ML18079B020
| ML18079B020 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 09/13/1979 |
| From: | Grier B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Schneider F Public Service Enterprise Group |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7910020549 | |
| Download: ML18079B020 (8) | |
Text
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Docket No.
50.-~
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UNITED STATES NUC~AR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I 631 PARK AVENUE KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19406 SEP j 3 1979 Public Service Electric and Gas Company ATTN:
Mr. F. W. Schneider Vice President - Production 80 Park Place Newark, New Jersey 07101 Gentlemen:
The enclosed IE Circular No. 79-19, is forwarded to you for information.
No written response is required.
Should you have any questions related to your understanding of this matter, please contact this office.
Sincerely,
~YP.~~
, ~~~e H. Grier Q'.!:-- Di rector
Enclosures:
- 1.
IE Circular No. 79-19
- 2.
List of IE Circulars Issued in the Last Six Months cc w/encls:
F. P. Librizzi, General Manager - Electric Production E. N. Schwalje, Manager - Quality Assurance R. L. Mittl, General Manager - Licensing and Environment H. J. Midura, Manager - Salem Generating Station
r-ENCLOSURE 1 SSINS:
6830 Accession No: 7908220111 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D. C.
20555 LOOSE LOCKING DEVICES ON INGERSOLL-RAND PUMP IMPELLERS Description of Circumstances:
IE Circular No. 79-19 Date:
September 13, 1979 Page 1 of 2 Three reports *have been submitted to the NRC regarding the loosening of locking devices on the impellers of pumps manufactured by the Ingersoll-Rand Company.
The first report was submitted as a significant deficiency (10 CFR 50.55[e])
by Arkansas Power and Light Company in letters of March 17, 1978 and May 9, 1978.
The licensee reported excessive noise and vibrations in both Low Pressure Safety Injection (LPSI) pumps during the preoperational test program on Unit 2 of Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO).
It was discovered that the washers, jam nut and cap nut used to retain the impellers were missing on both pumps (Ingersoll-Rand Type 8X20WD).
The licensee's corrective action involved the installation of a tab washer.
This corrective action was also taken on the containment spray pumps (Ingersoll-Rand Type 6X23WD) because of similarity of design.
The second report was submitted by Duke Power Company in a licensee event report (LER 50-287/78-23) dated January 24, 1979.
The symptoms were similar to those observed at ANO Unit 2 in that high vibration was detected in a reactor* building spray pump (Ingersoll-Rand Type 4X11A) for Oconee Unit No. 3.
The licensee found that the impeller had worked loose.
The corrective action included a revision to the mainteinance procedure to specify torque requirements.
The third report was 10 CFR 21 Report No. 79-01 submitted by Portland General Electric Co. on April 16, 1979.
This report identified a deficiency that may exist in the Trojan Nuclear Plant containment spray pumps (Ingersoll-Rand Type 6X23WD) in that there is a potential for the impeller lock nut to loosen.
The potential deficiency was identified because of the similarity of the containment spray pumps design to the residual heat removal (RHR) pumps (Ingersoll-Rand Type 8X20WD) and the discovery of a loose lock nut on an RHR pump during pump maintenance. The corrective action was to provide a positive mechanical lock on the impeller nut.
Westinghouse Nuclear Service Division has issued a Technical Bulletin to Westinghouse plant owners on loose lock nuts on Ingersoll-Rand Types W, WO, and WDF pumps.
Excerpts from that Technical Bulletin are in Attachment No. 1.
Combustion Engineering, Inc. has also informed the NRC of their actions relative to the same problem in a letter dated March 13, 1978; excerpts from this letter are in Attachment No. 2.
e IE Circular No. 79-19 Date:
September 13, 1979 Page 2 of 2 Recommended Action for Licensee's Consideration All holders of operating licenses and construction permits should be aware of the potential deficiency described above.
It is recommended that the licensees review the pumps used or planned for use in safety related systems at their facilities to determine if Ingersoll-Rand Types A, W, WO, WDF are installed.
If these pumps or units with similar impeller locking systems are used; the licensees should determine that the impellers are presently locked in an acceptable manner and that maintenance and installation instructions provide adequate guidance to ensure that pump impellers ar~ securely locked in place.
No written response to this Circular is required.
If you need additional information regarding this subject, please contact the Director of the appro-priate NRC Regional Office.
Attachment No. 1:
Attachment No. 2:
Excerpt from Westinghouse NSD Technical Bulletin No.
NSD-TB-78-3 Excerpt from Combustion Engineering Inc.
Letter to Nuclear Regulatory Commission, March 13, 1978
Attachment No. 1 EXCERPT FROM WESTINGHOUSE NUCLEAR SERVICE DIVISION TECHNICAL BULLETIN No. NSO-TB-78-3 April.21, 1978 Several plants under construction have experienc~d a loosening of the impeller lock nut on the Ingersoll Rand RHR Pumps.
The problem has occurred during the initial startup of the pump or during flushing operations; The possible causes for thi$ lock nut becoming lriose could include:
running the pumps in reverse rotation, improper torquing of the lock nut, or the effects of foreign materials in the pumped fluids which could cause binding of the impeller.
Westinghouse, in conjunction with the supplier, has developed retrofit kits.
These kits may be provided as an alternate method to further assure a more positive locking mechanism than that originally furnished with the pump.
Quantity & Model 8 X 20 W Quantity & Model 8 X 20 WO Quantity & Model 8 X 20 WOF (2) PNJ, PGE, PEG, AMP.
(2) TVA, TEN, VGB, VRA, OAP, OBP, APR.
(2) WAT, WBT, CGE, CQL, CRL, CSL, CTL, NEU, OMW, TBX, TCX, CAE, CBE, CCE, COE, OCP, DDP, ~AH, NCH, LLP, LMP, GAE, GBE, PBJ, PCJ.
Attachment No. 2 Excerpts from Combustion Engineering Inc.
Letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Dr. Ernest Volgenau, Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington,
- 0. C.
20555
Dear Dr. Volgenau:
March 13, 1978 LD-78-019 This is to confirm my telephone conversation with Mr. Davis of your office on March 10, 1978.
On February 17, 1978 Arkansas Power and Light reported to Mr. Jim Gagliardo, NRC Region IV, the successive failures of the two.Low Pressure Safety Injection Pumps' impeller retaining parts at the initiation of shutdown cooling during Pre-Operational testing at AN0-2.
That report was made pursuant to the provi-sions of 10 CFR 50.55(e).
Since that time, Combustion Engineering has investigated whether similarly designed pumps (Ingersoll-Rand WO & WDF models) have been supplied by C-E to other nuclear facilities.
We have determined that four other Combustion Engineering supplied Nuclear Steam Supply Systems have this type of impeller locking system on their Ingersoll-Rand pumps and may be susceptable to this type of failure. They are Northeast Utilities* Millstone Unit II, Louisiana Power and Light's Waterford Unit 3 and Southern California Edison's San Onofre Units 2 and 3.
/
Dr. Ernst Volgenau Millstone Unit II is currently shutdown for refueling and maintenance; the earliest initial operation of either Waterford Unit 3 or San Onofre Units 2 and 3 pumps is expected in late 1979.
In our opinion no condition currently exists which adversely affects the health and safety of the public.
Arkansas Power and Light has committed to provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission a detailed report of the pump failures and their intended corrective action. Combustion Engineering, in conjunction with Ingersoll-Rand, is suppor-ting that effort.
Ingersoll-Rand has modification kits available which provide a more positive locking design.
Combustion Engineering is recommending prompt installation of these modification kits on AN0-2 and Millstone II.
We are recommending to Louisiana Power and Light and Southern California Edison that the modification kits be installed prior to initial operation of their pumps.
Very truly yours, COMBUSTION ENGINEERING, INC.
'i.
Circular No.
79-04.
79-05 79-06 79-07 79-08 79-09 ENCLOSURE 2 LISTING OF IE CIRCULARS ISSUED IN LAST SIX MONTHS Subject First Date of Issue Loose locking Nut on 3/16/79 Limitorque Valve Operators Moisture Leakage in 3/20/79 Stranded Wire Conductors Failure to Use Syringe 4/19/79 and Bottle Shields in Nuclear Medicine Unexpected Speed 5/2/79 Increase of Reactor Recirculation MG Set Resulted in Reactor Power Increase Attempted Extortion-5/18/79 Low Enriched Uranium Occurrences of Split 6/22/79 or Punctured Regulator Diaphragms in Certain Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus IE Circular No. 79-19 Date:
September 13, 1979 Page 1 of 2 Issued To All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Holders of Medical Licenses Except Teletherapy Licenses All BWR Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Fuel Facilities and Licensed Reactors All Materials Priority I, Fuel Cycle and Operating Reactor Licensees Circular No.
79-10 79-11 79-12 79-13 79-14 79-15 79-16 79-17 79-18 2
LISTING OF IE CIRCULARS ISSUED IN LAST SIX MONTHS Subject First Date of Issue Pipefittings Manu-.
6/26/79 f actured from Unacceptable Material Design/Construction 6/27/79 Interface Problem Potential Diesel 6/28/79 Generator Turbo-charger Problem Replacement of Diesel 7/16/79 Fire Pump Starting Contactors Unauthorized Procure-7/16/79 ment and Distribution of Xenon-133 Bursting of High Pres-8/8/79 sure Hose and Malfunc-tion of Relief Valve 110 11 Ring in Certain Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Excessive Radiation 8/16/79 Exposures to Members Of The General Public And A Radiographer Contact Problem in 8/14/79 SB-12 Switches on General Electric Metalclad Circuit Breakers Proper Installation of 9/10/79 Target Rock Safety-Re lief Valves e
IE Circular No. 79-19 Date:
September 13, 1979 Page 2 of 2 Issued to All Power Reactor
~acilities with an OL or CP All Applicants for, and Holders of CPs All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Medical Licensees except Teletherapy Medi-cal Licensees, and all Licensed Radiopharma-ceutical Suppliers All Materials Priority I, Fuel Cycle and Opera-ting Power Reactor Licensees A 11 Radiography Licensees All Power Reactor Licensees with an OL or CP All Power Reactor Licensees with an OL of CP