ML19208B139
| ML19208B139 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 07/06/1979 |
| From: | Jackson L, Mcgovern H Metropolitan Edison Co, NRC Office of Inspection & Enforcement (IE Region II) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| TASK-TF, TASK-TMR NUDOCS 7909190106 | |
| Download: ML19208B139 (13) | |
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t UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY CCMMISSION li In the Matter of:
2' IE TMI INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW 3!
of Mr. Hugh A. McGovern, Control Operator, Nuclear, Urtit 2 4I I
Si 6l 7!
Si Trailer #203 9
NRC Investigation Site TMI Nuclear Power Plant 10j Middletown, Pennsylvania 11!
i June 20, 1979 12' (Date of Interview) 1h July 6, 1979 (Date Transcript Typec) 14!
- 31 3 15l (Tape Numoer(s))
16l 17' i
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191 20i 21l NRC PERSONNEL:
22!
ifr. Larry Jackson Mr. Mark E. Resner 23; 24 C (j 8
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1 RESNER:
This is an interview of Mr. Hugh A. McGovern.
Mr. McGovern 2
is employed at the Three Mile Island facility, by Metropolitan Eoison 3
Company, and his job title is Control Operator, Nuclear, Unit 2.
The 4j present time is 2:25 p.m., EDT.
And today's date is June 20, 1979.
5l This interview is being conducted in trailer 203, which is located I
Gi just outside the south security gate to Three Mile Island facility.
7j Individuals present representing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at 8l this interview, are Mr. Larry Jackson.
Mr. Jackson is a Radiation g;
Specialist employed at Region II, with the Nuclear Regulatory Ccmmission.
10 Speaking and moderating this interview is Mark E. Resner.
I am an g
investigator with the Office of Inspector and Auditor, Headquarters of g
the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mr. McGovern has been interviewed 13 previ usly, and on those occasions, he was given a two page document g
which explained the purpose, scope and the authority with which the 15, Nuclear Regulatory Ccmmission is conducting this investigation.
In addition, it apprised him that he is entitled to a representative of g
his choice during this interview, and in no way is he compelled to talk with us, should he not want to.
Mr. McGovern initialed and dated the first page of this document; signed and dated the second page of the document.
And also on the second page of the document has answered three questions in the affirmative.
And I will state these for the record.
Question one, do you understand the document? And Mr. McGovern has checked yes, on that.
Is that correct, Mr. McGovern?
231 241 25l l
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2 llj MCGOVERN:
Yes.
I 2l l
RESNER:
Question two.
Do we have your permission to tape this inter-3 1
4j view? Mr. McGovern has checked yes.
Is that correct Mr. McGovern?
Si Gi MCGOVERN:
Yes, you may tape the interview.
i Il 8l RESNER: Question three, Mr. McGovern has checked yes, indicating that g
he desires a copy of the interview.
Is that correct, Mr. McGovern?
10l MCGOVERN:
Yes, I would like a copy of the tape.
12!
RESNER:
- 0. K.
g We'll provide you with a copy of the tape at the con-clusion of this interview. At this time, Mr. Jackson has some questions that ne would like to ask you.
16; i
JACT.50N:
Here I'm trying to basically establish what happened in the 17 way of vent releases, particularly from the makeup tank.
And I under-181 stand you were on shift from 0700 to approximately 1830 hours0.0212 days <br />0.508 hours <br />0.00303 weeks <br />6.96315e-4 months <br /> on the 28th.
Do you recall if there were any vents from the makeup tank on i
the 28th, or if so, when did they start?
21l 22l MCGOVERN:
I really don't recall any on the 28th.
As I mentioned in
- 23l, the previous interview, I was involved mostly in auxiliary type status.
24l I was helping out the people that were on the shift, and I was more or 25i
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less, an extra set of Nnds for them.
Behind the main panel, on the 2j second row of panels, and just generally around the outside areas of i
3; the console, and not basically involved with the panel itself.
I do i
4j recall that they were venting the system off through the pressurizer 5l through the electromatic, relief and through RCV-137 vent valve.
I Si don't specifically recall any vents from the makeup tank at that time.
7t 81 JACXSON:
Do you recall any problems with the letdown system, early on gj the 28th... letdown flows.
I know the... sometime early, the letdown 10j block orifice was bypassed during the increased flows, and I thought maybe there might be scme connection between pressure building up the system, and maybe the letdown flows?
13l MCGOVERN:
I recall having that... there is that problem on the 29th.
141 n
recaH h on t.5e 281 On ne 2%.5, yes, 2ey' re having 15; 16l pr blems with the letdown flow and the makup tank pressure was going up, and as a result, when the pressure was coming up they were opening g
the vent valve on the makeup tank, wnich vents to the vent gas header, and allowing the pressure to come down, and then attempt ta maintain letdown flow.
20!
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JACXSON:
- 0. K.
And that was on a...
22; 23!
MCGOVERN:
That was the 29th.
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JACXSON:
The 29th.
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MCGOVERN: The morning of the 29th, yes, midshif t.
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5 JACKSON:
- 0. K.
And do you know how these vents were being made...
6l with a short burst? What kind of co.;trols over the vents or...
t 71 8l MCGOVERN:
Specifically, I really don't remembar.
I believe it was g,
more or less... they started out trying the short bursts, and as time 10j pr gressed, they were naving problems with the pressure.
I think it g
more or less ended uo with an almost continuous opening 13... MUV 13 h
vent valve.
13!
JACKSON:
- 0. K.
On the morning of the 30th, which was Friday morning, there was a problem with the makeup tank level, about 4 o' clock in the 151 morning, it just bottomed out... very sharp drop, and the... later
]
on that morning, because of problems that that was causing in trying to get makeup into the reactor coolant system, and not wanting to drain the borated water storage tank, the decision was made to open MUV 13, the makeup tank vent valve.
And it stayed open.
Do you recall, or were you involved in any of the decision making with that tank problem, and the decision to open that vent on that tank?
i 22l 23l MCGOVERN:
I'm afraid Junior CR0s are not usually asked for decisions 24!
of that nature-But, no, I really wasn't involved in the decision.
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was aware that that decision was made.
But, no, I wasn't involveii in 2
making it, one way or the other.
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JACKSON:
Do you recall what time that would have...
l Si 6
MCGOVERN:
It was early in the morning, on the 30th.
I can't give the 7j exact time.
i 81 JACKSON:
g Do you know who was talking about the prob'lem? I think Greg g
Hitz was one of the supervisors in the building.
11:
MCGOVERN:
Bill Zewe was one of them, too.
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JACXSON: Jim Floyd, I believe, was in there.
Do you know if all of
.15;;
the people were...
16f MCGOVERN:
I don't remember who all... I remember Bill (Zewe) being 17!
invohed wit! i t.
He was involved vith... the first three days, quite extensively. And I do remember him getting involved with that 19 problem.
But, I don't remember either Hit; or Zewe, I mean Jim Floyd being involved with it.
But I'm sure it wasn't Bill's decision by himself, by any means.
You know, I've been involved in so many decison 22l making things like that.
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JACKSON:
Were ycu involved in any of the other things that...on tele-2!
phone comunications between the Control Recm and the Emargency Control i
3j Station over in Unit I?
4!
3; 1GO'IERN:
Yeah.
I took a couple of calls on the linas.
But, mostly 6
we had a gu3 that.ns, I can't even remember who was doing that most 7-of the time.
But, there was a specific guy for the ECS.
9 s
8l JACKSON: Were you present when'the... excuse me, the radio transmission g
101 came throegh giving the 1,200 TR/ hour over the vent stack, do you recall?
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i 9 0VERN:
No, I don't remember that at all.
I really don't.
By that g
-g tipe, we were getting releases on a periodic basis from the (unintelli-15i
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th'ose after a period of tine.
Ycu got use to hearing the"nelicopter, and, yod know, the background and announcements cming over the radio,
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and I wasn't specifica ly listening for them.
191 JACKSON:
- 0. K.
What kina of ohSr... what kind of dutist were you s
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doing that morning still, basically?
' 211
- ' 22!
MCGOVERN:
Basically, you know trying to help out, and a backup.
I
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was working with two CR0s that I had worked with previously.
I had 24
' wcrked in a training st'at.us with them.
They were CR0s.
1 censed
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CR0s, when I was in training.
And so I was accustomed to working with i
2j them, more or less as a backup and helping them out.
31 4
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JACKSON: Who would that have been?
i Si MCGOVERN: That was Ed Frederick and Craig Faust.
6 7
JACKSON;
- 0. K.
So, you don't recall then the account of the tone that g
g was in there that morning on a release... whether it was it a suprise t
... the number of 1,2007 Do you recall any of the reactions?
11:
MCGOVERN:
Like I said, I don't remember the 1,200 coming in.
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remember, the knowledge that, yes, we are now making a release. We had the 13 valve opening, MUV-13 13.
And that also kind of a tone of, well this is what we've got to do. We've got to get level in the 16:l makeup tank to keep water going in.
And this is what was required.
We had to have letdown flow. We had to keep the pressure off of that tank, and that was more or less what everybocy was aiming at.
181 191 JACKSON:
Do you know whether or not G$ release was terminated that 20) morning?
21!
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j MCGOVERN:
I can't really... I do remember e had letdown ficw back 23J before we left that morning.
And we did have some sort of letdown j
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flow.
We had an indicated level in the makeup tank.
A".d things were 25i Cu$
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in a relatively stable position.
But, I don't remember if the vent i
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valve was open at that time or not.
i 31 1
4l JACKSON:
Let me explain something to you, and see if we can fit it Sj together.
I was told earlier, now Greg Hit: said that when he... he i
6j asked Faust to open the vent valve, I believe.
And he told Faust to open that vent valve and leave it open. Now, this was a little bit g;
... a little bit unusual because they had been venting it with a gj knowledge that they were going to close it back off shortly, but 10 apparently the problem with such a magnitude, and the need to get y
letdown back in that tank was such a magnitude, that he told him this i
72j is going to be a long term release, we're going to get that tank pressure down.
13 14 n
a na y wasn' am er choice by that 15:
time.
The pressure... the pressure in the makeup tank was somewhere around 75 pounds.
There's a relief valve on top of the tank.
I don't remerr.ber the setting.
I think it's around 80 somethina.
It's not 19l!
very high.
And your either going to get it going through the MUV 13, or it going to go out through the relief valve anyway.
And one way or 40f another, it was going to go out.
It was more or less a matter of...
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let's get the letdown flow. We need the... you know the ability to put some water in the system and take some out.
Control our volume a i
little bit.
I think that was more or less what everybody was shooting 24 at.
Trying to get the system under control.
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9 ilj JACKSON:
- 0. K.
The... I want to come back to that relief valve, in 2
just a minute.
Do you know of this valve being closed... MUV 13 now, i
31 anytime subsequent to that... anytime after that period? Are you 1
4l aware. of it being closed and opened?
l 51 i
Sj MCGOVERN: Well, after I got off the morning of the 30th, I was off 7j for two days, so I really can't help you with that period of time.
i 8j But, I know that the previous plan of action was... yeah, we'll open 97 the valve, get the pressure down and close it back.
I don't know.
After that they did start leaving it open for a period of time.
How 10l l
long?...I just don't know.
12:
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JACKSON:
- 0. K.
Going back to the relief valve, that would be MUR 1, right? That valve comes off the top of the tank?
~15i MCGOVERN:
That's correct.
i 17!
JACKSON:
Does it relieve... is it designed to relieve liquid or gas?
,8!
19f MCGOVERN:
It's designed to relieve gaseous release, I believe.
,c0f 21l I really couldn't tell you that much about the design.
But, I remember that we were approaching at setpoint, and we lifted and said, 0.K.,
22{
this is where it's going to go.
We're going to lose it anyway.
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1 JACKSON:
- 0. K.
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i 3j MCGOVERN: That was part of the decision making that they used in I
41 opening the tank.
5!
6l JACKSON:
- 0. K.
Fine.
I just wanted to clarify that, because some 7
people have the conception that that valve is seeing only liquid.
And gl I think we might have been mislead, not intentionally, but statement g
was made that the relief valve lifted, and that's why the level in the 10 makeup tank dropped off so sharply.
11!
MCGOVERN:
- 0. K.
I think I maybe mistaken on this, but I believe what they're talking about is the letdown relief valve.
There's a valve on 3
14:,
the letdown line, just downstream of the block orifice, that is strictly a liquid relief.
Maybe, I'm mistaken.
Maybe, that's the only valve they were talking about.
But, I thought they remembered one on top of the tanks... it ran off the top of my head.
I don't remember.
- But, I
yeah, their liquid..
the letdown relief valve is strictly liquid.
18;,
And that might of been what they were referring to when they said, yeah, we lost level, and that's why.
When the pressure went up, it 20; popped.
21i 22l JACXSON:
- 0. K.
So, then...
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lj MCGOVERN: That would have been strictly liquid.
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i 3j JACXSON:
Yeah.
That would be MUR 3.
4!
5 MCGOVERN:
Yeah, 0.X.
Si 7l JACKSON: Just downstream of the block orifice.
8!
McGOVERN:
I think that's probably what they were referring to when I g
101 said we lost level because it popped.
i 11!
f JACKSON:
- 0. X.
Maybe we weren't mislead, maybe people like myself 3{
were thinking.
14i MCGOVERN:
Misunderstood which valve we were talking about.
16i 17l JACXSON:
Yeah.
The drawing shows MUR 1 on the line ccming out of the makeup tank.
But, the reason I'm interested in this, is I ran across 18 a print yesterday, it showed that valve on top of the tank.
,9!
1 20i MCGOVERN:
I really can't remember off-hand.
I thought it was on top.
I believe it, you know, it was a vent-header type gas relief valve.
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Because it goes into the relief header and an then out.
I'll have to look into that and find out one way or another for sure.
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1l JACXSON: Alright.
So, then back to the releases.
So, you left for 2
two days, and...
I 31 4
MCGOVERN:
I was of for... well, really for three.
Friday morning, Si Saturday, Sunday, and I went back Monday.
6i 7l JACXSON:
- 0. K.
And after that... when you came back was there any I
gj problem with the makeup tank being relieved?
Si McGOVERN:
The pressure was off of it.
It... they were still playing 10!
11!
their reactor vessel bubble games.
i 12!
JACXSON:
Yes.
13I 14i 15; MCGOVERN: We got the bubble. We got to get rid of the type things
... but, as I recall, there really wasn't any real strict problem with it.
I'm kind of hazy on that point.
,7 18r JACKSON:
- 0. K.
I think we pretty much covered, Mark, everything I had aimed for.
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l 21l RESNER:
0.K., Larry, if we don't have any further questions, we'll g
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conclude the interview.
The time now is 2:40 p.m., EDT.
And this 23l concludes the interview with Mr. Hugh A. McGovern.
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