ML17340A766
| ML17340A766 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Turkey Point  |
| Issue date: | 01/29/1981 |
| From: | Dircks W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Fascell D HOUSE OF REP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML17340A767 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8102280214 | |
| Download: ML17340A766 (12) | |
Text
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5o~0 UNITED STATES NU EAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 The Honorable Dante B. Fascell United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Fascell:
I am pleased to respond to your letter of December 5, 1980 to Mr.
C.
C.
Kammerer, Director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Congressional Affairs, which addresses the points raised by your constituent, Mr. Warren Hoskins, President, Conchshell Alliance in his letter to you dated December 2, 1980.
That letter expressed the group's concern about the NRC's handling of an event that occurred on November 19, 1980 at Unit 3 of the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Station located in Dade County, Florida.
The following information separately addresses each of Mr. Hoskins'ain points.
1.
Mr. Hoskins'omment:
"Specifically, the NRC was required to have the plant shutdown and investigated but those requirements have been ignored."
As described
- herein, Unit 3 did shutdown as a result of the events on November 19, 1980, in accordance with existing NRC requirements.
One of the NRC resident inspectors
.was present in-the control room during these events and verified that the facility responded as designed.
- However, these events were not of sufficient significance to require Unit 3 to remain shutdown unti 1 NRC authorized continued operation.
It is possible that this comment of Mr. Hoskins'efers to NRC actions related to steam generator tube leaks which occurred prior to November 19, 1980.
These actions are addressed in more detail in Enclosure 1 to this letter.
2.
Mr..Hoskins'omment:
"Beginning Wednesday, November
- 19th, a series of events at Tur key Point Unit No.
3 caused the shutdown of that unit two times.
During the initial accident, an earthquake-like shudder shook the control
- room, and a pipe r'uptured pouring 20,000 gallons of steam and hot water onto the turbine deck.
After repairs, Unit 3 was re-started but shut down again because of leaks inside the steam generator...."
On November 19,
- 1980, automatic reactor shutdowns occurred twice at Turkey Point Unit 3 as a result of separate problems in the secondary coolant system.
The secondary system contains water and steam that circul.ates through the steam generators and turbine but.not through the reactor.
1
The Honorable Dante B. Fascell
- 2 The first problem was caused by a malfunctioning feedwater control valve.
(Feedwater is condensed water from the turbine that is pumped back to the steam generators.)
The malfunction resulted in an inadequate supply of water to the steam generators which in turn led to an automatic reactor shutdown due to low steam generator water level.
This malfunction is not a significant safety problem because there are various other.feedwater supply systems, both normal and backup, which can each supply sufficient water for the shutdown condition.
As the reactor was being returned to power following the first shutdown, a
small (2-inch) fill and chemical recirculation line leading to the steam generators broke at a weld.
The break resulted in a loss of several hundred gallons of water per minute for approximately 30 minutes.
Following the pipe
- break, the plant operators began to shut the reactor down, but again the reactor shut itself down automatically due to a low steam generator level.
This second event is also not a significant safety problem since the various feedwater supply systems are more than adequate to make up for the water that was being lost, as well as to supply the normal feedwater needs following shutdown.
The amount of radioactivity that can be released to the outside from the secondary system is limited to safe levels by operational limits on the concentration of radioactivity in the secondary water.
There is also a
limit on the primary system (contains water flowing through the reactor core) leakage to the secondary system.
In short, the reactor is required to be shut down before the secondary water activity reaches a level such that a secondary break would endanger the health of the public.
Additional details are provided in the NRC Resident Inspector's report for November 1980.
Pertinent excerpts from that report are contained in Enclosure 2.
Preliminary Notification PNO-II-80-161 dated November 19, 1980 issued by the NRC Region II Office regarding -these events is contained in Enclosure 3 ~
3.
Mr. Hoskins'omment:
"... It has been reported that now, radioactive leaks have occurred and the unit has again been shutdown for repair...."
On November 4,
- 1980, secondary water system samples were analyzed that indicated a leak from the primary to secondary side of the steam generators of 0.4 gallons per hour.
This is less than 3% of the allowable leak rate.
This was identified in PNO-II-80-159 dated November 5,
1980 (Enclosure 4). Chemistry samples analyzed on November 24, 1980 after the November 19 event indicated
'that the leak rate had increased to 11.0 gallons per hour,.
This was documented in PNO-II-80-166 on November 26, 1980 (Enclosure 5).
The licensee shut down the reactor on November 26, 1980 for steam generator inspection and repairs.
It should be noted, however, that this steam generator leak was below the allowable limit of 18 gallons per hour established by the NRC license for the operation of the facility.
Two steam generator tube leaks were identified and
.repaired before operations were resumed on December 5, 1980.
No further indications of steam generator tube leaks have occurred since that date.
4i JL
The Honorable Dante B. Fascell 4.
t1r. Hoskins'omment:
"We call for a Con ressional investi ation into the extensions ranted b
the N. R. C. to Florida Power and Li ht to continue the o eration at the lant even after i
e corrosion and other defects were discovered.
Text was underlined in letter from constituent.)
As previously discussed, the pipe that experienced the weld failure was not a part of any system considered to be important to plant or public safety.
Corrosion has not been established as the cause of the.failure of this 2-inch diameter steam generator fill and chemical recirculation line.
The failure occurred at a weld joint and initial inspection results indicate the cause was a poor weld.
After the November 19 event, this 2-inch line and similar ones were determined to be unnecessary.
They were removed and their connections to the secondary system were capped off.
Me believe the enclosed information is responsive to Mr; Hoskins'oncerns in this matter.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
~>gq'ge11tIl William J.
Dircks Execu ive Director for Operations SEE PREVIOUS YELLOW FOR CONCURRENCE
Enclosures:
1.
NRC Actions Prior to November 19, 1980 2.
Excerpts from Inspection Report 50-250/80-35 and 50-251/80-34 3.
Preliminary Notification Number PNO-II-80-161 4.
Preliminary Notification Number PNO-II-80-159 5.
Preliminary Notification Number PNO-II-166 Distribution:
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Enclosure 1
NRC Actions.Prior to November 19, 1980 Turkey Point Unit 3 has had problems with steam generator leakage which extend back to the mid-1970s.
As a result, NRC has imposed special requirements to ensure that the plant would not operate with any significant reduction of the integrity of the primary system.
These requirements include Amendment No.
52 to the Unit 3 Operating License'ssued on January 25, 1980.
Under the terms of the amendment Unit 3 was to have shutdown on July 31, 1980, to perform a
steam generator inspection:
By letter, dated June 30, 1980, the Florida Power and Light Company (FP8 L) requested permission to delay the next steam gener-ator inspection until October 6, 1980.
The NRC evaluated the conditions of the steam generators at Turkey Point and concluded that continued. operation of Unit 3 was safe beyond July 31, 1981.
Amendment No. 59.to the Operating License No.
DPR-31 for Turkey Point Unit 3 was issued on July.Ml, 1980.
This amendment permitted continued operation of the unit for eight 'Shd one-half equivalent months of operation starting from January 24, 1980, at which time the steam generators were to be inspected.
On July 30, 1980, a petition was filed with the NRC, under the provisions of 10 CFR 2.206, on behalf of petitioners who are residents and home owners in South Florida requesting that the Commission. issue an order to show cause why Turkey Point should not be shutdown by July 31, 1980 to perform a steam gener-ator i nspection and repair.
An NRC letter denying the request for an order was forwarded to the petitioners on September 18, 1980.
The denial was based, in pari, on the fact that no steam generator leaks had occurred during the period from January 24, 1980 to June 30, 1980.
Subsequently, Tur key Point Unit 3 was shutdown for scheduled steam generator inspections on October 6,
1980.
Item E.4 of Amendment No.
59 required that" Florida Power and Light (FPKL) obtain approval from the NRC.before resuming power operation following this inspection.
This approval was obtained from the NRC on October 30,
- 1980, as Amendment No.
60 to Turkey Point Unit 3 Operating License.
Reinspection of the steam generators is.required after six equivalent months of operation starting from October 24, 1980.
These amendments to the Turkey Point Operating
- License, and supporting information, are available in the local public document room, located at Florida, International University, Miami.
0 0
ENCLOSURE 2 EXCERPTS FR% IE INSPECTION REPORT 50-250/80-36 and 50-251 80-34 Goring the routine plant operations inspection conducted on November 'l9, 1980, th resident inspector
@as present in the control room vhen Unit 3 experienced a
feedvater control problem.
The transient resulted in a reactor trip due to lcm sL.earn generator (SIG) "A" level, coincident with a steam flo/feed Qov mlsaatch and the shearing of a 2" non-safety-related tertiary S/G filIand cheaical recirculation line.
Tne lin'e broke at the veld vhich connected it to the S/G "3" bypass feed line.
Ko feedvater floving from the hreak resulted, in the loss of several hundred gallons per minute for approxinu~tely 30 ainutes.
Xicenaee personnel, using air eductors and eater hoses cleared the area of steam vapor, pinpoiiited the leak, and manually isolated the leak.
The auxiliar7 feedvater
.system functioned normally and maintained S/G levels without difficulty. Allsafety systems functioned norIaally follm~g the trip.
ENCLOSURE A'he inspector attended licensee sanagesent
<<eetings vhich discussed their recovery plans.
Action iteas conducted during this period, included:.
disassanbly and repair of the "B" bypass feed regulatinsr valve calibration of all feed regulating bypass valves Plant Change memorandum l,'PCH) issued to re<<ove and'ap weld the other 2"
,fillaad chemical recirculating lines connected to the bypass feed~~ m iisua'1 inspections of all condensate and feedMater systems inside and outsid'e containment.
The inspector observed the reactor startup fo3.lowing 'the repairs conducted by the licensee.
The startup to 25~> reactor purer was normoal at which time prob1eas were noted with the "A" main feed regulating valve.
The unit's turbine generator was taken off line and the reactor
@as maintained critical vhile the valve vas inspected..
The inspection revealed that the va1ve plug had broken of the stem.
The valve was repaired and tasted, then the. unit was returned to service.
The inspector will evaluate the LEE to be snhai.tted by the licensee related to this occurrence.
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