ML070680028
| ML070680028 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Nine Mile Point  |
| Issue date: | 02/20/2007 |
| From: | Tom Gurdziel - No Known Affiliation |
| To: | Klein D NRC/Chairman |
| References | |
| LTR-07-0158 | |
| Download: ML070680028 (4) | |
Text
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET Date Printed: Mar 07, 2007 09:33 PAPER NUMBER:
ACTION OFFICE:
LTR-07-0 158 EDO LOGGING DATE: 03/06/2007 AUTHOR:
AFFILIATION:
ADDRESSEE:
SUBJECT:
ACTION:
DISTRIBUTION:
LETTER DATE:
ACKNOWLEDGED SPECIAL HANDLING:
NOTES:
FILE LOCATION:
Tom Gurdziel NY Dale Klein Nine oint Appropri~ate 02/7
-007 No ADAMS DATE DUE:
DATE SIGNED:
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9 Twin Orchard Drive Oswego, NY 13126 February 20, 2007 Mr. Samuel Collins, Regional Administrator US NRC Region I 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415
Dear Mr. Samuel Collins:
Up here in Oswego County, New York, we have had a great deal of snow the past two weeks. A picture in "The Palladium-Times" newspaper by Harrison Wilde, and its associated article I found particularly interesting. It showed a Town of Scriba rotary snowplow working on City Line Road, about one mile to my west, (and about 5 miles from Nine Mile Point Unit I, also in the Town of Scriba.)
The rotary snowplow was described as a SnoGo from about 1972. It was mounted on an Oskosh truck built about 1952. I figured that the truck is 55 years old and I thought that quite remarkable. After all, to extend the life. of equipment, in my mind, takes not only competent mechanics but intelligent management and an appropriate level of resources.
But then it struck me: the Nine Mile Point Unit I nuclear plant has permission to run 60 years and, the last I knew, their Direct Current powered Shutdown Cooling Isolation Valve needs attention. In fact, their Mr. James Hutton, (no longer with them), told me at the Scriba Town Hall after an NRC meeting there on plant license extension, that the valve would be fixed during the next refueling outage.
I am asking you to see that it gets fixed before the end of this outage. Specifically, I believe it should be able to open remotely from the Control Room after a long run WITHOUT first being manually broken loose off of its seat.
Thank you, Tom Gurdziel Attachment
9 Twin Orchard Drive Oswego, NY 13126 January 19, 2007 Mr. Michael J. Wallace President, Constellation Energy Generation Group 1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway Suite 500 Annapolis, MD 21401
Dear Mr. Michael J. Wallace:
I asked four people in two different organizations if you were going to finally fix the Direct Current powered isolation valve for the Nine Mile Point, Unit I Shutdown Cooling System this outage. I got no answer.
If I believed that they all had a bad memory, I might feel better. However, I am worried that they know such work is not planned.
Here is the problem I discovered. After the reactor has been at power for some amount of time, the valve seems to bind when called upon to open from the Unit I Control Room, and will not open. The resulting tripped condition used to require a Work Request and then some amount of effort investigating the event. But, before this could happen, the valve was either electrically reset and tried a number of times or manually opened. The result was that the valve worked correctly when the investigation finally took place.
Well, a method evolved to handle this inconvenience. Before an operator in the Control Room would turn the switch, two operators would be sent down to the valve to break it loose off its seat. This involved a radiation dose to each since the valve was in a high radiation area. But, now when the control room switch was turned, the valve would open and would not trip.
I found out about this method when I asked why the two operators had to go down to the valve. I believe I asked how long that had been happening and I was told probably 3 or 5 years. Since I asked in approximately 1980, the valve appears to be a continuing problem from about 1975.
So, I am asking you to fix a valve needing repair for more than 30 years so that it will be in good shape for the next 20.
Thank you, Tom Gurdziel