Response Time of Scram Instrument Volume Level Detectors ML031130725 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 , 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 , 05000371 , Zimmer , 05000383 , Fort Saint Vrain , Shoreham , Satsop , Trojan , Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant , Skagit , Marble Hill , Crane Issue date:
04/07/1987 From:
Jordan E NRC/IE To:
References IN-87-017 , NUDOCS 8704030045Download: ML031130725 (5)
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Beaver Valley ,
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Calvert Cliffs ,
Dresden ,
Davis Besse ,
Peach Bottom ,
Browns Ferry ,
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Mcguire ,
Nine Mile Point ,
Palisades ,
Palo Verde ,
Perry ,
Indian Point ,
Fermi ,
Kewaunee ,
Catawba ,
Harris ,
Wolf Creek ,
Saint Lucie ,
Point Beach ,
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Ginna ,
Diablo Canyon ,
Callaway ,
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Waterford ,
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Robinson ,
Clinton ,
South Texas ,
San Onofre ,
Cook ,
Comanche Peak ,
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05000383 ,
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Crane Category:NRC Information Notice
[Table view] The following query condition could not be considered due to this wiki's restrictions on query size or depth: <code> [[:Beaver Valley]] OR [[:Millstone]] OR [[:Hatch]] OR [[:Monticello]] OR [[:Calvert Cliffs]] OR [[:Dresden]] OR [[:Davis Besse]] OR [[:Peach Bottom]] OR [[:Browns Ferry]] OR [[:Salem]] OR [[:Oconee]] OR [[:Mcguire]] OR [[:Nine Mile Point]] OR [[:Palisades]] OR [[:Palo Verde]] OR [[:Perry]] OR [[:Indian Point]] OR [[:Fermi]] OR [[:Kewaunee]] OR [[:Catawba]] OR [[:Harris]] OR [[:Wolf Creek]] OR [[:Saint Lucie]] OR [[:Point Beach]] OR [[:Oyster Creek]] OR [[:Watts Bar]] OR [[:Hope Creek]] OR [[:Grand Gulf]] OR [[:Cooper]] OR [[:Sequoyah]] OR [[:Byron]] OR [[:Pilgrim]] OR [[:Arkansas Nuclear]] OR [[:Braidwood]] OR [[:Susquehanna]] OR [[:Summer]] OR [[:Prairie Island]] OR [[:Columbia]] OR [[:Seabrook]] OR [[:Brunswick]] OR [[:Surry]] OR [[:Limerick]] OR [[:North Anna]] OR [[:Turkey Point]] OR [[:River Bend]] OR [[:Vermont Yankee]] OR [[:Crystal River]] OR [[:Haddam Neck]] OR [[:Ginna]] OR [[:Diablo Canyon]] OR [[:Callaway]] OR [[:Vogtle]] OR [[:Waterford]] OR [[:Duane Arnold]] OR [[:Farley]] OR [[:Robinson]] OR [[:Clinton]] OR [[:South Texas]] OR [[:San Onofre]] OR [[:Cook]] OR [[:Comanche Peak]] OR [[:Yankee Rowe]] OR [[:Maine Yankee]] OR [[:Quad Cities]] OR [[:Humboldt Bay]] OR [[:La Crosse]] OR [[:Big Rock Point]] OR [[:Rancho Seco]] OR [[:Zion]] OR [[:Midland]] OR [[:Bellefonte]] OR [[:Fort Calhoun]] OR [[:FitzPatrick]] OR [[:McGuire]] OR [[:LaSalle]] OR [[:05000000]] OR [[:05000371]] OR [[:Zimmer]] OR [[:05000383]] OR [[:Fort Saint Vrain]] OR [[:Shoreham]] OR [[:Satsop]] OR [[:Trojan]] OR [[:Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant]] OR [[:Skagit]] OR [[:Marble Hill]] OR [[:Crane]] </code>.
6835 IN 87-17
Contents
1 UNITED STATES 2 OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT 3 April 7, 1987 4 RESPONSE TIME OF SCRAM INSTRUMENT VOLUME 5 Addressees 6 Purpose 7 Description of Circumstances
7.1 As an interim solution to issues raised by the 1980 7.2 The DP detectors back up the float switches in the 7.3 There is a direct correlation 7.4 Jordan, Director 7.5 Office of Inspection and Enforcement 7.6 Eric Weiss, IE 7.7 Charles Patterson, NRC Resident Inspector 7.8 List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices 7.9 Attachment 1 7.10 April 7, 1987 7.11 IE INFORMATION NOTICES 7.12 Ring Pressure Switches 7.13 Requirements of Subsection 7.14 Act of 1954, as Amended 7.15 Related Ventilation Equipment 7.16 All LWR facilities 7.17 All power reactor 7.18 All power reactor 7.19 Feedwater Line Break 7.20 All power reactor 7.21 Potential for High Radiation 7.22 Water from Fuel Pool 7.23 All power reactor 7.24 Feedwater Line Break 7.25 All power reactor 7.26 Within Designated Vital 7.27 During Restart of Residual 7.28 Room Cooling Design 7.29 All power reactor 7.30 All power reactor 7.31 All BWR facilities 7.32 All power reactor 7.33 Edward L. Jordan, .irec.or 7.34 Charles Patterson, NRC Resident Inspector 7.35 Edward L. Jordan, Director 7.36 Office of Inspection and Enforcement 7.37 Eric Weiss, IE 7.38 Charles Patterson, NRC Resident Inspector 7.39 AIgnatonisDGabl 7.40 PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON , D.C.
20555
April 7, 1987 IE INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 87-17:
RESPONSE TIME OF SCRAM INSTRUMENT VOLUME LEVEL DETECTORS
Addressees All General Electric boiling water reactor (BWR ) facilities holding an
operating license or a construction permit.
Purpose This notice is to alert addressees of the potential for long response times in
level detection instruments used to measure the water volume in the scram
discharge instrumented volume of BWRs .
These instruments are intended to cause a timely scram prior to filling of the scram discharge volume (SDV ).
Recipients are expected to review the information for applicability to their
facilities and consider actions, if appropriate, to preclude similar problems
occurring at their facilities.
However, suggestions contained in this information notice do not constitute NRC requirements; therefore, no specific
action or written response is required.
Background On June 28, 1980 during a routine shutdown of the Browns Ferry Unit 3 reactor, a manual scram from about 36 percent power failed to insert approximately 40
percent of the control rods .
The root cause was isolated to a problem with the SDV header .
The followup to this event at other BWRs revealed a number of
deficiencies that were discovered with the SDV headers .
The corrective measures to this problem are divided into a short-term program
and a long-term program.
The short-term actions were implemented by IE
Bulletins 80-14 and 80-17 and their supplements. The long-term program was
addressed by a Generic Safety Evaluation Report (SER ) dated December 1, 1980.
The objective of the long-term program was the improvement of the SDV design.
(SDV design details vary from plant to plant.) One of areas of concern
addressed by the long-term program was that the reliability of the float
switches in the instrumented volumes needed to be improved. The recommended
solution was the addition of redundant and diverse water level sensors.
Description of Circumstances More recently, the NRC reviewed the licensee's corrective actions taken at the
Browns Ferry units as a result of the earlier event and identified a
potentially generic concern with the response time of the level detectors for
870
IN 87-17 April 7, 1987 the instrumented volume.
As an interim solution to issues raised by the 1980 event, the licensee installed a circuit to scram the reactor upon sensing low
air header pressure.
As a long-term fix, the licensee then installed differential
pressure (DP) detectors as a diverse means of sensing a full instrumented
volume and causing a scram .
The DP detectors back up the float switches in the instrumented volume that also can cause a scram .
Testing by the licensee showed a response time of about 70 seconds for the
installed DP detectors in the instrumented volume.
This was unacceptable (see
discussion).
The licensee replaced the DP detectors with resistance-temperature
detectors (RTDs ).
Comparison of the response time of the RTDs with the float
switches showed that the float switches had a response time of about 20 seconds.
This was also unacceptable. The licensee has consequently upgraded the scram
on low air header pressure instrumentation to a permanent installation that is
environmentally qualified and covered by technical specifications.
Discussion:
Although the SER did address the minimum capacity of the SDV , the potentially
generic concern is that the SER did not address the response time of the level
detection instruments in the instrumented volume.
There is a direct correlation between the response time of these instruments and the capacity of the SDY.
Under degraded air conditions, the scram outlet valve for each control rod
drive may leak as much as 5 gpm to the SDV without rapid rod motion. The
extent and timing of water accumulation in the SDV can slow or stop rod
insertion on scram . (GE has experimentally shown that if water has accumulated
to about 85 percent or greater of the SDV header volume, scram is effectively
stopped.) The instrumented volume level instrumentation are intended to
generate a timely scram signal such that the reactor is scrammed before water
leaking by the scram outlet valves fills the SDV .
No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.
If you have questions about this matter, please contact the Regional Adminis- trator of the appropriate NRC regional office or this office.
ard
Jordan, Director Divis
f Emergency Preparedness
and ngineering Response
Office of Inspection and Enforcement Technical Contacts:
Eric Weiss, IE (301) 492-9005
Charles Patterson, NRC Resident Inspector Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant
(205) 729-6196 Attachment:
List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices -
Attachment 1 IN 87-17
April 7, 1987 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED
IE INFORMATION NOTICES Information
Date of
Notice No.
Subject
Issue
Issued to
87-16
87-15
87-14 Degradation of Static "O"
Ring Pressure Switches Complaince with the Posting
Requirements of Subsection 223b of the Atomic Energy
Act of 1954, as Amended Actuation of Fire Sup- pression System Causing
Inoperability of Safety-
Related Ventilation Equipment 4/2/87
3/25/87
3/23/87
All LWR facilities holding an OL or CP
All power reactor facilities holding
a CP and all firms
supplying components
or services to such
facilities
All power reactor facilities holding
an OL or CP
86-106 Sup. 2
Feedwater Line Break 3/18/87
All power reactor facilities holding
an OL or CP
87-13
Potential for High Radiation Fields Following Loss of
Water from Fuel Pool 2/24/87
All power reactor facilities holding
an OL or CP except
Fort St. Vrain.86-106 Sup. 1
Feedwater Line Break 2/13/87
All power reactor facilities holding
an OL or CP
87-12
87-11
87-10
87-09 Potential Problems With
2/13/87 Metal Clad Circuit Breakers, General Electric Type AKF-2-25 Enclosure of Vital Equipment 2/13/87
Within Designated Vital Areas
Potential for Water Hammer
2/11/87
During Restart of Residual Heat Removal Pumps
Emergency Diesel Generator
2/5/87
Room Cooling Design Deficiency
All power reactor facilities holding
an OL or CP
All power reactor facilities holding
an OL or CP
All BWR facilities holding an OL or CP
All power reactor facilities holding
an OL or CP
OL = Operating License
CP = Construction Permit
IN. 87-.XX
April
I,
1987 No specific acztiQ.n or written. response is required by this iTnformatian notice- If you -have questions about this matter. please contact the Regimonl .Adminis- trator of the appropriate. NRC: regional offi.ce .Qr this office..
Edward L. Jordan, .irec.or ODivsion of Emergency Preparedness
and Engineering Response
.Office of Tospection.and Enforcement.
Technical Contacts:
Eric Weiss) IE .
(301) 492-9005
Charles Patterson, NRC Resident Inspector Browns Ferry. Nuclear Power Plant.
(2,5) 729-6196 Attachment: List of Recently Ts~sued, IE .Information Notices
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IN 87-XX
March , 1987 No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.
If you have questions about this matter, please contact the Regional Adminis- trator of the appropriate NRC regional office or this office.
Edward L. Jordan, Director Division of Emergency Preparedness
and Engineering Response
Office of Inspection and Enforcement Technical Contacts:
Eric Weiss, IE (301) 492-9005
Charles Patterson, NRC Resident Inspector Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant
(205) 729-6196 Attachment: List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices
EWWeiss: ew
03/?/87
Region II *IE
AIgnatonisDGabl 03/ /87 03/O0/87
PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE EAB:DEPER:IE
JRosenthal
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03/ /87 DD:DEPER:IE
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list Information Notice 1987-02, Inadequate Seismic Qualification of Diaphragm Valves by Mathematical Modeling and Analysis 13 January 1987 Topic Boric Acid Overspeed trip Information Notice 1987-03, Segregation of Hazardous and Low-Level Radioactive Wastes 15 January 1987 Topic Boric Acid Overspeed trip Information Notice 1987-04, Diesel Generator Fails Test Because of Degraded Fuel 16 January 1987 Topic Boric Acid Coatings Information Notice 1987-05, Miswiring in a Westinghouse Rod Control System 2 February 1987 Topic Unanalyzed Condition Boric Acid Information Notice 1987-06, Loss of Suction to Low-Pressure Service Water System Pumps Resulting from Loss of Siphon 30 January 1987 Topic Boric Acid Information Notice 1987-07, Quality Control of Onsite Dewatering/Solidification Operations by Outside Contractors 3 February 1987 Topic Boric Acid Process Control Program Information Notice 1987-08, Degraded Motor Leads in Limitorque DC Motor Operators 4 February 1987 Topic Boric Acid Anchor Darling Information Notice 1987-09, Emergency Diesel Generator Room Cooling Design Deficiency 5 February 1987 Topic Probabilistic Risk Assessment Loss of Offsite Power Information Notice 1987-10, Potential for Water Hammer During Restart of Residual Heat Removal Pumps 11 February 1987 Topic Loss of Offsite Power Water hammer Information Notice 1987-11, Enclosure of Vital Equipment within Designated Vital Areas 13 February 1987 Topic Contraband Water hammer Information Notice 1987-11, Enclosure of Vital Equipment Within Designated Vital Areas 13 February 1987 Topic Contraband Water hammer Information Notice 1987-12, Potential Problems with Metal Clad Circuit Breakers, General Electric Type AKF-2-25 13 February 1987 Information Notice 1987-13, Potential for High Radiation Fields Following Loss of Water from Fuel Pool 24 February 1987 Topic Water hammer Information Notice 1987-14, Actuation of Fire Suppression System Causing Inoperability of Safety-Related Ventilation Equipment 23 March 1987 Topic Water hammer Information Notice 1987-15, Compliance with the Posting Requirements of Subsection 223b of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as Amended 25 March 1987 Topic Basic Component Information Notice 1987-15, Compliance with the Posting Requirements of Subsection 223B of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, As Amended 25 March 1987 Topic Basic Component Information Notice 1987-16, Degradation of Static O Ring Pressure Switches 2 April 1987 Topic Commercial Grade Information Notice 1987-17, Response Time of Scram Instrument Volume Level Detectors 7 April 1987 Topic Scram Discharge Volume Water hammer Information Notice 1987-18, Unauthorized Service on Teletherapy Units by Nonlicensed Maintenance Personnel 8 April 1987 Topic Water hammer Information Notice 1987-19, Perforation and Cracking of Rod Cluster Control Assemblies 9 April 1987 Information Notice 1987-20, Hydrogen Leak in Auxiliary Building 20 April 1987 Topic Excess Flow Check Valve Information Notice 1987-21, Shutdown Order Issued Because Licensed Operators Asleep While on Duty 11 May 1987 Topic Inattentive Information Notice 1987-22, Operator Licensing Requalification Examinations at Nonpower Reactors 22 May 1987 Topic License Renewal Information Notice 1987-23, Loss of Decay Heat Removal During Low Reactor Coolant Level Operation 27 May 1987 Topic Reactor Vessel Water Level Information Notice 1987-24, Operational Experience Involving Losses of Electrical Inverters 4 June 1987 Information Notice 1987-25, Potentially Significant Problems Resulting from Human Error Involving Wrong Unit, Wrong Train, or Wrong Component Events 11 June 1987 Topic Boric Acid Fire Watch Overspeed Information Notice 1987-25, Potentially Significant Problems Resulting From Human Error Involving Wrong Unit, Wrong Train, or Wrong Component Events 11 June 1987 Topic Boric Acid Fire Watch Overspeed Information Notice 1987-26, Cracks in Stiffening Rings on 48-Inch-Diameter UF6 Cylinders 11 June 1987 Topic Boric Acid Information Notice 1987-26, Cracks in Stiffening Rings on 48-Inch-Diameter Uf6 Cylinders 11 June 1987 Information Notice 1987-27, Iranian Official Implies Vague Threat to U.S. Resources 10 June 1987 Information Notice 1987-28, Air Systems Problems at U.S. Light Water Reactors 28 December 1987 Topic Boric Acid Information Notice 1987-29, Recent Safety-Related Incidents at Large Irradiators 26 June 1987 Topic Coatings Temporary Modification Biofouling Uranium Hexafluoride Information Notice 1987-30, Cracking of Surge Ring Brackets in Large General Electric Company Electric Motors 2 July 1987 Information Notice 1987-31, Blocking Bracing, and Securing of Radioactive Materials Packages in Transportation 10 July 1987 Topic Uranium Hexafluoride Information Notice 1987-32, Deficiencies in the Testing of Nuclear-Grade Activated Charcoal 10 July 1987 Information Notice 1987-33, Applicability of 10 CFR Part 21 to Nonlicensees 24 July 1987 Topic Commercial Grade Basic Component Information Notice 1987-34, Single Failures in Auxiliary Feedwater Systems 24 July 1987 Information Notice 1987-35, Reactor Trip Breaker, Westinghouse Model DS-416, Failed to Open on Manual Initiation from the Control Room 30 July 1987 Information Notice 1987-36, Significant Unexpected Erosion of Feedwater Lines 4 August 1987 Information Notice 1987-37, Compliance with the General License Provisions of 10 CFR Part 31 10 August 1987 Information Notice 1987-39, Control of Particle Contamination at Nuclear Power Plants 21 August 1987 Topic Fuel cladding Overexposure Information Notice 1987-40, Backseating Valves Routinely to Prevent Packing Leakage 31 August 1987 Topic Packing leak Information Notice 1987-41, Failures of Certain Brown Boveri Electric Circuit Breakers 31 August 1987 Information Notice 1987-42, Diesel Generator Fuse Contacts 4 September 1987 Information Notice 1987-43, Gaps in Neutron-Absorbing Material in High-Density Spent Fuel Storage Racks 8 September 1987 Information Notice 1987-44, Thimble Tube Thinning in Westinghouse Reactors 16 September 1987 Information Notice 1987-45, Recent Safety-Related Violations of NRC Requirements by Industrial Radiography Licensees 25 September 1987 Topic High Radiation Area Overexposure Information Notice 1987-46, Undetected Loss of Reactor Coolant 30 September 1987 Information Notice 1987-48, Information Concerning the Use of Anaerobic Adhesive/Sealants 9 October 1987 Topic Loctite Information Notice 1987-49, Deficiencies in Outside Containment Flooding Protection 9 October 1987 Topic Safe Shutdown ... further results