ML17056B002
| ML17056B002 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Nine Mile Point  |
| Issue date: | 09/19/1990 |
| From: | Conte R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Burkhardt L NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9009280106 | |
| Download: ML17056B002 (30) | |
Text
ACCELERATED DISIBUTION DEMONSTRATION SYSTEM P
REGULATORY INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (RIDS)
ACCESSION NBR:9009280106 DOC.DATE: 90/09/19 NOTARIZED: NO FACIL:50-220 Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit 1, Niagara Powe AUTH.NAME AUTHOR AFFILIATION CONTEgR.J.
Region 1 (Post 820201)
RECIP.NAME RECIPIENT AFFILIATION BURKHARDT,L.
Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
SUBJECT:
Requests ref matl required to administer RO
& SRO-licensing exams
& requalification evaluation.
DISTRIBUTION CODE:
IE42D COPIES RECEIVED:LTR I
ENCL
(
SIZE:
TITLE: Operator Licensing Examination Reports NOTES:
DOCKET ¹ 05000220 RECIPIENT ID CODE/NAME PD1-1 PD INTERNAL: ACRS NRR SHANKMAN,S NRR/DLPQ/LOLB10 RGN1 FILE 01 EXTERNAL: NRC PDR COPIES LTTR ENCL 1
1 2
2 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 RECIPIENT ID CODE/NAME MARTIN,R.
AEOD/DSP/TPAB N~jjb LHFB11 1
02 NSIC COPIES LTTR ENCL 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 NOTE TO ALL"RIDS" RECIPIENTS:
PLEASE HELP US TO REDUCE WASTE! CONTACT THE DOCUMENT CONTROL DESK, ROOM Pl-37 (EXT. 20079) TO ELIMINATEYOUR NAMEFROM DISTRIBUTION LISTS FOR DOCUMENTS YOU DON'T NEED!
TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES REQUIRED:
LTTR 12 ENCL 12
Docket No. 50-220 SEP 19 1990 Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation ATTN:
Mr. Lawrence Burkhardt, III Executive Vice President Nuclear Operations 301 Plainfield Road
- Syracuse, New York 13212 Gentlemen:
Subject:
REACTOR AND SENIOR REACTOR OPERATOR LICENSING E>(AMINATIONS AND REQUALIFICATION PROGRAM EVALUATION In a telephone conversation between Mr. Sanaker, Nine Mile Point, Unit 1
Operations Training Supervisor, and Ms. Tracy Walker, Senior Operations Engi-
- neer, arrangements were made for the administration of licensing examinations and an evaluation of the requalification program at the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit l.
The initial license examinations are scheduled for the week of December 10, 1990.
The requalification program evaluation and NRC administered requalifi-cation examinations are scheduled for the week of December 17, 1990.
To meet the above examination dates, it will be necessary for you to furnish the reference material listed in Enclosure 1, "Reference Material Requirements" by October 9, 1990.
Any delay in receiving approved, properly bound and in-dexed reference material, or the submittal of inadequate or incomplete refer-ence material may result in the examinations being rescheduled.
NRC reserves
'the right to postpone NRC administered requalification examinations if the facility generated materials are inadequate for examination preparation.
Mr.
Sanaker has been advised of our reference material requirements, and the address where each set is to be mailed.
You are responsible for providing adequate space and accommodations for admini-stration of the written examinations.
Enclosure 2, "Requirements for Admini-stration of Examinations," describes our requirements for conducting these examinations.
The facility management is responsible for ensuring that all applicants are aware of these rules.
Enclosure 3 contains the Rules and Guidelines that will be in effect during the administration of the written examinations.
The facility management is responsible for ensuring that all applicants are aware of these rules.
For the requalification examinations, the NRC examiners will administer NRC prepared operating and written examinations.
The NRC examiners will visit the site approximately fourteen days in advance to meet with the appropriate faci 1-ity personnel to review the schedule and the process for these examinations.
( I
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g,l i 9009280106 900919 PDR ADOCK 05000220 V,
PNU (PY
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Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
As Mr. Sanaker has agreed, the requalification examinations and the subsequent evaluation of the facility requalification program will be performed in accord-ance with Sections 601 through 604 of NUREG 1021, Operator Licensing Examiner Standards, Revision 6.
You are encouraged to ensure that your training staff and proposed examinees are familiar with these standards.
You are requested to designate at least one employee to be a member of a joint NRC-facility requalification examination team.
The employee shall be an active SRO (per the requirements of 10 CFR 55.53(e) or (f)) from the Nine Mile Point, Unit 1, Operations Department.
You are encouraged to designate a second employee from the training staff to be a member of the requalification exami-nation team.
This employee should be an active SRO (per the requirements of 10 CFR 55.53 (e) or (f)), but may be a facility or INPO certified instructor.
If desired and agreed to by the Chief Examiner, you may designate one additional employee from the training staff with appropriate qualifications to be a member of the examination team.
In addition to these individuals, a simulator operator must be made available for scenario preview and validation during the on-site examination preparation week.
In some cases, it may be necessary to designate a simulator operator during the test item review period.
This individual will also be subject to the examination security agreement.
The Chief Examiner may request that the facility submit a proposed requalifi-cation examination for use during the requalification examination week in addition to the reference material requirements of Enclosure 1.
Submission of a proposed examination, even if requested, is optional.
However, if a proposed examination is submitted, those personnel participating in its development will become subject to the security restrictions described below.
Any facility representatives under the security agreement shall be restricted from knowingly communicating by any means the content or scope of the requali-fication examination to unauthorized persons and from participating in any facility programs such as instruction, examination, or tutoring in which an identified requalification examinee(s) will be present.
These restrictions shall apply from the day that the facility representative understands that he or she has specialized knowledge of the examination.
The Chief Examiner will determine when facility representatives have received specialized knowledge concerning the examination and require execution of an examination security agreement.
The facility shall identify to the NRC 60 days prior to the requalification examination administration date, the proposed operators, including crew composition, for the examination.
This information should be provided by the facility training staff to the NRC's Chief Examiner.
Preliminary reactor operator and senior reactor operator license applications should be submitted at least 30 days before the initial examination date so that we will be able to review the training and experience of the candidates, process the medical certifications, and prepare final examiner assignments after applicant eligibility has been determined.
If the applications are not received at least 30 days before the initial examination date, it is likely OFFICIAL RECORD COPY WALKER/NM 12/10/90/9/6 - 0001.1.0 09/26/83
Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
that a postponement will be necessary.
Applications certifying completion of all training requirements should be received by the Region four teen
( 14) days prior to the initial examination date.
As agreed to by your representative, the initial examination will be conducted in accordance with Revision 6 of the Examiners Standards.
To better document the simulator portion of the initial license examinations, the Chief Examiner will have the simulator operator record predetermined plant conditions (i.e.,
plant pressure, temperature, reactor vessel water level, etc.), for each simu-lator scenario.
The applicants will be responsible for providing this informa-tion, with any appeal of a simulator operating examination.
Therefore, your
~
training staff should retain the original simulator examinations scenario information until all applicants who took examinations have either. passed the operating examination, accepted the denial of their license, or filed an appeal.
Mr. Sanaker has been informed of the above requirements.
This request is covered by Office of Management and Budget Clearance Number 3150-0101 which expired May 31, 1992.
The estimated average burden is 7.7 hours8.101852e-5 days <br />0.00194 hours <br />1.157407e-5 weeks <br />2.6635e-6 months <br /> per response, including gathering, xeroxing and mailing the required material.
Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Records and Reports Management Branch, Division of Information Support
- Services, Office of Information Resources Management, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C.
20555; and to the Paperwork Reduction Project (3150-0101), Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
If you have any questions regarding the examination procedures and requirements, please contact me at (215) 337-5210.
Sine rely, Or i al S e
B Richard J.
nte, Chief BWR Section Operations Branch Division of Reactor Safety
Enclosures:
1.
Reference Material Requirements 2.
Requirements for Administration of Examinations 3.
NRC Rules and Guidelines for Written Examinations 4.
Requirements for Facility Review of Examinations OFFICIAL RECORD COPY WALKER/NM 12/10/90/9/6 - 0001. 1. 1 09/26/83
N
Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
cc w/encls.:
R.
- Sanaker, Operations Training Supervisor, Unit 1
A. Rivers, Training Superintendent R. Sylvia, Senior Vice President W. Hansen,
- Manager, Corporate Quality Assurance H. Colomb, Unit 2 Superintendent, Operations C.
- Beckham, Hanager, Nuclear Quality Assurance Operations R. Abbott, Unit 2 Station Superintendent J.
- Perry, Vice President, Quality Assurance K. Dahlberg, Unit 1 Station Superintendent R. Randall, Unit 1 Superintendent, Operations J. Firlit, Vice President, Nuclear Generation C. Terry, Vice President Nuclear Engineering and Licensing, J.
- Warden, New York Consumer Protection Branch T. Conner, Jr.,
Esquire G. Wilson, Senior Attorney
-J.
Keib, Esquire
- Director, Power Division, Department of Public Service, State of New York State of New York, Department of Law Public Document Room (PDR)
Local Public Document Room (LPDR)
Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)
NRC Resident Inspector State of New York, SLO Designee bcc w/encls.:
Region I Docket Room (with concurrences)
Management Assistant, DRMA (w/o encls')
G. Meyer, DRP R. Conte, DRS R. Martin, NRR R. Capra, NRR T. Walker, DRS D. Florek, DRS OL Facility File DRS Files (3)
DRS:RI Walker/ajk/dmg
~j~ 09)10/$ 0 te siiPiso OFFICIAL RECORD COPY WALKER/NM 12/10/90/9/6 - 0001.2.0 09/26/83
ENCLOSURE I REFERENCE MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS 1.
Existing learning objectives, Job Performance Measures and lesson plans (including training manuals, plant orientation manual, system descript-ions, etc.).
A copy of the facility Job and Task Analysis (JTA), specifying the know-ledges and abilities required of an operator at the facility.
Each parti-cular knowledge and/or ability will include an importance rating correlat-ing it to ensuring the health and the safety of the public. If a JTA is not furnished, the Knowledges and Abilities Catalog for Nuclear Power Plant Operators, NUREG 1123 will be used to establish content validity for the examination.
All Job Performance Measures (JPMs) used to ascertain the competence of the operators in performing tasks within the control room complex and, as identified in the facility JTAs, outside of the control room, i.e., local operations.
Training materials shall include all substantive written material used for preparing applicants for initial RO and SRO licensing.
The written mater-
.ial shall include learning objectives and the details presented during
- lectures, rather than outlines.
Training materials shall be identified by plant and unit, bound,
- tabbed, and indexed.
Training materials, which include the following, shall be" provided:
System descriptions including descriptions of all operationally relevant flow paths, components, controls and instrumentation.
System training material should draw parallels to the actual proce-dures used for operating the applicable system.
Complete and operationally useful descriptions of all safety-system interactions
- and, where available, BOP system interactions under emergency and abnormal conditions, including consequences of anti-cipated operator error, maintenance
- error, and equipment failure.
Traini'ng material used to clarify and strengthen understanding of emergency operating procedures.
2.
Complete Procedure Index (including surveillance procedures, etc.)
3.
All administrative procedures (as'pplicable to reactor operation or safety) 4.
All integrated plant procedures (normal or general operating procedures)
Enclosure 1
5.
All emergency procedures (emergency instructions, abnormal or special pro-cedures) 6.
Standing orders (important orders that are safety related and may super-sede the regular procedures) 7.
Surveillance procedures (procedures that are run frequently, i.e. weekly or that can be run on the simulator) 4 8.
Fuel-handling and core-loading procedures 9.
All annunciator/alarm response procedures 10.
Radiation protection manual (radiation control manual or procedures) 11.
Emergency plan implementing procedures 12.
Technical Specifications (and interpretations, if available) 13.
System operat,ing procedures 14.
Piping and Instrumentation
- diagrams, electrical single-line diagrams, or flow diagrams 15.
Technical Data Book, and/or Plant curve information as used by operators and facility precautions, limitations, and set points (PLS) for the facility 16.
Licensee Event Reports for the previous two years (as applicable to licensed operators).
'1 17.
guestions and answers specific to the facility training program which may be used in the written or operating examinations,.in addition to the items specified in-item 19 (voluntary by licensee) 18.
The following on the plant reference simulation facility:
a.
List of all pre-programmed initial conditions b.
List of all preset malfunctions with a clear identification number.
The list shall include cause and effect information.
Specifically, for each malfunction a concise description of the expected result, or range of results, that will occur upon implementation shall be provided.
Additionally, an indication of which annunciators are to be initially expected should be given.
c.
A description of simulator failure capabilities for valves,
- breakers, indicators and alarms
Enclosure 1
d.
Mhere the capability exists, an explanation of the ability to vary the severity of a particular malfunction shall be provided, i.e.,
ability to vary the size of a given LOCA or steam leak, or the abil-ity to cause a slow failure of a component such as a feed pump, tur-bine generator or major valve (e.g., drifting shut of a main feed-water control valve)
An identification of modeling conditions/problems that may impact the examination Identification of any known performance test discrepancies not yet corrected Identification of differences between the simulator and the reference plant's control room Copies of faci li'ty generated scenarios that expose the applicants to situations of degraded heat removal capability and containment challenges (voluntary by licensee)
Simulator instructors manual (voluntary by licensee)
Description of the scenarios used for the training class (voluntary by licensee) 19.
Test items to support the written simulator, and plant walk-through portions of the requalification examinations A minimum of 700 test items for use in the written examination equally divided between the two sections of the written examination and which cover all safety related elements of the facility job task analysis (JTA) l A minimum of 75 job performance measures (JPMs) for use on the walk-through portion of the operating examination.
To the extent possible, approximately 40% of the JPNs should evaluate "in plant" tasks (system/component operation outside the control room)
Fifteen simulator scenarios of approximately 50 minutes each in length for use on the simulator portion of the operating examination for examinations administered in one week.
All test items should be developed in accordance with the guidelines provided in sections 602 through 604 of NUREG 1021, Operator Licensing Examiner Standards, and their respective attachments.
20.
An Examination Test Outline/Sample Plan which meets the requirements of ES-601, ;
Enclosure 1
21.
Any additional training material utilized in licensed operator requali-fication training not included in Items 1 through 18.
The above reference material shall be approved, final issues and shall be so marked.
If a plant has not finalized some of the material, the Chief Examiner shall verify with the facility that the most complete, up-to-date material is available and that agreement has been reached with the licensee for limiting changes before the administration of the examination.
All procedures and reference materials shall be bound with appropriate indices or tables of contents so that they can be used efficiently.
Failure to provide complete, properly bound and indexed plant reference material could result in cancella-tion or rescheduling of the examinations.
ENCLOSURE 2
REQUIREMENTS FOR AOMINISTRATION OF EXAMINATIONS A single room shall be provided for administration of the initial written examination and Section B of the requalification examinations.
The location of this room and supporting restroom facilities shall be such as to prevent contact with all other facility and/or contractor personnel
, during the written examination.
If necessary, the facility should make arrangements for the use of a suitable room at a local school, motel, or other building.
Obtaining this room is the responsibility of the licensee.
J Minimum spacing is required to ensure examination integrity as determined by the Chief Examiner.
Minimum spacing should be one applicant per table, with a three foot space between tables.
No wall charts
- models, other training materials shall be present in the examination room.
Suitable arrangements shall be made by the facility if the applicants are'o have lunch, coffee, or other refreshments.
These arrangements shall comply with Item I above and shall be reviewed by the examiner and/or proctor.
The facility licensee shall provide pads of 8-1/2 by 11 inch lined paper in unopened packages for each applicant's use in completing the initial examination.
The examiner shall dis ribute these pads to the applicants as needed.
Applicants may bring pens, pencils, calculators or slide rules into the examination room.
Only black ink or dark pencils should be used for writing answers to questions.
The reference material used in the simulator for-Section A of the requali-fication examination will be reviewed by the chief examiner.
'No material will be used that is solely used for training.
Copies of reference material for Section B of the requalification written examination shall be provided.
The reference material will be reviewed by the chief examiner and will consist of Technical Specifications, operating/abnormal procedures, administrative procedures, and Emergency Plans as available to the plant operators.
An evaluation of at least twelve facility licensed operators is required for a requalification program evaluation.
Normally the crew scheduled for requalification training during the period'selected for the program evaluation should be selected.
The sample will include other licensed operators who are not routinely performing shift duties or are not maintaining an active license per 10 CFR 55.53(e).
The restrictions on crew composition in the simulator are described in ES-601(C. l.b) and ES-604.
Enclosure 2
9.
Video taping capabilities may be utilized for the requalification examination only.
The facility should contact the chief examiner for restrictions related to its usage.
10.
An attempt wi 11 be made to distinguish between RO and SRO knowledge and abilities to the extent that such a distinction is supported by the facility training materials.
11.
Prudent scheduling of exam week activities is important to help alleviate undue stress on the operators.
Your training staff and the Chief Examiner should work very closely in formulating a schedule which does not result in excessive de'lays in 'crews or individuals being administered their examination.
The following are some suggestions for structuring the exam activities to achieve this purpose:
Don't bring in crews or individuals well before their scheduled exam times.
When examining operators in groups, it is better to hold the group just completing their exam vice the groups that are taking their exam later.
Following simulator scenarios, the facility evaluators and NRC examiners should quickly determine whether follow-up questioning is required, so that the crew may be released to talk among themselves about the scenario.
Ensure that time validation of JPMs, particularly those performed in the simulator, is conducted accurately.
A reasonable schedule should be established to prevent operators from waiting for simulator availability to complete their JPNs.
12.
A facility operations management representative (as a minimum, first level above shift supervisor) should observe the simulator requalification examination process at the site.
ENCLOSURE 3
NRC RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS 1.
Use black ink or dark pencil ONLY to facilitate legible reproduction.
2.
Print your name in the blank provided on the cover sheet of the examination.
3.
Fill in the date on the cover sheet of the examination, if necessary.
4.
Answer each question on the examination or naswer sheet provided.
If additional paper is required, use only the lined paper provided by the examiner.
Do not write on the back side of the page.
5.,
Use abbreviations only if they are commonly used in facility literature.
6.
The point value for each question is indicated in parentheses after the question and can be used as a guide for the depth of answer required.
7.
Show all calculations, methods or assumptions used to obtain an answer to a short answer test item.
8.
Unless solicited, the location of references need not be stated.
9.
Proportional grading will be applied.
Any additional wrong information that is provided may count against you.
For example, if a question is worth one point and asks fo'r four responses, each of which is worth 0.25
- points, and you give five responses, each response will be worth 0.20 points.
If one of your five responses is incorrect, 0.20 will be
- deducted, and your total credit for that question will be 0.80, even though you may have listed the four correct responses in the answer key.
10.
Partial credit may be given, except on multiple choice questions.
There-
- fore, ANSWER AL'L PARTS OF THE QUESTION AND DO NOT LEAVE ANY ANSWERS BLANK.
11.
If parts of the examination are not clear with respect to their intent, ask questions of the examiner only.
12.
You must sign the statement on the cover sheet that indicates the work on the examina'tion is your own and that you have not received or been given assistance in completing the examination.
This must be signed AFTER the examination has been completed.
13.
Restroom trips are to be limited and only one examinee at a time may leave.
You must avoid all contact with anyone outside the examination room to avoid even the appearance or possibility of examination compro-m.i se.
14.
Cheating on the examination would result in a revocation of your license and could result in more severe penalties.
Enclosure 3
15.
When you are done and have turned in your examination, leave the examina-tion area.
If you are found in this area while the examination is still in progress, your license may be denied or revoked.
16.
To pass the examination, you must achieve a grade of 80% or greater.
For Requalification Examinations:
17.
Each section of the examination is designed to take approximately 90 minutes to complete.
You will be given two hours to complete each section to allow for 30 minutes of review.
18.
The examination has been time validated by knowledgeable persons.
You should be aware that not every answer needs to be verified by consulting a reference, and excessive usage of reference material may cause you to not complete the exam in the allotted time.
19.
Due to existence of questions that will require all examinees to refer to the same indications or controls, particular care must be taken to main-tain individual examination security and avoid any possibility of compro-mise or appearance of cheating.
For initial examinations:
20.
There is a time limit of four, (4) hours for completion of the examination.
21.
When turning in your examination, assemble the completed examination with examination questions, examination aids and answer sheets.
In addition, turn in all scrap paper.
ENCLOSURE 4
REQUIREMENTS FOR FACILITY REVIEW OF EXAMINATIONS l.
At the option of the Chief Examiner, the facility may review the written examination for initial licensing up to two weeks prior to its admini-stration.
This review may take place at the facility or in the Regional office.
The Chief Examiner will coordinate the details of the review with the facility.
An NRC examiner will always be present during the review.
When this option of examination review is utilized, the facility reviewers will sign the following statement prior to being allowed access to the examination.
The examination or written notes will not be retained by the facility.
Pre-Examination Security Agreement I
agree that I will not knowingly divulge any informa-tion concerning the examination scheduled for to any unauthorized persons.
I understand that I am not to participate in any instruction involving those reactor operator or senior reactor operator applicants scheduled to be-administered the above examina-tion from now until after the examination has been administered.
I understand that violation of this security agreement could result in the examination being voided.
Signature/Date In addition, the facility staff reviewers will sign the 'following statement after the examination has been administered.
b.
Post-Examination Security Agreement I
did not, to the best of knowledge, divulge any information concerning the examinations administered during the week of to any unauthorized persons.
I did not parti-cipate in providing any instruction to those reactor operator and senior reactor operator applicants who were administered the exami-nation from the time that I was allowed access to the examination.
Signature/Date
EnclosUre 4
2 2.
Regardless of whether the above examination review option is exercised, immediately'following the administration of the written examination, the facility staff shall be provided a marked up copy of the examination and the answer key.
The 'copy of the written examination shall include pen and ink changes made to questions during the examination administration.
If the facility did not review the examination prior to its administra-tion, they will have five (5) working days from the day of the written examination to submit formal comments.
If the facility reviewed the examination prior to its administration, any additional comments must be given to an examiner prior to his/her leaving the site at the end of the week of the written examination administration.
In either case, the comments will be addressed to the responsible Regional Office by the highest on site level of corporate management for plant operations, e.g.,
Yice President for Nuclear Operations.
A copy of the submittal will be forwarded to the Chief Examiner, as appropriate.
Comments not submitted within the required time frame will be considered for inclusion in the grading process on a case-by-case basis by the Regional Office Section Chief.
Should the comment submittal deadline not be met, a long delay in grading the examination may occur.
3.
The following format should be adhered to for submittal of specific comments:
a.
Listing of NRC guestion, answer and reference b.
Facility comment/recommendation c.
Reference (to support facility comment)
NOTES:
1.
No change to the examination will be made without sobmittal of of a reference to support the facility comment.
Any supporting documentation that was not previously supplied, should be provided.
2.
Comments made without a concise facility recommendation will not be addressed.
I fw