ML20128N360
| ML20128N360 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palo Verde  |
| Issue date: | 07/15/1982 |
| From: | Ruff R BECHTEL GROUP, INC. |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20079P594 | List:
|
| References | |
| FOIA-83-161, FOIA-83-A-9 NUDOCS 8506030246 | |
| Download: ML20128N360 (9) | |
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Q-UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i
In the matter of:
Interview of Robert C. Ruff, Jr.
Docket No.
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-8 Location:
Pages:
Date:
July 15, 1982 8506030246 831110 PDR FOIA BERNABE83-A-9 PDR TAYLOE ASSOCIATES Court Reporters 1625 I Street. N.W. Suite 1004 Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 293-3950
l 1
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
/
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 3
4 5'
6 7
Interview of Robert C.
Ruff, Jr.
8 9
10 July 15, 1982 Palo Verde Nuclear Station 11 12
(:)
14 investigators:
John Burdoin 15 l
Owen C. Shackleton, Jr.
l 16 l
17 18 19 20 21 i
22 23 24 O
25 1'
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1 PROCEEDI NGS
(
2 VOICE:
This is an interview of Mr. Robert C.
3 Ruff, Jr.
'4 Mr. Ruff is an electrical' field engineer for the 5
Bechtel Power Corporation at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating 6
Station.
4 7
Present to conduct this interview from the U.
S.
8 Nuclear Regulatory Commission is Mr. John Burdoin, reactor 9
inspector, and myself, Owen C.
Shackleton, Jr.,
investigator 10 from Region V of the U.
S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission at 11 Walnut Creek, California.
12 Mr. Ruff, do we have your permission-to tape record 13-this interview.
14 MR. RUFF:
Yes, sir, you do.
15 INTERVIEWER:
Okay, thank you.
16 Bob, specifically the reason that I needed to 17 talk to you was one particular allegation that was made that 18 relates to connections between one-bolt lugs and two bolt-19 lugs and I'll read you the way the allegation was made to us 20 and this is from a signed, sworn statement and I'll stop 21 any time, and I'm going to just read a paragraph:
22 In some instances Bechtel directed the installation 23 of a one bolt lug which has-a 45 to a 65 amp rating on motors 24 that'run at 120 amps with a'480~ amp surge. This occurred when O
25 motors were received from the manufacturer without any lugs c
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attached.
. - ci iBechtel: engineers Andythnderson and' Bob Ruff 2
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.directedithat;one, bolt lugs be installed on'these motors.
3; J4'
$This - took place at-about the Ll'ast part of: November.;or early-h1
?5
-part of? December,c1981.
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'One,of:the. motors that was set up with.a-one bolt h-
'7 lug: comirig off of the motor and ~ connecting ~ it ' t'o - a. field -
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3 1
,cabl'e tharjhad a two bolt lug was a spray pond pump on.the
.a
- 9 north side of
- the pond ~at'the west end of Unit 1.
10 -
,Two' bolts 1were put.into the two bolt lug to make
'it.'look'.like there 'were two individ.ual'two: lug bolts ~ properly 11
- 12, connected but-the spray pond. pump on the. south side of-the
- q 13.
spray-pond had a two bolt lug coming off'to~the motor.
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14 This'use of'a one~ bolt lug.was done in all the
~
-16
- motors mentioned in ; Item 4 cabove except for the circulating' i"
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-water pump.
s 17 WhatJI need from?you',-Bob, is what can you recall 4
abou't this particular incident?
'18-i 19 MR. RUFF:
-I can't -- I recall someitime, I don't' 20
- (inaudible)- or not of -somebody mentioning patting a bolti
~
s 21-inito makeJit"look like'it~was1two bolts instead of'one.,
- 22 I'myself never'as'far as I can rememberLagreed to
- it or' directed.any;, electrician.to do it because it doesn'.t'.
23
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'make sense and I don't remember ever working.on a pump' motor
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. 24 -
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d in.the spr y pump.y IIjhave, worked in certain particular 26 y
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<j 3t twaterapumps and" signed them~ north of the turbine building 7 mo
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=but I-don't remember-working-in the spray pond.
^,In' November.Itwas strictly working on.the' systems, a4_
aspect and any of1the systems.I had then I don't' remember s
-5
.being infthe spray pond area.
~
, 763 But.I 'doLremember something coming up-in'aJtrailer i
'about that and as far as'--I remember it was decide'd not to
-;7 use'that situation.-
~
8 4
lg, INTERVIEWER: _Ilow about the ideaLof -- do.you E10 grecall: that-any. motors were received' that 'didn' t have a: lug F
11;
.connec.ted?
~ 12 :
MR. RUFF:
No,,,I don' t' remember ever 'getting; a-g
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. mo' tor "in wit,hou t. ailug ' on ~ it, in any: of the motors I have 13 s.-
worked on as farLas'Iscan remember f
- 14
.15 INTERVIEWER:.. Okay.
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16 1 IIow about from A technical standpoint of putting r
17:
. a 45 to a 65 imp. rated lug on 'a motor that' runs cat'120 amps?)
2 Es
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18 I am not-lan~ engineer. so I --
19 INTERVIEWER:' ' I - just.--am a electrical engineer 7and g.
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.I do know'that-wouldn't be legal because it is'120 amp motor, 20 t
e
- 21)
-lugfis only rated for 40 amps,.50 amps, 60 amps, it.'s. noti 22 cright..
Put. the required amps to the -. I was taught, a1though g
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.my experience sis not that much, I went-to my supervisor'with 3
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s 24 any questions.I had and I've always been told always do exactl y m
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. Nha t{ t,he i $ot6r^
1s5rathd at'or better and you don't.go less, I
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- .tha t's,r ally a no-no.
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JINTERVIEhER:
Well, John, when-you say you put a-
'3 r il20.l amp bolt:on there and the'. motor -- John'is an electrical-V,:
,;c 9 14 Lengineer./-- so-that when;:you do get a surge when you. start-
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<the. motor, right?-
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- INTERVIEWER: Yes, it's'what.you. call a mush'..
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'7 (Inaudible. ) -
8
^
. INTERVIEWER: ~So do they rate --
9 (INTERVIEWEli:. But'it.is short duration.
It'.s a peak l
' 10
'that comes up:and.goes right down.
~
11
.' INTERVIEWER :
Okay.
~'
12I JINTERVIEWER: Sogyour copper basically is ' subject!
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.'to ' heat due to 'the current paths..To get any appreciable
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114 heating on a surge current, you-have.to have a long. time --
.15 '
you are not 'getting much ' heating through the ! surge current.
.16L Your heating comes from yotir continuous current and they are
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' 17'
.saying 120 amps..
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= 18 Now if you_put 120' amps on a say'a'50 amp lug,-
19 it is going'to overheat _;and they are going to get a phase
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201 somewhere down.the line.
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Ifsee
-l However,'because~-- I see two things here.
21
- 22 1120-and'4,8.
Those 'are - (inaudible).
-He might have-been
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23 meaning, voltage,rhejsays7120 - '
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24 '
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. INTERVIEWER:
He-is;saying' amps,
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.Dr, I'-
4 25
' INTERVIEWER:.'Okay,~well, 120 amps -- if we could
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? identify. sonief motors and. go outL and look at the nameplates --
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eircul'atinglwa'ter. lines, Enow you'are-talking'about the main
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'3 circuit. iNow the main circuit onEthe cooling pon'd or the i
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- cooling ctower-ends; at'; a condenser ' ;--
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. MR.. RUFF: ~_Right' that's.the one.
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'6 INTERVIEWER:
---;those arel biggies.
They are' big
.'Do' you ~kriow'what their; voltage rating; is?
Are?they i
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-2300' volts?
4160?-
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- MRI, RUFF:
Something like that, I am'not;really.
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- exactly [sure.-
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-. INTERVIEWER':
TheyLare big, use a; big drive on w
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Jthe'm and'a little spray pond is ~ (inaudible).
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? INTERVIEWER:
.Okay, well-maybe he was--in. error-A,j.
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when he said'this. LHe is saying amps.
I'll.have to recontact 3
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P 16
. INTERVIEWER:
'It is easy enough to:go to engineering
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.andL~et from-eng'in'eeringJallist'and there is only akfew pumps 171 g
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There's (inaudible).'And weccan 2
lo6k at their voltage ' level, do you-'know what I'mean?
'19
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.And then we can look at the circulating pumps'and-
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.Ifdon'.t know what the level of voltage is, if it is
' 21
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L22' 2300 or' 4160,.I!-thinkJ it 1s 4160.
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,MR.DRUFF:
I'think.so' too but-I:can't-swear.
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' ' ' ' ' cINTERVIEWER:
And
~ (I think the circulators will
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'be 4160 and-shove an awfully big. volume.of water in a short
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~ INTERVIEWER::.Okay,'.'how about Andy Anderson? :Is 3
- he a fellow engineer?_:
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.' MR. ' RUFF : cyes ', ': sir. -
J 5
INTERVIEWER:-.Is-he_still here?
M
' '6 l fMR. RUFF:
Yes.-
171 INTERVIEWER: 'Was he working _with you-at.the time,
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8l Bob?'
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.MR.-RUFF:. He'wasn.'t working with me.
He'ha'd.his
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10 ownLsystem:andJhe'was sitting right beside me,'like if Paul-11 ~ -
- Midkipp1wasn' t 'there l-- he was my' supervisor then, I would.
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Jask Andy'..
.and-he'll-callime up'but_more.'likely,lmost..
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<of:the; time /Ilasked him.
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~ 14 INTERVIEWER:
Who.is'your~ supervisor:
It was.
{<
' f15 Channing Smama when:I'was working there.. I an in a different
~
16' ~
group now.
'It was; Paul' Midki ip and ' Tom Hayes.
I 17L INTERVIEWER: ~ But'you don't remember, Bob,:ofihavirg-V 18 receive'd any motors aat you-had ~ -to'have lugs installed'on?
J19; MR. RUFF:
No, most of the motors-we worked on
';.4
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, 20_ -
lwas already installed.
We didn't install any motors, y:
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.f 221' INTERVIEWER: Okay.
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22 '
I ~ don' t have any further questions on this.
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have to get a hold of Andy.
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.Does;he-also work daywatch with.you? ~We've_got-p --. t g
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f.5 a lit tJ e : oyer an hour if, we can, get a hold of him.
Are you
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.2 MR.': l RUFF: / In a'little while,.=the reason:: -- my 3
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. father willibe'inLto check'on.back..
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INTERVIEWER:-IWell,-'if I' call,fis there a'. number 5
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-I; can. calliwherel1I can 'getl a'.- hold : of-him.
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1MR.' RUFF:
~,
-2396.
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42396.
47 i INTERVIEWER:
[
- 8, INTERVIEWER:.Okay,' Bob,!we thank-you-very;much!,
?
iEnd/
-LWe'11 concludejthis interview. -The timefis now 1':46 p.m..
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