ML18100A848

Responds to Util Requesting NRC to Exercise Its Discretion by Permitting One Time 72 H Extension of Allowed Outage Time for Inoperable Turbine Driven AFW Pump.Concludes That Requested Action Involved No Significant Safety Impact

ML18100A848
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	01/26/1994
From:	Cooper R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:	Miltenberger S Public Service Enterprise Group
References
94-I-003, 94-I-3, NUDOCS 9402030097
Download: ML18100A848 (4)

Text

Docket No. 50-272 NOED No. 94-I-003 Mr. Steven E. Miltenberger JAN 2 6 '994 Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Public Service Electric and Gas Company P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038

SUBJECT:

NOTICE OF ENFORCEMENT DISCRETION FOR SALEM GENERATING STATION UNIT 1 In a letter dated January 21, 1994, you requested the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to exercise its discretion by permitting a one time, 72 hour8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br /> extension of the allowed outage time for an inoperable turbine driven Auxiliary Feed Water (AFW) pump. On January 17, 1994, upon entry into Mode 3 to progress with unit start-up activities, you entered a 72 hour8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br /> action statement to allow testing of the AFW pump at 750 psig. When the pump was taken out of recirculation mode to start feeding the steam generators, flow oscillation was noted. To resolve the problem, your staff determined that troubleshooting efforts must be accomplished by remaining in Mode 3 to allow testing of the AFW pump with sufficient steam pressure (i.e.,

> 750 psig) to ascertain the best configuration for pump operation. Accordingly, your staff judged that the troubleshooting efforts would require more time than was allowed by the time remaining in the action statement, which was due to*expire at 0310 on January 20, 1994.

Based on our understanding of the conditions of your request, the safety significance, and the compensatory actions; and your plan for resolution of the AFW pump oscillation problem, we provided verbal approval to extend the action time for an additional 72 hours8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br />, from January 20 to January 23 at 0310, in a telephone discussion between Mr. Hagan of your staff and Mr.

Wayne Lanning of this office on January 19, 1994.

Subsequently, you initiated your troubleshooting plan, and were able to effect satisfactory resolution of the oscillation problem sufficient to exit the action statement at 2228 on January 20, 1994.

We have subsequently reviewed your documented justification for the extension and have concluded that the requested action involved no significant safety impact. Accordingly, we are satisfied that the exercise of enforcement discretion was warranted from a public health and safety perspective. The action permitted continued testing and operational verification of the AFW pump under conditions that more closely approximated the actual operating environment, and promoted the expeditious return of Unit 1 to service during a period of time of excessive load demand on the grid due to abnormally severe regional weather conditions. Therefore, we 9402030097 940126 2 PDR ADDCK 0500027 G

PDR 020011'

JAN 2 6 199A 2

confirm our verbal approval as previously discussed. We appreciate your cooperation with our staff relative to this matter.

Sincerely, 0.;.. :.,,.,, C:::1rr.,i:..-I qy*

i *~;,:~.... ;,;.*1"'li:' -~

...I Richard W. Cooper, II, Director Division of Reactor Projects cc:

J. J. Hagan, Vice President, Nuclear Operations C. Schaefer, External Operations - Nuclear, Delmarva Power & Light Co.

S. La.Bruna, Vice President - Engineering C. Vondra, General Manager - Salem Operations R. Hovey, General Manager - Hope Creek Operations F. Thomson, Manager, Licensing and Regulation R. Swanson, General Manager - QA and Nuclear Safety Review J. Robb, Director, Joint Owner Affairs.

A. Tapert, Program Administrator R. Fryling, Jr., Esquire M. Wetterhahn, Esquire P. J. Curham, Manager, Joint Generation Department, Atlantic Electric Company Consumer Advocate, Office of Consumer Advocate William Conklin, Public Safety Consultant, Lower Alloways Creek Township K. Abraham, PAO Public Document Room (PDR)

Local Public Document Room (LPDR)

Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)

NRC Resident Inspector State of New Jersey

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T. Martin, RA W. Kane, DRA J. Partlow, NRR W. Russell, NRR J. Lieberman, OE S. Varga, NRR C. Miller, NRR J. Stone, NRR S. Dembek, NRR

v. Mccree, OEDO J. Wiggins, DRS R. Cooper, DRP W. Lanning, DRP E. Wenzinger, DRP J. White, DRP R. Summers, DRP S. Morris, DRP C. Marschall, SRI W. Ruland, DRS D. Holody, ORA NOED File RI:DRP EWenzinger 1/ /94 JAN 26 1994 9 RI: ORA DHolody 1/ /94 3

RI:DRP RI:DRP WLanning RCooper 1/ /94 1/ /94 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

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NRR 1/ /94 a:noed.slm

i bee:

T. Martin, RA W. Kane, DRA J. Callan, NRR W. Russell, NRR J. Lieberman, OE S. Varga, NRR C. Miller, NRR J. Stone, NRR S. Dembek, NRR V. Mccree, OEDO J. Wiggins, DRS R. Cooper, DRP W. Lanning, DRP E. Wenzinger, DRP J. White, DRP R. Summers, DRP S. Morris, DRP C. Marschall, SRI W. Ruland, DRS D. Holody, ORA NOED File

-*RI:DRP JWhite 1/ /94 JAN 2 6 1994 3

ll 1/)6i94 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

• See Previous Concurrence Page a:noed.slm