ML091550474
| ML091550474 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Duane Arnold  |
| Issue date: | 06/04/2009 |
| From: | Gerald Gulla, Nick Hilton NRC/OE |
| To: | |
| Gulla G. 415-2872 | |
| References | |
| EA-09-083 EN-09-026 | |
| Download: ML091550474 (2) | |
Text
June 4, 2009 EN-09-026 OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT NOTIFICATION OF SIGNIFICANT ENFORCEMENT ACTION Licensee: Florida Power and Light Energy Duane Arnold, LLC (EA-09-083)
Duane Arnold Energy Center Docket No. 05000331
Subject:
ISSUANCE OF FINAL SIGNIFICANCE DETERMINATION This is to inform the Commission that a White Significance Determination Process (SDP) finding will be issued on or about June 9, 2009, to FPL Energy Duane Arnold, LLC as a result of inspections at the Duane Arnold Energy Center. This White finding, an issue with low to moderate safety significance, which may require additional NRC inspections, involves a failure to promptly identify and correct a condition adverse to quality which resulted in the B Emergency Diesel Generator (EDG) output breaker tripping under full load conditions while conducting a monthly surveillance test.
On February 13, 2008, while performing shiftly reset checks of the overspeed trip lever on the B EDG, the control room received a spurious overspeed trip alarm. On February 21, 2008, the second spurious overspeed trip alarm was received and documented in the corrective action program (CAP) as a condition adverse to quality. Additional CAPs were written for spurious B EDG overspeed alarms received on March 17, 19, 22 and 24. A condition evaluation was written to evaluate the spurious alarms and an initial troubleshooting effort by engineering identified possible degraded capacitors on three annunciator cards. On March 25, maintenance personnel replaced a suspect annunciator card and further troubleshooting of the card identified a bad capacitor. The other two annunciator cards could not be replaced because the licensee had not yet received them from the vendor.
On June 26, a spurious B EDG overspeed alarm was received during the shiftly reset check.
A CAP was initiated followed by another work order to replace the annunciator card.
Subsequent spurious alarms were received on July 7, 9, 15 and 16. Maintenance personnel replaced the same annunciator card that was replaced on March 25, but this time did not find a bad capacitor during further troubleshooting efforts. A condition evaluation was performed which concluded the cause of the alarms to be the other two annunciator cards that had not yet been replaced. Another alarm was received on August 15 and an Apparent Cause Evaluation (ACE) and work order were initiated to evaluate the engine overspeed switch. However, the Management Review Committee closed the ACE to the previously completed condition evaluation for the annunciator cards (which had not yet been replaced) and the work order to inspect the engine overspeed switch was canceled. Additional alarms were received on September 1 and 2; the CAPs for those alarms were closed to the previous evaluation as well.
On November 2, a Technical Specification required surveillance was performed on the B EDG, during which the control room received multiple engine overspeed alarms. The B EDG output breaker subsequently tripped while it was fully loaded and the B EDG was declared inoperable.
Further investigation by the licensee concluded that the trip was caused by a combination of four contributing causes, none of which included degraded annunciator cards.
A Notice of Violation is included based on a violation of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion XVI, Corrective Action. The regulation states, in part, measures shall be established to assure that conditions adverse to quality, such as failures, malfunctions, deficiencies, deviations, defective material and equipment, and nonconformances are promptly identified and corrected.
Contrary to this requirement, from June to November 2008 the licensee failed to identify and correct a condition adverse to quality. This allowed the overspeed switch degradation to continue, resulting in the failure of the B EDG during the monthly surveillance test conducted in November 2008.
It should be noted that the licensee has not been specifically informed of the enforcement action.
The schedule of issuance and notification is:
Mailing of Final Significance Determination June 9, 2009 Telephone Notification of Licensee June 9, 2009 The State of Iowa will be notified.
Contacts: Gerry Gulla, OE, (301) 415-2872 Nick Hilton, OE, (301) 415-3055 Distribution: EN-09-026, June 4, 2009 OWFN OWFN TWFN Regional Offices Chairman Jaczko EDO OCFO RI RII Comm. Lyons DEDR OP CENTER RIII RIV Comm. Klein DEDMRT NMSS Comm. Svinicki OE OIG SECY OGC OIS MAIL OCA NRR RES PUBLIC OPA OI ACRS OE staff OIP NSIR FSME DISTRIBUTION: (Hard copy)
C. Carpenter, OE S. Magruder, OE N. Hilton, OE G. Gulla, OE OE r/f EN binder Publicly Available X Non-Sensitive X ML091550474 OFFICE OE:ES OE:BC NAME G. Gulla G Bowman for N Hilton DATE 06/2/09 06/2/09 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PRELIMINARY INFORMATION - NOT FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE UNTIL VERIFICATION THAT LICENSEE HAS RECEIVED ACTION