ML19254F674
| ML19254F674 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | South Texas  |
| Issue date: | 11/05/1979 |
| From: | Seyfrit K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | Eric Turner HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7911160249 | |
| Download: ML19254F674 (1) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES
/'e " E c,#'o NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION a
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HEGloN IV n
611 RYAN PLAZA OntVE, SUITE 1000 7
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3 ARLINGTON, TEX AS 7G012 7
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November 5, 1979 In Reply Refer To:
RIV Docket Nos. 50-498/IE Information Notice No. 79-26 50-499/IE Information Notice No. 79-26 Houston Lighting & Power Company ATTN:
Mr. E. A. Turner, Vice President Power Plant Construction and Technical Services Post Office Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77001 Gentlemen:
This IE 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 further NRC evaluations so indicate, an IE Circular, IE Bulletin, or NRR Generic Letter will be issued to recommend or request specific licensee actions.
If you have questions regarding the matter, please contact the Director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office.
Sincerely,
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t, f
Karl V. Seyfrit Director s
Enclosures:
1.
IE Information Notice No. 79-26 2.
List of IE Information Notices Issued in the Last Six Months
!347 323 7911160
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SSINS:
6870 QD Accession No:
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7908220133 IdlTED STNiES
.6 PEGUhNf ORY CO:l'!)SSl0N INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT On2 m
..r WASillNGTON, D. C.
20555 IE Information Notice No. 79-26 Date November 5, 1979 Page 1 of 2 IIREACll 0F CONTAINMENT !NTEGRI'lY Description of Circumstances:
On Septemb"r 14, 1979, t.he Consumers Power Company (CpC) notified the NRC of discoven at the Palisades Nuclear Generating Plant o f a valve nisalignment t hat had resul ted in containue nt integrity being breached for an indeterminate length of time While preparing to perform a Type "C" leak test between two manual valves in a 3" bypas, l ine a ro"od t he ua in 48" cont aiturnt purge valve, plant personnel dis-covered th ' L mnual isolation valves were locked in the open posi-tion.
Then
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h-N en locked closed Investigation by the licensee indicated that in
- a, nave been improper ly positioned since April, 1978, when :m ef liciency t e;. of the bypass line filters was perfm med.
The plc.nt has operated at power f or the major portion of t hat time period.
The va h misalinnu nt had no actual impact on the public health, lioweve r, in design basis accident vherein fuel damage and release of orieary the event of a coolant inside the containment are postulated, the open valves would provide a s radioactive release from the containment.
signi fic uit path for The initial design purpose for the bypast system was to provide a long-term hydrogen contro capability for the containment atmosphere following a design basis accident.
It was intended that af ter approximately 30 days following an accident, when containment pressure and activity levels dropped sufficiently to permit venting, thi: system would be manually valved to vent the containment atmosphare, through high e f ficioney and charcoal filters, to the exhaust stack Thus the components in the bypas, Iine beyond the two manual isolation valve;,
were not designed for the severe service they would be exposed to with the valves open during the initial pressnre surge of the design basis accident, and signi f-icant uncontrolled release would result.
liigh radiation in the vicinity of the bypass line would also make immediate -
even if identified as the source of le DUPLICATE DOCUMENT
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Current ~SRC requirements call for Entire document previously control hydrogen buildup.
Palisa.
entered into system under:
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