ML20128M996

Forwards P Bower Re Alleged Technical Defects in Plant Control Sys,Indications of Failure to Detect Problems & Attitude of Pressing Forward Towards Commercial Operation Regardless of Defects

ML20128M996
Person / Time
Site:	Shoreham File:Long Island Lighting Company icon.png
Issue date:	03/12/1985
From:	Kessel R NEW YORK, STATE OF
To:	Chilk S NRC OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY (SECY)
Shared Package
ML20128C950	List: ML20128C946 ML20128M996
References
NUDOCS 8506030140
Download: ML20128M996 (5)

Text

a -

1

, , e e

e M

\

stene*

STATE OF NEW YORK EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT STATE CONSUMER PROTECTION BOARD RICHARD M. KESSEL CHNR AND EXECtmVE DmECTOR O RFPLY TO: O REPLY TO:

M WASHINGTON AVENUE March 12, 1985 2S 85^o= 'm r'ma ALE /.NY, NEW YORK 12210 NEW YORK. NEW YORK 10007 (518) 47&3514 (212) 587-4482 Ilon. Samuel J. Chilk Secretary Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555

Dear Mr. Chilk:

The New York State Consumer Protection Board has received the enclosed correspondence concerning Long Island Lighting Company's Shoreham Nuclear Generation Station. We ask that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission consider this material in its Shoreham hearing proceeding.

- Although the letter indicates that some of these matters may have previously been brought to the attention of the NRC during the hearings, others may not have.

While the Consumer Protection Board has no means of independently evaluating the allegations contained in the attached correspondence, these allegations appear to seriously affect the plant's prospects for safe operation. The letter not only alleges technical defects in the plant's control systems, but also indicates ~ a failure by LILCO to detect these problems and an attitude of pressing forward towards commercial operation regardless of defects. There are also allegations that NRC inspectors have apparently failed to uncover or to order correction of these deficiencies.

We request that these allegations peqnvestigated and that appropriate steps taken in light of the/ investigation. We would also appreciate your inf ng us of dr findings.

N f i nc  ! Vo e

\ >

Ri ard M. Kess 1 ATT.

I 1 8506030140 850513 i , PDR ADOCK 05000322

', P. PDR

s 4.  ?-

'P.O. Box 207

• St. James, New York 11780 February 5, 1985 Mr. Richard'M Kessel, Executive Director New YorIk State Consumer Protection Board t 250 Broadway- Room 1725 . ,

New York,;New York 10007 ,

Dear Mr.'Kessel:

As per our conversation yesterday, enclosed are recent allegations about

. design and construction flaws, tudged documentation, and inadequate preparation of Quality Assurance personnel provided by Instrumentation and Control technicians at the Shoreham Nuclear Power Station.

The worker who gave the listed systems numbers on the enclosed sheet added the following details and'said that to his knowledge, except for the Gil systen (which may have been repaired), there has been no resolution to problems brought to the attention of his supervisors:

^

"Gil System Radwaste Laundry Tank #20 A and 20 B'. Data sheets gave alarm points as 8'6". The operator was asked what level he had.

Answer was 9*. When the level was checked, using the operator's indicator, it was found to read out in gallons and showed 9*, which was 9x100 or 900 gallons, or less than 8 full. Later, the calibration data on the : level transmitter was found to be wrong. The zero had "been suppressed 104" and the tanks would run over before reading 100%.

1N11. The head correction factor was not calculated into the calibration data. The original calibration is invalid because of this, and one switch would be over-ranged if the head correction was added.

• No action taken by technical support.

1E41. . Sensing line installation created traps which could cause false )

indications to the switch which would keep the HPCI pump off. Calcula ted head correction was applied wrong to the seppoint. I was told by the foreman that management did not want to hear about things like this now.

Requested review by technical department.

1N35. Generic problem identified by our I and C group and solutions recommended. Could be serious problem if no action taken, because these relays are also used on the diesels and I was told by the engineer that some had already failed because of'this problem."

^An additional 70 worker allcqations are contained in my Lculimony bc[ ore the NRC. There was no response from them to questions 1 raised. John Huber, a former Shoreham worker who offered to take inspectors through the plant --

pointing out problem sites -- was not contacted for thia service. His allegations, as well as those I gathered, were dismissed as "not important to

' safety."~ Certainly, I~ am not technically sophisticated, but it would seem to me that the issues raised by all those who spoke out, and by the technician quoted 'in this letter, are, most assuredly, important to safety.

If you haven' t seen the statements made before the Suttolk County Legislature

' by the two former, Quality Assurance inspectors at Shoreham, and they would be

. helpful, I can get copies to you. There,is an additional discrepancy in

n, =.

• Coorge llentq'n qualificalions ;-- thus iat not noted. He was certif:ed for a Level II position having '1 year's experience, when, 'in fact, he had had only ,

10 months: training. While not a~ major issue, perhaps, according to workers,

.it is this very shoddiness that typifies design and construction throughout '

the plant.

Please do use the information in this. letter in the most beneficial way.

Again, I want to thank you for the excellent work you have done for all of us.

If I car be of further help, feel free to contact me at the number below.

Sincerely yours, G+.. Q

'ftllLMix.hdLULL/

Patricia Bower (bib) 602-:1700

( g

,,w. wa. a da,, c.in e . a ~ ~ ' ' , , '. ' p. o ...- n. ,i c.s s wca ;c r o.A tin 2. ~ i. u. r,-

f. . o On tr.c tureire teck, a mo:Or c:erated valve 'MOV. :nt;nue: :

3fter Ocing Ocwered. -/cle

[t nad Oetn signe0-Off as a::r0ved, :ut *.nere was n:

.ay :nat a::coval could nave Oeen given, tecause later One:4-cut ,

eecastrated

--icsing *ne desip OR :ening error of :ne MCV.tha* all:Wed cy: ling ratner r.an -~:e require:anc test;ng The act of ta: ping instrumen ati:n invalidates wna: s <newn as :ne

• rc/steresis effect." Yet tapping is 00ne routinely in Order to 00:31n

) des;p cc ated calibration (and in :ne :resence of Ouali;'/ Ocntrol, wn: seem to realize Onis act invalidates One very thing ;c :e tested), w; n sp-off of rudged data noted en required documenta:icn.

For example, I would esti: ate that mest of the 'Jesten Indica:

ins:ru=ents :necugneu: ene plant, Ors (wnica are en W would fail a proper calicration. including Cat. I - safety related - sys:emsj tapping on them at eacn calibrati0n stec.~hese Seters C0uld Only te calitrated :y . ,

the "hysterests effec:" (wnicn is wna: you're This act eliminates tr*/ing to d::u=ent) what is called invalidate the calibration. and sneuld and never knew 1: sneuld no ce 0Aa::eo:acle.

watened instrumen's calibra ed in :nis manner

/

e instruments such as Rosement cansmitters fr0m tne same sourcel. red

';00 many i became too great for the sucaly, causing a voltage dr0cAs tne 10ad instruments to Rosements would nct calibrate accurately. .

As voltage dreoced, some instruments had to be turned off in crder '0 do and sip-off recuiredThe si Walified in *nis capact:y *3Additi0nal fun::: n as s;3rt.2 3r00le=s cc:urred

• .e nni:Lans wnc tecause a re n0: '_;'.:'; all:wed g Therefore, de_s13n s errors Ma: :::nsideracle differences between ecnnicians), start-uc and main:ena

.gNW. downs, Becausethenof surely

=y start-unmyexstaM:U'r:ecnnte;ans, erien:e, I made i; :nreup ':o :he

esign err rs.

However, most ma:.n enan:e tecnnicians a. ave :een Ocacte n:: to pick us many even a., : ,

exlerience to reccgni:e them wnen :ney're m tcus, and, :nere

,statever

,., calT5N;;n :ests are cal;e: f_: r . As a -a.su.' *. , -mfore , j us; ;erf ,rs

..ne, desDite tne reali:

...a*n.n4r~ .'-as 7 of Octen:;an _ .y. sec_teu_s :r le 3.;_5 , y 3g3 g ;

T3 Orovida one ex:=;lca 4c :ne jf.

g swit:n for an interlock on a steas system.;evel in One tuccine :uilding, :nere is a pressure had not been figured into ne calitratien'4 hen initially :alltrated, the head j hat the pressure switch will :e ": aced .

The effe: ( Mis situati:n me attention of technical support, all the ti::e. A1:ncugn I :rcugnt it ::

nts cesign error nas not Oeen corrected.

r: .

--a.

re-desip Of systems na: ave n rec.;re:

re-eva.'ua: ice or

c: .:+ :.in; safety. De:;ft:al2/, :ne N?C nas not demanded

ne Rea::cr an engineering Cooling Wa:er Syste . re-e. i.;at; n Of *.ne f: 1: wing ::r:i'10ns: .

- :n :ne f':w n:::a :r ::es n:: ee:

Hign Pressure Cooling Inject;:n  ?:..'3/3*+

renents genert:

. required for sensing scecificattens, lines in :ne re-ci:;rg Waste feedline Expansion Joints cesip :retiens in Facia: :n .

anitary to your statevent,

• various federal bodies.* Shoreham workers tL2:m :na:. . .de:ete:na:: n of :he plan:'s safec

30 SNPS cauld never pass audit.

n -Le_st -ete c.e .vPC' do:n u ts scandards: vioj ayca_ c! spc directives and Cechni:Lans have no: teen 2:ven annual ey: :ws , requated readin7 hat ==* haen mandaced, or:enta tion : lasses have not been nade l current. non-

et:afiedand, crpieced *echn:: tansTost perhaps have been allowed :o cun tes's

.rpot:an:. sign-o and .

)' en * 'en on instru.renta cion u n chou: :h:se :e:nn:::ans nave c!!

hancedon work as  !

e_asons !ct theQnges. CaCa cards have not a m -**n t*:n and ri .~o n u ta.q and, t in so.re crrc:, have never Ceen fti1ep? man been vade n:s:::1cally :::ge :

r I h2ve talksd accut unqualified ;ersonnel -- a situation that may present grea:

yg pro 0 Lens in the discovery and resoluti:n of design errors and in plant coeration Soma of these man have teen encloyed en the.paats.of resumes :nat did not maten

nofe security clearahce cacar_S. Yet ney have not

een reprinanded er fired f0c fud31ng informaticn. Also, there are systems tMit_ nave desian errers so

v;;us tney c0uld not have Oeen acgreved -- ana yet ne_a_;rovst is nnead 7

• Many wcekers had ::rre:ted 2: Least a r.alf dacen instances of f;:ge:

ata, and a6 reed fudgin6 was a generic pr0ciem af Shdrenam.

Qual 1Cy Control has been :n _v s n! n tion of ,

code by signing-ot! paper work withou; on-site rev_Lew of _ systems in quesC1on, l

f ind insttwTencaC1:n supervisory petscnnel do not have nucleat expetsence ho have asked worketa Co short-cuc pt::edures, especially on surveillances.

_ . . - > - - ~ ~ -

7 i

l I

a s

O

$ e

In ad31'.1:t, :tesa refer:ntta; syates n. :ers nave :een Orty; e::

1. Uln - ?: - 12r nn: '25

?M 37 *: '? tur:;r.e

,tg [Est ?S-:2.

runc Suc:::n ?reis;re- M?--

.iX0 lMLd-

. .g "i35.Z.- m.

• 2 in 335 systen 155 rela/ s -- css;:.e ut:e.s:res:.

lte matet:s! was g:ve : vet a per::2 of acte than :htee years by the Sh::ena- w : nets wno are respcassb:e 2:t :ne neart at overst1ons -- 1:s ans::: en:s:::n and ::nt::!s. A::nougn espet:en:e has dewonst:s:ed tne NPC does not pts:ec: wn:st:0 tiewers. =enzng trem under-standably reluctant to spens ou: pubi::14. ncnetne:ess :ney were wtLi:ng to ,

snate :near .o..:es 4:ca: *ne p;ent w n e.

Kn:wn ss

• tent-a-teens." with :::: e ::- : en: :o any ;;sa at any ::-eunz:y.

• ney laugh 2ngly teterred to Shotenas as :ne worst, ite *j:t::est* ::: sn-::ne.

saturated with itee !:catant radts ::n! l2:111: 4 :n wht:n : hey'd warned.

Why did they laugh? Setsuse Sho: ens ~ nas been espe::s :4 g::: :: :nem. .

prow:2:cy tcuts of overt: e w::n on:4 sp::nd:: wo:s :equ::even:s ned an :::c e

=:: between $65,0C0 and t:20,CCC ? yen:. :ney laughed terause :ney betaeve :ne p.snt would have Li LLL test. sn :pe:s:.n; e!!:::ency ::se :nn: c: :ne tazee

, ?;snt an New letseu.- unica. :n:s gent, pt:du:ed elec :::::4 at 9% :! :gerst:nq

n s:::y.

1.pe t.  : hey 1suste: :e:n.se :ne; :s: e:e ::.; :s;s.: .,,;;,3., ,;, .,;..

ts: :ne pt:2e ::n:etn :: :::n ::::: an: ..e p:  ;, y . . .... ..

ne des:gn !:sws ina* :vep:: :se snie

-: ne as qu:: sly as p:ss:::e ... sn s::;:s: p,. g...,.,,.

ns:: a:.; e plan:. ... .. .y,

.ps"~ent !::9 ****:'s !: nan::s: :n:!ers :: :re  ::s.sy,; g;..,. .g s:epayers in a recent advertiserent in favor of : pen:nq the Shetshan Nu:; eat 9:ver Station (*Newsday," Septeeber it. 994l, *:ng tsland 7tus; substanitated its a

position by estabissning a nuclear pcwet :sce between ene Untted States and, among other countries; Sweden, sint:ng :na: 4:% of $weden* s enetty needs are

• et by use of nuclear power. ,

in tact, sn L*tt. af ter

• Puoite retetendum on issues at health and west-being, the Riksdag 13weden*s rattiamenti voted t: phase out 1:s entste nue: ear tadssity unthsn the nest 29 years. 5)multaneously, at allocated add 2cional funding tor '

development of alternative energy renoutees (Resolution NV 1979/00:10).

The tesson for Lons !sland ?tust's massnformat :n is steple. J' ntti now, and only in the *Suttolk County Solar taetty Newslet*er,* a tree papet ava11able ta' schools and Astrat es int: win:ut ne :::nty, it:s argot *snt decas:on recesved NO press coverage.

y e

.6

. . . - . , - . . , , - , . , - - - ~ , - ~ ~ - - , **- ~ ' ~ * '"'"