ML20129H785

Weekly Info Rept for Wk Ending 961025

ML20129H785
Person / Time
Issue date:	10/31/1996
From:	Blaha J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:
References
SECY-96-226, SECY-96-226-R, WIR-961025, NUDOCS 9611060025
Download: ML20129H785 (28)

Text

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October 31. 1996 SECY 96-226 E.gI: The Commissioners From: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations, Office of the ED0 4

Sub.iect: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 25, 1996 Contents Enclosure Nuclear Reactor Regulation A Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B

Nuclear Regulatory Research C Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data D m

. General Counsel E*

Administration F Information Resources Management G*

i Controller H*

Personnel I Small Business & Civil Rights J*

Enforcement K State Programs L*

Public Affairs M

International Programs N Office of the Secretary 0*

Region I P Region II P Region III P Region IV P Executive Director for Operations Q*

Congressional Affairs R*

p *No input this week. ,

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JNs L Baha James L. Blaha Assistant for Operations, OEDO

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Contact:

'd""j E. Hackett, OEDO

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON. D. C. 20665 INFORMATION REPORT October 31. 1996 SECY 96-226 For: The Commissioners From: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations, Office of the ED0 Sub.iect: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 25, 1996 4

Contents Enclosure Nuclear Reactor Regulation A Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B Nuclear Regulatory Research C Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data D General Counsel E*

Administration F Information Resources Management G*

Controller H*

Personnel I Small Business & Civil Rights J*

l 1

Enforcement K I State Programs L* l Public Affairs M i

International Programs N  !

Office of the Secretary 0* l Region I P Region 11 P Region III P Region IV P  ;

Executive Director for Operations Q* l Congressional Affairs R*

• No input this week.

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prw ( w

• ames L. Blaha ssistant for Operations, OEDO

Contact:

E. Hackett, OED0 415-1733 O

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 Braidwood Unit 1 - Preliminary Results from the Braidwood 1 Mid-Cycle Steam Generator Inspection The staff held a brief teleahone conference in the afternoon of October 22, 1996, with Comed personnel on the preliminary results of the Braidwood 1 steam generator (SG) eddy currert inspection (ECI). This outage was started on October 11, 1996, after the staff indicated in its letter to Comed dated October 3, 1996, that it did not have sufficient basis to accept Comed's proposal to delete this mid-cycle ECI.

In summary, with about 70 percent of the SG tubes inspected at the top of the tube sheet in the roll transition zone, 735 repairable defects have been found. About 700 of these indications are circumferential with the remainder either axial or mixed mode. At the time of this call, Comed had inspected about 90 percent of the A, B and D SG tubes and none of the C SG tubes. Comed estimates that all of the SG tubes will be inspected by October 06, 1996.

Comed indicated that it will plug about 600 SG tubes and repair the remainder of the tubes by inserting Westinghouse laser welded sleeves. Comed also plans

- to do in-situ pressure tests on at least 10 tubes and identify candidate tubes to be pulled for metallurgical examination in the Braidwood 1 Spring 1997 refueling outage.

The staff expressed some concern regarding the differences in the data l acquisition methodology between that used in the most recent Byron 1 ECI and that presently being used at Braidwood 1. The staff noted that we need to l understand the affect of these because of the potential for a higher threshold of detection with the equipment being used at Braidwood. Comed is submitting a technical report which addresses there issues.

A telephone conference call on the further results of this ongoing ECI inspection was held on the afternoon of October 24, 1996.

Zion Unit 2 - steam Generator Tube Inspection Results Commonwealth Edison, the licensee for Zion Unit 2 (Zion-2), has nearly completed the steam generator (SG) eddy current inspection for the current refueling outage. Zion-2 is a Westinghouse Model 51 plant with four SGs.

Primary to secondary leakage during operation has been attributed to 15 1eaking tubes. The source of the leakage in nine of these tubes was attributed to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) in the roll transition. Leakage in one of these tubes was attributed to a volumetric indication in the crevice region. Leakage in the remaining six tubes was actributed to lower sleeve weld defects.

The inspection included a 100% full length bobbin coil examination of the steam generator (SG) tubes. The licensee also performed specialized inspections of dented areas, Row I and 2 V-bends, roll transition and crevice OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE A

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• regions, and sleeved tubes using rotating pancake coil (RPC) and plus point probes. Zion-2 repc ted 66 PWSCC indications in the Row I U-bends, 2361 PWSCC indications in the rail transitions on the hot leg side,18 outside diameter stress corrosion cracking (0DSCC) indications and 197 volumetric indications in the crevice region, and 71 Weld Zone Indications (WZIs) in the upper weld of sleeved tubes.

The licensee's repair plans include rerolling and sleeving where possible; the remaining indications will be plugged. Zion-2 plans to perform in-situ pressure testing of defective tubes from the Row I U-bends, roll transition area and crevice regions. The licensee will update the staff on planned candidates for in-situ pressure testing and tube pulls next week. In-situ pressure testing is estimated to begin in early November. Tube pulls will be performed after in-situ pressure testing is complete.

NEI Operator Licensina Workshoo Members of the Operator Licensing Branch and operator licensing examiners from all four regions participated in an NEI sponsored workshop in Washington, D.C.

on October 22, 1996. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss the preparation of pilot style examinations by facility licensees. As agreed to by the Commission, facility licensees are being allowed to voluntarily participate in this process until July 31, 1997. During the workshop, industry representatives who had previously written examinations under the pilot process presented their views and lessons learned. NRC participants described the NRC guidance in the area and discussed NRC lessons learned from previous pilot style examinations.

Fire Endurance Tests of Pyrocrete Fire Barriers by PG&E On October 1-3, 1996, Chris Bajwa, Reactor Systems Engineer, SPLB, visited Omega Point Laboratories (0PL), San Antonio, Texas, to witness fire tests of Pyrocrete fire barriers sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

Three assemblies were tested, including a 36 inch square box fabricated with 2" of Pyrocrete, with an internal 4" conduit, a similar Pyrocrete box / conduit combination with 1" of mineral wool and 2 layers of 5/8" thick Firecode type "c" gypsum board on the outside of the box, and a 36" square junction box enclosure, also fabricated with 2 inches of Pyrocrete.

The tests were conducted for a period of 120 minutes for the Pyrocrete box and  !

the junction box enclosure, and 180 minutes for the Pyrocrete box with the additional layers of mineral wool and gypsum board, following the ASTM .E-119 standard time-temperature fire. The assemblies were then exposed to a fog nozzle hose stream test for a 5 minute period following the fire exposure, in accordance with the criteria specified in Supp' ament I to Generic Letter (GL) 86-10. On the basis of observatt ns during the test, it appeared that two of the test specimens met the accet ance criteria specified in Supplement I to GL 86-10 for a fire rating sf 2 hours2.314815e-5 days <br />5.555556e-4 hours <br />3.306878e-6 weeks <br />7.61e-7 months <br />, while the third met the acceptance criteria for a 3 hour3.472222e-5 days <br />8.333333e-4 hours <br />4.960317e-6 weeks <br />1.1415e-6 months <br /> rating. OPL will document the test results in a future test report.

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE A

Calvert Cliffs Units 1 and 2 - The Independent Soent Fuel Storaae Installation On October 18, 1996, Frank J. Miraglia, Acting Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and Carl A. Paperiello, Director of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, signed an Order pursuant to the proposed license transfers and amendments as part of the pending merger between Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) and the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPC0) into Constellation Energy Corporation. The proposed amendments would change the

licenses to reflect this transfer by substituting Constellation Energy Corporation in place of BGE as the licensee for Calvert Cliffs and ISFSI. The proposed amendments will be isst?d when the proposed merger between BGE and PEPC0 in Constellation Energy Corporation is consummated.

Braidwood Units 1 and 2 - Update On The 480 Volt Breaker Failures l

Braidwood station continues to observe problems with its 480 volt Westinghouse DS-206 circuit breakers. On October 22, 1996, a breaker failed to close during testing at a reduced control power voltage of 95 volts dc. (The normal operating voltage is 125 volts dc). The R-III inspectors were present during j the testing and are currently reviewing the licensee's analysis for the

' minimum required voltage for breaker operation.

I Braidwood station has a total of 22 safety-related 480 volt circuit breakers

. that receive automatic actuation signals. Since September 24, 1996, two of J j these breakers have failed to close during surveillance testing. Therefore, i the licensee conducted response time testing 19 of the breakers and selected the four slowest breakers for additional investigative testing. The breaker i that failed was one of these four breakers.

The licensee believes that the breakers failed due to lubrication problems. ,

j However, in order to determine the exact root cause of these failures l the licensee sent the failed breakers to Westinghouse for additional testing '

and evaluation. NRR representatives have gone to the Westinghouse facility to observe the breakers and review the root cause investigation. j J

In addition, on October 21, 1996, a spare replacement breaker, that was l j completely overhauled, failed to operate when installed. The licensee removed the breaker and discovered a layer of oxidation on an auxiliary contact of the l breaker. The licensee cleaned the contacts, reinstalled the breaker, and

tested the breaker without any additional problems. This failure does not l appear to be similar to the failures observed earlier. The Resident Staff is reviewing the licensee's electrical maintenance practices to identify any weaknesses that may have contributed to this problem.

Several conference calls between NRR, R-III and the licensee have been held to j obtain information on the failures. R-III and NRR are evaluating this issue '

to determine if these failures are plant specific or generic. Additional l information regarding these failures can be found in the October 2, 1996, '

Director's Highlights and Morning Report 3-96-0110.

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE A

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Lasalle Units 1 and 2 - Foreion Material Found in Sucoression Pool l l

Between September 26, 1996, and October 8, 1996, the licensee performed inspection and desludging of the Unit 2 suppression pool. During the desludging, the licensee recovered a significant inventory of foreign material. The material retrieved included a 3'X 3' rubber mat,'3'X 3' gasket l material, and a 6'X 4' nylon bag. The licensee believes this material is from original construction. The amount of material was sufficient to have challenged the operability of the emergency core cooling systems by exceeding the 50% clogging limit for the ECCS strainers. The licensee is currently evaluating the impact this material would have had on ECCS flow. In response to previous generic communications on suction strainer clogging, the licensee i had performed inspections of the suppression pools and strainers and tested l the ECCS pumps. However, these inspections only involved looking for and removing any visible foreign material. The current cleaning effort involved vacuuming of the pool, which had never been done for Unit 2. The foreign material was found underneath a layer of sludge on the bottom of the suppression pool and had not been discovered during previous inspections of the pool. The Unit I suppression pool was desludged (vacuumed) during the l refueling outage in early 1996 and a smaller amount of foreign material was removed. The R-III is following the licensee's efforts. NRR is working on an Information Notice regarding this event and a similar event at Nine Mile Point 2. Further action is being considered.

SALP Report Issued On October 17, 1996, Region III issued the SALP report for LaSalle. The plant was rated a 3 in operations, maintenance, and engineering, and a 2 in plant support. This represents a decline from a category 2 in operations and engineering from the previous SALP. The area of plant support improved from a 3 to a 2. The ratings were significantly influenced by an event in June of I this year involving the injection of sealant into the service water tunnel.

Oraanizational Chances Phil Hildebrandt has been named the new site engineering manager replacing Bob ,

Fairbank who had been the acting engineering manager. The site QV director, Mark Rauckhorst has resigned effective November 1, 1996. No replacement has been named yet. Ed Fahey will replace Al Magnifici as the maintenance superintendent sometime in December 1996.

Arkansas Nuclear One Unit 1 - Fire In the Containment On October 17, 1996, a fire in the containment of Unit I lasted about 15 minutes covering about 8-ft of insulation on the steam generator (S/G) piping.

The cause of the fire was ignition of lubricating oil which earlier had leaked from a cracked pipe of the RCP-B high pressure lift oil pump. Although the cracked piping was repaired earlier and some of the oil had been cleaned prior to startup, there were oil residues on the S/G piping. The oil ignited during a normal heatup when the S/G piping exceeded the ignition temperature of the lube oil, 400*F.

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE A

For the B pump, the licensee added drip pans to collect oil leaks for the lube

. oil cooler. For the remaining three RCP pumps, they added spray shield panels i to extend oil collection pans. For these pumps, the high pressure lift pumps and piping were completely shrouded. The modifications were to meet Appendix R which requires the reactor coolant pumps to be equipped with an oil collection system that is designed, engineered, and installed so that failures will not result in a fire during normal operation or a DBA.

NRC inspectors noted that the remote fill lines for all four RCP pumps for I Unit 'I were made of tygon tubing. The concern is that in a faulted or a DBA condition, this configuration may not be adequate to prevent lube oil from reaching a hot surface on the S/G piping and other parts of the RCP system, thus causing a fire. A special inspection is scheduled and is in progress by the regional DRS inspectors with support from the site inspectors.

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i OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE A

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 Department of Enerav's Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis for the Proposed Hiah-Level Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain. Nevada l

On October 16-18, 1996, the Department of Energy (DOE) held a second workshop l

! on seismic source characterization (SSC) for the proposed high-level waste i

! repository at Yucca Mountain (YM), Nevada. Division of Waste Management (DWM)  !

staff attended this workshop as observers. SSC is part of the probabilistic l seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) study conducted by DOE. The goal of this PSHA study is to provide the annual probability with which various levels of vibratory ground motion and fault displacement may be exceeded at the YM site.  ;

These results will be used as a basis for developing seismic design inputs and in assessing the pre- and post-closure performance of the YM site and i

fccilities. DOE has chosen to implement a formal expert judgment elicitation  !

i process for the performance of PSHA. A series of workshops is being held to 4 supply the experts relevant and available data for the YM site, identify suitable approaches, facilitate expert interactions, conduct field trips to  ;

] the YM region, provide the experts probability and elicitation training, I j perform the elicitations, and give the experts feedback on their assessments.

i During this second workshop, various methodologies and available data were

presented to the experts for discussion. The Center for Nuclear Waste

Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA) also presented relevant SSC data for the YM site that were developed at the CNWRA. The next workshop is scheduled for November 18-21, 1996. The elicitations are currently scheduled to take place during February and March 1997, followed by a feedback workshop in April 1997.

The final PSHA report is due to DOE from its contractor at the end of August 1997.

Nuclear Enerav Aaency Workina Group Meetina on an International Database of features. Events. and Processes On October 15-16, 1996, staff from the Division of Waste Management i participated in the seventh and final meeting of the Working Group to Develop

an International Database of Features, Events and Processes (FEPs). This working group was established by the Performance Assessment Advisory Group .

(PAAG) of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). The focus of the meeting was: l (1) the final disposition of the database developed by the working group, (2) the final report of the working group, and (3) the working group's 4 recommendations to PAAG. The working group has developed a database that

integrates a generalized list of FEPs with descriptions of how specific projects have addressed FEPs within their safety assessments or have identified FEPs in other development activities. The database will initially contain entries for seven specific projects. The working group is recommending to PAAG that version 1.0 of the database be made available by the i NEA Secretariat, upon request, and that a User's Group be developed to address

! issues related to the future use, maintenance, and disposition of the database and to oversee the inclusion of additional project-specific entries as they

. become available. The final report of the working group is expected to be

issued in February 1997. Also, the working group is recommending that a

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE B 4

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workshop be held to examine current approaches to scenarios and to document recent developments in scenario methodology. The objective of this workshop will be to effectively document the current " state-of-the-art" of scenario methodology.

Metals Recycle Public Workshop i On October 16-17, 1996, staff from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Offices of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Nuclear Regulatory Research, and ,

General Counsel participated in a public workshop on recycle of metals. The  !

workshop was conducted by the Environmental Law Institute, under a contract i for the Environmental Protection Agency. There were participants in attendance representing a wide range of viewpoints, including representatives of various tribal governments, environmental interest organizations, Federal agencies, Department of Energy (DOE) contractors, industry, and metal recyclers. The results of the discussions will be documented in a report which will be publicly available in a few months. The focus of the i discussions centered on recycle of metals from the DOE complex, and considered  !

issues ranging from the fundamental question of whether there should be recycling of contaminated metals to implementation questions if such recycle were authorized.

Workshop on Reciprocity On October 22-23, 1996, representatives from the Offices of Information Resources Management, General Counsel, Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), and the regional personnel that process reciprocity requests, met to i discuss the following topics: (1) the Reciprocity Tracking System: Problems, l Solutions, and Improvements; (2) the proposed revisions to Manual, Chapter i 1220, " Processing of NRC Form 241, Report of Proposed Activities in Non-Agreement States and Inspection of Agreement State Licensees Operating Under 10 CFR Part 150.20," and to NRC Form 241; (3) the Part 150.20 rulemaking and the current procedures for determining areas of exclusive Federal jurisdiction; and (4) the Regulatory Information Tracking System and codes for i reciprocity activities. The working group provided a briefinn to NMSS management regarding the results of the workshop and issues for follow-up and resolution.

International Atomic Enerav Aaency's International Conference on Dry Storace A member from the Spent Fuel Project Office ga'ie a presentation on the status

of quality assurance inspections in the U.S. at the International Atomic 2

Energy Agency Conference on " Quality Assura.1ce for Spent Fuel Storage Systems" held between October 21-25, 1996, in Balatonfured, Hungary. The presentation i provided an overview of the U.S. licensing process, followed by a detailed

discussion of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's inspection program and its findings over the last five years. European and Asian countries with interest in dry storage also gave summary overviews on their activities. The

, participants also visited the dry storage facility at the Hungarian power 3

plant at Paks.

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OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE B i

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Sucoort to the International Atomic Enerav Aaency On October 23-24, 1996, a member of the Regulatory and International Safeguards Branch represented the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the bi-yearly review meeting between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Interagency Subgroup for Safeguards Technical Support to the IAEA.

Topics addressed during this meeting included: (1) needs and support to the IAEA's Environmental Monitoring, (2) Enhanced Information Analysis, (3) Digital Image Surveillance, and (4) proposals to make the U.S. support to the IAEA more effective. l International Safeauards at Babcock & Wilcox During the week of October 14-18, 1996, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) performed its first monthly inspection on the high-enriched uranium downblending operations under Project Sapphire at the Babcock & Wilcox facility located in Lynchburg, Virginia. During this inspection, the IAEA verified the high-enriched uranium from Kazakstan that had been purified and transferred for downblending during the past month. The IAEA completed installation of its equipment to monitor the downblending operations. A book audit of the facility operator's records was also performed. The IAEA indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the cooperation received from the facility operator and the outcome of the inspection. The next inspection will occur in approximately one month.

International Atomic Enerav Aaency Safeauards for Excess Weapons Materials On October 21-22, 1996, Regulatory and International Safeguards Branch staff participated in an interagency meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) representatives on the potential application of IAEA safeguards to nuclear materials declared excess to the U.S. weapons program. Meeting participants included representatives from the Departments of Energy (DOE) and State, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, DOE contractors and national laboratories. Discussions involved the quantities and locations of materials already declared excess, disposition options under consideration for the high-enriched uranium and plutonium, and potential safeguards approaches for the various materials. The classified nature of some of the materials, and DOE plans to stabilize the majority of the plutonium metal and oxides, will have significant impact on the safeguards approaches selected. It is likely that the existing U.S./IAEA Safeguards -

Agreement will require review / revision to address safeguards for the excess weapons material.

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE B

i Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Items of Interest

, Week Ending October 25, 1996

. AP600 Testina Proaram Examination of the experimental data base from the AP600 testing program in ROSA has shown that the minimum vessel inventory occurs during phase of

transient from the opening of ADS 4 until the start of IRWST injection.

Further consideration of the data shows that in all tests conducted to date, there has been a surplus of ECC delivery during this period such that the j i excess of water is swept out ADS 4.

To better understand the inherent margin of safety in the AP600, RPSB ran a set of experiments in the Oregon State University APEX facility called "no ,

reserve" tests. These tests were focused on the ADS 4 blowdown phase. The l

. tests are run with the initial vessel level at the bottom of the hot leg with '

l no water elsewhere in the reactor cooling system, including absolutely no ECC makeup, thus, the name no reserve. In the AP600 there is about six feet of water between the top of the core and the hot leg. The objective was to determine whether ADS 4 depressurization could be accomplished before this water was depleted and the core began to uncover.

When the test begins with opening of ADS 4, a mixture level with level swell ensues. The amount of swell is dependent on the vapor source which consists j of flashing and boiling and on the bubble rise velocity. The level swell agrees with published drift flux model. Liquid is entrained out ADS 4 by the vapor in approximate proportion to the void fraction in the upper plenum. l After some amount of time the mixture level declines to the hot leg and

thereafter a vapor blowdown occurs. From this time, the depressurization '

l agrees with an ideal gas model.

i The data show that for typical ADS 4 blowdown conditions, the core does not uncover even for the situation where there is no reserve of water supply to the vessel. The governing phenomena (flashing, boiling, drift flux, entrainment, ideal gas state) are few in number and are well characterized.

National Bioethics Advisory Commission

. The Inaugural Meeting of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) 4 took place on October 4,1996, at the National Institutes of Health. Isabelle Schoenfeld a member of the Control, Instrumentation and Human Factors Branch, DST attended the all-day meeting. Donna-Beth Howe, NMSS also attended. NBAC was established to provide guidance to federal agencies on the ethical conduct ,

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of current and future human biological and behavioral research. NRC l c previously provided a report to NBAC on research involving human subjects conducted, supported, or regulated by NRC.

Hualien Larae Scale Soil-Structure Interaction Experiment On September 30 - October 3, 1996 Herman Graves, RES and Thomas Cheng, NRR attended the meetings of the Executive Oversight and Technical Management 0CTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE C

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Committees for the Hualien large Scale Soil-Structure Interaction Experiment (LSST). This experiment is a cooperative effort by Taiwanese, Japanese, French, Korean, and American (NRC & EPRI) participants to validate soil-structure interaction (SSI) codes and models.

The meetings were hosted by the Taiwan Power Company in Taipei, Taiwan. The purpose of the meetings was for the participants to discuss their SSI analysis of the t scale model reinforced concrete containment. Also discussed were the participants evaluation of recorded seismic data; to date, over 10 earthquakes have been recorded at the Hualien LSST site since 1993. The earthquakes recorded range in magnitudes (local) of 4.2 - 6.2 and acceleration of 0.05g-0.19 During the visit to Hualien LSST site, participants had a chance to inspect the containment model and the final installation of a full scale ground surface mounted steel water tank.

In addition to the committee meetings, the participants visited the Lungchien Hydroelectric Power Station. The Lungchien Station is a two unit plant where the first unit began operating in early 1950 and the second unit in 1986.

OECD RASPLAV Intearal Experiment The first OECD RASPLAV integral experiment was performed successfully on October 9, 1996, at the Russian Research Center, Kurchatov Institute. The overall objective of the RASPLAV program is to provide information (analytical and experimental) which can be used to assess whether and under what condition a molten core materials can be cooled / retained inside a reactor pressure vessel (RPV). This experiment utilized 200 Kg of U02 /Zr02 ceramic in a slice geometry representing the lower head of the RPV. The side walls of the experimental facility were heated inductively (i.e., side walls are placed in a changing magnetic field, which as a result induces a current flow in the side walls, therefore, generating heat in the side walls) . Prior to performing the experiment, the test setup was filled with U0 2/Zr0 2ceramic briquettes. Then heating of the side walls was initiated. Heat was initially transferred via conduction, to the ceramic briquettes which were then melted.

Preliminary pata from the experiment show that the temperature in the melt reached 2600 C. The ceramic melt was kept at this temperature for over 2 hour2.314815e-5 days <br />5.555556e-4 hours <br />3.306878e-6 weeks <br />7.61e-7 months <br /> . Initial observations of the data also indicated that 60% to 80% of the ceramic material was melted. In addition, the temperature distribution along the vessel wall revealed that natural convection in the melt was established, this being an important technical objective of the experiment.

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE C

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Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 IAEA Advisory Group Meetina During the period from October 7-11, 1996, S. Rubin participated as the Chairman of the Advisory Meeting at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The purpose of the meeting was to compile a report of examples of good and ineffective practices in the field of nuclear safety culture. Representatives from France, Hungary, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, together with technical representatives from IAEA's Division of Nuclear Installation Safety participated in the meeting. World-wide plant safety performance evaluation experience, including OSART mission results, were utilized to identify selected notable good practices representative of the safety culture attributes documented in the IAEA Safety Series Report, 74-INSAG-4. Mr. Rubin also presented the results developed in connection with a 1995 IAEA Consultants Meeting en the same subject. Other national presentations addressed human performance improvement and evaluations initiatives which have been recently implemented at nuclear power reactor facilities.

Crystal River Exercise Staff members observed the Region II site team respond to a simulated emergency at the Crystal River power plant on October 16, 1996. This response is the basis of the annual assessment of the Region's capabilities for incident response set forth by the AE00 Management Directive on the Incident Response Program.

FRPCC Heetino IRD and NRR representatives attended a meeting of the Federal Radiological Planning Coordinating Committee at FEMA on October 24, 1996 to discuss the report of the KI Subcommittee on KI policy.

Tabletoo Exercise During this week, IRD staff participated in an ingestion phase tabletop exercise in Delaware at the request of the State. This participation is part of the State Outreach Program and will r3sult in improved understanding of the NRC's role as the Lead Federal Agency which mobilizes Federal resources in support of the State.

Electric Power Research Institute / Nuclear Waintenance Acolications Center Report. " Safety and Relief Valve Testina and Maintenance Guide."

Mary S. Wegner of AE0D has received a copy of the Electric Power Research Institute / Nuclear Maintenance Applications Center Report, " Safety and Relief Valve Testing and Maintenance Guide." The publication was the culmination of efforts of the Technical Advisory Group, of which Ms. Wegner was a member, and other industry personnel to develop and produce a comprehensive guide on OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSU"E D

safety and relief valves. Numerous NRC generic publications were referenced in the document, including Information Notices, Bulletins, Generic Letters, and AE0D Special Study S92-02, " Safety and Safety / Relief Valve Reliability,"

written by Ms. Wegner.

Preliminary Notifications (PNs)

a. PN0-I-96-073, Emr Photelectric, LOSS OF PACKAGE CONTAINING 1.3 CURIE HYDROGEN-3 NEUTRON

b. PNO-I-96-074, Northwest Airlines Freight Station (JFK Int'l. Airport) l PACKAGE CONTAINING RADI0 ACTIVE MATERIAL DAMAGED BY FORKLIFT I l

c. PNO-II-96-073, Florida Power & Light Co. (Turkey Point 1), HURRICANE LILI

d. PN0-II-96-073A, Florida Power & Light Co. (Turkey Point 1), HURRICANE LILI - UPDATE

e. PNO-IV-96-056A, Department of the Army (White Sands Missile Range)

DAMAGED SHIPPING PACKAGE (UPDATE)

f. PNO-IV-96-057, General Atomics, SMALL FIRE IN EMPTY H0T CELL

g. PN0-IV-96-058, Entergy Operations, Inc. (Arkansas Nuclear 1), FIRE IN CONTAINMENT l

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OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE D

) J Office of Administration Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 Procurement Reform

On October 16, 1996, Hugh L. Thompson, Patricia G. Norry and Edward L. Halman l'

held an awards ceremony to celebrate procurement reform success stories. This i is the second such ceremony in which NRC employees are rewarded for their

creativity and resourcefulness in improving the efficiency of NRC's 4

contracting process. Rosemary Mann, Anita Hughes, Paulette Smith, Susan Hopkins, Sharlene McCubbin and Sally Adams each received awards for their successes in applying new and creative approaches which resulted in more efficient procurements in support of office needs. John Eastman was also 1

recognized for service excellence which resulted in an award from NRR.

Mary Roos received an award for her work with the Internet in support of

, procurement reform efforts. i

, On October 10, 1996, Susan Hopkins, Division of Contracts (DC), represented the NRC in an interagency forum, sponsored by the Department of Commerce, on agency experiences using oral presentations techniques in competitive

procurements. Agencies that were asked to share their experiences using this 4 technique included the NRC, NOAA, Patent and Trademark Office, and the Federal i

Aviation Administration. Ms. Hopkins shared the NRC's experiences using oral presentations for all phases of the procurement process from pre-award, to '

contract modifications which involved a technical and cost proposal from the contractor. The forum was well attended and provided participants with

,I valuable " lessons learned" using this innovative streamlining technique.

Meetina with DOE Laboratories 4 Ronald Thompson, DC, participated in a session of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) sponsored Water Reactor Safety meeting on 3 October 22, 1996. Mr. Thompson discussed various issues regarding the DOE national laboratories, including: FY 1997 funding, establishing core '

, capabilities, organizational conflict of interest, and the possible reduction j of the DOE added factor.

Contract Award i On October 11, 1996, a contract was awarded to Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., entitled, " Technical Assistance in Resolving Generic Safety Issues." The period of performance for this cost-plus-fixed-fee task ordering 1' contract is October 11, 1996 through October 10, 1997. The contract provides for two additional two-year option periods totalling $487,127 and $500,548, y~

respectively. The objective of this effort is to provide expert technical services to assist the Generic Safety Issues Branch, RES, in the evaluation, prioritization, and resolution of generic safety issues and regulatory impact issues that have not been addressed by the NRC. The following streamlining methods were used for this procurement: waived CBD notice, used simplified evaluation criteria, and waived audit requirements.

4 0CTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE F

INTELINK On October 23, representatives from the Division of Security (SEC) visited the INTELINK Service Management Center at Ft. Meade, MD. The purpose of the visit was to determine what information is available on the system, and whether electronic availability of the information could be adapted to meet the needs of the Commission. SEC determined that this system should provide the NRC with increased capabilities in most information acquisition areas, but that delivery of some hard copy documents that are not available on the INTELINK network at the present time, will be continued. SEC plans to request a site survey to receive accreditation to operate the system.

Sianificant F0IA Reauests Received durina the 5-Day Period of October 18 -

October 24. 1996:

Copy of incoming request and all responses to F01A-96-373. (J.Lamberski of Troutman Sanders; F01A-96-420)

Access to the Licensee Event Report System. (L.Hulman; Information Focus on Energy, Inc. (IF0E); F01A-96-422) ,

Copy of all site resident reports, region inspections, etc. for Maine Yankee from 1/1/96 through 9/30/96. (R.Keller; IF0E; F01A-96-423)

Listing of titles, report numbers and issue dates for all IG reports from 1/1/88 through 9/30/96. (L. Hulman; IF0E; F01A-96-424)

Copies of Congressional budget requests for Fiscal Years 1996 and 1997.

(R.Keller; IF0E; F01A-96-425)

List of certified disadvantaged businesses doing business with the NRC.

(J. Freeman; Industrial Sales & Service Co.; FOIA-96-426)

Copies of invoices for contract number NRC-33-93-201 (Anstec Inc.). (S. Tau; i Zimmerman Associates Inc. (ZAI); F0lA-96-427)

Listing of Companies that have requested a copy of contract number NRC-33 201 (Anstec Inc.). (S. Tau; ZAI; F0IA-96-428)

Copy of inspection reports on the Kaiser Aluminum facility in Tulsa, OK for the years 1994 through 1996. (R.Baber; G&E Engineering, Inc.; F0IA-96-432)

Records submitted by or on behalf of Envirocare of Utah dealing with anything other than Envirocare's own license (s) or amendments (s). (J. Lawrence of Egan

& Associates; F01A-96-433)

Records on the Scientific Ecology Group which related to inspections, investigations, and enforcement actions. (B.Sauro of Haligman & Lottner; F01A-96-434)  !

i OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE F

Copy of the technical analysis of regulatory guide 1.160 regarding non-safety related issues which add significant value to the mitigating functions of the E0P. (0. Williams; J/R/A Associates; F01A-96-439)

Records related to NRC review of the auxiliary steam / building heating system. ,

(0. Williams; J/R/A Associates; F01A-96-440)

Copy of a 10/7/94 memorandum to A. C. Thadani regarding " Action Plan to l Monitor, Review and Improve Fuel and Core Components Operating Performance." i (Individual; F0IA-96-441) i Copy of the 01 file related to Otis C. Comfort, Jr. v. Raytheon Engineers &  !

Constructors, Inc. and allegation report RII'95-A-042. (L. Fox of Wright, j Robinson, Osthimer & Tatum; F0IA-96-442)

Records related to Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District since their 12/2/94  !

visit to Region III pursuant to F01A-94-494. (L.English; NE0RSD; F0IA-96-443) l Records related to Advanced Medical Systems, Inc. since NE0RSDs visit to i Region III pursuant to F01A-94-494. (L.English; NE0RSD; F01A-96-444) l l

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e 8 Office of Personnel Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 New Module Added to Supervisina Human Resources Course On October 21-25, 1996, the Organizational Development and Training staff offered the Supervising Human Resources course to Headquarters employees. A new module, " Management Controls in the NRC," was added to the course. Sharon Connelly, Office of the Controller, designed and conducted the module, which acquaints new managers with management control concepts and policy as they relate to the Financial Integrity Act. The module covered the manager's role in implementing the basic concepts of the law, as well as the Government Performance and Results Act, the Chief Financial Officers Act, the Inspector General Act, and Executive Order 12861, " Elimination of One-Half of Executive Branch Internal Regulations."

l Arrivals LEE, David ASST INSP GEN FOR INVEST (PFT) OIG OSTERHOLTZ, Clyde RESIDENT INSPECTOR (PFT) RI SCHMIDT, Duane HEALTH PHYSICIST (PFT) NMSS SMITH, Patricia 0FC RESIDENT ASST (0PFT) RIV ST0VTT, Donald CHEMICAL ENGINEER (PFT) NMSS Deoartures MILLER, Karla BUDGET ANALYST (PFT) OC l

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Office of Enforcement Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 Sianificant Enforcement Actions A Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in the amount of $50,000 was issued on October 22, 1996, to Centerior Service Company. The action was based on an inspection conducted at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station concerning: (1) certain motor operated valves potentially being unable to perform their post-fire safe shutdown function and (2) degraded radiant energy shields in the containment and containment annulus. One Severity Level III violation was cited for the motor operated valve issue and one Severity Level IV violation was cited for the matter involving the degraded radiant energy shields. (EN 96-077)

An Order Modifying License (Effective Immediately) was issued October 21, 1996 to Dr. Joss L. Fernandez of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. This action was based on the results of two inspections, which revealed numerous violations, including the licensee's failure to: (1) establish and maintain a quality management program which resulted in at least 104 Strontium-90 misadministrations; (2) maintain the security of byproduct material; (3) perform quarterly physical inventories of byproduct material; (4) test sealed sources for leakage at six month intervals; (5) notify individuals of a misadministration within 24-nours of discovery; (6) provide written reports to individuals within 15 days of discovery of a misadministration; (7) maintain misadministration records; and (8) amend its license prior to permitting an individual to work as an authorized user. The Order requires, among other things, the licensee to: (1) submit to the NRC, for approval, the credentials of an irdependent Health Physicist / Radiation Physicist Consultant; (2) ensure that the consultant reviews all patient radiation doses and misadministration records; (3) submit an updated, final report to the NRC of aD misadministrations and notify individuals who received misadministrations; and (4) maintain the strontium-90 sources in locked, safe storage until the material is transferred. (EN 96-078)

A Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalties in the 1 mount of $150,000 was issued on October 23, 1996, to Public Service Electric and Gas Company. The action was based on two inspections being performed at the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station that identified six violations involving: 1) two violations of failures to plan appropriate surveillance testing for control rod drive systems; 2) two violations of failures to promptly identify and correct conditions adverse to quality regarding reactor building ventilation supply duct backdraft isolation dampers and control rod withdrawal speeds being in excess of the values assumed in the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report; 3) one violation of a failure to obtain Commission approval prior to making changes to the facility's service water system design that involved an unreviewed safety question; and 4) one violation involving the failure to maintain the service water system in accordance with the Technical Specifications (TS), Both the first two violations and the second two violations were categorized as Severity Level III problems; the fifth and

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OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE K 4

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sixth violations were each categorized singularly as Severity Level III i violations. (EN 96-079)

A Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in the amount i of $2,500 was issued on October 24, 1996, to the Indiana Department of  !

Transportation. The action was based on a Severity Level III problem involving two deliberate violations for allowing an unauthorized trainee to use a moisture density gauge without completing the requisite training and for providing a thermoluminescent dosimeter, which was assigned to a project engineer, to the same unauthorized trainee. (EN 96-080)  ;

Civil Penalty Paid Houston Lighting and Powr Company (STP) paid the civil penalty in the amount i of $200,000. The action was based on a Department of Labor decision that found that HL&P contractors discriminated against two employees that were engaged in protected activities. (EAs96-133 and 96-136) l l

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Office of Public Affairs Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 ,

Media Interest E

John Hickey, NMSS, was interviewed by The Advocate, in Baton Rouge, LA, i regarding the Claiborne Enrichment Facility. ,

Press Releases Headauarters:

96-146 NRC Establishes Special Projects Office to Oversee Inspection i i and Licensing Activities at Millstone and Haddam Neck Plants j 96-147 Note to Editori - ACRS Meeting-- Appointments to the ACRS96-148 Note to Editors -- ACRS Meeting-- Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Plant Operations l l

96-149 Note to Editors -- ACRS Meeting-- Severe Accidents l l

96-150 Note to Editors -- Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of  !

Isotopes to Meet November 14-15 l l

96-151 NRC Announces Agreement With Wyoming on Cleanup of ANC ,

Uranium Mill Site 96-152 NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to Meet November 7-9 96-153 Note to Editors -- NSRRC Meeting Reaions:

I-96-70 NRC Proposes to Fine PSE&G $150,000 For Alleged Violations at its Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station 11-96-86 NRC Reschedules Two Meetings October 31 at Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant II-96-87 NRC Staff Issues Order Modifying Physician's Radioactive Materials License 11-96-88 NRC Staff Issues Assessment of Performance at Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama 111-96-65 NRC Staff Proposes $50,000 Fine Against Centerior Service Company for Fire Protection Violations at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE M

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I III-96-66 NRC Staff Proposes $2,500 Fine for Gauge Use By Unauthorized and Untrained Indiana Department of Transportation Worker IV-96-57 NRC Sets Public Meeting Input on Agency's Strategic Direction i

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE M

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• I Office of International Programs Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 On October 22, 1996, a delegation from the Institute of Radiation Measurements in Japan (Messrs. H. Tominaga, Y. .Izumi and M. Sakai) visited NRC to discuss a number of nuclear safety issues. They were given a tour of the Ops Center by Rick Hasselberg, who also briefed them on emergency preparedness issues; briefed on the use of M0X fuels in the U.S. by Bill Brach, NMSS; and briefed on issues related to public acceptance of nuclear energy and public relations practices by Beth Hayden, OPA.

Commissioner Agustin Alonso, Spanish Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, was in the U.S. October 21-25, 1996 to attend and participate in the Water Reactor Safety Meeting and the Cooperative Severe Accident Research Program meeting. During nis stay, he also met with Commissioners Diaz and McGaffigan to discuss NRC/CSN cooperative activities.

On October 24, 1996, Messrs. Ruiz Lopez and Enrique Araiza of the CNSNS in Mexico met with OIP staff to discuss NRC/CNSNS cooperative activities and renewal of our safety cooperation agreer.:ent. They also attended the Water Raactor Safety Meeting.

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Region I Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 Presentation at Mixed Waste Symoosium On October 24, 1996, Ronald R. Bellamy, Chief of the Decommissioning and Laboratory Branch, presented an invited paper at the International Isotopes Society Symposium on Mixed Waste Treatment and Disposal, in Mystic, CT. His presentation on Current NRC Mixed Waste Activities was part of a regulatory session that included speakers from EPA and D0E. The EPA discussion focused on the Hazardous Waste Identification Rule, and the DOE presentation on its National Low-level Waste Management Program. Industry participants included national laboratories, universities, and vendors.

Manaaement Meetina with the University of Pennsylvania On October 24, 1996, DNMS held a Management Meeting with representatives of the University of Pennsylvania. The meeting was held to discuss long-standing issues associated with potential harassment and intimidation and chilling effect on University personnel engaged in protected activities. The licensee's actions relative to a 1991 Department of Labor decision for two employees were discussed. Programmatic changes and enhancement of "open door" policies and avenues available for employees to address their concerns were presented. The DNMS Division Director discussed with the licensee representatives the effectiveness of their measures to enhance communication and informed the licensee that this area will be examined during future NRC inspections.

Support to IMPEP Reviews of California The Region I State Agreements Officer participated in the Integrated Materials  !

Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) team that evaluated the Agreement State l of California materials licensing and inspection programs during the week of i October 21.

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE P

l Region II '

Items of Interest i Week Ending October 25, 1996 )

i Carolina Power anc Liaht Company - Brunswick and Harris

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On October 21, 1996, representatives from the Carolina Power & Light Company )

were in the Region II Office to attend an enforcement conference regarding '

environmental qualification for safety-related electrical equipment at their Brunswick facility.

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On October 21, 1996, representatives from the Carolina Power and light Company were in the Region II Office to attend a Management Meeting regarding their Harris facility. Licensee managers discussed operator performance and their activities in response to GL 96-01.  ;

Florida Power Corooration - Crystal River On October 22, 1996, representatives from the Florida Power Corporation were l the Region II Office to attend an Enforcement Conference regarding their  !

Crystal River facility. This was a combined conference with Florida Power Corporation and their roofing contractor, McEnany Inc., to discuss issues regarding apparent discrimination of an employee for engaging in protected activity at the Crystal River site.

Duke Power Company - Catawba On October 23, 1996, representatives from the Duke Power Company were in the Region II Office to attend a management meeting concerning the corrective actions stemming from welding issues at their Catawba facility. Broad corrective actions were discussed regarding Catawba as well as plans for the 1997 McGu ra steam generator replacement.

Tennessee V411ev Authority - Seauoyah On October 24, 1996, representatives from the Tennessee Valley Authority were in the Region II Office to attend an Enforcement Conference regarding fire protection deficiencies at their Sequoyah facility. The licensee discussed both their short and long term corrective actions for control of combustible material, ventilation dampers, penetration seals, and the fire water piping system.

B&W Naval Nuclear Fuel Division The licensee has been working under a government contract to process and blend high enriched uranium from the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan with low enriched uranium. The material was received at the licensee's facility near Lynchburg, Virginia, during August - October 1995. The material consists of different material types, including metal, oxides, uranium / beryllium rods, mixed low level residues and uranium / beryllium scrap. During the dissolution of some of the uranium / beryllium scrap (started in July 1996), the licensee discovered a difference between the measured amount of uranium and that OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE P 1 1

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indicated on the paperwork from the Department of Energy (DOE). This difference or bias was not noted when processing the other types of material.

Currently, the licensee measures the bias as a negative 27 percent.

An October 24, 1996, article in the Washinaton Times reported on the difference and indicated that 120 pounds of weapons grade uranium was missing from the project Sapphire. NRC inspection results to date indicate the licensee's safeguards measures were in place to guard against a potential loss or diversion.

Pensacola Testina Laboratories On October 23, 1996, Region II issued a Notice of Violation at the Severity Level III to the Pensacola Testing Laboratories, Inc., Pensacola, Florida.

The violation was for failure to file for reciprocity with the NRC before working in an area of exclusive federal jurisdiction. Pensacola Testing holds a license in the Agreement State of Florida for the use of moisture / density type gauges. No civil penalty was proposed because Pensacola Testing had not been the subject of escalated enforcement action in the past two years or two inspections and they took extensive corrective action.

Dr. Fernandez On October 21, 1996, the NRC issued an Order (Immediately Effective) to I Dr. Fernandez. Dr. Fernandez had a license in Puerto Rico to use Strontium-90 I applicators to treat certain patient eye diseases. The licensee had used a j miscalibrated applicator, which resulted in multiple misadministrations to  ;

patients during the period January 1994 to October 1995. The Order requires  ;

the licensee to obtain an independent individual (consultant) to review the I files, determine all misadminstrations, notify the patients and report the results to the NRC. The Order also requires the licensee to dispose of the applicators within 90 days.

The NRC sent a letter to the Puerto Rico Department of Health on October 21, '

1996. The letter requests aid in long term followup of patients. The NRC's medical consultant concluded there was long term followup needed.

OCTOBER 25, 1996 ENCLOSURE P P

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Region III Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 Predecisional Enforcement Conference with Cleveland Clinic Foundation On October 22, 1996, a Predecisional Enforcement Conference was conducted l between Cleveland Clinic Foundation, NRC Byproduct Material License No. 34-00466-01, and members of the Region III staff. The purpose of the conference l was to discuss the findings of an inspection conducted March 19-22, 1996 with continuing in office review and 01 investigation through August 6, 1996.

Three apparent violations were discussed: (1) failure to conduct annual refresher training for laboratory radiation workers; (2) failure to conduct an

, annual senior management audit; and (3) failure to secure radioactive material from unauthorized removal or access. The results of the conference are under review, and a final determination on enforcement action is pending.

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Region IV Items of Interest Week Ending October 25, 1996 Predecisional Enforcement Conference A predecisional enforcement conference was conducted on October 23, 1996, with NDC Systems in the Region IV office in Arlington, Texas. The purpose of the conference was to discuss findings of an investigation conducted by the NRC Office of Investigations from April 12 through August 28, 1996. Based on the investigation findings, an apparent violation of 10 CFR 110.50(a) was identified involving transport of guaging devices containing americium-241 sources to foreign countries in excepted packages when the activity of the i sources exceeded Department of Transportation limits for excepted packaging.

The investigation concluded that the apparent violation may have been deliberate. Predecisional enforcement conferences were also conducted with two employees and two managers of NDC Systems to discuss apparent violations l

of 10 CFR 110.7(b), " Deliberate Misconduct," as it relates to the individuals' roles in the apparent violation.

Reaion IV Predecisional Enforcement Conferences On October 22, 1996, two predecisional enforcement conferences were held in the NRC Region IV office with Washington Public Power Supply System. The

! conferences were conducted to discuss apparent violations described in NRL l Inspection Reports 50-397/96-16 and 50-397/96-19 related to missed mode change l TS surveillance tests, and command and centrol issues associated with reactivity controls at the Supply System's WNP-2 facility.

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