ML030230778
| ML030230778 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Browns Ferry  |
| Issue date: | 01/23/2003 |
| From: | Ernstes M Operator Licensing and Human Performance Branch |
| To: | Scalice J Tennessee Valley Authority |
| References | |
| 50-259/02-301, 50-260/02-301, 50-296/02-301 ER 02-301 | |
| Download: ML030230778 (9) | |
See also: IR 05000259/2002301
Text
January 23, 2003
Tennessee Valley Authority
ATTN: Mr. J. A. Scalice
Chief Nuclear Officer and
Executive Vice President
6A Lookout Place
1101 Market Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801
SUBJECT:
BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT - NRC EXAMINATION REPORT
50-259/02-301, 50-260/02-301, AND 50-296/02-301
Dear Mr. Scalice:
During the period December 16 - 19, 2002, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
administered operating examinations to nine employees of your company who had applied for
licenses to operate the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. At the conclusion of the examination, the
examiners discussed the preliminary findings with members of your staff. The preliminary
findings are identified in Enclosure 1. The written examination was administered by your staff
on December 13, 2002.
All nine applicants passed the written examination. One applicant failed the administrative part
of the operating test. There were three post examination written comments which are identified
in Enclosure 2.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter and its
enclosures will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room
or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRCs document system (ADAMS).
ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the
Public Electronic Reading Room).
Sincerely,
/RA/
Michael E. Ernstes, Chief
Operator Licensing and
Human Performance Branch
Division of Reactor Safety
Docket Nos.: 50-259, 50-260, 50-296
License Nos.: DPR-33, DPR-52, DPR-68
Enclosures: (See page 2)
2
Enclosures:
1. Report Details
2. Post Examination Comment Resolution
cc w/encls:
Karl W. Singer
Senior Vice President
Nuclear Operations
Tennessee Valley Authority
Electronic Mail Distribution
James E. Maddox, Acting Vice President
Engineering and Technical Services
Tennessee Valley Authority
Electronic Mail Distribution
Ashok S. Bhatnagar
Site Vice President
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
Tennessee Valley Authority
Electronic Mail Distribution
General Counsel
Tennessee Valley Authority
Electronic Mail Distribution
Robert J. Adney, General Manager
Nuclear Assurance
Tennessee Valley Authority
Electronic Mail Distribution
Robert G. Jones, Plant Manager
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
Tennessee Valley Authority
Electronic Mail Distribution
Mark J. Burzynski, Manager
Nuclear Licensing
Tennessee Valley Authority
Electronic Mail Distribution
Timothy E. Abney, Manager
Licensing and Industry Affairs
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
Tennessee Valley Authority
Electronic Mail Distribution
State Health Officer
Alabama Dept. of Public Health
RSA Tower - Administration
Suite 1552
P. O. Box 303017
Montgomery, AL 36130-3017
Chairman
Limestone County Commission
310 West Washington Street
Athens, AL 35611
David Matherly
Training Manager
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
P. O. Box 2000
Decatur, AL 35609-2000
3
Distribution w/encls:
K. Jabbour, NRR
B. Holbrook, SRI
RIDSNRRDIPMLIPB
PUBLIC
OFFICE
RII:DRS
RII:DRS
RII:DRS
RII:DRS
RII:DRP
SIGNATURE
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
NAME
ELea:pmd
TKolb
LMellen
MErnstes
SCahill
DATE
1/23/2003
1/21/2003
1/22/2003
1/22/2003
1/22/2003
E-MAIL COPY?
YES
NO YES
NO YES
NO YES
NO YES
NO
PUBLIC DOCUMENT
YES
NO
OFFICIAL RECORD COPY DOCUMENT NAME: C:\\ORPCheckout\\FileNET\\ML030230778.wpd
Enclosure 1
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
REGION II
Docket Nos:
50-259, 50-260, 50-296
License Nos:
Report Nos:
50-259/02-301, 50-260/02-301, 50-296/02-301
Licensee:
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Facility:
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, & 3
Location:
Corner of Shaw and Nuclear Plant Roads
Athens, AL 35611
Dates:
Written Examination - December 13 , 2002
Operating Tests - December 16-19, 2002
Examiners:
E. Lea, Chief Examiner
T. Kolb, Operations Engineer
L. Mellen, Senior Operations Engineer
Approved by:
M. Ernstes, Chief
Operator Licensing and Human Performance Branch
Division of Reactor Safety
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
ER 05000259/02-301, ER 05000260/02-301, ER 05000296/02-301, on 12/13-16/2002,
Tennessee Valley Authority, Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2 and 3, licensed operator examinations.
The NRC examiners conducted operator licensing initial examinations in accordance with the
guidance of Examiner Standards, NUREG-1021, Revision 8, Supplement 1. This examination
implemented the operator licensing requirements of 10 CFR §55.41, §55.43, and §55.45.
Operator Licensing Initial Examinations
The NRC administered the operating tests during the period December 16 -19, 2002. Members
of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant training staff administered the written examination on
December 13, 2002. The operator licensing initial written examinations were developed by the
NRC. The operating tests were developed by members of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant training
staff. All applicants, four Reactor Operators (RO) and five Senior Reactor Operators (SRO)
passed the written examination. One SRO failed the administrative section of the operating
test. Those applicants that passed both the written and operating section of the examination
were issued operator licenses commensurate with the level of examination administered.
No significant issues were identified.
Report Details
4.
OTHER ACTIVITIES (OA)
4OA5 Operator Licensing Initial Examinations
a.
Inspection Scope
The examiners reviewed the licensees examination security measures while preparing
and administering operator licensing examinations to ensure examination security and
integrity complied with 10 CFR 55.49, Integrity of examinations and tests. The
examiners reviewed the operating examinations developed by the licensee for
compliance with the guidelines specified in NUREG-1021, Revision 8, Supplement 1.
The examiners evaluated four RO and five SRO applicants who were being assessed
under the guidelines specified in NUREG 1021, Revision 8, Supplement 1, and reviewed
written examinations that were administered under the guidelines specified in the
NUREG. The NRC administered the operating tests during the period December 16 -
19, 2002. Members of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant training staff administered the
written examination on December 13, 2002. The evaluations of the applicants and
review of documentation were performed to determine if the applicants, who applied for
licenses to operate the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, met requirements specified in 10 CFR Part 55.
b.
Findings
No findings of significance were identified.
The licensee submitted three post examination comments concerning the written
examination (ADAMS Accession Number ML030210538). The RO and SRO written
examinations and answer keys may be accessed in the ADAMS system (ADAMS
Accession Number ML030210502 and ML030210512).
4OA6 Meetings
Exit Meeting Summary
On December 19, 2002, the examiners discussed generic applicant performance and
examination development issues with Mr. Terry Chinn, Operations Training Manager,
and other members of your staff.
The inspectors asked the licensee whether any materials examined during the
inspection should be considered proprietary. No proprietary information was identified.
2
PARTIAL LIST OF PERSONS CONTACTED
Licensee
T. Chinn, Operations Training Manager
J. Lewis, Operations Manager
R. Knight, Operations Training Instructor-Lead
D. Langley, Site Licensing Supervisor
R. Moye, Operations Training Instructor
J. Wallace, Licensing Nuclear Engineer
D. White, Nuclear Assurance Assessment Specialist
Enclosure 2
Post Examination Comment Resolution
Question:
- 20, SRO Exam
- 27, RO Exam
Comment:
The question requires the applicant to determine what actions are required to
reopen 3-FCV-74, RHR SYS II LPCI INBD INJECT VLV, following a spurious
Group II isolation while Unit 3 is in a refueling outage with Shutdown Cooling in
operation on RHR Sys II. The licensee recommends accepting answer A as a
correct answer in addition to answer C. Based on information provided in
procedure 3-AOI-74-1, Loss of Shutdown Cooling and e-print 3-730E938, the
licensee stated that in order to manually reopen 3-FCV-74-67 following Group 2
Isolation signal, at least one of the two Shutdown Cooling Suction Valves must be
closed and the isolation signal must be reset. The only method at BNF to reset a
Group 2 Isolation Signal to the 3-FCV-74-67, RHR SYS II LPCI INBD INJECT
VLV, is to use the RHRSYS II CLG INBD INJECTION ISOL RESET pushbutton
and answer A implies that this reset method has been performed.
Resolution:
Recommendation accepted. Performing the actions described in answer A and C
will result in re-opening 3-FCV-74, RHR SYS II LPCI INBD INJECT VLV, following
a spurious Group II isolation.
The answer key will be changed to reflect that A and C are correct answers.
Question:
- 33, SRO Exam
- 44, RO Exam
Comment:
The question asked the applicant to determine what action is required, based on
the given conditions, if the diesel is expected to be operated for an extended
period of time. The licensee recommends accepting answer A as a correct
answer in addition to answer C. The licensee indicated that both reflect correct
responses for the generator conditions. In accordance with PI-82, Standby Diesel
Generator System, Step 8.1.12, the required 0.8 power factor may be achieved
either by placing the Voltage Regulator Switch to the RAISE position or by placing
the Governor Control Switch to the LOWER position in order to reach the
diagonal line on Illustration 1, DGKW vs KVAR LOADING. The licensee stated
Since the question only asks for the correct required action (and not the
supporting reason) both answers are correct.
Resolution:
Recommendation not accepted. Each answer describes the action that should be
taken and how the generator will respond as a result of the action taken. Taking
the voltage regulator control switch to raise will not result in a reduction in field
current as stated in answer A.
The answer key will remain unchanged.
2
Question:
- 50, RO Exam
Comment:
The question asked the applicant to describe what actions should be taken after
the Control Room is notified that a fuel bundle was dropped and gas bubbles are
visible in the pool during the Unit 3 refueling outage. The applicant was informed
that specific control room alarms were received in the Control Room as a result of
the dropped fuel bundle. The licensee recommends accepting answer A as a
correct answer in addition to answer B. The licensee states that the Refueling
Zone HVAC radiation monitors and the Reactor Zone HVAC radiation monitors
are in close proximity to each other such that they should both be reading the
same thing. The supporting documentation shows the location of the detectors
and the set-points of the detectors (set-points are the same).
Resolution:
Recommendation not accepted. The stem of the question clearly states which
radiation monitors are in alarm. The drawings indicate that the detectors are on
the same floor but distances cannot be determined. 3-AOI-79-1, Fuel Damage
During Refueling, states that the Reactor Zone isolation should automatically
occur on Reactor Zone Exhaust High Radiation only. The Reactor Zone Exhaust
High Radiation monitor was not one of the monitors specified to be in alarm in the
initial conditions. Therefore, the Reactor Zone Exhaust High Radiation monitor
alarm set-point had not been reached and automatic isolation of the Reactor Zone
would not have occurred.
The answer key will remain unchanged.