ML20132G703

Discusses Pilot Initial Exam at Plant During Wk of 970407. Exam Guidelines Encl

ML20132G703
Person / Time
Site:	Wolf Creek
Issue date:	12/23/1996
From:	Gwynn T NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:	Carns N WOLF CREEK NUCLEAR OPERATING CORP.
References
NUDOCS 9612270018
Download: ML20132G703 (8)

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UNITED STATES 4

.7, NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REcloN IV l

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611 RYAN PLAZA DRIVE, SulTE 400 ARLINGTON, TEXAS 76011-8064 l

1 DEC 231996 i

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i Neil S. Carns, President and i

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Chief Executive Officer

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Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation l

P.O. Box 411 Burlington, Kansas 66839 3

SUBJECT:

PILOT INITIAL EXAMINATION (NRC INSPECTION REPORT 50-483/97-03)

Dear Mr. Carns:

b in a telephone conversation on December 17,1996, between Mr. Anthony Palmer, Supervisor, initial License Programs, and Howard Bundy of my staff, arrangements were made for the administration of licensing examinations at the Wolf Creek Generating Station during the week of April 7,1997.

j Based on this telephone conversation, we understand that your staff has agreed to i

i participate in a voluntary pilot examination program in which your staff will prepare the j

written examinations and operating tests and submit them to this office for evaluation and approval. Your staff will prepare the proposed examinations in accordance with the i

guidelines in Revision 7, Supplement 1, of NUREG-1021," Operator Licensing Examiner Standards," Revision 5, of NUREG/BR-0122," Examiners' Handbook for Developing i

Operator Licensing Written Examinations," and the attachment to this letter. We will j

discuss with your staff any examination changes that might be necessary prior to their administration.

i To meet the above schedule, it will be necessary for your staff to furnish the proposed 4

examination outlines by February 7,1997, and the finalized written examinations and operating test by March 7,1997. The NRC will review the completed and validateJ examinations at your facility the week of March 24,1997. Any delay in receiving j

approved test outlines or the submittal of inadequate or incomplete test materials, may d

result in the examinations being rescheduled.

in order to conduct the requested written examinations and operating tests, it v.ill be 2

j necessary for your staff to provide adequate space and accommadations in accordance j

with Examiner Standard-402 and to make the simulation f acility available for the weeks j

noted above.

i-k 9612270018 961223 PDR ADOCK 05000482 l

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t Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation I

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Examiner Standards-402 and -302, Attachment 1, contain a number of NRC policies and

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guidelines that will be in effect while the written examinations and operating tests are being administered in accordance with Examiner Standard-302, your staff should retain the original simulator performance data (e.g., system pressures, temperatures, and levels) generated during the dynamic operating tests until the examination results are final.

Your staff should submit the preliminary reactor operator and senior reactor operator license applications and waiver requests at least 30 days before the first examination date so that the NRC will be able to review the applications and the medical certifications and evaluate any requested waivers. If the apolications are not received at least 30 days l

before the examination date, a postponernent may be necessary. Signed applications certifying that all training has been completed should be submitted at least 14 days before the first examination date.

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This request is covered by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Clearance Number 3150-0101,which expires April 30,1997. The estimated average burden is 7.7 l

hours per response, including gathering, xeroxing, and mailing the required material. Send i

comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information and Records i

Management Branch, Mail Stop T-6 F33, Office of Information Resources Management, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555; and to the Paperwork Reduction Project (3150-0101),0ffice of information and Regulatory Affairs, j

NEOB-10202, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503.

l Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Mr. Palmer has been advised of the policies and guidelines referenced in this letter, if you have any questions regarding this inspection, please contact Howard Bundy at (817) 860-8172 or John Pellet, Chief, 9

Operations Branch at (817) 860-8159.

1 Sinceret 4

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homas P. Gwynn, irect Q

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Division of Reactor Docket No. 50-482 License No. NPF-42

Attachment:

Pilot Examination Guidelines i

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Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation cc:

Vice President Plant Operations Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp.

P.O. Box 411 Burlington, Kansas 66839 Jay Silberg, Esq.

Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge i

2300 N Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20037 Supervisor Licensing Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp.

P.O. Box 411 Burlington, Kansas 66839 Supervisor Regulatory Compliance Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp.

P.O. Box 411 Burlington, Kansas 66839 Chief Engineer Utilities Division Kansas Corporation Commission 1500 SW Arrowhead Rd.

Topeka, Kansas 66604-4027 Office of the Governor State of Kansas Topeka, Kansas 66612 Attorney General Judicial Center 301 S.W.10th 2nd Floor Topeka, Kansas 66612-1597 Ccunty Clerk Coffey County Courthouse Burlington, Kansas 66839-1798

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Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation i

Public Health Physicist Division of Environment Kansas Department of Health and Environment i

Bureau of Air & Radiation Forbes Field Building 283 Topeka, Kansas 66620 Mr. Frank Moussa Division of Emergency Preparedness i

2800 SW Topeka Blvd Topeka, Kansas 66611-1287 Mr. David Fehr i

Training Manager Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation P.O. Box 411, Burlington, KS 66839 i

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Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation 1

E-Mail report to D. Nelson (DJN)

E-Mail report to NRR Event Tracking System (IPAS) bec to DMB (IE42) i bec distrib. by RIV:

L. J. Callan Resident inspector DRP Director SRI (Callaway, RIV)

Branch Chief (DRP/B)

DRS-PSB Project Engineer (DRP/B)

MIS System Branch Chief (DRP/TSS)

RIV File L. Hurley Leah Tremper (OC/LFDCB, MS: TWFN 9E10) j S. Richards (NRR/HOLB)

I DOCUMENT NAME: R:\\WC703LT.HFB To receive copy of document, indicate in box: "C" = Copy wahout enclosures "E" = Copy wth enclosures "N" = No copy RIV:OB:RE

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12/R96 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY 270005

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Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating l Corporation i

E-Mail report to D. delson (DJN) i E-Mail report to NRR Event Tracking System (IPAS) i bec to DMB (IE42) bec distrib. by RIV:

l L. J. Callan Resident inspector i

DRP Director SRI (Callaway, RIV)

Branch Chief (DRP/B)

DRS-PSB i

i Project Engineer (DRP/B)

MIS System Branch Chief (DRP/TSS)

RIV File L. Hurley Leah Tremper (OC/LFDCB, MS: TWFN 9E10)

S. Richards (NRR/HOLB)

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i DOCUMENT NAME: R:\\WC703LT.HFB To receive copy of document, Indicate in box: "c" = Copy without enclosures "E" = Copy with enclosures "N" = No copy RIV:OB:RE

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ATTACHMENT PILOT EXAMINATION GUIDELINES Facility licensees will prepare the written examinations and operating tests (dynamic simulator and walkthrough) in accordance with the instructions in Revision 7, Supplement 1, of NUREG-1021 (" Operator Licensing Examiner Standards") and Revision 5 of NUREG/BR-0122 (" Examiners' Handbook for Developing Operator Licensing Written Examinations"), subject to the following additional criteria:

(1)

The facility licensee will prepare an integrated examination outline (written and operating test) and submit it to the NRC regional office for review, comment, and approval at least 60 days before the scheduled examination date. The NRC chief examiner will work with the facility licensee to resolve any problems and to avoid unnecessary revision of the final examination products.

(2)

Facility employees who are involved with developing the examinations and tests will sign a standard security agreement (Form ES-201-2) before they gain specific knowledge of the examinations and tests. Facility employees who played a substantial role in training the license applicants will generally not be involved in developing the license examinations or tests. If the facility licensee considers such employees necessary for developing the examinations or tests, it will define the measures it will take to ensure that the integrity of the examinations is not compromised and submit them to the NRC regional office f ar approval.

(3)

The written examinations and operating tests will satisfy the following specific criteria:

A maximum of 50 percent of the written examination questions may be taken directly from the facility question bank; up to an additional 40 percent of the questions may be taken from the facility bank but must be significantly modified; and a minimum of 10 percent of the questions will be newly developed. As discussed in NUREG/BR-0122,new questions should emphasize the applicants' understanding at the comprehension or application levels of knowledge because they have the greatest operational and discriminatory validity.

No more than 25 percent of the questions on the examinatu;n may be repeated from previous examinations, quizzes, or tests Nministered to the license applicants, or from the past two NRC license examinations at the f acility. No questions may be drawn directly from the applicants' audit examination or similar testing vehicle given at the end of the training class.

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l Each walkthrough test willinclude at least two job performance measures (JPMs) that are either new or significantly a'tered, and each I

simulator scenario set willinclude at least one new or significantly altered i

scenario. Other scenarios used may be drawn directly from the facility j

scenario bank; however, they will be altered to the degree needed to prevent l

the applicants from immediately recognizing the scenarios based on initial j

conditions or other cues.

t A significant modification, for purposes of the written questions, means a l

j change to the conditions in the stem and at least one distractor significantly changed. Similarly, JPMs and simulator scenarios will have at least one 3

substantive event or condition change that alters the course of action in the j'

JPM or scenario.

(4)

The facility licensee will submit the final written examinations and operating tests to the NRC regional office at least 30 days before the scheduled examination date. In its submittal, the facility licensee will include a history (e.g., bank, revised, new, and date last used) of each test item used on the written and operating tests.

(5)

The NRC regional office w.ll assign a chief examiner to coordinate the review, 1

revision (as determined necessary by the NRC), and validation of the written -

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examinations and operating tests with the facility licensee. Additional NRC staff examiners will be assigned as necessary (typically one or two, depending on the number of applicants) to assist the chief examiner with administering and grading the operating tests in accordance with existing procedures. The facility licensee will administer and grade the written examinations: NRC examiners will review and approve the licensee's grading.

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