ML20129H450

Forwards List of Attendees & Slides to 961023 Mgt Meeting Conducted in Region II Office to Discuss Welding Program

ML20129H450
Person / Time
Site:	Catawba
Issue date:	10/30/1996
From:	Christensen H NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:	Mccollum W DUKE POWER CO.
References
NUDOCS 9611050239
Download: ML20129H450 (58)

Text

..- . . . - . . _ - . - - - - . . - . - . . .

l (Hrhe 30,1996 Duke Power Company  :

ATTN: Mr. W. R. McCollum Site Vice President '

Catawba Site '

4800 Concord Road York. SC. 29745-9635 t

SUBJECT:

MEETING SUMMAPY - CATAWBA This refers to the management meeting conducted in the Region II Office on October 23. 1996. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the welding program. A list of attendees and a copy of your slides are enclosed.

In-accordance with Section 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," Part 2.

Title 10. Code of Federal Regulations, a copy of this letter and its s enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room.

(

! Should you have any questions concerning this lette , plea e contact us.

L Sincerely  ;

l l

! Harol 0. C ristensen. Chief Main nanc Branch Divi ion o Reactor Safety  ;

1 l Docket Nos.: 50-413 and 50-414 l License Nos.: NPF-35 and NPF-52 i i

l .

Enclosures:

1. List of Attendees l 2. Licensee Slides cc w/encls:

l M. S. Kitlan l Regulatory Compliance Manager l Duke Power Company 4800 Concord Road York, SC 29745-9635 Paul R. Newton Legal Department (PB05E)

Duke Power Company

422 South Church Street  ;

l Charlotte, NC 28242-0001 l (cc w/encls cont'd - See page 2)

[

9611050239 961030 PDR ADOCK 05000413 P PDR _

l

l 4

DPC 2 (cc w/encls cont'd) i Robert P. Gruber  :

Executive Director  !

Public Staff - NCUC P. O. Box 29520 i Raleigh. NC 27626-0520 J. Michael McGarry. III, Esq.

Winston and Strawn 1400 L Street. NW ,

Washington. D. C. 20005 l North Carolina MPA-1 i Suite 600 l' P. O. Box 29513 Raleigh NC 27626-0513 Max Batavia Chief Bureau of Radiological Health

S. C. Department of Health '

and Environmental Control 2600 Bull Street Columbia. SC 29201 1

! Richard P. Wilson. Esq.

Assistant Attorney General S. C. Attorney General's Office P. O. Box 11549 Columbia. SC 29211 Michael Hirsch Federal Emergency Management Agency 500 C Street. Sw. Room 840 -

Washington D. C. 20472 i North Carolina Electric

. Membership Corporation l P. O. Box 27306 Raleigh. NC 27611 i

Karen E. Long l Assistant Attorney General N. C. Department of Justice l P 0. Box 629 Raleigh. NC 27602 Saluda River Electric Cooperative. Inc.

P. O. Box 929 Laurens. SC 29360 (cc w/encls cont'd - See page 3)

i DPC 3 (cc w/encls cont'd)

Peter R. Harden IV Account Sales Manager Power Systems Field Sales Westinghouse Electric Corporation ,

P. O. Box 7288 '

Charlotte. NC 28241 ,

County Manager _of York County  ;

York County Courthouse York. SC 29745 i Piedmont Municipal Power Agency 121 Village Drive Greer. SC 29651 >

G. A. Copp Licensing - EC050 Duke Power Company  ;

P. O. Box 1006 '

Charlotte. NC 28201-1006 T. Richard Puryear Owners Group North Carolina Elbctric Membership Corporation 4800 Concord Road York. SC 29745 Distribution w/encls:

P. Tam. NRR  !

R. Carroll. RII l R. V. Crlenjak. RII N. Economos. RII R. Baldwin. RII G. Hallstrom. RII PUBLIC NRC Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 3 4830 Concord Road  ;

York. SC 29745 l SEND TO PUBtIC DOCUMENT R00M7 YES NO 0FFICE RII:DRS RII:0RP RII:0RP SI"#

h f,V NAME NEcoomos:f tj RCarroll LWert DATE 1A/ D % 11/ b / % 10 / h / % -

10 / /% 10 / /% 10 / /%

i COPY? fES) NO (Y[M 'NO YES (IiO) YES NO YES NO YES NO UttACIAL RLMIRD COPY DOCUMENT NME: P:\ CATAWBA.M5M l

. m . .

LIST OF ATTENDEES Nuclear Reaulatory Commission S. Ebneter. Regional Administrator. Region II (RII)

Johns P. Jaudon. Acting Deputy Director. Division of Reactor Projects (DRP).

RII H. Christensen. Chief. Maintenance Branch (MB). Division of Reactor Safety (DRS). RII L. Wert. Acting Branch Chief. Branch 1. DRP H. Berkow. Director. Project Directorate Il-2. Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR)

V. Nerses. Licensing Manager. II-2. NRR N. Economos. Reactor Engineer. MB. DRS M. Sykes. Resident Inspector. Branch 1. DRP Duke Power Comoany T. C. McMeekin. Vice President. MNS. DPC M. R. Robinson. DPC M. S. Sills. Site Manager. DPC G. Hallman. SGRP Overall Manager. DPC J. Grogan. Vice President, ESS. DPC M. Tuckman. Senior Vice President. DPC T. McConnell. Station Support Manager. DPC A. Grunsky. Service Manager. DPC S. VanMalsser. Work Management. DPC I

i l

4 ENCLOSURE 1

I , -M.

l Duke Power Company l WELDING PROGRAM i

Steam -h -

Replacement Generator Project

~

Nuclear Generation Department October 23,1996 HQDUE2

4 ,

I i

Agenda  ;

+ Introductory Remarks (:MST)

+ Catawba SGRP Experience (WR:M)

+ Welding Program Improvements (TL:M)

+ :McGuire SGRP Plans (TC:M)

+ Summary (TC:M)

+ Adjourn 2

I

i i

Introductory Remarks l

+ Introduction

+ Purpose of this Meeting

+ Current State

+Cause  ;

+ Corrective Actions l

3

Introduction

+ Catawba SGRP the largest project since construction

+ Pleased with all project aspects except secondary welding

+ NRC and Duke identified issues with SGRP secondary welding

+ Duke has identified issues with our overall welding program

+ We've taken actions to improve overall welding program and McGuire SGRP 4

e, '.

l Purpose of Meeting

+ Describe Catawba SGRP welding issues and actions taken

+ Describe Duke welding program and

actions to be taken

+ Describe how we will make McGuire SGRP secondary welding successful 5

i

Present State

+ Our corporate welding program is in t need of improvement

+ Catawba SGRP project management did not adequately plan for secondary welding

+ Oconee is in outage and McGuire SGRP is near term 6

e s 'a i

Cause t

+ SGRP management failed-to recognize the deficiencies in the corporate welding program and drive improvements

+ The effectiveness of our corporate welding program had been slowly eroding over time 7 ,

i

I Cause Details

+ SGRP Project management

-Inadequate readiness assessment in this area (8 other readiness assessments conducted)

-Inadequate technical support l vPlanning phase missed secondary weldmg issues as area of potential concern (over-confidence) ,

vMissed significance of pre-outage pre-fab indicators in execution phase 8 l

Cause Details i

+ Corporate Welding Program

-Lack of ownership of corporate program

-Qualification vs Skill Inadequately focused weld tech support 9 i i

.. . j k

Corrective Actions

+ Completed Catawba welding

- All welds are acceptable and meet code

+ Implement Corporate Welding Team recommendations i

+ Specific action plan to ensure McGuire success ,

i i

10 4

I Catawba SGRP Experience Bill.McCollum 11

. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _________-___-_--J

Catawba SGRP Experience l

+ Welding Plan Primary Side  ;

-Secondary Side

+ Pre-Fab Results & Response

+ Field Problems & Response

+ Summary i

12  ;

Welding Plan - Primary Side

+ Reactor coolant pipe - 8 welds, approx. 2.5" wall, 36" OD, stainless steel ,

+ Welding on or near critical path for the outage

+ Potential high dose job .

+ Narrow gap automated welding process selected for .

- Significant reduction in volume of weld metal

- Less shrinkage

- Reduced duration

- Excellent results in other plants 13

s 0, e

Welding Plan - Secondary Side -

+ Pre-fab

- 46 butt welds ,16" to 3"

- Approx 200 socket welds ,2" and less

+ Field welds

- 82 butt welds,34" to 3"

- Approx 200 socket welds ,2" and less

+ Considerations for the plan

- Range of sizes and space limitations

- Types of welds not dissimilar to welding performed in past

- Off critical path 14

9 Welding Plan - Secondary Side

+ Planned all secondary side welding with manual processes

, -Main feedwater reroute was the largest welding scope Planned pre-fab to serve as verification of plan for field welding 15

% L SGRP Pre-Fab Butt Welds i

30 25 --

us 32 20 - -

hO 15 --

10 -- l

.O 1 E 5- -

5 0 I I Main Layup Aux Feedwater Feedwater s No repairs m One or more repairs

[

Pre-Fab Results

+ Pre-fab problems were with root pass on CrMo feedwater piping

+ No significant reject issues with other welds

+ Feedback from welders indicated TIG filler material problem 17

%e Response to Pre-Fab Problems

+ Evaluation of filler and base material

+ Searched for alternate filler material

+ Tested non-qualified filler material

+ Success rate improved

+ Decision to proceed with existing filler material based on improvement during pre-fab 18

Field Successes

+ All auxiliary feedwater nozzle welds and 12 in-line welds were completed with no repairs

+ Socket welds completed with no rejects 19

% e i

Field Problems i

+ Problems with preheat practices

+ Difficulty with feedwater CrMo Root pass problems similar to pre-fab

[

+ Problems with dissimilar metal i INCONEL nozzle welds, (Blowdown and Layup) 20

4 0 l

SGRP Field Butt Welds 30 i 25 - -

20 - -

15 --  !

10 - -

0 l i I I i Reactor Main Main Aux Blowdown Layup Coolant Steam Feedwater Feedwater E No repairs MOne or more repairs

Response to Field Problems

+ 8/9/96 - SGRP welding work stopped in response to problems identified with preheat practices

- Reviewed preheat practices and provided additional guidance for welders

- Timeout discussion with welders and QC inspectors to review preheat guidance

- Increased QC random in-process inspections

- Stopped torch preheat & developed procedure on preheat practice 22 i

so 'e Response to Field Problems

+ 8/12/96 - Brought in experienced weldmg engineer as issue manager for SGRP welding problems

+ Site management chartered independent assessment of SGRP welding program (Experienced QC Manager, Outside l Welding Consultant, Experienced Welding Tech Support Personnel) 23

l .. .

1 Response to Field Problems l

l + Independent Assessment Results

-Specific knowledge of process specifications and other program requirements need improvement

-Details of QC inspection practice varied between inspectors

-Less automated welding used compared to other projects of this magnitude .

u

e Response to Field Problems i

+ Independent Assessment Results

- 3_eed for greater management oversight vplanning vincreased technical support vmore technical content in pre-job briefings

- All Code, QA and procedure ,

requirements were being met 25

ta

• V Response to Field Problems

+ Beginning 8/12/96 - Focused additional weldmg expertise (Duke and Consultant) to develop solutions to reject issues

- Reviewed INCONEL and CrMo problems and developed additional guidance on joint preparation and welding technique

- Enhanced technical content of pre-job briefings for welders

- Reviewed welding problems with four outside welding contractors to gain benefit of their experience 26

i Response to Field Problems  ;

+ Week of 8/19/96 ,

- Revised pipe layout for 3" INCONEL nozzles to add spool piece allowing access for surface prep of the ID of the root pass

- Revised welding plan for remaining INCONEL nozzle welds i

vChanged to use of " slope control" welding machines VInstituted mock-up practice 27 t

l l

Response to Field Problems 1 ,

I

+ Week of 8/26/96 Brought in additional Duke and specialty welding contractors with .

INCONEL experience

+ Week of 9/2/96

-Located different TIG filler material for CrMo pipe 28

[

I i

Summary

+ More problems occurred than anticipated with secondary welding .

a Recognized significance

-Responded to correct weld process 1ssues Attacked reject issues using all available expertise and resources l 29

e NGD Welding Program Improvements Tony McConnell

NGD Welding Program Improvements l

i

+ Current State Program Deficiencies

+ How Did This Happen?

t

+ Corrective Action Plan

+ Our Vision for the Future

+ Sustaining High Quality 31 t I

_ _ _ _ ______J

Current State Program Deficiencies i

+ Primary Deficiency Lack of overall welding program  :

ownership  ;

i I

l i

32

Current State Program Deficiencies

+ Secondary Deficiencies

- Unclear roles & responsibilities

- Inconsistent processes and practices

- Inadequate utilization of knowledgeable welding support personnel 1

- Lack of recognition that welding skills had eroded

- QA audits focused primarily on code / program compliance versus performance 33

s. *e l.

How Did This Happen? ,

+ Reduced new construction coupled i

with multiple reorganizations resulted .

in inadequate attention to our welding program i

I

[

t 34

tn

• e Corrective Action Plan t

+ Establish Clear Program Ownership

-Re-establish overall Departmental ownership by assigning a NGD lead l

l l

l 35

Welding Program Ownership NGO Station Support Organization Tony McConnel Welding Program Owner WeMi@ dig NGD General Office ----

Group Morris Sample i  ;

t Site Maintenance ESS Organization i Organization i

I r I '

t 8

i i S e Maintenam her &

Section IX Program Owner ----------- 8------------ Technical Support (Test Shop & Met Lab) ,

i Key:-- Welding Program interface OrganizationalInterface 36  :

}

i Corrective Action Plan l

+ Establish Clear Roles & Responsibilities Clarify site roles & responsibilities and strengthen site ownership Document each organization's roles &

responsibilities, the welding process and organizational interfaces in our Corporate and/or Departmental Welding Manuals 37

Corrective Action Plan

+ Develop Consistent Processes ,

- Consolidation of site welding manuals into a single .

departmental welding manual

- Formation of a group at each site responsible for .

welding whose functions will include: ,

v weldability/constructability reviews y mock-up training requirements v inspecti,1 requirements y review of rejected welds and repair decisions

- Incorporation of more independent reviews into the procedure qualification process 38

Corrective Action Plan

+ Assure utilization of qualified and knowledgeable personnel

- Qualifications for performing technical support functions will be documented

- Assessments will be performed for technical support personnel and training plans established to address any knowledge level weaknesses '

- Welding program and process training will be provided for all welders

- All personnel performing visual inspections of non safety related 1 B31.1 pressure piping welds will be trained to ASNT Level II or l equivalent

- QC Inspectors will be re-trained to ensure consistency of inspections 39 '

e Corrective Action Plan

+ Recognize that welding skills must be l maintained

- Will institute a limited access testing requirement for all-process piping welders

- Will require annual Jaegar eye exams for all process piping welders

- Will ensure welder proficiency levels are maintained

- High level welding expertise will be available via GO and ESS program owners for complex problem solving 40

ss e e

Our Vision for the Future .

Focused Skilled Quality

+ =

Product Program Workforce

+ Implementation of these corrective actions will strengthen our existing program to achieve this vision

+ Significant corrective actions will be completed by mid 1997

+ A transition team has been formed to implement corrective actions (Steve Sills is the Team Leader) 41 i

Sustaining High Quality l + Periodic self assessments will be performed to determine our welding program effectiveness

, + The Welding Working Group will be the forum to identify continuous improvement efforts

+ Key program indicators will be defined, tracked and trended 42

McGuire SGRP Plans Ted McMeekin 43

l MNS SGRP Improvement Plan

+ Alignment with Corporate Welding Initiatives

+MNS SGRP Welding Scope

+ Weld Planning and Technical Support

+MNS SGRP Welding Direction

+ Project Management Initiatives 44

~

Alignment with Corporate Welding Initiatives

+ Corporate welding initiatives will be implemented by mid 1997

+ Corporate welding initiatives that will be in place at MNS prior to 1EOC11

- MNS Maintenance assigned ownership and responsibility for all site welding effective immediately

- MNS welding manual revised to define changes .

specified by the Corporate Welding Initiative

-Roles and responsibilites defined l

-Minimum qualifications listed 45

~

MNS Welding Program OrganizationalInterface NGO Station Support Organization Tony McConnel Welding Program Owner Welding Working NGD General Office ----

Group Morris Sample i

l Site Maintenance MNS SGRP Weld TS ESS Organization i Organization ---

Steve Van Maissen e Mano Nazar i

I I

I Site Maintenance Owner &

Section IX Program Owner ----------- 8------------ Technical Support (Test Shop & Met Lab)

Greg Holbrooks Key: --- Welding Program Interface .

OrganizationalInterface 46 i

MNS Welding Scope

+ Primary System (Reactor Coolant)

- MNS same as CNS scope v8 NC Welds

+ Secondary System (wet layup, blowdown, auxiliary feedwater, main feedwater, and main steam)

VButt welds: 60-65 field & 60-65 shop

-25% reduction in field butt welds from CNS VSocket welds: ~ 200 field & 200 shop 47

Weld Planning andTechnical Support

+A detailed plan will be developed for each group of similar welds including:

vDetermination of best welding process l (automatic, manual, TIG, etc) vWelder qualification and training requirements 1 vSpecify welders based on skill vIdentification of appropriate welding filler materials vApproach to weld pre-heat and post weld heat treatment 48

Weld Planning and Technical Support

+ To build this plan, the MNS SGRP has employed fulltime welding technical support to: .

YProvide leadership for detailed weld planning including material identification, equipment selection and specification, and training related issues .

YProvide technical assistance and execution support '

to SGRP on all welding issues and adjust plan as required  ;

VServe as main link between SGRP and Station Welding Owner VProvide guidance for continuous improvement to welding plan, lessons learned process, and preparation for next SGR outage 49

ee **

MNS SGRP Welding Direction vPrimary System Welds Narrow gap automated process (same as CNS)

-Will utilize the same vendor (FTI) 50

. . .. l MNS SGRP Welding Direction l

l + Secondary System Welds vUse automated technology to extent i practical vUse internal workforce to support both .

automated and manual welding vEmploy outside technical expertise to support automation vPerform nozzle to process pipe dissimilar welds as part of SG prep activities .

TUse resistance heating for all pre-heat requirements 51

MNS SGRP Welding Direction

+ Execution Workforce Training y Limited access welding test for welders assigned to pressure piping y Provide detailed hands-on and classroom training for new equipment, material, or process changes y Perform mock-up training to evaluate technique, ,

skill level, and proficiency of workforce y Provide detailed, technical guidance and instruction in pre-job briefs y Perform Jaegar eye exams for all process piping welders y QC inspectors will undergo refresher training to ensure consistency 52 .

Project Management Initiatives

+ NSD 604, stop work directive will be emphasized to all SGRP and associated station groups

+ Establish clear success criteria for welding and contingency plans should problems occur

+ Perform independent assessment of MNS SGRP welding plan 53

g .

t i

Summary

+ Improve corporate welding program

+ Develop detailed MNS welding plan

+ Perform independent assessment of MNS welding plan l

+ As a result of Catawba's experience we anticipate a smooth and predictable SGRP at McGuire

-We do not take Catawba's experience for granted 54

- - - - - _ _-