ML20034F372

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Insp Repts 50-295/92-35 & 50-304/92-35 on 921222-930201. Violation Noted.Major Areas Inspected:Licensee Action on Previous Insp Findings,Summary of Operations,Operational Safety Verification & ESF Sys Walkdown
ML20034F372
Person / Time
Site: Zion  File:ZionSolutions icon.png
Issue date: 02/23/1993
From: Farber M
NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:
Shared Package
ML20034F364 List:
References
50-295-92-35, 50-304-92-35, NUDOCS 9303030072
Download: ML20034F372 (13)


See also: IR 05000295/1992035

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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

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REGION III

Report Nos. 50-295/92035(DRP); 50-304/92035(DRP)

Docket Nos. 50-295; 50-304

License Nos. DPR-39; DPR-48

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Licensee:

Commonwealth Edison Company

Opus West III

1400 Opus Place - Suite 300 '

Downers Grove, IL 60515

Facility Name: Zion Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2

Inspection At:

Zion, IL

Inspection Conducted: December 22, 1992, through February 1, 1993

Inspectors:

J. D. Smith

R. J. Leemon

R. B. Landsman

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Approved By:

M. J.

arber, Chief

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Inspection Summary

Inspection from December 22. 1992. through Februar_y 1. 1993 Report Nos. 50-

295/920035(DRP): 50-304/920035(DRP))

Areas Inspected: Routine, unannounced resident inspection of licensee. action

on previous inspection findings; summary of operations; operational safety

verification and engineered safety feature (ESF) system walkdown; maintenance

and surveillance observation; engineering and technical support observations;

safety assessment and quality verification; licensee event reports (LERs);

management meetings; and qualification information concerns.

Results: Of the six areas inspected, no violations or deviations were

identified in five areas, and one violation was identified in the remaining

area.

Plant Operations

Corrective actions (CAs) for configuration control personnel errors have been

implemented. The CAs include monitoring of non-licensed operator (NLO) field

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activities by the shift engineer and unit supervisor. The NLO coaching by

shift management and training program improvements have to-date effectively

stemmed the rash of personnel errors.

9303030072 930223

PDR

ADOCK 05000295

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PDR;

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Maiatenance and Surveillance

Excellent outage planning, scheduling and personnel accountability enabled the

plant to be ahead of an aggressive refueling outage schedule.

Engineering and Technical Support

The effectiveness of having the corporate engineering-group relocated to the

site was demonstrated during the Unit 2 refueling outage by the quick -

resolution of problems, effective installation of a large number of

modifications, and assistance to technical staff engineering as needed. The

presence of the corporate engineering group onsite has_ helped the station to

be ahead of the planned 105 day outage schedule.

In addition, the technical

staff reorganization and role changes have resulted in good support for the

outage schedule.

Safety Assessment and Quality Verification

Due to two of six ECCS pumps being out of service, a temporary waiver of

compliance (TWOC) was requested by the licensee and granted by Region III.

However, the TWOC would not have been required if the shift engineer had

consulted other management prior to taking a safety injection (SI) pump out-

of-service for a check valve replacement during the same time that a charging

pump was experiencing high vibration readings.

On the positive side, station management's commitment to and involvement in

the Integrated Quality Effort (IQE) process has provided low threshold

trending information for quicker response.

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DETAILS

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Persons Contacted

R. Tuetken, Vice President, Zion Station

  • T. Joyce, Station Manager
  • D. Wozniak, Superintendent, Technical
  • W. Kurth, Superintendent, Production

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R. Budowle, Onsite Nuclear Safety

  • A. Broccolo, Director, Services

W. Stone, Director, Performance Improvement

D. Redden, Assistant to Production Superintendent

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  • P. LeBlond, Assistant Superintendent, Operations

R. Johnson, Assistant Superintendent, Maintenance

J. LaFontaine, Assistant Superintendent, Work Planning

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  • D. Bump, Nuclear Quality Program, Supervisor

C. Schultz, Quality Control Supervisor

  • S. Kaplan, Regulatory Assurance Supervisor
  • R. Chrzanowski, Technical Staff Supervisor

K. Moser, Technical Staff

R. Milne, Security Administrator

  • K. Dickerson, Regulatory Assurance

R. Cascarano, Unit 2 Operating Engineer

W. Demo, Unit 1 Operating Engineer

T. Printz, Unit 0 Operating Engineer

T. Boyce, Fire Marshall

  • R. Ponce, Quality Control
  • K. Depperschmidt, I.M.
  • G. Kassner, RP
  • 0. Fich, RP
  • R. Mika, RP
  • B. Gulley, SQV
  • L. Simon, Assistant Superintendent, Maintenance
  • Indicates persons present at the exit interview on February 5,1993.

The inspectors also contacted other licensee personnel including members

of the operating, maintenance, security, and engineerirg staff.

2.

Licensee Actions on Previous Inspection Findings (92701. 92702)

Inspection Follow-up Items (IFI)

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(Closed) IFI Item (295/91003-02; 304/91003-02):

Inspector concerns

about the adequacy of the verification process used by the licensee to

determine experience and qualifications of contract radiation protection

technicians hired to perform work during refueling outages. This item

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was discussed and closed in Report 295/92028; 304/9202E as Open Item

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295/92002-03(DRSS). This item is closed.

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No violations or deviations were identified.

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3.

Summary of Operations

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Unit 1

The unit started the period at 100 percent power and load followed for

most of the inspection period. Due to two of six ECCS pumps being out

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of service on January 4, 1993, the unit ramped down from 100 to 36

percent power in response to the action statement of TS 3.8.1.D.

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Temporary Waiver of Compliance was granted by Region III which extended-

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the TS action statement by 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br />. The unit returned to 100 percent

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power and load followed for the remainder of the period.

Unit 2

The Unit 2 core was unloaded on December 6, 1992, and the unit remained

defueled until January 6, 1993, when core reload was started. Core

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reload was completed on January 12, 1993.

Following reactor vessel head

tensioning on January 22, 1993, the unit entered Mode 5 where it

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remained for the rest of the period.

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No violations or deviations were identified.

4.

Operational Safety Verification and Engineered Safety Features System

Walkdown (71707 & 71710)

The inspectors verified that the facility was being operated in

conformance with the licenses and regulatory requirements and that the

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licensee's management control system was effectively carrying out its

responsibilities for safe operation. During tours of accessible areas

of the plant, the inspectors made note of general plant and equipment

conditions, including control of activities in progress.

On a sampling basis the inspectors observed control room staffing and

coordination of plant activities; observed operator adherence with

procedures and technical specifications; monitored control room

indications for abnormalities; verified that electrical power was

available and observed the frequency of plant and control room visits by

station managers.

The inspectors also monitored various administrative

and operating records.

The specific areas observed were:

Engineered Safety features (ESF) Systems

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Accessible portions of ESF systems and their support systems

components were inspected to verify operability through

observation of instrumentation and proper valve and electrical

power alignment.

The inspectors also visually inspected

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components for material conditions.

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Radiation Protection Controls

The inspectors verified that workers were following health

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physic's procedures and randomly examined radiation protection

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instrumentation for operability and calibration.

The station's exposure total for 1992 was 1,042 man-rem.

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Personnel contamination events'(PCEs) for 1992 totaled 463. Dose:

recorded for the current Unit 2 outage at'the end of the

inspection period was 260 man-rem. . Exposure projections.through

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the end of the outage indicate that the outage should be completed

for less than 300 man-rem.

PCEs occurred at a lower rate with 37

recorded for January 1993. The outage man-rem exposure and PCEs

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were less than half of-the values projected.

The inspectors reviewed the effectiveness of the corrective

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actions implemented to address many problems encountered during

the spring 1992 Unit.1 outage. The changes included planning and.

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scheduling activities, containment access control, and many

changes to dose tracking for specific outage jobs.

Based on these-

reviews it appears that the corrective actions have been effective

during the current Unit 2 outage, and the overall station

radiation protection program continues to improve.

Security

During the inspection period, the inspectors-monitored the-

licensee's security program to ensure that observed actions were

being implemented according to their approved security plan.

Housekeepina and Plant Cleanliness

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The inspectors monitored the status of housekeeping and plant

cleanliness.for fire protection and protection of safety-related

equipment from intrusion of foreign matter.

Examples of-

housekeeping improvements that have continued during the outage

include removal of the 12 percent boric acid equipment and

decontamination of a significant number of auxiliary equipment

rooms allowing street clothes entry.

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Operational Events

Enforcement Conference

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On January 27, 1993, an Enforcement' Conference on the misalignment

of an auxiliary feedwater.~(AFW) system valve and other operational

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personnel errors was held at the NRC Region III office.

A Level

IV violation was~ issued for the misaligned AFW valve.

(See

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Reports 50-295/93004; 50-304/93004.)

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b.

Assessment of Plant Operations

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Good corrective actions (CA) for configuration control personnel

errors have been implemented. The CAs include monitoring of non-

license operator (NLO) field activities by the shift engineer and

unit supervisor. The NLO coaching by shift management and

training program improvements have to date effectively stemmed the

rash of personnel error.

No violations or deviations were identified.

5.

Monthly Maintenance and Surveillance (62703 and 61726)

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Routinely, station maintenance and surveillance activities were observed

and/or reviewed to ascertain that they were conducted in accordance with

approved procedures, regulatory guides and industry codes or standards,

and in conformance with technical specifications.

The following items were also considered during this review:

approval s

were obtained prior to initiating the work and testing and that

operability requirements were met during such activities; functional

testing and calibrations were performed prior to declaring the component

operable; discrepancies identified during the activities were resolved

prior to returning the component to service; quality control records

were maintained; and activities were accomplished by qualified

personnel.

a.

Maintenance / Surveillance Related Activities

Safety In_iection Timers

On December 30, 1992, while performing PT-10-3 for Bus 148 train

B, the IB RHR pump auto-started. During the investigation, the

tech staff engineer identified that the Bus 148 train B SI timer

did not fully reset as required. Upon resetting the timer

tranually and inspection of the other timers, the tech staff

engineer found that Bus 149 train A and train B SI timers were not

fully reset as required and manually reset them. Also during the

inspection, the following timers were identified as having binding

of their reset mechanism; bus 147 train A SI timer, bus 147 train

B SD timer, bus 148 train A SD timer, Bus 148. train B SD timer,

and bus 149 train A SD timer.

Following adjustment of the reset

mechanisms,

each of the 8 timers are resetting as required. The

root cause investigation is still in progress at this time.

0A Fire Pump

On January 6,1993, the OA fire pump exceeded the seven day TS out

of service limit due to a bad sensing line. Delays in procuring

and evaluating the material for this line prevented the repair of

the pump within the LCO.

The licensee is required to write a

report to the NRC within the next 30 days explaining this

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situation. The resident staff will review the report and monitor

the pump repairs.

This situation has minor safety significance.

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b.

Assessment of Maintenance and Surveillance

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Excellent outage planning, scheduling, and personnel

accountability enabled the plant to be ahead of an aggressive

refueling outage schedule.

Needed improvements in the foreign

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material exclusion (FME) program have been noted, as illustrated-

by coverage of open piping and equipment, including the reactor

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cavity, with debris nets following defueling.

No violations of deviations were identified.

6.

Engineering and Technical Support (37828)

The inspectors evaluated the extent to which engineering principles and

evaluations were integrated into daily plant activities.

This was

accomplished by assessing the technical staff involvement in non-routine

events, outage-related activities, and assigned TS surveillances;

observing on-going maintenance work and troubleshooting; and reviewing

deviation investigations and root cause determinations,

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Engineering and Technical Support Events

Trip of Inverter 212

Zion has made significant progress towards identifying and

resolving sporadic instrument inverter failures, which have

plagued the station for years, by the use of a high tech Nicolet

data recorder which samples 16 circuit points and auto-triggers on

a fault.

Fcllowing a trip of inverter 212 on December 12, 1992,

the data recorder was used to monitor the inverter, which tripped

again on January 7, 1993. Data from the recorder clearly

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identified a sporadic failure of a control and synchronization

board. After this board was replaced and the inverter reentrgized

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to a load cart, new anomalies were observed in a gate drive

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control board that led to a subsequent trip on January 18. This

board was replaced and inverter 212 was returned to service

January 27.

Trip of Inverter 214

Inverter 214 tripped on December 16, 1992, with the Unit in cold

shutdown.

Investigation revealed a failed capacitor and diode

which were replaced.

The control and synchronization board was

replaced as a preventive measure.

Inverter 214 was run on a load

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cart and then returned to service on January 26, 1993.

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The licensee did an excellent job in investigating and determining

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the root cause of thest inverter failures using the latest test

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equipment technology. As a preventive measure, they also replaced

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the control and synchronization boards in other inverters.

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During outage Z2R12, the licensee will also replace control boards

on Inverter 213 (since it is still undergoing its normal PM

program) - even though it has no indications of any problems.

Part Replacements

Periodic replacement of circuit boards has been incorporated into

the inverter PM prograin.

Long range plans call for inverter parts

replacements to begin during the dual unit service water outage

(1993-1994).

Trending

Recording high-resolution baseline data will be part of the

PM/ Tech Staff trending process in the future for inverters.

b.

Assessment of Engineering and Technical Support

The effectiveness of having the corporate engineering group

relocated to the site was demonstrated during the Unit 2 refueling

outage by the quick resolution of problems, effective installation

of a large number of modifications, and assistance to technical

staff engineering as needed. The presence of the corporate

engineering group onsite has helped the station to be ahead of the

planned 105 day outage schedule.

In addition, the technical staff

reorganization and role changes have resulted in good support for

the outage schedule.

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No violations or deviations were identified.

7.

Safety Assessment and Quality Verification '(40500)

The effectiveness of management controls, verification and oversight

activities in the conduct of jobs observed during this inspection were

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evaluated. Management and supervisory meetings involving plant status

were attended to observe the coordination between departments.

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results of licensee corrective action programs were routinely monitored

by attendance at meetings, discussion with the plant staff, review of

deviation reports, and root cause evaluation reports.

a.

SAQV Related Events

Unit 2 Outage Meetings

A timely 30-minute outage meeting is held daily. The meeting

agenda includes outage status, protected electrical paths for

vital equipment, schedule highlights, outage action items list,

departmental concerns, and topic of the' day (ALAPA/ Dose; Financial

Report; work request status, testing status, and modification

status). These meetings have been efficient and are a great

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contributor to keeping the outage on time, keeping plant personnel

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accountable, tracking setbacks, and resolving problems. Good

outage planning and scheduling has enabled the plant to be ahead-

of schedule.

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Recional Temporarv Waiver of Compliance (RTWOC)

On January 5, 1993, with the IB safety injection (SI) pump out of

service for replacement of the recirculation line check valve,

the 1A charging pump was declared inoperable due to vibration

readings on the speed changer. Unit I started a ramp down from

full power in accordance with Technical Specification 3.8.2.D

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action statement for having two of six emergency core cooling

pumps inoperable.

Zion Station requested a Temporary Waiver of Compliance (TWOC)

from Technical Specification (TS) 3.8.2.0 to avoid placing the

unit in an unnecessary shutdown and thermal transient. On

January 5,1993, Region III verbally grantcd the lWOC to TS 3.8.2.D which allowed Unit I to remain in Mode 1 for 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> to

complete repairs on the IB safety injection pump recirculation

line check valve and return the pump to service. The Unit I ramp

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down was stopped with the Unit at 36% power.

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On January 6, 1993, the IB SI pump was returned to service.

Unit

I exited the requirements of TS 3.8.2.D and the TWOC approximately

four hours before it expired.

Integrated Quality Effort (10E) Process

The IQE process continues to evolve and mature into a very

effective trending system that quickly analyzes low threshold

indicators for management attention.

Senior station management is

committed to the IQE process which provides an early indicator of

negative trends.

The IQE process is administered by the performance supervisor who

uses senior management observations, onsite and corporate audits,

Zion's Problem Identification Form (PIF) program, and other

identified deficiencies as inputs.

Presently senior management

analyzes the IQE for action, however the ownership of the program

including analysis of the data is being pushed down to department

head levels. The effectiveness of this results oriented process

to quickly identify tnd correct negative trends has been

recognized by corporate management by the use of Zion's program as

a model for implementation at all stations.

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Assessment of SAQV

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The TWOC request and submittal for the inoperable SI and charging

pump were timely and well prepared. However, the TWOC would not

have been required if the shift engineer had consulted other

management prior to taking the SI pump out-of-service for a check

valve replacement during the same time that the charging pump was

experiencing high vibration readings.

On the positive side, station management's commitment to and

involvement in the IQE process has provided low threshold trendti.g

information for quicker response.

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No violations or deviations were identatied.

8.

Licensee Event Reports (LERs) Followup (92700)-

Through direct observations, discussions with licensee personnel, and

review of records, the following event reports were reviewed to

determine that reportability requirements were fulfilled, immediate

corrective action was accomplished, and corrective action to prevent

recurrence had been accomplished in accordance with Technical

Specifications. The LERs listed below are considered closed:

UNIT 1

LER NO.

DESCRIPTION

LER 91014

Missed TS Action Statement

LER 91070

Containment Integrity Broken

LER 92005

Hissed Fire Watch

LER 92006

Pump Autostart

LER 92011

Unanticipated Reactor Trip

LER 92012

DG Autostart

LER 92013

Inoperable Fire Suppression

LER 92015

Inadvertent ESF Actuation

LER 92017

Hissed TS Action Statement

LER 92018

Inadvertent MOV Closure

LER 92019

ESF Autostart

LER 92020

Hispositioned AFW Valve

LER 92021

Inadvertent ESF Actuation

LER 92047

Inadequate CR Shift Coverage

LER 92049

Containment Integrity Broken

LER 92053

Hissed Boron Sample

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UNIT 2

DESCRIPTION

LER 91013

Missed Post Maintenance Verificatfon

Test

LER 92003

Failure To Provide One-Hour Fire

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Barrier

LER 92058

SAT Deluge

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In addition.to the. foregoing, the. inspectors reviewed the licensee's.

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Problem Identification' Forms-(PIFs) generated during the'inspectio'n

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period. This' was done in an effort to' monitor the conditions.related to

plant or personnel performance and potential trends.

PIFs.and the

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results of the investigations were also reviewed to.. ensure that they.

were generated appropriately and dispositioned in a manner consistent-

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with the applicable procedures'and the quality assurance manual. The-

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following ' completed PIFs were reviewed:

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PIF 29555492180-092

IB AFW Trip

PIF 30455492200-048

Air operated valve. failed to open

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PIF 30455492200-040

2A AFW Hanger Damage

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PIF 29555492200-096

Slipped Rod

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PIF 30455492200-047

Low SW Flow to 2B' RHR Room Cooler

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No violations or deviations were identified.'

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Management Meetings (30703)

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Enforcement Conference

An enforcement conference (Inspection Report No. 295/93004;

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304/93004(DRP) was held in the NRC Region III office on January 27,

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1993, as a result of a Severity Level IV violation of NRC regulations

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identified in Inspection Report No. 295/92031-(DRP) and recent events

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caused by personnel errors. The violation was for failure to

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independently verify the position of Unit 1,-1B motor driven auxiliary-

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feedwater (AFW) pump discharge isolation valve '(IFWOO38) as- fully open .

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during a valve realignment on October 2,1992.

10.

Qualification Information Concerns

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Concern

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As a result of a routine inspection, a violation (91003-01) was

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issued concerning the. failure to meet the minimum ANSI

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qualifications for a radiation' protection supervisor.. One of the

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licensee's corrective actions was to review all Zion personnel

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currently in positions subject' to ANSI qualification to ensure,

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that the scope of the violation did not extend to other positions.

During the review of the licensee's evaluation,, it was noted that-

a May 20, 1991, management's evaluation and documentation of

personnel qualifications of an instrument maintenance supervisor

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were. poor. Numerous inaccuracies were identified between the

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individual's resume and management's letter certifying his

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experience.

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To address the issue and determine whether these differences may

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have been intentional or inadvertent error, the Office of

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Investigations (01) conducted an investigation (3-91-019).

A' copy

of the 01 Synopsis is included for your review.

b.

Conclusion

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Based upon evidence developed during the investigation, it was

concluded that the ANSI certifying statement was not deliberately

falsified.

This issue is considered closed.

However, the files did contain some inaccurate information about

the work experience of the supervisor; specifically,'the_ years of

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ANSI work experience credited from the last two previous

employers. Credit was given for a full two years experience while

a fluid systems engineer at General Dynamics when the individual

had only worked 20 months, and credit was given for one full-year

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of experience while a research assistant at the University of

Illinois when the individual had only eight months experience.

10 CFR 50.9 requires that information required by statute, or the

Commission's regulations, orders, or by license conditions to be

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maintained by the licensee shall be complete and accurate in all

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material respects.

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Zion Technical Specification (TS) 6.5.2 J requires that records-

relative to the training and qualification for current members of

the station staff be maintained for the duration of the Operating

License.

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This failure to maintain accurate records is considered to be a

violation of 10 CFR 50.9 (295/92035-01(DRP); 304/92035-01(DRP)) as

required by TS 6.5.2 J.

One violation of NRC requirements was identified.

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Exit Interview (30703)

The inspectors met with licensee representatives (denoted in Paragraph

1) throughout the inspection period and at the conclusion of the

inspection on February 5,1993, to summarize the scope and findings of

the inspection activities. The licensee acknowledged the inspectors

comments. The inspectors also discussed the likely informational

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content of the inspection report with regard to documents or processes

reviewed by the inspectors during the inspection.

The licensee did not

identify any such documents or processes as proprietary.

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SYNOPSIS

On November 27, 1991, the Regional Administrator,

U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Region III, requested an investigation to

determine whether the instrument maintenance (IM) master and/or

station manager at Zion Generating Station - (Zion) deliberately

provided false information while qualifying a recently promoted

IM supervisor under certain American National Standards Institute

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(ANSI) criteria.

Based upon the evidence developed during the investigation,

the office of Investigations was unable to substantiate that

Zion management, and specifically personnel within the IM

Department, knowingly or deliberately engaged in providing

false or inaccurate information to the NRC while qualifying

the IM supervisor under ANSI qualifications.

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Case No. 3-91-019

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