Information Notice 1994-02, Inoperability of General Electric Magne-Blast Breaker Because of Misalignment of Close-Latch Spring

Inoperability of General Electric Magne-Blast Breaker Because of Misalignment of Close-Latch Spring

ML031070066
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:	01/07/1994
From:	Grimes B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
IN-94-002, NUDOCS 9401030245
Download: ML031070066 (9)

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 January 7, 1994 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 94-02: INOPERABILITY OF GENERAL ELECTRIC KAGNE-BLAST

BREAKER BECAUSE OF MISALIGNMENT OF CLOSE-LATCH

SPRING

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 that a misalignment of the close-latch reset spring

(tension style) in 4.16 kV General Electric (GE) Magne-Blast circuit breakers

could prevent the breaker from closing on demand. 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 April 7, 1993, the Arizona Public Service Company, licensee for the

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, notified the NRC that a safety-related

4.16 kV GE Magne-Blast breaker (Model AM-4.16-250-9H, 1200 ampere breaker with

ML-13 mechanism) was found inoperable with the closing springs discharged.

The inoperability was caused by misalignment of the close-latch reset spring.

This misalignment resulted in the coils of the spring catching on the close- latch monitoring switch mounting plate. This prevented the close-latch

monitoring switch from closing and prevented the charging motor from

recharging the closing springs, which rendered the breaker inoperable. The

condition was identified by an auxiliary operator who noticed that the clear

control power/closing springs charged lamp was not illuminated on the front of

the breaker cubicle. There was no indication of this problem in the control

room.

Further details can be found in NRC Inspection Report 50-528; 50-529; and

50-530/93-11.

9401030245

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• <>IN 94-02 January 7, 1994

DISCUSSION

GE Magne-Blast breakers are used in many safety-related circuits throughout

the nuclear industry. At Palo Verde, these breakers are used for numerous

safety-related pumps (e.g., high-pressure safety injection, low-pressure

safety injection, and containment spray) and in safety-related load centers.

While this condition occurred in a 4.16 kV breaker, all GE Magne-Blast

breakers equipped with the ML-13 mechanism having the tension style close- latch spring may be susceptible to this problem.

There are two different designs for the close-latch spring in the GE Magne- Blast breakers. The design that caused the problem was the tension-style

spring that is positioned beside the close-latch monitoring switch. GE

subsequently replaced this spring with a torsion-style spring, which surrounds

the close-latch shaft and prevents the spring from catching on the mounting

plate. GE considers this modification to be a design enhancement and has not

issued a service advisory letter or instruction on this subject.

The failed condition described above may not be evident if a breaker racking

operation is performed before the close-latch spring is inspected. The

vibration associated with the racking operation may be sufficient to free the

spring from the close-latch monitoring switch mounting plate. However, during

subsequent breaker operation, the spring coils may catch and render the

breaker inoperable. Although there would likely be local indication that the

spring was not fully charged, there would be no control room indication of the

inoperability of the breaker.

No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact one of the

technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of Nucl ar Reactor

Regulation (NRR) project manager.

Brian K. Grimes, Director

Division of Operating Reactor Support

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: J. Frederick Ringwald, RIV

(316) 364-8653 Kamalakar R. Naidu, NRR

(301) 504-2980

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

K> Attuacment I

IN94-02 January 7, 1994 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

94-01 Turbine Blade Failures 01/07/94 All holders of OLs or CPs

Caused by Torsional for nuclear power reactors

Excitation from Electrical

System Disturbance

93-101 Jet Pump Hold-Down Beam 12/17/93 All holders of OLs or CPs

Failure for boiling-water reactors93-100 Reporting Requirements 12/22/93 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

for Bankruptcy Commission licensees.

91-29, Potential Deficiencies 12/22/93 All holders of OLs or CPs

Supp. 2 Found During Electrical for nuclear power reactors.

Distribution System

Functional Inspections

93-99 Undervoltage Relay and 12/21/93 All holders of OLs and CPs

Thermal Overload Setpoint for nuclear power reactors.

Problems

93-98 Motor Brakes on Valve 12/20/93 All holders of OLs and CPs

Actuator Motors for nuclear power reactors.

93-97 Failures of Yokes 12/17/93 All holders of OLs or CPs

Installed on Walworth for nuclear power reactors.

Gate and Globe Valves

93-96 Improper Reset Causes 12/14/93 All holders of OLs or CPs

Emergency Diesel for nuclear power reactors.

Generator Failures

93-95 Storm-Related Loss of 12/13/93 All holders of OLs or CPs

Offsite Power Events for nuclear power reactors

due to Salt Buildup located close to a large

on Switchyard Insulators body of salt water.

93-94 Unauthorized Forced 12/09/93 All holders of OLs or CPs

Entry into the Pro- for nuclear power reactors.

tected Area at Three

Mile Island Unit 1 on

February 7, 1993 OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit

• -JVIN 94-02 January 7, 1994 No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact one of the

technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation (NRR) project manager.

rigial sIgned by

Brian K.Grimes

Brian K. Grimes, Director

Division of Operating Reactor Support

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: J. Frederick Ringwald, RIV

(316) 364-8653 Kamalakar R. Naidu, NRR

(301) 504-2980

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

• SFF PRFVTOfUS CONCURRENCE

OFFICE *OGCB/DORS *R/RIV *TECH ED *SC:DRSP/RV *D:DRSP/RV

NAME PCWen/vsb FRingwald DGable HJWong KEPerkins t

DATE 10/05/93 10/05/93 10/05/93 , 10/08/93 10/08/93

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3OCUMENT NAME: 94-02.IN

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< IN 94-02 January 7, 1994 No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact one of the

technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor

Regulation (NRR) project manager. g1nal figned by

Brian K.GriMes

Brian K. Grimes, Director

Division of Operating Reactor Support

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: J. Frederick Ringwald, RIV

(316) 364-8653 Kamalakar R. Naidu, NRR

(301) 504-2980

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

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IN 93-XX

December xx, 1993 No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, 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: J. Frederick Ringwald, RIV

(316) 364-8653 Kamalakar R. Naidu, NRR

(301) 504-2980

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

• SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE

OFFICE *OGCB/DORS *R/RIV *TECH ED *SC:DRSP/RV *D:DRSP/RV

NAME PCWen/vsb FRingwald DGable HJWong KEPerkins

DATE 10/05/93 10/05/93 10/05/93 10/08/93 10/08/93

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IN 93-XX

October xx, 1993 No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, 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: J. Frederick Ringwald, RIV

(316) 364-8653 Kamalakar R. Naidu, NRR

(301) 504-2980

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

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IN 93-XX

October xx, 1993 No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, 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: J. Frederick Ringwald, RIV

(316) 364-8653 Kamalakar. R. Naidu, NRR

(301) 504-2980

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

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IN 93-XX

October xx, 1993 No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, 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: J. Frederick Ringwald, RIV

(316) 364-8653 Kamalakar. R. Naidu, NRR

(301) 504-2980

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

OFFICE OGCB/DORSpcvj R/RI i TECH ED SC:DRSP/RV

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