ML18081A878
| ML18081A878 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 12/21/1979 |
| From: | Grier B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Schneider F Public Service Enterprise Group |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8001110205 | |
| Download: ML18081A878 (3) | |
Text
-~* -.
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I 631 PARK AVENUE KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19406.
Docket No. 50-272 DEC 2 11979 Public Service Electric and Gas Company ATTN:
Mr. F. W. Schneider Vice President - Production 80 Park Place Newark, New Jersey 07101 Gentlemen:
This Information Notice is provided as an early notification of a possibly significant matter.
It is expected that recipients will review the information for possible applicability to their facilities.
No specific action or response is requested at this time.
However we anticipate that further NRC evaluations will result in issuance of an IE Circular or Bulletin in the near future which wi 11 recommend or request specific applicant or 1 i censee action. If you have questions regarding this matter, please contact this office;
Enclosures:
Sincerely~
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- 1.
IE Information Notice No. 79-33
- 2.
List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices CONTACT:
D. L. Caphton (215-337-5264) 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
ENCLOSURE 1 UNITED STATES SSINS No.: 6870 Accession No.:
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 7Cf 10 :i.~o 520 IE Information Notice No. 79-33 Date:
December 21, 1979 Page 1 of 1 IMPROPER CLOSURE OF PRIMARY CONTAINMENT EQUIPMENT ACCESS HATCHES Description of Circumstances:
. On December 8, 1979 difficulty was experienced in establishing the required nitrogen pressure in primary containment during power range startup testing of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 3, following a refueling outage.
On December 9, 1979, the licensee found three loose bolts on an equipment hatch to be the cause of leakage from the primary containment.
The leakage was calculated to have been ten times the allowable containment leakage rate.
This hatch had previously passed a local leak rate test (LLRT) and an integrated leak rate test of the containment in November 1979.
The* reactor had returned to operation on December 6, 1979 from the refueling outage and had operated at power levels less than 25 percent since December 6, 1979.
A subsequent inspection by the licensee of both primary containment equipment access hatches for Unit 2 was performed.
TVA reported on December 20, 1979, to the NRC that they had found six of twelve closing dogs on one hatch improperly aligned and one closing bolt not torqued.
A LLRT, performed with the hatch in this condition, showed a leakage rate higher than normal but within Technical Specification limits.
The second hatch on this unit was found to have eight of twelve clOsing dogs improperly aligned.
The licensee is in the process of inspecting the closure of both primary contain-ment equipment access hatches on Unit 1 and is reinspecting these hatches on Unit 3.
It is anticipated that further NRC evaluation will result in issuance of an IE Circular or Bulletin in the near future which will recommend or request specific applicant or licensee actions.
This information is provided to inform licensees of a possibly significant matter.
The improper closure of the primary containment access hatches re.sulted from a lack of procedures for torque values, sequence of torque, and alignment of the closing dogs.
We expect that recipients will review the adequacy of their pro-cedures for access hatch installation at all facilities.
If installation pro-cedures do not exist or are inadequate, inspection and local leak rate testing can be used to confirm containment penetration integrity.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the Director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office.
No written response to this Information Notice is required~
ENCLOSURE 2 IE Information Notice No. 79-33 Date:
December 21, 1979 Page 1 of 1 RECENTLY ISSUED IE INFORMATION NOTICES..
Information
. Subject Notice No.
79-24 Overpressurization of Con~
tainment of a PWR Plant After a Main Steam Line Break 79-25 Reactor Trips at Turkey Point Unit 3 and 4 79-26 Breach of Containment Integrity 79-12A Attempted Damage to New Fuel Assemblies 79-27 Steam Generator Tube Ruptures at Two PWR Facilities Date Issued to Issued 10/1/79 All Power Reactor Faci-lities with an Operating License (OL) or Construction Permit (CP) 10/1/79 All Power Reactor Faci-lities with an OL or CP 11/5/79 All Power Reactor Facil-ities with an OL or CP 11/9/79 All Fuel Facilities, Research Reactors and Power Reactors with an OL or CP 11/16/79 All Power Reactor Faci-lities with an OL or CP 79-28 Overloading of Structural 11/16/79 All Power Reactor Faci-lities with an OL or CP 79-29 79-30 79-31 79-32 Elements Due to Pipe Support Loads Loss of Nonsafety Related 11/19/79 All Power Reactor Faci-lities with an OL or CP Reactor Coolant System In-strumentation During Operation Reporting of Defects and 12/6/79 All Power Reactor Faci-lities with an OL Noncompliances, 10 CFR Part 21 Use of Incorrect Amplified Response Spectra (ARS)
Separation of Electrical Cables for HPCI and ADS or CP 12/13/79 All Power Reactor Faci-1 ities with an OL or CP 12/21/79 All Power Reactor Faci-lities with an OL or CP