Information Notice 1996-14, Degradation of Radwaste Facility Equipment at Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1

Degradation of Radwaste Facility Equipment at Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1
	ML031060227
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, 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:	03/01/1996
From:	Crutchfield D; Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	;
References
	IN-96-014, NUDOCS 9602260117
	Download: ML031060227 (9)
	v • d • e

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 March 1, 1996 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 96-14: DEGRADATION OF RADWASTE FACILITY EQUIPMENT AT

MILLSTONE NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT 1

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 discuss degradation of radwaste facility equipment at Millstone

Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1. 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

During a routine NRC inspection at Millstone, inspectors found that the Unit 1 radwaste facility equipment was significantly degraded, especially vessels and

piping in the facility. In general, a lack of continuing and preventive

maintenance appeared to have allowed several systems and components to

significantly degrade, in some instances creating unnecessary adverse

radiological conditions. Piping located in the mezzanine areas above the "C"

and 'DI floor drain collector tanks were notably rusted, with a dusting of

flaked-off paint and rust deposited across all horizontal surfaces in this

area. Inspectors also noted the degraded condition of several valve bodies

and pipe flanges in the radwaste system. Three areas in this facility (the

filter sludge tank room, the spent resin tank room, and the evaporator

concentrates tank room) were sealed off because of radiological conditions.

In the case of the filter sludge and spent resin tank rooms, these facilities

are still in use and have temporary hoses passing through hand-stacked block

walls to make the connections from these vessels to the waste processing

systems in the Unit 1 waste processing buildings. The concentrates tank room

was no longer in use, the last of the concentrates having been processed and

disposed of in accordance with a licensee commitment to the NRC in 1990. A

video tape taken in November 1994 during the last manned entry into the filter

sludge tank room indicated that a crack in the filter sludge tank led to the

dispersal of highly radioactive spent filter sludge throughout the tank room.

Discussions with licensee staff members indicated that a similar condition

exists in the spent resin tank room, which in this case is caused by the

overfill of the spent resin tank.

BR Ik f E_ posertk- 79-01 Li 963e

9602260117

v-' IN 96-14 March 1, 1996 Discussion

Although the licensee was recently able to significantly reduce the amount of

spent resins and other media generated as a result of the replacement of the

main condenser, large volumes of other resins continue to be generated because

of antiquated processing and system control. The continued use of powdered

filters, in addition to the problem previously identified with regard to the

material condition of the sludge tank, has resulted in poor water quality

throughout this system and the generation of unnecessary wastes.

In NRC Inspection Report, 50-245/95-35; 50-336/95-35; 50-423/95-35, dated

September 11, 1995, NRC Accession Number 9509180222, the degraded condition of

the radwaste systems, resulting from a general lack of appropriate

maintenance, was identified as a significant weakness in the licensee's

program. Subsequently, the NRC Region I Office has requested the licensee

submit a description of its plans to improve the conditions in these radwaste

areas.

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

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

the technical contact listed below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear

Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.

[Original signed by]

Dennis M. Crutchfield, Director

Division of Reactor Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contact: Egan Y. Wang, NRR

(301) 415-1076 Internet:eyw@nrc.gov

Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

File name: 96-14.IN

Tech Editor has reviewed and concurred as of 01/29/96

SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCES

Ta receiv, a copy of tfle docurnent. ndicate In the box: 'C' - Copy without enclosures

'E' - Copy with enclosures N - No copy

OFFICE PECB/DRPM PEBDRPM _ C PECB:DRPM D:D

NAME EWang* CMiller* AChaffee* DCrifflh1 eld

DATE 02/23/96 02/23/96 02/23/96 02 W /96 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

, I..

Attachment

IN 96-14 March 1, 1996 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

96-13 Potential Containment 02/26/96 All holders of OLs or CPs

Leak Paths Through for nuclear power reactors

Hydrogen Analyzers

96-12 Control Rod Insertion 02/15/96 All holders of OLs or CPs

Problems for nuclear power reactors

96-11 Ingress of Demineralizer 02/14/96 All holders of OLs or CPs

Resins Increases Potential for pressurized water

Stress Corrosion Cracking nuclear power reactors

of Control Rod Drive

Mechanism Penetrations

96-10 Potential Blockage by 02/13/96 All holders of OLs or CPs

Debris of Safety System for nuclear power reactors

Piping Which is Not Used

During Normal Operation

or Tested During Surveil- lances

96-09 Damage in Foreign Steam 02/12/96 All holders of OLs or CPs

Generator Internals for pressurized water

reactors

96-08 Thermally Induced Pres- 02/05/96 All holders of OLs or CPs

sure Locking of a High for nuclear power reactors

Pressure Coolant Injec- tion Gate Valve

96-07 Slow Five Percent Scram 01/26/96 All holders of OLs or CPs

Insertion Times Caused for boiling water reactors

By Viton Diaphragms in

Scram Solenoid Pilot

Valves

96-06 Design and Testing 01/25/96 All holders of OLs or CPs

Deficiencies of Tornado for nuclear power reactors

Dampers at Nuclear Power

Plants

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit

IN 96-14 March 1, 1996 Discussion