ML20129F460

Provides Update on Status of Corrective Actions Being Taken at Plant in Response to hiller-actuated Valve Failures

ML20129F460
Person / Time
Site:	Hope Creek
Issue date:	09/25/1996
From:	Dawn Powell Public Service Enterprise Group
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
LR-N96282, NUDOCS 9610010348
Download: ML20129F460 (2)

Text

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OPSEG Public Service Electric and Gas Company P,0. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038-0236 Nuclear Business Unit SEP 2512M3 l

LR-N96282 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20L55 Gentlemen:

STATUS OF CORRECTIVE ACTIONS FOR VIOLATION 354/95-10-03 FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NPF-57 HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION DOCKET NO. 50-354 This letter provides an update on the status of corrective actions being taken at Hope Creek in response to Hiller-actuated valve failures.

These corrective actions supplement the remedial measures already taken in response to an August 11, 1995 notice of violation issued in NRC Inspection Report 354/95-10.

In that notice of violation, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) was cited for inadequately determining the cause of Hiller-actuated valve failures and for implementing ineffective corrective actions to preclude recurrence of these failures.

In the response to the violation, sent via letter LR-N95139, dated September 11, 1995, PSE&G described the results of its root cause analysis and committed to implementing a number of corrective actions for the-valve actuator and the packing.

However, as described in letter LR-N96067, dated March 13, 1996, PSE&G concluded that:

1) modified valves were still exhibiting high measured opening forces; 2) the corrective actions described in the violation response were not sufficient to completely prevent recurrence of random valve failures (although performance had significantly improved); 3) the combination of the Hiller actuator and six inch Anchor-Darling flexible wedge gate valve was not the optimal application for its installed service; and 4) i the three and four inch Hiller-actuated valves in the Safety Auxiliaries Cooling System (SACS) were demonstrating acceptable performance.

Since that time, and as stated in NRC Inspection Report 354/96-06, failures of the three and four inch Hiller-actuated valves O

have occurred.

As a result of investigations into these recent Hiller-actuated valve failures, PSE&G confirmed in the root cause analysis that all of the 32 Hiller-actuated valves in the SACS y[k' system should be replaced with a different valve-actuator y

i combination better suited for this type of application.

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Document Control Desk,

LR-N96282 design change will improve the reliability of SACS operation and will be initiated during plant operation.

These valve changes are scheduled to begin in November, 1996, and are scheduled to be completed prior to unit start up from the next refueling outage (RFO7).

As an interim compensatory measure to ensure reliable operation of the Hiller-actuated valves in SACS, selected six inch valves are tagged in the open position (as stated in the 3/13/96 letter) and a recurring task has been created to stroke the valves (except those tagged in position) on a biweekly basis.

Past experience has shown that an increased stroke frequency results in adequate valve performance.

These interim measures will continue for the Hiller-actuated valves until they are replaced with the improved valve-actuator design.

Should you require any additional details concerning the information contained in this letter, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely, o

D.

R.

Powell Manager -

Licensing and Regulation C

Mr. H. Miller, Administrator - Region I U.

S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Mr.

D. Jaffe, Licensing Project Manager - Hope Creek U.

S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission One White Flint North 11555 Rockville Pike Mail Stop 14E21 Rockville, MD 20852 Mr.

R.

Summers USNRC Senior Resident Inspector (X24)

Mr.

K. Tosch, Manager IV Bureau of Nuclear Engineering 33 Arctic Parkway CN 415 Trenton, NJ 08625