ML20058P439
| ML20058P439 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vogtle  |
| Issue date: | 12/17/1993 |
| From: | Chaffee A Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | GEORGIA POWER CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20058P407 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9312270130 | |
| Download: ML20058P439 (6) | |
Text
December 17,1993 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOAAD In the Matter of
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) Docket Nos.
50-4244LA-3 GEORGIA POWER COMPANY, et al.
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50-425-OLA-3
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(Vogtle Electric Generating Plant,
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Re: Licensee Amendment Units 1 and 2)
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(TransfertoSouthernNuclear)
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INTERROGATORY RESPONSE OF ALFRED E. CHAFFEE TO THE OCTOBER 8,1993, GEORGIA POWER COMPANY'S FIRST SET OF INTERROGATORIES AND SECOND REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS TO THE NRC STAFF STATE of MARYLAND
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COUNTY of MONTGOMERY
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Alfred E. Chaffee, having first been duly swom, hereby statre as follows:
I am employed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as Chief, Events Assessment Branch, Division of Operating Reaccor Support, Office of Nuclear Reactor l
Regulation.
In the spring of 1990, I was appointed Team Leader for the Incident Investigation Team (IIT) that reviewed the site emergency which occurred on March 20,1990, at the Vogtle site. The IIT also reviewed the licensee's trouble shooting and event investigation actions of the March 20,1990 event which occurred subsequent to the site emergency.
On October 7,1993, Georgia Power Company (GPC) served interrogatories upon the NRC which called for information I possessed between March 20,1990, and April 1990.
I have been informed in general terms by Staff counsel that the interrogatories result from 9312270130 931220 PDR ADOCK 05000424 O
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an administrative pivcwding in which the intervenor has alleged that GPC knowingly ~
submitted incorrect. information to the NP.C regarding diesel starts following the March 20,1990, site incident (LER-904 and at a meeting in NRC's Atlanta, Georgia.
office on April 9,1990). - Having been so informed as to the background of the interrogatories, I respond here to those interrogatories which refer to me.
INTERROG ATORY 1 Describe in detail the information or knowledge obtained by the following.
persons on or before April 9,1990, regarding Plant Vogtle Unit 1 emergency diesel-generator problems associated with diesel generator sensors / switches after March 20,1990
RESPONSE
Almost all of what I, and I believe my team members know, is set foith in NUREG-1410, entitled " Loss of Vital AC Power and the Residual Heat Removal System During Mid-LOOP Operations at Vogtle Unit I on March 20,1990." I was connected by telephone from Bethesda, Maryland for most if not all of the meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia on April 9,1990, between GPC and NRC. Dy April 9,1990, I was aware that the 1 A diesel generator did not always start and operate as expected as evidenced by the two failures on March 20,1990. See Appendices I and'J to NUREG-1410. Based on.
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a review of NUREG-1410 in preparation for preparing this document it appears to me-that at some point in the IIT investigation we were aware that a large number of starts had occurred on the 1 A diesel after the two failures on March 20,1990 and all of these starts occurred without a repeat of the failures which occurred on March 20,1990. As '
to the total number of starts and their bearing on the declaration of the 1A diesel generator as being operable, I do not believe the IIT focused on this issue as it was not r
y
a part of the IIT charter. As to the presentation by the licensee on April 9,1990,.
regarding diesel generator starts, I was unaware that the numbers presented were incorrect as I had no reason at that time to challenge the accuracy or veracity of those numbers. In addition based on a recent review of the slides used in the licensee's -
presentation on April 9,19lX), it appears to me that the slides correctly represent what the IIT understood in general terms at that time (i.e., a large amount of testing on the 1 A diesel had been completed with no reproduction of a failure) thus providing no obvious basis for challenging the number of starts alluded to in the licensees presentation. As of April 9,1993, I was unaware of any count of starts or attempted starts done by the IIT of any Vogtle diesel generator. I was aware that the licensee, in association with the vendor, was investigating why diesel generator I A tripped twice on March 20,1990. I was also aware that the high jacket water temperature switches were being carefully analyzed.
INTERROGATORY 2 Describe in detail the additional information or knowledge obtained by the following persons on or before April 19,1990, regarding Plant Vogtle Unit 1 emergency diesel generator problems associated with diesel generator sensors / switches after March 20,1990:
RESPONSE
This interrogatory seeks what additional information I acquired between April 9, 1990, and April 19, 1990. I reviewed NUREG-1410; bibliography item number 205, Transcript:
Telephone Conference with IIT, Licensee, R-II (April 7,1993) and I
bibliography item number 206 Transcript: Telephone Conference with HT, Licensee (April 9,1990). Based on this review, it appears to me that the licensee had completed
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all IA diesel generator starts prior to April 9,1990, which were associated with the r
dctermination of the root cause for the failure of the 1A diesel generator on March 20, 1990. It also appears and I recall that licensee personnel continued to work on why the Calcon sensors failed after completion of the diesel start testing. However, by April 19, 1990, I do not remember making a tabulation of starts or attempted starts from any particular date.
NUREG-1410, Appendix J Page J-20 paragraph four states: "At this point, the licensee had started emergency diesel generator 1A approximately 21 times since the incident with no abnormal operating conditions or trip or trip alarms."
"At this point" refers to the completion of the Operability Test which I believe occurred prior to April 9,1990. I do not remember when this information was developed by, I believe Rick Kendall, or when it came to my attention. However since we were not focusing on post event diesel start numbers, I probably was not either aware or conscious of this data until after April 19,1990.
INTERROGATORY 3 i
Did NRC procedure in March 1990 including any procedures utilized by the Augmented Inspection team (AIT) or the Incident Investigation Team (IIT), sent to Plant Vogtle in March 1990, require the AIT or IIT to make records of telephone calls or communications with Georgia Power personnel? If so, describe in detail and identify the' procedure.
A.
Did AIT and IIT personnel keep such records?
RESPONSE
The only procedures I am aware of that existed while this event was being investigated by the IIT during March 1990 were NUREG-1303 " Incident Investigation Manual" dated February 1988 and NRC Manual Chapter NRC-0513 "NRC Incident
5 Investigation Program" dated August 5,1987. Manual Chapter 0513 dated August 5, 1987, states that AEOD will develop a variety of procedures including a procedure for imerviewing and a procedure for collecting and maintaining documents, records, data and other information into an investigation manual. The referred to manual is NUREG-1303.
NUREG-1303 gives guidance in the area of keeping records such as transcripts or notes for interviews conducted by IIT personnel. This guidance indicates that interviews should be documented and discussions about administrative activities will not be documented.
The IIT did keep such records in the form of transcripts of, I believe, all significant interactions (interviews) between the team and those personnel interviewed. All these records are to the best of my knowledge in the Public Document Room. The guidance did not directly address phone calls. It should also be noted that the HT did not transcribe all followup interactions (interviews) but we did attempt to get all significant 1
information transcribed when possible.
These responses ue true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Respectfully submitted, n i-Alfred E. Chaffee, Chief Events Assessment Branch Division of Operating Reactor Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Subscribed and sworn to before me this 17th day of December 1993 p
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