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3/20/73 Note to File-j JERSEY CENTRAL POWER'&_LIGjfI COMRQ (0YSTER' CREEK VALVE TESTING) l I called Ivan Finfrock, Vice President, Jersey Central Power & Light Company on February 16, 1973, to discuss certain aspects of Bob Engelken's note 4
to Frank Kruesi dated February 15, 1973, on the above subject.
I told i
Mr. Finfrock that the basis of the letter and that we were pleased with j
Jersey Central's response and feel certain that we will also be pleased
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. with their followup inspection program.
I have sent to Mr. Finfrock, a copy of the referenced letter and have j
sent a copy of it to the state of New ersey.
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jS ATOMIC' ENERGY COMMISSION
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,j NOTE TO F. E. KRUESI-JERSEY CENTRAL POWER AND LIGHT COMPANY (0YSTER CREEK) - DOCKET NO.50-2 VALVE TESTING FOLLOWING PRIMARY SYSTEM BLONDOWN OCCURRENCE OF DECEMBER 29, 1972 On December 29, 1972, a primary system blowdown occurred at the Oyster Creek reactor facility following a reactor scram from full
- power (650 Mwe). The blowdown resulted from a malfunctioning relief valve and was similar in many respects to the blowc'cun 1972. pnce that took place at the Pilgrim facility on October 26, occur {/ Pertinent details relating tc the Oyster Creek blouccwn are discussed in " Directorate of Regulatory Operations Notification of an Incident or Occurrence" - Blue Sheet No. 78, dated January 4, 1973, and in Jersey Central's report to the Directorate of Licensing, dated January 17, 1973.
During the course of the Oyster Creek depressurization, two other malfunctions of safety related valves occurred (in addition to the relief valve malfunction). These were as follows:
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Following receipt of a main steam isolation closure signal (initiated automatically when reactor pressure decreases below C50 psig), one of the four main steam isolation valves failed to close; and 2.
The condensate return valve in one.of the two isolatien condenser systems failed to open after the reactor had been isolated from the main condenser.
The safety of the reactor was not jeopardized, however, by either of these valve malfunctions since redundant features built into each of these systems resulted in proper isolation and cocidown of the reactor primary system.
]/. Reference
" Directorate of Regulatcry 0perations Motification of an Incident or Occurrence" - Blue Sheet No. 71, dated October 31, 1972.
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c NOTE TO F. E. KRUESI Februa'ry 15, 1973 Following completion of their investigation aad repair program, Jersey Central planned to resume reactor operations on January 7, 1973. The unrelated failure of three vaives important to nuc; ear safety, however, coupled with an already high incidence of valve failures experienced during the past year at Oyster Creek and other power reactor facilities, raised concern within Regulatory as to the reliability of valves in safety related systems at Oyster Creek. As a result, the Jersey Central Power and Light Company was contacted by our Region I (Newark) Office on January 5, 1973, and informed that the Regulatory staff tonsidered it impcrtant to functionally test the operability of all valves important to l
safety prior to resumption of power operation :nd, furthermore, that the adequacy of the valve surveillance test program at Gyster Creek should be reexamined to determine whether improvements could be made in the test program.
s These AEC concerns were pursued both with plant management anc with the Manager, Nuclear Generating Stations.
As a resuit, the licensee identified 115 valves in 13 safety related systems which would be functionally tested prior to plant startup.
- n addition, the licensec initiated a plan of action to review the merits of the present va'.ve surveillance test program, both as to frequency and test method, and to further pursue these areas with the apprcpriate valva manufacturers.
Region I plans to follow up on this matter during future inspections.
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The licensee kept the plant shutdown until ccx.pietion of the valve testing. All of the valves functioned satisfactorily except ene of the torus to drywell vacuum breaker valves which required repair dee to its failure to meet the appropriate opening force criterion.
Reactor operations were resumed on January 12,1973.
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kW---p$W R. H. Engelken l
cc:
A. Giambusso, L J.
M.. Hendrie, L De J. Skovholt, L J. G. Keppler, RO J. P. O'Reilly, RO:t.
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