ML19323E009
| ML19323E009 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Humboldt Bay |
| Issue date: | 05/06/1980 |
| From: | Engelken R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | Crane P PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8005220639 | |
| Download: ML19323E009 (1) | |
Text
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+f UNITED STATES 8
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION n
,C REGION V 0,
g 1990 N. CALIFORNIA BOULEVARD
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,e SUITE 202, WALNUT CREEK PLAZA WALNUT CREEK. CALIFORN!A 94596 May 6, 1980 J
Docket No. 50-133 Pacific Gas and Electric Company 77 Beale Street San Francisco, California 94106 Attention: Mr. Philip A. Crane, Jr.
Assistant General Counsel Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 80-10 which requires action by you with regard to your power reactor facility (ies) with an operating license.
For facilities with a construction permit, no action is required; the Bulletin is providing infor_mation only.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this effice.
Since, rely, k
b,~ cfb R. H. Engelken Director
Enclosures:
1.
List of Recently Issued IE Bulletins W. Barr, PG&E
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W. Raymond, PG&E E. Weeks, PG&E, Humboldt Bay 8005220439-
0 SSINS tio.: 6820 UNITED STATES Accessions No.:
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 8002280677 0FFICE OF IflSPECTION AllD ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
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,l May 6, 1980 IE Bulletin flo. 80-10 CONTAMINATI0il 0F NONRADI0 ACTIVE SYSTEM AND RESULTI!iG POTENTIAL FOR UNM0NITORED, UNCONTROLLED RELEASE OF RADI0 ACTIVITY TO ENVIRONMENT Description of Circumstance At the Bru'swick Nuclear Facility, the auxiliary boiler was operated for an extended pwiod of time with radioactively contaminated water in the boiler 2
at levels up to 2 x 10 micro curies per milliliter.
A tube leak in the firebox of the oil fired auxiliary boiler resulted in an unmonitored, uncon-trolled ralease of radioactivity to the environment.
The initial contaminating event was caused by the use of a temporary heating hose from the auxiliary boiler to a radioactive waste evaporator concentrate tank.
Upon cooling and condensation of the steam in the temporary hose, contam-inated water siphoned from the concentrate tank back to the auxiliary boiler.
Due to additional, continuing leaks in the heat exchanger of the waste evaporator (to which the auxiliary boiler also provides process steam), the licensee's efforts to decontaminate the auxiliary boiler feedwater had been ineffective.
MainGinance of proper boiler chemistry was difficult because blowdown options were severely restricted due to the contamination. As a result, a boiler tube failure caused on the order of 100 millicuries of radioactive material to be released off-site via the auxiliary boiler fire box and smokestack in the form of steam. This resulted in increased environmental levels of cesium and activa-tion products being detected as far as eight miles downwind from the site boundary.
Action to be Taken by Licansee with an Operatina License 1.
Review your facility casign and operation to identify systems that are considered as nonradioat.tive (or described as nonradioactive in the FSAR), but could possibly Mcome radioactive through interfaces with radioactive systems, i.e., a nonradioactive system that could become contaminated due to leakage, valving errors or other operating conditions in radioactive systems.
In particular, special consideration should be given to the following systems: auxiliary boiler system, demineralized water system, isolation condenser system, PWR secondary water clean-up system, instrument air system, and the sanitary waste system.
2.
Establish a routine sampling / analysis or monitoring program for these systems in order to promptly identify any contaminating events which could lead to unmonitored, uncontrolled liquid or gaseous releases to the environment, including releases to on-site leaching fields or retention ponds.
IE Bulletin flo. 80-10 May 6, 1980 Page 2 of 2 3.
If these nonradioactive systems are or become contaminated, further use of the system shall be restricted until the cause of the contamination is identified and corrected and the system has been decontaminated.
Decon-tamination should be cerformed as soon as possible.
However, if it is considered necessary to continue operation of the system as contaminated, an immediate safety evaluation of the operation of the system as a radio-active system must be performed in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 50.59. The 10 CFP,50.59 safety evaluation must consider the level of contamination (i.e., concentration and total curie inventory) and any potential releases (either routine or accident) of radioactivity to the environment. The relationship of such releases to the radioactive effluent limits of 10 CFR 20 and the facility's Technical Specification and to the environmental radiation dose limits of 40 CFR 190 must also be evaluated.
The record of the safety evaluation must set forth the basis and criteria on which the determination was made.
4.
If it is determined in the 10 CFR 50.59 safety evaluaticn that operation of the system as a radioactive system is acceptable (i.e., does not involve an unreviewed safety question or a change to the Technical Specifications), provisions must be made to comply with the requirements of 10 CFR 20.201, General Design Criterion 64 to 10 CFR 50, Appendix I to 10 CFR 50 and the facility's Technical Specifications.
In specific, any potential release points must be monitored and all releases must be con-trolled and maintained to "As Low As is Reasonably Achievable" levels as addressed in Appendix I to 10 CFR 50 and within the corresponding environ-mental dose limits of 40 CFR 190.
However, if in the 10 CFR 50.59 determination it is determined that operation of the system as a radio-active system does constitute an unreviewed safety question or does require a change to the Technical Specifications, the system shall not be operated as contaminated without prior Commission approval.
Actions taken in response to Items 1 ar.d 2 above shall be completed within 45 days from the date of this Bulletin. A verification letter shall be submitted within an additional 15 days to the Director of the appropriate flRC Regional Office. This letter shall document the completion of the required actions but need not delineate the specific actions taken.
The specifics shall be docu-mented and made available to the NRC for review during future onsite inspection efforts.
For facilities with a construction permit, no action is required.
The Bulletin is provided for information. The subject of the Bulletin and the action required of operating plants should prove useful in the planning of systems designs and future operations.
Approved by GAO, B180225 (R0072); clearance expires 7-31-80.
Approval was given under a blanket clearance specifically for identified generic problems.
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IE Bulletin No. 80-10 Enclosure May 6, 1980 RECENTLY ISSUED IE BULLETINS Bulletin Subject Date Issued Issued To No.
80-09 Hydramotor Actuator 4/17/80 All power reactor Deficiencies operating facilities and holders of power reactor cps 80-08 Examination of Containment 4/7/80 All power reactors Liner Penetration Welds with a CP and/or OL no later than 4/7/80 80-07 BWR Jet Pump Assembly 4/4/80 All GE BWR-3 and Failure BWR-4 facilities with an OL 80-06 Engineered Safety Feature 3/13/80 All power reactor (ESF) Reset Controls facilities with an OL i
80-05 Vacuum Condition Resulting 3/10/80 All PWR power reactor In Damage To Chemical Volume facilities holding Control System (CVCS) Holdup OLs and to those with
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Tanks a CP 80-04 Analysis of a PWR Main 2/8/80 All PWR reactor facilities Steam Line Break With holding OLs and to those Continued Feedwater nearing licensing Addition 80-03 Loss of Charcoal From 2/6/80 All holders of Power Standard Type II, 2 Inch, Reactor OLs and cps Tray Adsorber Cells 80-02 Inadequate Quality 1/21/80 All BWR licenses with Assurance for Nuclear a CP or OL Supplied Equipment 80-01 Operability of ADS Valve 1/11/80 All BWR power reactor Pneumatic Supply facilities with and OL 79-01B Environmental Qualification 1/14/80 All power reactor of Class IE Equipment facilities with an OL
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