ML18082A448
| ML18082A448 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 05/06/1980 |
| From: | Grier B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Schneider F Public Service Enterprise Group |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8005230094 | |
| Download: ML18082A448 (4) | |
Text
UNITED STATES
- NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I 631 PARK AVENUE KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19406 Docket No. 50-272 50-311 Public Service Electric and Gas Company ATIN:
Mr. F. W. Schneider Vice President - Production 80 Park Place Newark, New Jersey 07101 Gentlemen:
May 6, 1980 The enclosed IE Bulletin.No. 80-10, "Contamination of Nonradioactive System*
and Resulting Potential for Unmonitored, Uncontrolled Release to Environment,'1 is forwarded to you for action.
A written response is required.
If you desire additional information regarding this matter, please contact this office.
Enclosures:
- 1.
- 2.
List of Recently Issued IE Bulletins CONTACT:
J. Kinneman (215-337-5221) cc w/encls:
F. P. Librizzi, General Manager - Electric Production E. N. Schwa 1 j e, Manager - Quality Assurance R. L. Mittl, General Manager - Licensing and Environment H. J,7*M'idura, Manager - Salem,-;Generating Station
- -...;J*
ENCLOSURE I UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 SSINS No.: 6820 Accessions No.:
8002280677 IE Bulletin No. 80*10 Date:
May 6, 1980 Page 1 of 2 CONTAMINATION OF NONRADIOACTIVE SYSTEM AND RESULTING POTENTIAL FOR UNMONITORED, UNCONTROLLED RELEASE OF RADIOACTIVITY TO ENVIRONMENT Description of Circumstance At t~ Brunswick Nuclear Facility, the auxiliary boiler was operated for an extended period of tim~2 with radioactively contaminated water in the boiler at levels up to 2 x 10 micro curies per milliliter. A tube leak in the firebox of the oil fired auxiliary boiler resulted in an unmonitored, uncon-trolled release of radioactivity to the environment.
The initial contaminating event was caused by the use of a temporary heating hose from the auxiliary boiler to a radioactive waste evaporator concentrate tank.
Upon cooling and condensation of the steam in the temporary hose, contam-inated water siphoned from the concentrate tank back to the auxiliary boiler.
Due to additional, continuing leaks in the heat exchanger of the waste evaporator (to whkh the auxiliary boiler also provides process steam), the licensee 1s efforts to decontaminate the auxiliary boiler feedwater had been ineffective.
Maintenance of proper boiler chemistry was difficult because blowdown options were severely restricted due to the contamination.
As a result, a boiler tube failure caused on the order of.100 millicuries of radioactive.material to be released off-site via the auxiliary boiler fire box and smokestack in the form of steam.
This resulted in increased environmental levels of cesium and activa-tion products being detected as far as eight miles downwind from the site boundary.
Action to be Taken by Licensee with an Operating License
- 1.
- 2.
Review your facility design and operation to identify systems that are considered as nonradioactive (or described as nonradioactive in the FSAR), but could possibly become radioactive through interfaces with radioactive systems, i.e., a nonradioactive system that could become cpntarninated due to leakage, va*lving errors or other operating conditions Wn radioactive systems. *,-In particular, special co.nsideration should be given to the fo 11 owing systems:
auxi 1 i ary boil er system, demi nera l i zed water system, isolation condenser system, PWR secondary water clean-up system, in$trument air system, and the sanitary waste system.
Establish a routine sampling/analysis or monitoring program for these systems in order to promptly identify any contaminating events which could lead to *unmonitored, uncontrolled liquid or gaseous releases to the environment, including releases to on-site leaching fields or retention ponds.
i...... __..
Enclosure I IE Bulletin No.
80~10 Date:
May 6, 1980 Page 2 of 2
- 3.
If these nonradioactive systems are or become contaminated, further use of the system shall be restricted until the cause of the contamination is identified and corrected and the system has been decontaminated.
Decon-tamination should be performed as soon as possible.
However, if it is considered necessary to continue operation of the system as contaminated, an immediate safety evaluation of the operation of the system as a radio-active system must be performed in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 50.59. The 10 CFR 50.. 59 safety evaluation must consider the level of contamination (i.e., concentration and total curie inventory) and any potential releases (either routine or accident) of radioactivity to the environment.
The relationship of such releases to the radioactive effluent limits of 10 CFR 20 and the facility's Technical Specification and to the environmental radiation dose limits of 40 CFR 190 must also be evaluated.
The record of the safety evaluation must set forth the basis and criteria on which the determination was made.
- 4.
If it is determined in the 10 CFR 50.59 safety evaluation that operation of the system as a radioactive system is acceptable (i.e., does not involve an unreviewed safety question or a change to the Technical
- Specifications), provisions must be made to comply with the requirements of 10 CFR 20.201, General Design Criterion 64 to 10 CFR 50, Appendix I to 10 CFR 50 and the facility's Technical Specifications.
In specific, any potential release points must be monitored and all releases must be con-trolled and maintained to 11As Low As is Reasonably Achievable 11 levels as addressed in Appendix I to 10 CFR 50 and within the corresponding environ-mental dose limits of 40 CFR 190.
However, if in the 10 CFR 50.59 determination it is determined that operation of the system as a radio-active system does constitute an unreviewed safety question or does require a change to the Technical Specifications, the system shall not be operated as contaminated without prior Commission approval.
Actions taken in response to Items 1 and 2 above shall be completed within 45 days from the date of this Bulletin.
A verification letter shall be submitted within an additional 15 days to the Director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office.
This letter shall document the completion of the required actions but need not delineate the specific actions taken.
The specifics shall be docu-mented and made available to the NRC for review during future onsite inspection efforts.
For facilities with a construction permit, no action is required.
The Bulletin is prov*ided for information. *,Jhe subject of the Bulletin and the action
- ~required of operating plants should prove useful in the planning of systems designs and future operations.
Approved by GAO, 8180225 (R0072); clearance expires 7-31-80.
Approval was given under a blanket clearance specifically for identified generic problems.
Bulletin No.
80-03 80-04 79-0lB 80-05 80-06 79-03A 80-07 t~
80-08 80-09 ENCLOSURE 2 RECENTLY ISSUED IE BULLETINS Subject Date Issued Loss of Charcoal From 2/6/80 Standard Type II, 2 Inch, Tray Adsorber Cells Analysis of a PWR Main 2/8/80 Steam Line Break with Continued Feedwater Ad-dition Environmental Quali-2/29/80 fication of Class IE Equipment Vacuum Conditions 3/10/80 Resulting in Damage to Chemical Volume Control System (CVCS) Holdup Tanks Engineered Safety 3/13/80 Feature (ESF) Reset Controls Longitudinal Weld 4/4/80 Defects in ASME SA-312, Type 304 Stainless Steel Pipe BWR Jet Pump Assembly 4/4/80 Failure I.. ~
Examination of Con-tainment Liner Penetration Welds Hydromotor Actuator Defi ci enci es 4/7/80 4/17/80 IE Bulletin No. 80-10 Da*te: May 6, 1980 Page 1 of 1 Issued To All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Power Reactors wi th an 0 L except
- SEP Plants All PWR Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Power Reactor facilities with an OL (For Action)
All Power Reactor Facilities with a CP (For Information)
All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP BWR 3 & 4's with OL (For Action)
BWR 1 s with CP (For Information)
All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP All Power Reactor Facilities with an OL or CP