ML20059F683

Forwards for Info,Trip Rept of 900501-04 Visit to Westinghouse,Columbia,Sc Plant

ML20059F683
Person / Time
Site:	Westinghouse
Issue date:	09/07/1990
From:	Bidinger G NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS)
To:	Nardi A WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC COMPANY, DIV OF CBS CORP.
References
NUDOCS 9009110315
Download: ML20059F683 (7)

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SEP 0 71990 Docket No. 70-1151 License No. SNM-1107 Westinghouse Electric Corporation ATTN: Mr. A. J. Hardi, Manager Energy Systems License Administration P. O. Box 355

- t Pittsburgh, PA 15230-0355 Gentlenen:

-Dr. A. Datta's trip report concerning his visit to the Westinghouse, Columbia, South Carolina, plant during the period May 1-,, 1990, is enclosed for your information.

i Sincerely, c

orismalsiped er George H. Bidinger, Section Leader Uranium Fuel Section-Fuel Cycle Safety Branch Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety, NMSS

Enclosure:

As stated cc: Mr. E. Reitler Westinghouse Electric Corporation Distribution w/ enc 1.

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i TRIP REPORT ON WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION, COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR FUEL OlVISION, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

On May 1-4, 1990, Amar Datta accompanied the Region 11 Inspector on an inspection of the Westinghouse facility to assess the fire protection program.

A.

ASSESSMENT 4

The fire protection program of the facility was measured against the requirements of the recently published Brrnch Technical Position on Fire Protection, as well as prevalent industry standards, notably the National Fire Protection Association codes.

In performing the assessment, the inspector toured all the buildings and the adjacent outdoor storage, materials handling, and equipment areas which t

house or support licensed activities. Documents were examined to assess the licensees' commitment to the fire protection program and performance of its procedures. The assessment methods also included examination of randomly selected portable extinguishers, automatic fire protection equipment process equipment, and inspectiJn reports of American Nuclear Insurers (ANI),. Several facility employees were interviewed. The details follow.

1.

Building Fire Safety The manufacturing processes of the facility are housed in a cluster of high-bay interconnected buildings, constructed of structural steel frameworks, prefabricated cast concrete curtain wallc, and builtup roofs on metal decks.

The builtup roof has an Underwriters Laboratories rcting of A, and the

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buildings are constructed of noncombustible or limited combustible materials.

The fabrication of poisoned fuel rods is housed in a separate high-bay building (IFBA), similarly constructed, to the south of the main fuel manufacturing buildings.

Other detached builaings include the waste storage and treatment buildings, the boiler house, the pump houses, and a Butler building for the storage of contaminated waste. A one-story cafeteria and a two-story office building are attached to the manufacturing areas to the east.

The main fuel manufacturing building to the north of the five pellet lines is only partially protected by a wet pipe sprinkler system, since the final fuel assembly and inspection areas are left uncovered because of a perceived nuclear criticality concern.

However the justification for not extending the sprinkler protection to the entire area,is weakened by having approximately one-half of the large, open, high-bay enclosure covered by sprinklers.

In the event of a sprinkler head discharging, the moisture would inevitably travel to every part of the enclosure, especially when driven by hot combustion products. An L

l evaluation of an extension of thre sprinkler system to cover the entire area north of the barrier between the. pellet lines and the rod assembly areas is recommended.

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2 Other areas covered by sprinkler systems are the Butler building; the UFc bays one part of the second level of the main manufacturing building, comprising the computer room; and part of the 1978 addition to the southwest, housing the solvent extraction system and the incinerator among other activities. Locating a solvent extraction plant and an incinerator in the same enclosure runs counter to a basic principle of fire protection--that of separation of hazards, in this case, two identifiable hazardous operations have been installed in close proximity.

The inspector noted the sprinkler coverage of the area, which somewhat mitigates the problem.

The sprinkler system or, for that matter, any other automatic fire suppression system should not be challenged deliberately.

The inspector noted that Impe11 Corporation, performing a fire protection survey of the facility, identified a similar concern. The facility should address this concern and implement remedial measures.

The sub-floor cable system of the computer room in the eastern part of the i

main manufacturing building is protected by a halon suppression system. No deficiency was noted in this area.

The remainder of the manufacturing areas are protected by portable fire extinguishers.

A system of heat-activated fire detectors covers parts of these areas, such as over the hot oil lines and the sintering furnaces.

Fire detectors, however, are no substitute for automatic fire suppression systems.

It appears that the entire facility, with the exception of certain areas of unquestionable criticality concern, could be fitted out with sprinklers. The U0in$1udingfuelblendingareas,canbesuchexceptions. powder storage area in Careful evaluation of all manufacturing areas is recommended, with a view to extending sprinkler coverage to as much of the areas as possible, i

2.

process Fire Safety The inspector examined the manufacturing processes for fire hazard. The ADU and the 1%P processes were examined, as also the poisnned rod production process in the IFBA Building.

The sintering furnaces are provided with thermocouple-type flame supervision systems which are judged satisfactory.

Penetration closing devices in the walls of the hot oil room were examined and

' found to be satisfactory. Dikes in the doorways of this room are recommended in order to contain potential spills.

The inspector toured the tank farm, the boiler house, the pump houses, the equipment and buildings associated with the waste recovery system, the new and old oil W ses, and the Butler building.

It is understood that the old oil house w.:) no longer be used as a flammable and combustible liquid storage. No deficiencies were found in the outside equipment and buildings.

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3 3.

Fire Protection Equipment

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The facility has a fire water system consisting of an 8-inch underground looped fire main supplied by the Columbia City water system, an adequate number of fire hydrants, two water storage tanks (200,000 gallons and 250,000 gallons), and two diesel-driven fire pumps in separate pump houses. The inspector requested a test of the automatic start of the pumps upon lowering of the fire main pressure.

The jockey pumps and one of the main fire pumps started in sequence. The other would have started next. The test was satisfactory.

Pull-boxes are installed throughout the facility. The pull-boxes, fire f

detectors, and sprinkler flow alarms are hooked up to a central annunciator panel at the guard station. The inspector requested a test of one of the sprinkler alarm systems with the facility-wide audible alarm disconnected. Upon opening the sprinkler drain valve, the local gong-alarm sounded, and the guard station alert was activated.

The test was satisfactory.

Apart from the fixed fire suppression equipment mentioned above, portable extinguishers are at locations throughout the facility. The inspector checked several of them randomly The type and capacity of the extinguishers were judged to be appropriate, and monthly inspection tags were up to date. However, upon checking maintenance records, the inspector noted that in a letter dated i

January 17, 1990, Carolina Fire & Safety Appliances, Columbia, SC, (a Westinghouse contractor) had complained about portable extinguishers that were t

deficient or missing from their locations and their inability to correct the deficiencies beca n e of circumstances beyond their control. The inspector was informed that contaminated extinguishers could not be released for repairs. The inspector suggested installing new or serviceable equipment to replace the deficient ones.

Portable extinguishers should be available in their designated locations at all times and should be distributed in accordance with NFPA 10-1988, Portable Fire Extinguishers, items of emergency equipment were inspected randomly during the walkdown. One bull-horn was found inoperative because of dead batteries.

Fire protection equipment maintenance records were examined for timely inspection and t

malotenance of the equipment. While no deficiency was found in documentation, the inspector recommended that maintenance records be maintained in one place, instead of in a number of loose-leaf files.

The facility may consider using the computer to track performance and to store the records.

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F'.

Emergency Planning The Radiological Contingency Plan which contains the facility's plan for I

responding to fire emergencies was examined.

The functions of the Emergency Director, the Emergency Coordinator, and other emergency staff members have l

been described in the plan. A call sequence has been established for use in the event of an emergency. The Emergency Brigade, which has 76 members, functions L

under the direction of the Emergency Coordinator.

Among its equipment is a fire truck (not a pumper).. In the event of a fire, the brigade is called to action by a fire alarm that is audible throughout the facility. When the Emergency 1

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i Director (or his alternate) makes a determination that offsite assistance is needed, the City of Columbia Fire Department is called. The Fire Department may request additional help from the surrounding communities. On file is a-i letter indicating agreement by the City of Columbia to provide such assistance.

l Joint fire emergency drills, with participation of the site Emergency Brigade and the City Fire Department, and preplanned scenarios are performed annually.

The last such drill was held in October 1989. No deficiency was found in the fire emergency planning area.

5.

Administrative controls in an effort to gauge the extent of administrative control exercised over move-ment of combustible substances; hazardous operations, such as welding and other

. hot working; housekeeping; and sbfety audits; the inspector examined the following documents:

(a) St.fety Manual: Sections prescribing procedures for cutting and welding)(SY-207). handling and storage of zirconium and its al t

fire watch safety procedures (SY-305).

s (b) Risk Management Committee Reports:

Contain results of safety audits by a management comnittee performed at quarterly intervals, the last being dated January 31, 1990.

No deficiency was found in the documentation.

However, because of certain practices, the inspector had reservations about the effectiveness of the administrative control in the area of housekeeping, in one instance, a substantial pile of wooden pallets and planks, one plastic tent, plastic sheets, portable electrical equipment (Torits), and sundry objects were found in the Southwest Extension Building in an area where uranium oxide is stored.

This is t

in conflict with the princii,le of admitting nothing in a moderation-controlled area but the necessary quantities of combustible substances. As such, all of these materials should be removed. The fuel (uranium) storage areas must not L

be used for storage of any other sub:;tance.

1 The inspector discovered janitorial equipment in close proximity of VO cans on the mezzanine on top of the ADV control room.

Italsoseemstoberegblar practice for personnel to hang clothing and store cardboard boxes in a narrow space behind the electrical control cabinets in the same control room.

Employees present in the control room received a brief instruction on the hazards of the practice from the facility person accompanying the inspector and promptly removed the offending objects.

6.

Training The facility sends annually most of its Emergency Brigade members for fire E

fighter training to the South Carolina Fire Academy. Last year, 76 members received such training. The inspector examined a list of the training courses.

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i The SC Fire Academy-is an established fire training school.

The facility is to be commended on the training program. Also, it has an excellent record of close l

cooperation with the City of Columbia Fire Department in conducting joint annual drills at the facility.

B.

SUMMARY

1.

Automatic sprinkler suppression system could possibly be extended to more of the manufacturing areas of the facility, enhancing fire protection without risking a criticality incident. Careful evaluation of all areas of the f acility is recommended.

2.

The ?roximity of the solvent extraction system and the incinerator plant in t1e Southwest Extension is a matter of concern. Careful evaluation of-the area and mitigating measures are recommended.

3.

Dikes in the doorways of the hot oil room are recommended. These would contain oil spills.

4.

Fully serviceable portable extinguishers should be available in all areas of the facility at all times. These should be deployed in accordance with NFpA 10-1988, Portable Fire Extinguishers.

5.

Emergency equipment should be inspected regularly and kept in serviceable condition. A bull-horn was found inoperative.

6.

Documentation of fire protection equipment maintenance should be better organized. Use of the computer is recommended.

4 7.

All non-essential combustible materials and other unrelated itnms should be renoved from the V0 storage area in the Southeast Extension.

2 8.

Housekeeping at the facility could improve.

- t 9.

The facility is commended for its excellent training program, conducted in cooperation with the South Carolina Fire Academy, and for its performance of annual fire drills at the facility, with the City of Columbia Fire Department personnel participating.

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Document Names AD/ TRIP REPORT ON WESTINGHOUSE i-Requestor'.s.ID:

HATLEY-Author's Name:

amar detta Document Comments:

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