ML20137K329
| ML20137K329 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Byron  |
| Issue date: | 03/13/1997 |
| From: | Caldwell J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | Graesser K COMMONWEALTH EDISON CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20137K332 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9704070010 | |
| Download: ML20137K329 (6) | |
See also: IR 05000454/1996012
Text
.
!
-
-a. =
_
i
~
T[v
._
)
\\N
(f
h/-
9
March 13, 1997
Mr. K. Graessor
Site Vice President
' Byron Station
3
Commonwealth Edison Company
4450 N. German Church Road
Byron, IL 61010 '
.
SUBJECT:
NRC INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50-454/96012(DRP); 50-455/96012(DRP)
- i
1
Dear Mr. Graesser:
)
.j
On January 31,1997, the NRC completed an inspection at your Byron 1 & 2 reactor
')
facilities. The enclosed report presents the inspection results.
l
During the inspection period, operations at Byron were conducted in a safe and
conservative manner. However, during this inspection we identified an essential service
water pump room water-tight door open with the room unoccupied. Other examples of
finding open and unattended water-tight doors have been identified by both your staff and
ours during the past year. One example led to a corrective action violation in inspection
Report No. 96-06.
j
i
Your staff also identified that essential service water cooling water divider plates in the 1B
essential service water pump room cooler were not aligned correctly. We considered the
i
identification of the issue a positive example of a questioning attitude by the operations
i
staff. However, a similar occurrence where the end-bell of an oil cooler for a safety-
related pump was not aligned correctly was documented in inspection report No. 95-09.
j
!
Conective actions after that event should have precluded the room cooler divider plates -
!
from being installed incorrectly.
l
We consider each of these to be examples of inadequate corrective actions and violations
i
of 10 CFR Pzt 50, Appendix B, Criterion XVI. We are becoming increasingly concerned
j
t
i
over yNr failure to effectively correct identified issues.
l
-
Additionaly, operators failed to document the degraded condition of the Unit 1
j
,
containmort floor drain leak detection system when the alarm was locked-in due to a
i
I
' secondary ar4 steam leak. We considered the failure to identify and log the leak detection
+
.
l-
system as degraded a failure to follow station procedures and a violation of 10 CFR
l
Part 50, Apperdx B, Criterion V.
l'
t
'
in following up or, the degraded floor drain leak detection system the inspectors identified
l
that a surveillance rocedure had been implemented to compensate for the loss of alarm
I
function, which was + specified system feature in the Final Safety Analysis Report. The
l
-
i
9704070010 970313
ADOCK 05000454
!
a
eon
an,gypppges
.
T-
4"=P
-
T TC--W
-4'r-
y
av
4--
-ef
w-
-<ew
w*
---m
.
.
.
-- - .
m
.
-
. - . __
_ ---__-
.
.
I
K. Graesser
-2-
procedure put in place to compensate for the degraded system condition was
inappropriately screened to not require a safety evaluation. A safety evaluation was
,
subsequently performed. We considered the failure to perform the safety evaluation prior
to the approval of the procedure a violation of 10 CFR 50.59.
<
The violations discussed above are cited in the enclosed Notice of Violation. The
circumstances surrounding the violations are described in detail in the enclosed report.
Please note that you are required to respond to these violations and should follow the
instructions specified in the enclosed Notice when preparing your response. Tf.o NRC will
use your response, in part, to determine whether further enforcement action is necessary
to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter
and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR).
Sincerely,
/s/ J. A. Grobe for
James L. Caldwell, Director
Division of Reactor Projects
Dca:ket Nos. 50-454; 50-455
Enclosures:
2. Inspection Report No. 50-454/455-96012(Gr.r)
with Attachments A and B
PLEASE SEE ATTACHED CONCURRENCES
.,
Document: R:\\l N S PR PTS \\POWE R S\\BY R O\\BYR 06017.DP.P
To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box "C" = Copy without kn&ddenci
"E" = Copy with attach /enci "N" = No copy
OFFICE
Rill
Rill
Rlli
Rill (
NAME
Tongue
Gardner
Lanksbury
[
/Caldwell
Sect F1.1
DATE
3/ /97
3/ /97
3/ /97
3/0/97
OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
. . . ~
-. ..
- - . -
.
.
- . - - . .- . -
_ -_--
- __.
_..
.
.
.
K. Graesser
-2-
4
was lost and the system was still considered operable by the operators, a safety
)
evaluation should have boon performed for the surveillance procedure to evaluate the
potential for an unreviewed safety question. We considered the failure to perform the
safety evaluation a violation of 10 CFR 50.59.
The violations discussed .mbove are cited in the enclosed Notice of Violation. The
circumstances surroundins the violations are described in detail in the enclosed report.
Please note that you are required to respond to these violations and should follow the
,
instructions spedfied in the enclosed Notice when preparing your response. The NRC will
use your response, in part, to determine whether further enforcement action is necessary
to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter
and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR).
1
Sincerely,
i
James L. Caldwell, Director
l
Division of Reactor Projects
Docket Nos. 50-454; 50-455
i
$
Enclosures:
i
2. Inspection Report No. 50-454/455-96012(DRP)
j
with Attachments A and B
l
i
.
1
i
Document: R:\\lNSPRPTS\\ POWERS \\BYRO\\BYR96012.DRP
'
To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box "C" = Copy without attach /enci
,
"E" = Copy with attach /enci "N" = No copy
OFFICE
Rlli
T.
Rlli
h
Rill
l /d
Rlli
,
Lanks % g
Grobe/Caldwell
NAME
Tongue
ner
DATE
3/l%97
3/8/97
3/6/97
3/ /97
'
OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
'
1
,
,
,
,
_--
,
.
g" "'%<c' g
uNITEo STATES
[%; '['
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
2,
REGION Hi
"l
80" WARREtNILLE ROAD
$
usLE, WNOIS 60532-4351
March 13, 1997
.
.
Mr. K. Graesser
. Site Vice President
Byron Station
Commonwealth Edison Company
-
4450 N. German Church Road
Byron, IL 61010
SUBJECT:
NRC INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50-454/96012(DRP); 50-455/96012(DRP)
Dear Mr. Graessor:
On January 31,1997, the NRC completed an inspection at your Byron 1 & 2 reactor
facilities. The enclosed report presents the inspection results.
During the inspection period, operations at Byron were conducted in a safe and
conservative manner. However. during this inspection we identified an essential service
water pump room water-tight door open with the room unoccupied. Other examples of
finding open and unattended water-tig,ht doors have been identified by both your staff and
{
ours during the past year. One example led to a corrective action violation in inspection
Report No. 96-06.
1
Your staff also identified that essential service water cooling water divider plates in the 18
essential service water pump room cooler were not aligned correctly. We considered the
i
identification of the issue a positive example of a questioning attitude by the operations
staff. However, a similar occurrence where the end-bell of an oil cooler for a safety-
related pump was not aligned correctly was documented in inspection report No. 95-09.
Corrective actions after that event should have precluded the room cooler divider plates
from being installed incorrectly.
We consider each of these to be examples of inadequate corrective actions and violations
of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion XVI. We are becoming increasingly concerned
neer your failure to effectively correct identified issues.
Additionally, operators failed to document the degraded condition of the Unit 1
l
containment flocr drain leak detection system when the alarm was locked-in due to a
secondary side steam leak. We considered the failure to identify and log the leak detection
I
system as degraded a failure to follow station procedures and a violation of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion V.
In following up on the degraded floor drain leak detection system the inspectors identified
that a surveillance procedure had been implemented to compensate for the loss of alarm
function, which was a specified system feature in the Final Safety Analysis Report. The
,
-
._
_ - _ _
__.
.
.
K. Graesser
-2-
procedure put in place to compensate for the degraded system condition was
-
inappropriately screened to not require a safety evaluation. A safety evaluation was
subsequently performed. We considered the failure to perform the safety evaluation prior
to the approval of the procedure a violation of 10 CFR 50.59.
The violations discussed above are cited in the enciosed Notice of Violation. The
circumstances surrounding the violations are described in detail in the enclosed report.
Please note that you are required to respond to these violations and should follow the
instructions specified in the enclosed Notice when preparing your response. The NRC will
use your response, in part, to determine whether further enforcement action is necessary
to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter
and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR).
Sincerely,
' ames L. Caldwell, Director
Division of Reactor Projects
Docket Nos. 50-454; 50-455
Enclosures:
2. Inspection Report No. 50-454/455-96012(DRP)
with Attachments A and B
cc w/ encl:
T. J. Maiman, Senior Vice President
Nuclear Operations Division
D. A. Sager, Vice President,
Generation Support
H. W. Keiser, Chief Nuclear
Operating Officer
K. Kofron, Station Manager
D. Brindle, Regulatory Assurance Supervisor
1. Johnson, Acting Nuclear
Regulatory Services Manager
Richard Hubbard
Nathan Schloss, Economist
Office of the Attorney General
State Liaison Officer, Wisconsin
State Liaison Officer
Chairman, Illinois Commerce Commission
Document Control Desk-Licensing
i
-,_
-- - . . - .
.
- _.
-.
I
e
i
K. Groesser
-3-
cc w/ encl:
T. J. Maiman, Senior Vice President
Nuclear Operations Division
,
D. A. Sager, Vice President,
Generation Support
H. W. Keiser, Chief Nuclear
!
. Operating Officer
'
K. Kofron, Station Manager
D. Brindle, Regulatory Assurance
Supervisor
1. Johnson, Acting Nuclear
Regulatory Services Manager
Richard Hubbard
Nathan Schloss, Economist
'
Office of the Attorney General
State Liaison Officer, Wisconsin
State Liaison Officer
Chairman, Illinois Commerce Commission
Document Control Desk-Licensing
Distribution:
Docket File w/enci
OC/LFDCB w/ encl
DRP w/ encl
SRt Byron, Braidwood, Zion w/enct
PUBLIC IE-01 w/ encl
Project Manager, NRR w/enci
CAA1 w/enci(E-mail)
A. B. Beach, w/enci
RAC1 (E-Mail) w/enci
Rill Enf. Coordinator, w/enci
Rill PRR w/enci
TSS w/enci
DRS (3) w/enci
4
.
. _ , _
.
.-