ML18038C000
| ML18038C000 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Browns Ferry  |
| Issue date: | 11/26/1997 |
| From: | Reyes L NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | Zeringue O TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY |
| References | |
| 50-259-97-10, 50-260-97-10, 50-296-97-10, EA-97-475, NUDOCS 9712050195 | |
| Download: ML18038C000 (10) | |
See also: IR 05000259/1997010
Text
CATEGORY 2
REGULATORY INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
(RZDS)
ACCESSION NBR:9712050195
DOC.DATE: 97/11/26
NOTARIZED: NO
FACIL:50-259 Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1,
50-260
Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2,
50-296 Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station, Unit 3, Tennessee
AUTH.NAME
AUTHOR AFFILIATION
REYES,'L.A.
Region
2 (Post
820201)
RECIP.NAME
RECZPZENT, AFFILIATION
ZERINGUE,O.J.
Valley Authority
SUBJECT: Closes
apparent violation EEI 260,296/97-10,-04
re insp rept
50-259/97-1'0,50-260'/97-10
&: 50-296/97-10
on 971025.
DISTRIBUTION CODE:
ZE01D
COPIES
RECEIVED:LTR
ENCL
SIZE:
TITLE: General
(50 Dkt)-Insp Rept/Notice of Violation Response
NOTES:
DOCKET
05000259
05000260
05000296
G
RECIPIENT
ID CODE/NAME
PD2-3-PD
INTERNAL: ACRS
E
RCH/HHFB
.NRR/DRPM/PERB
OE DIR
RGN2
FILE
01
EXTERNAL: LXTCO BRYCE, J H
NRC
COPIES
LTTR ENCL
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
RECIPIENT
ZD CODE/NAME
DEAGAZIO,A
AEOD/SPD/RAB
DEDRO
NRR/DISP/PZPB
NRR/DRPM/PECB
NUDOCS-ABSTRACT
OGC/HDS3
NOAC
NUDOCS FULLTEXT
COPiES
LTTR ENCL
1
1
1
1
1
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0
D
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N
NOTE TO ALL "RIDS" RECIPIENTS:
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t
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ON EXTENSION 415-2083
TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES
REQUIRED:
LTTR
20
ENCL
e'
EA 97-475
November 26,
1997
Valley Authority
ATlN:
Hr . 0. J. Zeringue, Chief
Nuclear Officer and
Executive, Vice President
6A Lookout Place
1101 Market Street
Chattanooga,
37402-2801
SUBJECT:
EXERCISE
(NRC INSPECTION REPORT
NO. 50-259.
-260,
-296/97-10)
Dear Hr. Zeringue:
On October 25,
1997, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) completed
an
inspection at your Browns Ferry facility.
You were informed of the inspection
findings in an exit interview conducted
on October 28,
1997.
The results of
that inspection were documented. in NRC Inspection Report No. 50-259,
-260,
-296/97-10
issued
on November 24,
1997.
During the inspection,
the
NRC examined
Valley Authority's (TVA)
review of procedural
controls for containment isolation valve (CIV)
alignments.
On Hay 12,
1997,
TVA identified that plant operating procedures
permitted purging or inerting of the drywell and the suppression
chamber
simultaneously.
In this condition,
a single failure in the
common
power.
supply to the inboard CIVs in these lines, with both valves open,
could result
in a bypass
path such that steam
from a design basis loss of coolant accident
(LOCA) would not be directed under the suppression
chamber. water
surface.
For
this postulated
event,
containment
pressure
could exceed the design pressure
of 62 psig.
Based
on the information developed during the inspection,
the NRC,has
determined that
a violation of NRC requirements
occurred.
10 CFR 50, Appendix B, Criterion III, Design Control, requires that measures
shall
be
established
to assure that the design basis of safety-related
systems is
correctly translated into procedures.
In this case,
the requirements of
Appendix B, Criterion III, were not met due to your failure to place
procedural
restrictions
on the operation of two primary CIVs associated
with
the containment
purge path to ensure that the pressure
suppression
function of
the containment
was not degraded.
A violation involving a safety-related
system which is unable to perform its intended safety function under certain
conditions is generally characterized
as
a Severity Level III violation in
accordance
with the "General
Statement of Policy and Procedures
for
Enforcement Actions" (Enforcement Policy),
However,
as provided
in Section VII.B.3 of the Enforcement Policy, the
NRC may refrain from issuing
l
O
a Notice of Violation (Notice)
and proposing
a civil penalty for
a Severity
Level III violation which involves old design issues.
97i2050i95 97ii26
ADQCK 05000259
8
II!IIII!Illlllllllllllllill/lilllillllll
CC(
After review of this violation and consultation with the Director, Office of
Enforcement,
the
NRC has concluded that while a violation did occur,
enforcement discretion is warranted
and issuance of a Notice is not
appropriate
in this case.
The specific bases for the decision to exercise
(1) TVA identified the deficiency through
a
questioning attitude after review of operating experience
data
from another
facility;
(2) actions were promptly initiated to prevent the valves from
being simultaneously
opened,.
and operating instructions
and plant procedures
. were subsequently
formally revised to prohibit simultaneous
purging or
venting;
(3) the issue
was not likely to be identified by routine surveillance
or quality assurance
reviews;
(4) the valve configuration issue is considered
an old design issue in that, although the operation of the purge valves,
including stroke time issues
and positions at power,
have been reviewed
extensively in the past by the
NRC and the licensee,
the potential
bypass
path'ad
not been recognized
since initial licensing
and there
had been
no prior
notice so that TVA could have reasonably identified the violation earlier;
and,
(5) the issue
was reported to the
NRC in Licensee
Event Report
(LER) 50-
259/97-003 which was submitted
on September
9,
1997.
This letter closes
apparent violation EEI 260,296/97-10-04,
and no formal
response to the apparent violation is required.
NRC's final evaluation of
your corrective actions will be addressed
during the review and closeout of
LER 50-259/97-003.
In accordance
with 10
CFR 2.790 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice,"
a copy of
this letter will be placed in the
NRC Public Document
Room.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Luis A. Reyes
Docket Nos. 50-259,
50-260,
50-296
License
Nos.
Luis A. Reyes
Regional Administrator
CC:
Senior Vice President
Nuclear Operations
Valley Authority
6A Lookout Place
1101 Harket Street
Chattanooga,
TN
37402-2801
cc cont'd:
See
page
3
lf
0
3
cc cont'd:
Jack A. Bailey, Vice President
Engineering
8 Technical
Services
Valley Authority
6A Lookout Place
1101,Market Street
Chattanooga,
TN
37402-2801
C.
H. Crane
Site,Vice President
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
Valley Authority
P. 0.
Box 2000
Decatur,
35602
General
Counsel
Valley Authority
ET 10H
400 West Summit Hill Drive
Knoxville. TN
37902
Raul
R. Baron,
General
Manager
Nuclear Assurance
Valley Authority
4J Blue Ridge
1101 Harket Street
Chattanooga,
TN 37402-2801
Karl
W. Singer,
Plant Manager
Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
Valley Authority
P. 0.
Box 2000
Decatur,
35609
Mark J. Burzynski,
Manager
Nuclear Licensing
Valley Authority
4J Blue Ridge
1101 Harket Street
Chattanooga
TN
37402-2801
Hr. Timothy E. Abney,
Manager
Licensing and Industry Affairs
Browns, Ferry Nuclear Plant
Valley Authority
P. 0.
Box 2000
Decatur,
35609
Chairman
Limestone County Commission
310 West Washington Street
Athens,
35611
State Health Officer
Alabama 'Department of Public Health
434 Monroe Street
Montgomery,
36130-1701
0
Distribution:
JLieberman,
OE:EA File,(BSummers)(2)
JJohnson,
RII
MLesser, RII
RHernan,
FHebdon,
SSparks,
RII
HWhitener, RII
CSmith, RII:
ETesta,
RII
DThompson, RII
JMoorman, RII
ABoland, RII
PUBLIC
NRC Senior. Resident
Inspector
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
10833
Shaw Road
Athens,
35611
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DOCUMENT NAME:
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