ML18139B108
| ML18139B108 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Surry, North Anna  |
| Issue date: | 01/16/1981 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | Ferguson H VIRGINIA POWER (VIRGINIA ELECTRIC & POWER CO.) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8102280445 | |
| Download: ML18139B108 (3) | |
Text
e UNITED STATES e
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION II 101 MARIETTA ST., N.W., SUITE 3100 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303 In Reply Refer To:
RII:JPO 50-338, 50-339
~04, 50-4Ql__
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Virginia Electric and Power Company ATTN: J. H. Ferguson
.!AN1f)1981 Executive Vice President-Power P. 0. Box 26666 Richmond, VA 23261 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.
If furth:er NRC evaluations so indicate, an IE Cir.cular or Bulletin will be issued to recommend or request specific licensee actions.
If you have questions regarding this matter, please contact the Director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office.
Enclosures:
Sincerely,
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James P. O'Reilly Director
- 1.
IE Information Notice No. 81-01
- 2.
List of Recently issued IE Information Notices cc w/encl:
W. R. Cartwright, Station Manager P. G. Perry, Senior Resident Engineer J. L. Wilson, Manager
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D. C.
20555 January 16, 1981 SSINS No.:
6835 Accession No.:
8011040254 IE INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 81-01: POSSIBLE FAILURES OF GENERAL ELECTRIC TYPE HFA RELAYS
Purpose:
The intent of this Information Notice is to alert licensees and holders of construction permits of a potentially generic problem involving defective coil spools used in General Electric (GE) type HFA relays.
Such defective relays were recently found at Turkey Point Unit 4 (Docket No. 50-250).
Description of Circumstances:
The defective coil spools are fabricated of either black or clear Lexan, a polycarbonate material that is susceptible to surface cracking when exposed to hydrocarbons.
The concern here is that such surface cracks could ultimately deteriorate to such a degree that relay actuation would be blocked by the resultant debris, thereby inhibiting a required safety function.
Indications of the above mentioned cracks were recently detected on the HFA relays used to sequence the emergency loads on the diesel generators at Turkey Point Unit 4 upon a loss-of-coolant accident coincident with a loss of offsite power.
After detecting the cracks, the spare coils in the storeroom were in-spected and, although these coils are new units, one was found to be cracked.
The possible failures of GE type HFA relays highlights two salient points:
(1) HFA relays have had a long history of failures (e.g., GE has issued several Service Information Letters (SIL) addressing these relays, the oldest one of which dates back to 1973, and it is anticipated that GE will issue a new SIL in the near future addressing this new concern); (2) the cracking phenomena seems to be similar to that experienced on the cam followers used on GE type SBM switches (e.g., these cam followers are fabricated of Lexan, and after their exposure to hydrocarbons during fabrication or during maintenance severe cracking resulted.
See IE Information Notice No. 80-13 for additional details.)
The above information identifies means whereby the integrity of a major safety-related system can be jeopardized or compromised by the blocking of relay actuation.
Accordingly, this Information Notice is provided as an early notification of a possibly significant matter that is still under review by the NRC staff.
Recipients should, therefore, review the information for possible applicability to their facilities.
Although no specific action or response is requested at this time, further licensee actions may be requested or required pending the outcome of the NRC staff evaluation.
If you have any question regarding this matter, please contact the director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office.
Information Notice No. 81-01 80-45 80-44 80-43 80-42 80-41.
80-40 80-39 80-38 80-37 RECENTLY ISSUED IE INFORMATION NOTICES Date of Subj.ect Issue Possible Failures of General 01/16/81 Electric Type HFA Relays Potential Failure* of 12/17/80 BWR Backup Manual Scram Capability
- Actuation of ECCS in the 12/16/80 Recirculation Mode While in Hot Shutdown Failures of the Continuous 12/5/80 Water Level Monitor for the Scram Discharge Volume at Dresden Unit No. 2 Effect of Radiation on 11/24/80 Hydraulic Snubber Fluid Failure of Swing Check 11/10/80 Valve in the Decay Heat Removal System at Davis-*
Besse Unit No. 1 Excessive Nitrogen Supply 11/10/80 Pressure Actuates Safety-Relief Valve Operation to Cause Reactor Depressur-ization "Malfunctions of Solenoid 10/31/80 Valves Manufactured By Valcor Engineering Corporation Cracking in Charging Pump 10/30/80 Casing Cladding Containment Cooler Leaks 10/24/80 and Reactor Cavity Flooding at Indian Point Unit 2 01 = Operating Licenses CP = Construction Permits IN 81-01 January 16, 1981 Issued to All Power reactor facilities with an 01 or CP All BWR facilities with an 01 or CP All PWR facilities with an 01 or CP All power reactor facilities with 01 or CP All power reactor facilities with 01 or CP All power reactor facilities with an 01 or CP All power reactor facilities with 01 or CP All light water reactor facilities with OLs or CPs All PWR facilities with an 01 or CP All power reactor facilities with OLs or CPs