ML20006B473

LER 89-024-00:on 891226,required Sample from Safety Injection Accumulator 1C of Boron Concentration Not Taken. Caused by Insufficient Administrative Controls to Track Surveillance Tests.Bulletin Will Be issued.W/900125 Ltr

ML20006B473
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	01/25/1990
From:	Ayala C, Vaughn G HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
LER-89-024-01, LER-89-24-1, ST-HL-AE-3361, NUDOCS 9002020263
Download: ML20006B473 (6)

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The Li ht P.O. Itox 1700 (713) 1-louston, Texas 77001. _ ,_~~ __ -_228 Housinn Lighting As Power . .- ~~ . . ~ . - . ._ _9 211 January 25, 1990 ST-HL-AE- 3361 File No.: G26 10CFR50.73 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attention: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 South Texas Project Electric Generating Station Unit 1 Docket No. STN 50-498 Licensee Event Report 89-024 Regarding A Technical Specification Violation due to the Failure to Perform a Required Accumuletor Boron Sample Pursuant to 10CFR50.73, Houston Lighting & Power Company (HL&P) submits the attached Licensee Event Report (LER 89-024) regarding a Technical Specification violation due to the failure to perform a required accumulator boron sample. This event did not have any adverse impact on the health and safety of the public.

If you should have any questicus on this matter, please contact Mr. C. A. Ayala at (512) 972-8628 or myself at (512) 972-7921.

G. E. Va i Vice President Nuclear Operations

GEV/BEM/eg

Attachment:

LER 89-024 (South Texas, Unit 1) 9002020263 900125 ,

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South Texas Project Electric Generating Station File No.: C26  !

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Regional Administrator, Region IV Nuclear Regulatory Commission Rufus S. Scott 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 1000 Associate General Counsel Arlington, TX 76011 Houston Lighting & Power Company P. O. Box 61867 Goorge Dick, Project Manager Houston, TX 77208 U.S. Nuclear Regulator: Commission INPO Washington, DC 20555 Records Center J. I. Tapia 1*00 circle 75 Parkway Senior Resident Inspector Atlanta, CA 30339 3064 c/o V. S. Nuclear Regulatory Dr. Joseph M. Hendrie Commission P. O. Box 910 50 Be11 port Lane Bay City TX 77414 Be11 port, NY 11713 J. R. Newman, Esquire D. K. Lacker Newman & Holtzinger, P.C. Bureau of Radiation Control 1615 L Street, N.W. Texas Department of Ilealth Washington, DC 20036 1100 West 49th Street Aust-in, TX 78704 D. E. Ward /R P. Verret .

Central Power & Light Company P. O. Box 2121 Corpus Christi, TX 78403 J. C. Lanier Director of Generation City of Austin Electric Utility 721 Barton Springs Road Austin, TX 78704 R. J. Costello/M. T. Hardt City Public Service Board P. O. Box 1771 San Antonio, TX 78296 Revised 12/15/89 L4/NRC/

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On December 26, 1989, Unit I was in Mode 3. At approximately 0602 hours0.00697 days <br />0.167 hours <br />9.953704e-4 weeks <br />2.29061e-4 months <br />, during a reactor startup, Safety Injection Accumulator 1C was filled by greater than one percent of total volume to clear a low level alarm.

Technical Specification 4.5.1.1(b) requires sampling of the accumulator boron concentration within six hours of this activity. At approximately 1832 hours0.0212 days <br />0.509 hours <br />0.00303 weeks <br />6.97076e-4 months <br />, operations personnel discovered that the required sample had not been taken.

The accumulator was declared inoperable and the sample was taken and analyzed at 1900 hours0.022 days <br />0.528 hours <br />0.00314 weeks <br />7.2295e-4 months <br />. The accumulator was subsequently declared operable based on satisfactory results. The cause of this event was that administrative controls in effect to track surveillance tests were not sufficient to ensure that conditional surveillances were completed within Technical Specification Requirements. A procedure to control surveillance test performance will be implemented to ensure that conditional surveillances are properly initiated, tracked and completed. A bulletin will be issued to operatione personnel regarding this event and the need to ensure that conditional surveillances are completed on time and that chemistry samples are taken in accordance with pro:edure.

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DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: ,

1 On December 26, 1989, Unit I was in Mode 3. At approximately 0602 hours0.00697 days <br />0.167 hours <br />9.953704e-4 weeks <br />2.29061e-4 months <br />, during a reactor startup.. Safety Injection Accumulator AC was filled by ,

greater than one percent of total volume to clear a low level annunciator.

Technical Specification 4.5.1.1(b) requires sampling of the boron concentration in the accumulator following a level increase of greater than {

one percent of total volume. At approximately 0604 hours0.00699 days <br />0.168 hours <br />9.986772e-4 weeks <br />2.29822e-4 months <br />, a control room ,

operator notified the Chemical Technician Supervisor that a.accumuletor sample ,

was required by 1200 hours0.0139 days <br />0.333 hours <br />0.00198 weeks <br />4.566e-4 months <br />. The supervisor instructed a Chemical Technician  ;

to perform the sample or turn the activity over to the next shift. Since the technician could not perform the sample, he noted the requirement on the shift turnover log and informed the relief technician of the requirement at approximately 0730 hours0.00845 days <br />0.203 hours <br />0.00121 weeks <br />2.77765e-4 months <br />. The Chemical Technician Supervisor did not inform ,

the relief supervisor of the sample requirement or note it in the shift turnover checklist.

At approximately 0845 hours0.00978 days <br />0.235 hours <br />0.0014 weeks <br />3.215225e-4 months <br />, the control room operators requested that the Reactor Coolant System and Pressurizer be sampled for boron concentration .

every 15 minutes to support reactor startup. Due to the heavy work load, the i

, Chemical Technician did not recognize that the accumulator sample was still not completed. Since the Chemical Technician Supervisor's turnover checklist did not identify the required accumulator sample, the supervisor was unable to  !

ensure that the sample was completed on time.

At approximately 1832 hours0.0212 days <br />0.509 hours <br />0.00303 weeks <br />6.97076e-4 months <br />, during a review of the Control Room logs, operations personnel discovered that the required accumulator sample had not been completed. The accumulator was immediately declared inoperable and a Chemical Technic.an was directed to perform the sample. At 1900 hours0.022 days <br />0.528 hours <br />0.00314 weeks <br />7.2295e-4 months <br />, sample analysis was completed and the accumulator was declared operable based on satisfactory results.

On December 28, 1989, during the subsequent investigation of this event, it was determined that the accumulator sample, completed at 1900 hours0.022 days <br />0.528 hours <br />0.00314 weeks <br />7.2295e-4 months <br /> on ,

December 26, 1989, had not been taken per procedure. The procedure requires that the sample line by purged for a minimum of 34 minutes prior to sample collection. However, from the time the sample was ordered to the completion of the analysis, only 28 minutes had elapsed. It was determined that the technician had purged the sample line for less than the required 34 minutes because the surveillance was overdue and he believed that the procedure requirement was a guideline only. New samples were then ordered on all three accumulators. These samples were completed at 2300 hours0.0266 days <br />0.639 hours <br />0.0038 weeks <br />8.7515e-4 months <br /> and the boron concer.tration was determined to be satisf actory. The new boron concentration result on Accumulator AC was approximately 10 percent higher than the result reported on December 26, 1989 at 1900 hours0.022 days <br />0.528 hours <br />0.00314 weeks <br />7.2295e-4 months <br />, and in close agreement with the ,

results for Accumulators 1A and IB and the Refueling Water Storage Tank. '

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The cause of this event was that the administrative controls in effect to track surveillance test performance were not sufficient to ensure that conditional surveillances were completed within Technical Specification requirements. The current surveillance test scheduling system used by Chemical Operations is designed to track recurring surveillances only.

Conditional surveillances are tracked on Chemical Operations shift logs and turnover checklists.

The accumulator sample completed at 1900 hours0.022 days <br />0.528 hours <br />0.00314 weeks <br />7.2295e-4 months <br /> on December 26, 1989 was incorrectly performed due to failure of the technician to follow the sampling procedure.

ANALYSIS OF EVENT:

Failure to perform a Technical Specification required surveillance within its specified time is a violation of Technical Specification 4.0.2 which is reportable pursuant to 10CFR50.73(a)(2)(1)(B). In this case, the boron concentration sample of Safety Inj6ction Accumulator 1C was not completed within 6 hours6.944444e-5 days <br />0.00167 hours <br />9.920635e-6 weeks <br />2.283e-6 months <br /> of a change in accumulator solution volume of greater than one percent as specified in surveillance requirement 4.5.1.1.b. Assuming that the solution boron concentration was not within specified limits, Action C of Technical Specification 3.5.1 requires that the boron l concentration be returned to the specified value within 72 hours8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br />. The failure to perform the accumulator boron sample was identified and the surveillance performed approximately six hours after the required time. The surveillance was performed again approximately 52 hours6.018519e-4 days <br />0.0144 hours <br />8.597884e-5 weeks <br />1.9786e-5 months <br /> later. Both of these performances ,

were completed within the allowed time to correct the boron concentration of 72 hours8.333333e-4 days <br />0.02 hours <br />1.190476e-4 weeks <br />2.7396e-5 months <br />. Therefore, the Limiting Condition for Operation would not have been exceeded even if the boron concentration in the accumulator was not correct.

CORRECTIVE ACTION:

The following corrective actions are being taken as a result of this event:

1. A procedure to control the tracking and completion of conditional surveillance tests performed by Chemical Operations and Analysis will be implemented by February 23, 1990. This procedure will include requirements for the use of a surveillance test tracking form and other controls to ensure that conditional surveillance tests are

completed on time.

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2. A bulletin will be issued to plant operations and chemical analysis  ;

personnel regarding this event and the need to ensure that conditional  !

surveillancea are completed on time and that chemistry samples be ~

taken in accordance with procedure. This action will be completed by February 1, 1990.

3. Failing to follow approved procedures was identified-previously in Unit 1 Licensee Event Report (LER)89-017. Contained within this LER '

was corrective action to review the implementation of the station's .

procedure compliar.ce gslicy with regard to employee understanding and l management enforceiment The review has been completed and an action

• plan for enhancing: pro :edure compliance has been developed.

i i ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

A previous event, regarding the failure to perform a Technical >

, Specification required containment building atmosphere grab sample, was ,

j reported under LER 89-019. '

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