinon Gear

85-21 Main Steam Isolation Valve 3/18/85 All PWR facilities

Closure Logic holding an OL or CP

85-20 Motor-Operated Valve Failures 3/12/85 All power reactor

Due To Hammering Effect facilities holding

an OL or CP

85-19 Alleged Falsification Of 3/11/85 All power reactor

Certifications And Alteration facilities holding

Of Markings On Piping, Valves an OL or CP

And Fittings

85-10 Posstensioned Containment 3/8/85 All power reactor

Sup. 1 Tendon Anchor Head Failure facilities holding

an OL or CP

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit