ML19249D951
| ML19249D951 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Zimmer |
| Issue date: | 08/14/1979 |
| From: | James Keppler NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | Gradison W HOUSE OF REP. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909250591 | |
| Download: ML19249D951 (2) | |
Text
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[ga areg UNITED STATES o
! " 3.,, 0 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 3
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799 ROOSEVELT ROAD GLEN ELLYN,ILLINots 60137
\\..... j' August 14, 1979 7
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he Honorable Willis D. Gradison, Jr.
U. S. House of Representatives Washington, D. C.
20515
Dear Congressman Gradison:
This refers to my letter of June 11, 1979, which responded to your letter dated May 21, 1979 regarding the Heitkamp family's concerns about the Zimmer Nuclear Station. I stated that we would contact the Heitkamps and Mr. Grif fin, whom they referenced, and inform you of the results.
Mr. Victor Grif fin was contacted by telephone early in June.
Mr. Griffir, indicated that contrary to the information in the ileitkan.p's letter, he did not know anyone who had knowledge of conditions which would close the Zimmer plant if disclosed. He felt that his comments had been mis-interpreted by Mr. Heitkamp.
Mr. Griffin stated that Zimmer plant employees would state that Cincinnati Gas and Electric had not revised its position regarding source inspections.
(This is an issue he raised several years ago which we investigated and found that CG8E's practice was acceptable.)
Griffin commented that he has been very careful to make exact statements in this regard.
Mr. Walter Heitkamp was also contacted in June.
He was not familiar with the letter, and said his son, who wrote the letter, was on vacation. The son, Mr. Lawrence Heitkamp, was contacted on July 23, 1979, and advised of Mr. Grif fin's statement s.
He said he had heard the statements broadcasted on Radio Station WAIF, had made a recording of the broadcast, and had written the letter from notes made from the recording. He had since erased the recording. He discussed his views regarding nuclear and solar energy, and thanked our investigator for his telephone call.
As you may know, Mr. Grif fin has attendcJ the Zimmer operating license nearings before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board which have been taking place in Cincinnati. All of the statements he has made at the hearings have included only information previnusly known to the NRC.
Mr. Lawrence Heitkamp also made a limited appearance before the Board.
4He stated his views regarding nuclear power, but made no allegations which
$ require further investigation.
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The Honorable Willis D. Gradison, Jr.
2 August 14, 1979 In regard to the assignment of a resident inspector to the Zimmer site, Mr. John Menning whom you met during your tour of the site in Mey 1979, has recently resigned from the NRC to resume his education. We a re
. actively seeking a qualified inspector to replace Mr. Menning agd plan to gassign a resident -inspector to the Zimmer site at the earliest possible
' time. We will continue to perform our inspection program at Zimmer from he Regional office until a resident inspector is assigned.
Cincinnati Gas and Electric has recently announced a delay in planned commercial operation of the plant until 1981.
We plan no further action regarding this matter. Please call us, if we can be of any further assistance.
Sincerely, fi B?sf 0
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. James G. Keppler do Director o T)
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BILL GRADISON was.waro erece, 1sv Daract. One 1919 Lawa onvu House orrce som WasunestoN. D.C.
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WY 211971 Mr. James G. Keppler k
Region III Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555
Dear Mr. Keppler:
Enclosed is a copy of a letter from some constituents of mine, the Heitkamp Family of Cincinnati, regarding the safety of the Zimmer nuclear power plant in Moscow, Ohio.
As the plant's licensing hearings are under way, the Heitkamps are concerned about remarks they heard regarding the safety pro-cedures followed in the plant's construction.
I would greatly appreciate any comments you may have regarding their concerns.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
I look forward to receiving your response.
Sincerely, M
Bill Gradison Representative in Congress BG/pt Enclosure z
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April 12, 1979 1
Hon. Willis D. Gradison 3
3519 Longaorth House office sailding i
Eishington, D. C.
20515 k
Dear Congress:
an Gradison, On Thursday, April 5,1979, I attended a ceeting of C.A.R.E.
(Citizens Against a Radioactive Environnent) at St. John's Uni-tarian Church in Cincinnati.
At this meeting two cen, both formerly e=ployees with responsibilities at the Zinner nuclear power plant at Moscow, Ohio, stated that, while they were en-played there, grossly inadequate procedures were used in the construction of the Zitmer plant.
Mr. Vic Griffin, forcer quality control engineer with Z iser Engineers, Inc., stated that co ponents purchased by Cincinnati Gas and Electric Co:pany received no independent inspection, A.e.,
that the word of the vendor was accepted as proof that a given part cet specifications.
(I know from my own line of work that tne purchaser cust do his own inspection to assure that the vendor has met spec ifications. )
Mr. Griffin stated he resigned in protest about three years ago.
The staff, he said, agreed with him but went silent upon his resignation.
About.three weeks ago, j[
he said, he met a friend who is supervisor of construction at
- discer; this friend said he could close the plant down totorrow, l.*
II
'if he told what he knew about the construction of thd plant.
k Also, Mr. Ed Hofstedter, formerly of Husky Products, Inc.
(Florence, Kentucky) stated that not one weld at Zimmer was done by a certified welder.
Eis snin concern was for certain rections 1020 073
rd "D ' D D
oe F }r
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or F
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. cf cable trays (suppor,ts which carry electric cables for the control of various systers, including the cooli ~ syste ).
. Inadequate welds on certain secticas of these trays'cre to be Wg found, according to Hofstedter.
(The URI has also ackncwledged
_ widespread difficulties with welds in other nuclear plants.--
National Geographic, April,1979)
The cable trays are positioned, as described by Hofstedter, one above the other, so
,at if one fell it could dislodge or interfere with others; the back-up enerEency systecs, he sa id, are involved.
Moreover, the trays, he feels, are 20 % overloaded and the fire protection caterial around then not approved by Underwriters Laboratories.
I at oppossed to use nuclear energy in Cincinnati or any-wr.ere else.
A techtclogy wnich, if disaster is to be averted, de ands perfection at all tires cannot be advocated, since humans can take errors.
To per:it Zinner to operate, if such conditions exist, is pure lunacy.
The plant is due to receive its atetic fuel in June of this year.
I request a reply as to what action you plan to take in regard to these clains.
Because the rest of my facily is also oppossed to nuclear energy and is concerned about these conditions they also sign.
Sincerely, 2
)i lawrence W. Heitkamp (age 40--cook) t
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Ualter A. Heitkatp (agd 83--retired purchasin5 agen't)
Margaret M. Heitkamp (aEe 76--house wife )
1020 "7A
e ZIMMER
SUMMARY
REPORT Nby 25, 1979 4
W L Facility Data Docket No.
50-358 Construction Permit CPPR-88 Permit Issued October 27, 1972 Type Reactor BWR 810 MRe NSSS Supplier General Electric Company Designer Sargent and Lundy Engineers Constructor Henry J. Kaiser Company (formerly Kaiser Engr. Inc.)
Status of Construction 94% complete Chronological Listing of Major Events Septecher 1970 Initial Management Meeting October 27, 1972 CP Issued December 5,1975 RPV Installed (50% milestone)
February 1976 Allegation concerning source inspection by Victor Griffin December 1976 GAO representatives conducted interview of Ziccer personnel April 29, 1977 Second Corporate Management Meeting February 1978 Identification of problers concerning bending of core support pins w/ lead mallet March 1978 Core alignment concern addressed to licensee with request for the GE overlay study May 31, June 1-2, 1978 Initial inspection of safety related hangers and restrpnts (3 noncompliances)
June 1978 Allegatiod received regarding design and installation of hangers snubber and restraints July 1978 RPV hydrostatic test performed August 1978 Allegation received regarding cable trays adequacy August 1978 CGE issued stop work order regarding design and installation of hangers and supports following NRC investigation of allegation f',
(June 78) by worker at site
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Decenber 1978 Licensee injected non class B!y, ster into RPV due to operator error regarding valve position May 1979 NRC identified significant nonconformance involving the suppression poof modifications.
An Immediate Action Letter was issued on May 15, 1979.
OG&E issued a stop work order number 79-05 in response to this NRC finding.
1020 075
Alle gat ion s S
U Source Inspection Mr. Griffin alleged that there was a lack of source inspection for
- CG&E purchased materials and tl.at certain structural materials, purchased as Class II materials, were being installed in Class I areas.
~~
Review was conducted of the QA program for source inspection and for material control as well as the implementation of the program. No noncompliance matters were identified.
(Report 50-358/76-02)'
RPV Internals Adequacy During February and March 1978 concerns were developed regarding RPV internals adequacy. Examples are LP tests not performed, lack of tack welds, out of tolerance pins, and rough appearing welds. Upon investigation, it was apparently not possible to establish adequacy.
Concerns were reviewed by a GE team on site and Field Deviation Disposition Reports were generated for repair, which is now completed.
(Report 50-358/78-17)
Design and Installation of pipe hangers, restraints, and snubbers A nu=ber of concerns related to adequacy of design and installation of piping hangers, snubbers and restraints were reviewed during an investigation on August 9-11, 15 and 16, 1978. The majority of the concerns were confirmed resulting in 6 noncompliance items being cited along with one unresolved matter. CG&E issued a stop work order.
Inspection is continuing currently of the. resolution of these items.
(Report 50-358/78-18)
Cable Trays An allegation was received in August 1978 regarding cable trays supplied by Husky Products, Inc. Two main concerns were cited:
(1) low strength materials were used, and (2) improper welding was
. performed. Even though one deficiency was cited as a result of the investigation the allegation concerns were not substantiated.
-(Report 50-358/78-21). -
.I Control Rods 4
yh l(' An allegation was received through a Cincinnati Post reporter-i-
a relative to the on site inspection of control rods. The concern questioned the use of clamping devices when measuring the rod: cruciform
+
thickness. Review by the NRC inspector included observing a' reinspection of six rods that had been under question by NRC. All concerns have now been resolved with the report of inspection expected to be issued in the near future.
1020 076
_3 Sargent & Lundy Engineer Control of Stress Report Documentation k
An expressed concern regarding S&L document control of stress reports was followed up during inspections by NRC and CG&E. The concern was considered to be an apparent weakness of the S&L system (outdated procedures) for which corrections were required of S&L. Resolution has been achieved.
(Reports 50-358/78-27, 79-03, and 79-10)
Instrumentation Piping in Contair. ment An anonymous allegation was received from a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter that small bore instrumentation piping installed in the containment area was not installed in accordance with requirements.
Since this area of installation was on schedule to be inspected during an upcoming inspection, the concerns were included in the inspection coverage. No identified problems resulted from the inspection.
(Repor e 50-358/79-09)
Heating and Ventilation An allegation from a former subcontractor employee was received.
The issue related to heating and ventilation duct work quality assurance practices. An investigation was conducted and the matter resolved.
Pu=p House and Reactor Building Doors An allegation dealing with the improper sealing of pump house and reactor building water tight doors has been received. Inspection followup is planned.
Control Blade In'spection 2
6 An allegetion dealing with inadequate inspection of control blades has (4
been received. This allegation unlike the previous allegadion of control rod inspection, involved the extent of blade
_ s
'9-inspection and the presence of metal shavings on blade surfaces.
Inspection followup is planned.
i 10420 077
. Construction Items 4
1.
GAO Audit gg b.
In December 1976 GAO representatives visited the Zimmer site on a mission to assess the NRC inspection performance.
During the course of that visit Zimmer site personnel were interviewed.
Comments regarding adequacy of material or components were offered to the GAO personnel during the interviews. A total of eighteen such comments were referred to the RIII office for resolution. All but four comments were eliminated by discussions with the involved individual. The last four comments were resolved during on site inspections.
2.
Bent Core Support Alignment Pins During a January 1978 inspection a problem was identified regarding RPV internals core support plate. Pins welded into the plate used for fuel bundle alignment, were discovered to be bent by the installing contractor (Reactor Controls, Inc.) and several pins (three) were attempted to be straightened using a lead mallet. The licensee was requested in writing to inform the NRC of their steps taken to assure that all traces of lead have been removed from inside of the reactor pressure vessel. In addition the licensee provided a part 50 section 50.55(e) report regarding the bent pins and how they plan to straighten them. All pins have been successfully straightened except for the three pins previously mentioned. The NRC's position has been stated in several reports (i.e., 78-26) that those pins. should be replaced (because of the unknown work hardening experienced.)
3.
Core Alignment Core alignment problems were identified by the licensee due at least in part to a defective optical alignment tool. Although initially reported by the licensee as a part 50 section 50.55(e) item, it was later cancelled because it was later determined to not be reportable. Alignment concerns by the NRC began early in 1978 (report 78-08) and a request was made at that time for the GE alignment overlay study for review. This overlay was a study of the tolerances of the control rod drive housing of the bottom fj head with the tolerances of the core support plate openings and (4
of the top guide superimposed on them. This informationlhas now been supplied and is under review. This continues to bepan open item.
4 1020 078
-S, 4
Main Steam Relief Valves / Suppression Pool Modification g MI During October 1977, the licensee reported a concern regarding
({-
second actuation by the MSRV's.
This concern is generic to a nu=ber of GE plants and is being handled by a Mark II evners group along with GE.
Resolution of the concern has resulted in a design change to the suppression pool area that includes:
(1) replacement of down comer bull heads with steam. quenchers.
(2) installation of quencher base plates on the floor of the suppression pool and (3) increase in pipe size from 10" to 12".
These modifications, currently in progress, are being followed by NRC inspectors.
In May 1979 NRC identified significant discrepancies involving installation of the quencher support plates. An Immediate Action Letter was issued and the directed actions were subsequently verified by NRC.
Fabrication appears to be adequately controlled at this time. This issue continues under NRC review.
Operations Items 1.
ACRS Testimony On February 27, 1979, an ACRS subcommittee met regarding the issuance of the Zimmer Station operating license.
Subsequently, RIII inspectors who attended the meeting as observers, have questioned the accuracy of the applicant's testimony concerning station staffing.
This matter is currently under investigation.
2.
Test Program Inspections During inspections of the test program, several instances of failure to follow procedures / operator errors have occurred which have resulted in equipment' degradation. These items are being dealt with through the normal enforcement program.
ji kF
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i 10120 079