Information Notice 1992-55, Current Fire Endurance Test Results for Thermo-Lag Barrier Material

Current Fire Endurance Test Results for Thermo-Lag Barrier Material

ML031200114
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, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant
Issue date:	07/27/1992
From:	Rossi C Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
IN-92-055, NUDOCS 9207270345
Download: ML031200114 (6)

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 July 27, 1992 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 92-55: CURRENT FIRE ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS FOR

THERMO-LAG FIRE BARRIER MATERIAL

Addressees

All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power

reactors.

Purpose

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information

notice to inform addressees of the results of current Thermo-Lag 330 fire

endurance tests conducted for the NRC at the National Institute of Standards

and Technology (NIST). It is expected that recipients will review the

information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions as

appropriate. However, suggestions contained in this information notice are

not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is

required.

Discussion

The NRC has been reviewing Thermo-Lag 330 fire barrier systems to determine

their ability to adequately perform their 1-hour or 3-hour fire resistive

functions. The NRC has issued three information notices and a bulletin on

this subject:

1. Information Notice 91-47, "Failure of Thermo-Lag Fire Barrier Material to

Pass Fire Endurance Test," August 6, 1991

2. Information Notice 91-79, "Deficiencies in the Procedures for Installing

Thermo-Lag Fire Barrier Materials," December 6, 1991

3. Information Notice 92-46, "Thermo-Lag Fire Barrier Material Special

Review Team Final Report Findings, Current Fire Endurance Tests, and

Ampacity Calculation Errors," June 23, 1992

4. Bulletin 92-01, "Failure of Thermo-Lag 330 Fire Barrier System to

Maintain Cabling in Wide Cable Trays and Small Conduits Free from Fire

Damage," June 24, 1992 NIST conducted small scale 1-hour and 3-hour fire endurance tests to determine

the fire resistive properties of Thermo-Lag pre-formed panels.

On July 15, 1992, NIST conducted the 1-hour fire endurance test. The average

thermocouple reading on the unexposed surface exceeded 162.70 C (3257F) (NRC

cold side temperature limit) in approximately 22 minutes and the unexposed

surface of the material reached an average temperature of 6529 C (1206'F) at

9207270345

02Vg FX

Tige

Fgr-1.7

, -E X '2 °°20S8R

002098 o0

Z&0A

titJ; ~ '

IN 92-55 July 27, 1992 45 minutes. The unexposed surface of the material exhibited visible browning

in 35 minutes. During the test, one thermocouple on the unexposed surface

reached a peak reading of 9350 C (1716 0F), exceeding the corresponding furnace

temperature of 9230 C (16940 F), as the material burned and added heat to the

baseline furnace temperature. The panels burned through at two locations in

46 minutes, resulting in a corresponding drop in surface thermocouple readings

as cold air entered the furnace. At the end of 1-hour, approximately

85 percent of the unexposed surface was blackened.

The 3-hour test was conducted on July 17, 1992. The average thermocouple

reading exceeded 162.7'C (3250 F) in 2 hours2.314815e-5 days <br />5.555556e-4 hours <br />3.306878e-6 weeks <br />7.61e-7 months <br /> and 20 minutes, the average

temperature at the end of 3 hours3.472222e-5 days <br />8.333333e-4 hours <br />4.960317e-6 weeks <br />1.1415e-6 months <br /> was 206'C (403'F), and the peak thermocouple

reading was 2220 C (4320F). At the conclusion of the test, the material was

soft and exhibited plastic deformation, and the fire-exposed stress skin

crumbled upon contact. Nevertheless, visible signs of damage on the unexposed

side were limited to off-gassing, slight browning, and crystallization at the

surface.

The furnace used to conduct these tests was a natural gas-fired small scale

type with internal dimensions of 0.94 m by 0.94 m by 1.09 m (37 inches by

37 by 42.9 inches). The top of the furnace was equipped with a frame for

supporting horizontal test specimens of up to 0.81 m by 0.81 m (31.75 inches

by 31.75 inches). An 86.5-mm (3.375-inch) wide steel lip attached around the

lower edge of the frame supported the samplej. This lip was insulatedalong -

its bottom, edge, and top with a nominal 13-mm (0.5-inch) thick ceramic-fiber

blanket. Thus, the actual area of the sample exposed to the furnace was

approximately 0.584 m by 0.584 m (23 inches by 23 inches).

To conduct this series of tests, nominally square samples were cut with

dimensions from 0.794 m to 0.800 m (31.25 inches to 31.5 inches) on a side.

After being placed in the horizontal sample frame and centered, with ribs

facing upward (i.e., the ribbed face being the unexposed face), the gaps

between the edge of the sample and the frame were loosely packed with strips

of ceramic-fiber blanket. The test configuration used bricks placed

side-by-side along the perimeter of the sample to hold the test samples in

place. The stress skin on the 3-hour material was thereby restrained in

compression at the edges of the panel around the lip of the furnace and

restricted from separating from the panel.

The 1-hour fire endurance test was conducted on a Thermo-Lag 330 fire-barrier

panel, "nominal" thickness 13 mm (0.5 inch). The actual thickness of the test

sample ranged from 13.7 to 18.3 mm (0.540 to 0.720 inches). This material had

stress skin on only the ribbed (unexposed) surface. The three-hour fire

endurance test was conducted on a Thermo-Lag 330 fire-barrier panel, "nominal"

thickness 25 mm (1 inch). The actual thickness of the test sample ranged from

27.7 to 39.6 mm (1.09 to 1.56 inches). This material had stress skin on both

surfaces. The ribbed surface was on the unexposed side during the test.

The furnace temperature was measured with three slow-response chromel alumel

thermocouples, which met the requirements in American Society for Testing and

Materials (ASTM) Standard E-.19. The furnace temperature during the tests

followed the ASTM E-119 Standard time-temperature curve.

IN 92-55 July 27, 1992 The unexposed material surface temperatures were monitored at five points, placing one thermocouple approximately at the center of the specimen, and one

at the approximate center of each of its quarter sections. The temperature

acceptance criterion was that the temperature rise on the unexposed surface

not exceed 138.80 C (250*F) above its initial temperature of 23.90 C (750F) as

specified in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 251.

The NRC will provide additional information on fire endurance testing as it

becomes available.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

one of the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of

Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Charles-E. Rossi, Director

Division of Operational Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Ralph Architzel, NRR

(301) 504-2804 Patrick Madden, NRR

(301) 504-2854 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

z

C

>.

>' r- *

2m I >

_<3 Z __ Attachment

-<0

-r IN 92-55

-nn i C) Z July 27, 1992

11,1

_< 0M Page 1 of I

LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

cJW-4 NRCINFORMATION NOTICES

n A.

m

0 r Nformation Date of

O I Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

<0> O

cooc 0

Inaccuracies Caused by for nuclear power reactors.

0 Cn Rapid Depressurization

_ C_

92-53 Potential Failure of 07/29/92 All holders of OLs or CPs

z Emergency Diesel Gen- for nuclear power reactors.

erators due to Ex- cessive Rate of Loading

91-52, Nonconservative Errors 07/16/92 All holders of OLs or CPs

Supp. I in Overtemperature Delta- for Westinghouse (W)-

Temperature (OTAT) Set- designed nuclear power

point Caused by Improper reactors.

Gain Settings

92-52 Barriers and Seals 07/15/92 All holders of OLs or CPs

Between Mild and for nuclear power reactors.

Harsh Environments

92-51 Misapplication and 07/09/92 All holders of OLs or CPs

Inadequate Testing of for nuclear power reactors.

Molded-Case Circuit

Breakers

92-50 Cracking of Valves in 07/02/92 All holders of OLs or CPs

the Condensate Return for BWRs.

Lines of A BWREmer- gency Condenser System

92-49 Recent Loss or Severe 07/02/92 All holders of OLs or CPs

Degradation of Service for nuclear power reactors.

Water Systems

92-48 Failure of Exide Batteries 07/02/92 All holders of OLs or CPs

for nuclear power reactors.

OL - Operating License

I CP = Construction Permit

I

K->

-3- The NRC will provide additional information on fire endurance testing as it

becomes available.

This information notice required no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

one of the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of

Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Charles E. Rossi, Director

Division of Operational Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Ralph Architzel, NRR

(301) 504-2804 Patrick Madden, NRR

(301) 504-2854 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued Information Notices

• See previous concurrence.

SPLB:DST SPLB:DST SPLB:DST OIG

IMoghiss;cf* PMadden* RArchitzel* GMulley*

07/23/92 07/23/92 07/24/92 07/24/p2 TechEd SPLB:DS T DD:DST D:DST R

JMain* CMcCraclken* GHolahan* AThadani

07/24/92 07/24/9;2 07/24/92 07gq/92 C/ GC X :NRR D:DOEA:iNRR

CB inger CRossi

077/92 07/ /9; 2

[G:\THERMOLA\IN92-XX.IBM]

Il

-3- The NRC will provide additional information on fire endurance testing as it

becomes available.

This information notice required no specific action or written response. If

you have any questions about the information in this notice, please contact

one of the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of

Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Charles E. Rossi, Director

Division of Operational Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Ralph Architzel, NRR

(301) 504-2804 Patrick Madden, NRR

(301) 504-2854 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued Information Notices

SPLB:D L DST SPLB:DST

IMoghis'i Madden RArcbitzel '(1ul 1ey sN

07/..'3/92 07/z1-/92 07 /4g/92 OV/92 TechEd SPLB:DST&- D:DST

7M .n P7h CMcCracken Molahan AThadani

07/2Ž1/94 07/2t//92 17/2-/92 07/ /92 C/OGCB:DOEA:NRR D:DOEA:NRR

CBerlinger CRossi

07/ /92 07/ /92

[G:\THERMOLA\1N92-XX.IBM]