Information Notice 1993-51, Repetitive Overspeed Tripping of Turbine-Driven Auxiliary Feedwater Pumps
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-
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
July 9, 1993
REPETITIVE OVERSPEED TRIPPING OF TURBINE-DRIVEN
AUXILIARY FEEDWATER PUMPS
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 alert addressees to the problem of repetitive tripping of turbine- driven auxiliary feedwater pumps (TDAFWPs) at the South Texas Project Electric
Generating Station.
It is expected that recipients will review the
information for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as
appropriate, to avoid similar problems. However, suggestions contained in
this information notice are not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific
action or written response is required.
Description of Circumstances
On December 27, 1992, Houston Lighting & Power Company (the licensee)
performed a monthly surveillance test on its Unit 1 TDAFWP. After receiving a
start signal, the pump immediately tripped on an overspeed condition. The
operators repeated the surveillance test after a successful local manual
start. On this attempt the pump successfully started, and the licensee
subsequently considered the pump operable.
On January 23, 1993, Unit 2 tripped from 100-percent power on low water level
in one of the steam generators. The trip occurred because electro-hydraulic
control oil to the steam generator main feedwater pump turbine was lost. The
Unit 2 TDAFWP started on demand and was later secured when no longer required.
After the pump was secured, problems occurred when operators attempted to
relatch MOV-514 (the TDAFWP trip/throttle valve) from the control room.
(See
Figure 1.)
The pump was declared inoperable. The licensee conducted a
significant amount of troubleshooting and testing on the TDAFWP to resolve the
MOV-514 relatch problem and another speed control problem that was identified
during the testing. After the operability surveillance test was completed
successfully, the TDAFWP was declared operable and the unit was restarted on
January 25, 1993.
On January 28, 1993, the Unit 1 TDAFWP was tested as part of a routine monthly
surveillance. When started, the TDAFWP immediately tripped on an overspeed
condition and was subsequently declared inoperable. From January 28 through
9307010233 P
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IN 93-51 July 9, 1993 January 30, 1993, the licensee undertook an extensive testing and
troubleshooting effort to determine the cause of the problem with the TDAFWP.
Numerous pump starts were completed.
Several problems (overspeed tripping, lack of speed control, oscillations, and inability to maintain rated full- load, steady-state speed) were identified. On January 30, 1993, the Unit 1 TDAFWP was declared operable following extensive maintenance activities and
the successful completion of the surveillance test.
On February 1, 1993, the Unit 1 TDAFWP was tested again at the direction of
the Unit 1 operations manager in order to ensure operability, considering the
numerous problems encountered previously. After receiving a start signal, the
pump tripped on an overspeed condition and was declared inoperable.
On February 3, 1993, Unit 2 was operating at 100-percent power.
Two steam- driven steam generator main feedwater pumps and one electric startup feedwater
pump were providing feed flow to the steam generators.
The startup feedwater
pump tripped when the pump lubricating oil duplex strainers were being
shifted. Operators began to manually ramp down power but were unable to avoid
the low steam generator level. The operators subsequently initiated a manual reactor trip before receiving an automatic reactor protection system trip
signal on low steam generator level. Following the plant trip, the Unit 2 TDAFWP received an automatic signal to supply water to the steam generators.
The pump started but immediately tripped on an overspeed condition.
On February 4, 1993, Unit 1 commenced a shutdown to place the reactor in the
mode required by the Technical Specifications because the TDAFWP had not been
restored to an operable condition within the outage time allowed by the
Technical Specifications.
Further details can be found in License Event Report 50-498/93-007 and NRC
Inspection Reports 50-498; 50-499/93-05 and 50-498; 50-499/93-07.
Discussion
Although the licensee did not identify the root cause of the Unit 1 TDAFWP
overspeed trips, the proximate cause was determined to be the intrusion of
water into the TDAFWP turbine that adversely affected its performance.
However, this cause was effectively masked for several surveillance tests
because the surveillance test program established to satisfy the operability
requirements of the Technical Specifications was not sufficiently rigorous to
assure that the testing was performed under suitable environmental conditions.
The TDAFWP was not returned to its normal standby condition before each of the
TDAFWP surveillance tests performed on December 27, 1992, and
January 30, 1993. Because of this, the pump was not tested in its normal
standby condition and degraded conditions affecting operability were not
revealed.
IN 93-51 July 9, 1993 The licensee determined that the root cause of the February 3, 1993, Unit 2 TDAFWP overspeed trip was an incorrect valve lineup in conjunction with an
Inoperable or degraded steam trap. The valves and the steam trap are located
in the drain line from the steam admission line.
(See Figure 1.)
The TDAFWP
overspeed trip was caused by excessive condensate buildup in the steam supply
line upstream of the trip/throttle valve (MOV-514 in Figure 1).
The excessive
condensate had accumulated because the steam trap bypass valve, MS-517, was
incorrectly positioned (closed) and the steam trap had degraded to such an
extent that it was no longer capable of passing condensate to the condenser.
The licensee took the following corrective actions related to the hardware
modifications for both units:
The trip/throttle valves and governors were sent to the respective
vendors for complete refurbishment and testing.
The gearing arrangement
of the trip/throttle valve was modified to ensure slower stroke time, thus enabling a more positive governor response.
The TDAFWP drain system was modified to remove the steam traps in the
steamline drain system, replacing them with a spool piece.
Also, the
trip/throttle valve high-pressure steam leakoff was separated from the
turbine casing drain line and rerouted to the sump to prevent possible
intrusion of steam into the turbine casing.
(See Figure 2.)
Related Generic Communications
NRC Information Notice 86-14, Supplement 2, "Overspeed Trips of AFW,
HPCI, and RCIC Turbines," dated August 26, 1991.
NRC Information Notice 88-09, "Reduced Reliability of Steam-Driven
Auxiliary Feedwater Pumps Caused by Instability of Woodward PG-PL Type
Governors," dated March 18, 1988.
IE Information Notice 86-14, Supplement 1, "Overspeed Trips of AFW, HPCI,
and RCIC Turbines," dated December 17, 1986.
IE Information Notice 86-14, "PWR Auxiliary Feedwater Pump Turbine
Control Problems," dated March 10, 1986.
.IN 93-51 July 9, 1993 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.
Brian K. Grimes, Director
Division of Operating Reactor Support
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical contacts: Mark A. Satorius, RIV
(817) 860-8141
William D. Johnson, RIV
(817) 860-8148
Peter C. Wen, NRR
(301) 504-2832 Attachments:
1. Figure 1, Existing South Texas Project
TDAFWP Steam Supply and Exhaust System
2. Figure 2, Modified South Texas Project
TDAFWP Steam Supply and Exhaust System
3. List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
MOV-143
STEAM EXHAUST
LINE
STEAM ADMISSION
LINE
MOV-514 TERRY
TURBINE
(
STEAM ADMISSION
LINE DRAIN
VALVES
PIPE CAP WITH ORIFICE
If
(UNIT I ONLY)
MS
371 MS
370
FO 7537B
~1 I I
FO 7537A--Yl
MS TURBINE CASING
373 DRAIN VALVE
STEAM TRAP
BYPASS
VALVE
STEAM
TRAP
w
I1
°% I'-
(D% %D
n
0D
w
I-a%0
r
CONDENSER
FIGURE 1 TDAFWP STEAM SUPPLY AND EXHAUST SYSTEM (UNMODIFIED)
MOV-143
STEAM EXHAUST
LINE
STEAM ADMISSION
LINE
MOV-514 TERRY
TURBINE
C
STEAM ADMISSION
UNE DRAIN
VALVES
MS
370
FO 7537B
MS TURBINE CASING
373 DRAIN VALVE
MS
515 STEAM TRAP
BYPASS
VALVE
SPOOL
PIECE
m 'z
--
~
HAQ %D t
" MD3
%O D
" D
Wa
"
MS
516 CONDENSER
FIGURE 2 TDAFWP STEAM SUPPLY AND EXHAUST SYSTEM (MODIFED)
Attachment 3
July 9, 1993 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED
NRC INFORMATION NOTICES
Information
Date of
Notice No.
Subject
Issuance
Issued to
93-50
93-49
93-48
92-06, Supp. 1
93-47
Extended Storage of
Sealed Sources
Improper Integration of
Software into Operating
Practices
Failure of Turbine-
Driven Main Feedwater
Pump to Trip Because of
Contaminated Oil
Reliability of ATWS
Mitigation Systems and
Other NRC-Required Equip- ment not Controlled by
Plant Technical Specifica- tion
Unrecognized Loss of
Control Room Annunciators
Potential Problem with
Westinghouse Rod Control
System and Inadvertent
Withdrawal of A Single
Rod Control Cluster Assembly
Degradation of Shutdown
Cooling System Performance
Operational Challenges
During A Dual-Unit
Use of Inappropriate
Lubrication Oils in
Safety-Related Applications
07/08/93
07/08/93
7/6/93
07/01/93
06/18/93
6/10/93
06/16/93
06/15/93
06/10/93
All licensees authorized
to possess sealed sources.
All holders of OLs or CPs
for nuclear power reactors.
All holders of OLs or CPs
for nuclear power reactors.
All holders of OLs or CPs
for nuclear power reactors.
All holders of OLs or CPs
for nuclear power reactors.
All holders of OLs or CPs
for Westinghouse (W)-
designed nuclear power
reactors.
All holders of OLs or CPs
for nuclear power reactors.
All holders of OLs or CPs
for nuclear power reactors.
All holders of OLs or CPs
for nuclear power reactors.
93-46
93-45
93-44
93-43 OL = Operating License
CP - Construction Permit
\\,-
IN 93-51 July 9, 1993 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.
orig /s/'d by BKGrimes
Brian K. Grimes, Director
Division of Operating Reactor Support
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical contacts:
Mark A. Satorius, RIV
(817) 860-8141
William D. Johnson, RIV
(817) 860-8148
Peter C. Wen, NRR
(301) 504-2832 Attachments:
1. Figure 1, Existing South Texas Project TDAFWP
Steam Supply and Exhaust System
2. Figure 2, Modified South Texas Project
TDAFWP Steam Supply and Exhaust System
3. List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
- SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE
OFFICE
- OGCB:DORS
- DRP:RIV
- TECH ED.
- SC:DRP:RIV
- D:DRP:RIV
NAME
PCWen/vsb
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MFMejac
WDJohnson
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DATE
06/01/93 l 06/02/93
06/02/93
06/04/93
06/04/93
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06/08/93
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06/16/93 DOCUMENT NAME:
93-51.IN
IN 93-xx
June xx, 1993 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.
Brian K. Grimes, Director
Division of Operating Reactor Support
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical contacts:
Mark A. Satorius, RIV
(817) 860-8141
William D. Johnson, RIV
(817) 860-8148 Peter
(301)
C. Wen, NRR
504-2832 Attachments:
1. Figure 1, Existing South Texas Project TDAFWP Steam
System
2. Figure 2, Modified South Texas Project TDAFWP Steam
System
3. List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
Supply and Exhaust
Supply and Exhaust
- SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE
OFFICE
- OGCB:DORS
- DRP:RIV
- TECH ED.
- SC:DRP:RIV
- D:DRP:RIV
N.ME
PCWen/vsb
MASatorius
MFMejac
WDJohnson
ABBeach
DATE
06/01/93
06/02/93
06/02/93
06/04/93
06/04/93
- PM:PDV:NRR l *C:SPLB:DSSA:NRR
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06/08/93
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06/10/93
06//6/93
06/,z/93 DOCUMENT NAME:
INTDAFWP.WP
6
IN 93-xx
June xx, 1993 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.
Brian K. Grimes, Director
Division of Operating Reactor Support
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical contacts:
Mark A. Satorius, RIV
(817) 860-8141
William D. Johnson, RIV
(817) 860-8148
Peter C. Wen, NRR
(301) 504-2832 Attachments:
1. Figure 1, Existing South Texas Project TDAFWP Steam Supply and Exhaust
System
2. Figure 2, Modified South Texas Project TDAFWP Steam Supply and Exhaust
System
3.
List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
- SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE
OFFICE
- OGCB:DORS
- DRP:RIV
- TECH ED.
- SC:DRP:RIV
- D:DRP:RIV
NAME
PCWen/vsb
MASatorius
MFMejac
WDJohnson
ABBeach
DATE
06/01/93
06/02/93
06/02/93
06/04/93
06/04/93 PM PDV:NRR
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Junt Xx, 1993 rhis iofwmtion notice requires no specific act on or written response.
If
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questions about the information in his notice, please contact
- a of
tochnical contacts listed bolow or th
appropriate Office of
btlw lector Regulation (NRR) project manager
Toc"ial contatts:
Brian K. Gripes, Director
Division of OPerating Reactor Support
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
MKrk A. Satorius, RI'
(817) 660-4141
William D. Johnton, RIV
(817) B6O-814B
Peter C. Win
(301) 504-28i2 fttocwtsz:1
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Page 3 of
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.
Brian K. Grimes, Director
Division of Operating Reactor Support
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical contacts:
Mark A. Satorius, RIV
(817) 860-8141
William D. Johnson, RIV
(817) 860-8148
Peter C. Wen, NRR
(301) 504-2832 Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
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DRP:RIV
TECH ED.
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