Information Notice 2009-29, Potential Failure of Fire Water Supply Pumps to Automatically Start Due to a Fire
| ML091880072 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 11/24/2009 |
| From: | Dan Dorman, Mcginty T, Tracy G NRC/NMSS/FCSS, Division of Construction Inspection and Operational Programs, Division of Policy and Rulemaking |
| To: | |
| Qualls P, NRR/DPR, 817-276-6550 | |
| References | |
| IN-09-029 | |
| Download: ML091880072 (4) | |
ML091880072 UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDS
OFFICE OF NEW REACTORS
WASHINGTON, DC 20555-0001
November 24, 2009
NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 2009-29: POTENTIAL FAILURE OF FIRE WATER SUPPLY
PUMPS TO AUTOMATICALLY START DUE TO A
FIRE
ADDRESSEES
All holders of an operating license or construction permit for a nuclear power reactor issued
under Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Domestic Licensing of
Production and Utilization Facilities, except those who have permanently ceased operations
and have certified that fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vessel.
All holders of or applicants for an early site permit, standard design certification, standard
design approval, or combined license issued under 10 CFR Part 52, Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.
All licensees and potential applicants for fuel cycle and fabrication facilities under
10 CFR Part 70, Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material.
PURPOSE
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information notice (IN) to inform
addressees about recent NRC inspection findings concerning the potential for a fire to prevent
the fire water pumps from starting automatically. The NRC expects addressees to review the
information for applicability to their facilities and to consider taking actions, as appropriate, to
avoid similar problems. Suggestions contained in this IN are not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is required.
BACKGROUND
The fire water supply system at U.S. commercial nuclear power plants typically consists of two
or more redundant main fire pumps that are normally in a standby state. One pump is usually
electrically driven, and the other pump is diesel-engine driven. These pumps discharge to a
buried fire water main loop around the plant. A normally operating electric-driven jockey pump
is a low-flow capacity pump that discharges to the fire water main loop to maintain its
pressurized state. When a demand for fire water system flow occurs because a suppression
system actuates or a fire hose is discharged, the jockey pump flow is not sufficient to maintain
the fire water main loop in its pressurized state. The main fire pumps each have a fire pump
controller that automatically starts the pump when it receives a low water pressure signal in the fire water main loop. The automatic start feature ensures that adequate water flow is available
for a sprinkler or water spray system to control a fire and for a fire brigade to have adequate
hose streams to suppress a fire. Each main fire pump can also be started manually, either
locally at the pump or remotely from the control room.
DESCRIPTION OF CIRCUMSTANCES
At South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2, and at Wolf Creek Generating Station, Unit 1, NRC
inspectors identified that a fire could prevent the main fire pumps from starting remotely or
automatically. The fire pump controllers have a remote start capability from the control room. A
fire could cause a ground fault on the cable between the control room remote start pushbutton
and the fire pump controller in the fire water pump house. The ground fault would cause
electrical protective devices in the respective fire pump control panel to actuate. If this were to
occur, the loss of control power to the panel would prevent the pumps from starting, either
remotely or automatically. The licensees at both facilities located the remote start circuit cables
for the fire pumps (i.e., three pumps at South Texas Project and the electrically driven pump at
Wolf Creek, Unit 1) close to each other from the control room switches through various plant fire
areas and to the respective control panels in the pump house. Because the cables are close to
each other, damage from a single fire could prevent all fire water pumps at South Texas Project
from starting remotely or automatically.
As an interim measure, the licensees at South Texas Project and Wolf Creek revised their fire
alarm response procedures for the fire areas that could affect the fire water pumps from starting
remotely or automatically by adding a step to send an operator to ensure that the fire water
pumps had started or to locally start the pumps as necessary. The licensee at Wolf Creek later
determined that the diesel driven fire pump would still function as required.
Additional information appears in South Texas Project Electric Generating StationNRC
Triennial Fire Protection Inspection Report 05000498/2008008 and 05000499/2008008 and
Exercise of Enforcement Discretion, dated September 5, 2008, available on the NRCs public
Web site in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), ADAMS
Accession No. ML082520793. Additional information also appears in Wolf Creek Generating
StationNRC Triennial Fire Protection Inspection Report 05000482/2008010, dated
January 2, 2009, ADAMS Accession No. ML090020490.
DISCUSSION
Failure of the automatic start feature of the fire water supply pumps would impair water-based
automatic fire suppression systems. Furthermore, the failure of the pumps to start upon
demand from a fire hose could impair manual suppression activities. The regulations at
10 CFR 50.48, Fire Protection, and Appendix R, Fire Protection Program for Nuclear Power
Facilities Operating Prior to January 1, 1979, to 10 CFR Part 50 require licensees to install fire
suppression systems in certain fire areas to protect redundant trains of safe-shutdown
equipment and electrical circuits against fires. Section III.G.2 of Appendix R requires automatic
suppression systems in some fire areas for certain fire protection methods for post-fire safe- shutdown equipment. Plants licensed after January 1, 1979, have commitments for automatic
suppression systems in their approved fire protection program. If a licensee has routed cables that can potentially prevent a fire pump from starting through one of these fire areas and has
installed a water-based automatic fire suppression system in the area, it may not meet the
automatic fire suppression requirement.
National Fire Protection Association Standard 20, Standard for the Installation of Centrifugal
Fire Pumps, 1983 Edition, states that control circuits leaving or entering the fire pump controller
shall be so arranged as to prevent failure to start due to a fault. Licensees may have this
standard as part of their approved fire protection program.
CONTACT
This IN requires no specific action or written response. Please direct any questions about this
matter to the technical contacts listed below or to the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation (NRR) project manager.
/RA/
/RA/
Timothy J. McGinty, Director
Daniel H. Dorman, Director
Division of Policy and Rulemaking
Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
/RA/
Glenn Tracy, Director
Division of Construction Inspection
and Operational Programs
Office of New Reactors
Technical Contacts: Phil M. Qualls, NRR
John M. Mateychick, Region IV
817-276-6550
817-276-6560
E-mail: Phil.Qualls@nrc.gov
E-mail: John.Mateychick@nrc.gov
Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collections. that can potentially prevent a fire pump from starting through one of these fire areas and has
installed a water-based automatic fire suppression system in the area, it may not meet the
automatic fire suppression requirement.
National Fire Protection Association Standard 20, Standard for the Installation of Centrifugal
Fire Pumps, 1983 Edition, states that control circuits leaving or entering the fire pump controller
shall be so arranged as to prevent failure to start due to a fault. Licensees may have this
standard as part of their approved fire protection program.
CONTACT
This IN requires no specific action or written response. Please direct any questions about this
matter to the technical contacts listed below or to the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation (NRR) project manager.
/RA/
/RA/
Timothy J. McGinty, Director
Daniel H. Dorman, Director
Division of Policy and Rulemaking
Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
/RA/
Glenn Tracy, Director
Division of Construction Inspection
and Operational Programs
Office of New Reactors
Technical Contacts: Phil M. Qualls, NRR
John M. Mateychick, Region IV
817-276-6550
817-276-6560
E-mail: Phil.Qualls@nrc.gov
E-mail: John.Mateychick@nrc.gov
Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collections.
ADAMS Accession Number: ML091880072
ME1663 OFFICE
AFPB:DRA
TECH EDITOR
BC:AFPB:DRA
D:DRA
LA:PGCB:DPR
NAME
PQualls
KAzariah-Kribbs
AKlein DFrumkin for MCunningham
CHawes
DATE
10/13/09 via e-mail 9/15/09 via e-mail
10/22/09
10/22/09
11/2/09 OFFICE
PGCB:DPR
BC:PGCB:DPR
D:DPR
D:DCIP:NRO
D:DFCSS:NMSS
NAME
DBeaulieu
MMurphy
TMcGinty
GTracy
DDorman
DATE
10/30/09
11/3/09
11/24/09
11/13/09
11/23/09 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY