ML20141N940

Describes Emergency Response Data Sys Concept & Parameters, Including Core & Coolant Sys Conditions,Conditions Inside Containment,Radioactivity Release Rates & Meteorologic Data. Site Visit Planned Re Interface W/Emergency Operations

ML20141N940
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	03/06/1986
From:	Johnson E NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:	Goldberg J HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO.
References
NUDOCS 8603180303
Download: ML20141N940 (6)

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MAR 6 1986 In Reply Refer To:

Dockets: 50-498 50-499 Houston Lighting & Power Company ATTN: J. H. Goldberg, Group Vice President P. O. Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77001 Gentlemen:

This letter is to inform you of an emergency communications capability that the NRC is considering establishing with licensed nuclear power facilities and an upcoming site visit by an NRC contractor to obtain information on how such a system would interface with your facility.

The emergency communication capability being considered is called the Emergency Response Data System (ERDS). The EROS concept has been determined by the NRC to be a design which best addresses the requirements of the NRC with minimal impact on the licensee. The development of the ERDS concept began with an assessment of what is the NRC's role in an emergency at a licensed nuclear facility. The Commission determined that the NRC's primary role is one of monitoring the licensee to assure that appropriate recommendation are made with respect to offsite protective actions. To fulfill this role the NRC requires accurate, timely data on four types of parameters: (1) core and coolant system conditions must be known well enough to assess the extent or likelihood of core damage; (2) conditions inside the containment must be known well enough to assess the likelihood of its failure: (3) radioactivity release rates must be available promptly to assess the immediacy and degree of public danger; and (4) the data from the plant's meteorological tower is necessary to assess the distribution of potential or actual impact on the public. A list of the particular parameters considered necessary to these assessments is included as Enclosure 1.

Experience with the voice-only emergency communications link, currently utt-lized for data transmission, has demonstrated that excessive amounts of time are needed for the routine transmission of data and for verification or correc-tion of data that appear questionable. Error rates have been excessive; initiations have been slow; frequency of updates have been unreliable. In addition, the current system creates an excessive drain on the time of valuable experts at the NRC and at the facility. When errors occur, they frequently create false issues which, at best, divert experts from the real problems for I

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l Houston Power & Lighting Company l seriously long periods of time. At worst, incorrect data may cause the NRC to respond to offsite officials with inaccurate or outdated advice that results in l

the implementation of inappropriate protective actions.

l l Several options were considered for upgrading the data acquisition capabilities l at the Operations Center. The options included various means of acquiring the data: manually, automatically using existing systems, or automatically using new systems. Appropriate options for transmitting the data to the Operations i Center were considered: electronically formatted data, image facsimile, or by voice through specially qualified communicators.

The criteria used to compare these options involved accuracy, reliability, timeliness, completeness, cost (in dollars and expert personnel), and backfitting requirements. The NRC determined that automatic transmission of l selected parameters from licensees' existing electronic data systems is most I capable of providing acceptably complete and reliable data on a timely basis at l

reasonable cost with the minimum potential for burdening licensee in an emer-l gency. Most licensees either already have developed or are developing elec-tronic data systems for their emergency response facilities (ERFs). Because the role of the licensees' ERFs is similar to the role of the NRC during emergencies, the licensees' data systems already include most of the parameters desired by NRC. Those few parameters which are not included in any particular Itcensee's system can be communicated by voice over the Emergency Notification System (ENS), thus avoiding backfitting requirements on the licensee to include additional parameters on their electronic data systems. Data would be accepted in whatever format the licensee uses and reformatted at the Operations Center, as necessary. Because of the diversity of data systems utilized by the licensees, the best means for extracting the NRC's parameters from each system would be determined on a case-by-case basis. The licensees would have control over transmission and would use the system only during emergencies. This option is the Emergency Response Data System (ERDS). The design concept for the ERDS is outlined in Enclosure 2.

l Previous discussions with several licensees and two tests of the ERDS concept which were conducted with Duke Power and Commonwealth Edison have indicated I that the ERDS concept has the potential to significantly improve the NRC i incident response function and our response relationship with licensees.

Therefore, to determine more specifically the factors that would effect imple-mentation of an ERDS we have initiated an effort to survey the equipment and

! facilities at licensees' sites and determine the hardware and software require-I ments of such a system. You should expect to be contacted in the next week by a member of this regional office to arrange a site visit by a NRC Headquarters staff member accompanied by a NRC contractor to speak with you on this subject.

The visit is an information gathering process. It is oriented toward determi-nation of:

l The availability of a particular set of PWR or BWR parameters in digital

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Houston Power & Lighting Company The verification and validation method, if any.

Characterization of the available data feed point (s).

Access will be needed to documentation and knowledgeable individuals typically from Instrumentation and Control, technicsl, telecommunications, and computer systems cadres within the plant staff. Should you have any questions on this site visit please contact Mr. Gene Bates at (817) 860-8233.

Should you have any question on the ERDS concept in general please contact Ken Perkins with the Incident Response Branch at NRC Headquarters. He can be reached at 301-492-7361.

Sincerely, fMLww Wad 4

E. H. Johnson, Director Division of Reactor Safety and Projects

Enclosures:

As stated cc: w/ enclosures:

Houston Lighting & Power Company STTN: M. Wisenberg, Manager, Nuclear Licensing P. O. Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77001 Brian Berwick, Esquire Asst. Attorney General Environmental Protection Div.

P. O. Box 12548, Capitol Station Austin, Texas 78711 Lanny Alan Sinkin Citizens Concerned About Nuclear Power, Inc.

Christic Institute 1324 North Capitol Street Washington, D.C. 20002 Charles Bechhoefer, Esquire Chairman, Atomic Safety & Licensing Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555

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t Houston Power & Light Company  !

l Dr. James C. Lamb, III i l 313 Woodhaven Road f l Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514 ,

! l l Frederick J. Shon  !

Administrative Law Judge I l Atomic Safety and Licensing Board l l U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission l Washington, DC

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! 20555 l

Ray Goldstein, Esquire  ;

Gray, Allison and Becker i 100 Vaughn Building  !

807 Brazos Austin, Texas 78701 Texas Radiation Control Program Director  !

( bec to DMB (A045) bec distrib. by RIV: f

• RP8 DRSP  !

• Resident Inspector-0PS R. D. Martin, RA

• Resident Inspector-CONST. *Section Chief (RP8/C)  !

• R&SPB

• MIS SYSTEM  !

• RIV File *D. Weiss, LFM8_(AR-2015) [

• RSTS Operator R. Pirfo ELD l

• R. G. Taylor, RPB/C *RS8 ,

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Enclosure 1 i PWR PARAMETER LIST 5 Primary _ Coolant Pressure System Temperatures - hot leg

• Ternperatures - cold leg Temperatures - core exit *.hermocouples Subcooling margin Pressurizer level RCS charging / makeup flow Reactor vessel level (when available)

Reactor coolant flow Neutron flux - startup range Secondary Coolant Steam generator levels Systam Main feedwater flows Auriliary/ Emergency feedwater flows Safety injection High pressure safety injection flows Low pressure safety injection flows Safety injection flows (Westinghouse)

Borated wat(r storage tank level Containment Containment pressure Containment temperatures Hydrogen concentration Containment sump levels Radiation Monitoring Reactor coolant radioactivity Sy_ stem Containment radiation level Condenser air removal radiation level Effluent radiation monitors Process ridiation monitor levels Meteorological Wind speed Wind direction Atnaspheric stability

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l Enclosure 2 l 1

EMERGENCY RESPONSE DATA SYSTEM (ERDS) '

l DE3IGN CONCEPT Data Acquisition l

Parameter inputs to ERDS would be obtained from an existing computer l system (e.g. SPDS, plant computer, EOF data systems, etc.) at the plant.

Data Transmission I Data will be transmitted to the NRC Operations Center by modem to cocmer- l cial telephone line or a dedicated line maintained by NRC (e.g. ENS). l Data Collection t A processing system maintained by the NRC will receive the data stream by l modem. The system will be designed to receive all varied data streains and l to reformat the data into a consistent format. The reformatted data will be output to CRTs and printer.

Parameter List The parameter list would include those parameters necessary to ensure that oppropriate protective SCtion is being taken with respect to offsite recommendations. The list would be limited to those parameters involving plant status, radiological and meteorological conditions.

Licensees will not be required to backfit their systems to include addi- i tional parameters to provide data on NRC's parameter list. Data that is not available from the electronic data stream can be provided by voice over existing phone lines.

Transmission _ Frequency The updating frequency of the licensees' systems will determine transmis- l ston frequency to NRC. If more frequent updates are requircd than those  !

provided electronically by a particular licensee, the increased frequency will be accomplished (for a very limited subset of parameters) by voice over existing telephone lines.

Control t The licensee will have complete control over data transmission. EROS would be " switched on" by the licenree in the early stage of a declared ,

emergency.

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