ML19341C061
| ML19341C061 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Sterling |
| Issue date: | 01/16/1981 |
| From: | Grier B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Arthur J ROCHESTER GAS & ELECTRIC CORP. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8102280563 | |
| Download: ML19341C061 (1) | |
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UNITED STATES
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8 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION f,c g
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j REGION I 631 PARK AVENUE
,6,4 KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19406 9 +...+
Docket No. 50-485 Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation ATTN:
Mr. J. E. Arthur Chief Engineer
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89 East Avenue Rochester, New York 14649 Gentlemen:
The enclosed IE Information Notice No. 81-01, "Possible Failures of General Electric Type HFA Relays," is forwarded to you for information.
No written response is required.
If you desire additional information regarding this matter, please contact this office.
Sincerely, CZ yce H. Grier Director
Enclosures:
1.
IE Information Notice No. 81-01 2.
List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices CONTACT:
E. G. Greenman (215-337-5267) l l
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cc w/encls:
l C. R. Anderson, Manager, QA l
Lex K. Larson, Esquire i
N. A. Petrick, Executive Director, SNUPPS Gerald Charnoff, Esquire P
8102280/6)
k SSINS No.:
6935 Accession No.:
8011040254 IN 81-01 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATOR) COMMISSION h
0FFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D. C.
20555 U,
January 16, 1981 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 conWuction 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 cencern 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.
Indicatiens 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.
l The possible failures of GE type HFA relays highlights two salient points:
(1) HFA relays have had a long history of faiiares (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 l
their exposure to hydrocarbons during fabrication or during maintenance severe cracking resulted.
See IE Information Notice No. 80-33 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 Informatinn Notice is provided as an early notification of a possibly significant matter + hat is still under review by the NRC staff.
Recipients should, therefore, review the information for possible applicability to their facilsties. Although no specific action or l
response is requested at this time, further licensee actions may be requested l
or required pending the outcome of the NRC staff evaluation.
l If you have any question regarding this matter, please contact the director of l
the appropriate NRC Regional Office.
l i
I
4 IE Information Notice No. 81-01 January 16, 1981 RECENTLY ISSUED IE INFORMATION NOTICES Information Subject Date Issued to Notice No.
Issued 80-45 Potential Failure of 12/17/80 All holders of a BWR Backup Manual power reactor Scram Capability OL or CP 80-44 Actuation of ECCS in 12/14/80 All holders of a the Recirculation Mode PWR power reactor OL While in Hot Shutdown or CP 80-43 Failures of the 12/5/80 All holders of a Continuous Water Level BWR power reactor Monitor for the Scram OL or LP Discharge Volume at Dresden Unit No. 2 80-29 Broken Studs on Terry 11/26/80 All holders of a Supplement Turbine Steam Inlet power reactor No. 1 Flange
. 0L or CP 80-42 Effects of Radiation on 11/24/8n All holders of a Hydrau'lic Snubber Fluid power reactor OL or CP 80-41 Failure of Swing Check 11/10/80 All holders of Valve in the Decay Heat a power reactor Removal System at OL or CP Davis-Besse J' nit No.1 80-40 Excessive Nitrogen 11/6/80 All holders of Supply Pressure a power reactor OL Activates Safety-Relief or CP Valve Operation to Cause Reactor Depressurization 80-39 Malfunctions of 10/31/80 All holders of a Solenoid Valves power reactor OL or CP Manufactured by Valcor Engineering Corporation 80-38 Cracking in Charging 10/30/80 All holders of Pump Casing Cladding a PWR power reactor OL or CP w-w----
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