ML20147E632

Transcript of Dj Broehl Testimony Re Plant History, Chronology of Events Since Apr 1978 & Summary of Licensee Efforts to Ensure Safe Interim Operation of Control Bldg

ML20147E632
Person / Time
Site:	Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png
Issue date:	10/03/1978
From:	Broehl D PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC CO.
To:
Shared Package
ML20147E636	List: ML20147E632 ML20147E640 ML20147F089 ML20147F096
References
TAC-08348, TAC-11299, TAC-8348, NUDOCS 7810170266
Download: ML20147E632 (10)

Text

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BEFOP.E THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD h o g

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) Docket 50-344 PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY )

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'(Trojan Nuclear Plant) )

TESTIMONY OF DONALD J. BROEHL My name is Donald J. Broehl. My title is Assistant Vice President, Generation Engineering-Construction. A statement of my qualifications is attached. The purpose of my testimony is to provide a brief history of the Trojan Nuclear Plant, a chronology of events since April 1978, and a summary of Licensee's efforts to ensure that the Control Building is safe for interim operation and will remain so during modifications to the facility. l A Construction Permit for the Trojan Nuclear Plant, located 42 miles northwest of Portland on the Columbia River, was issued on February 8, 1971 by the Atomic Energy Commission. Construction began immediately thereafter and continued through 1975. On November 21, 1975 the NRC Operating License was issued and fuel loading began. The Plant was declared commercial on May 20, 1976. Trojan was shut down for its first refueling on March 17, 1978. The necessary refueling work and inspec-tions, maintenance, and Plant improvement modifications were completed by May 24, 1978.

The Control Building design was initiated by conferences and review of layout sketches in early 1969 between PGE and the architect / engineer, Bechtel Corporation (Bechtel). Bechtel's initial design work was com-pleted in 1970. Construction work was bid in late 1970, and drawings were issued for construction commencing in March of 1971. Foundation concrete was placed in 1971'and the structural steel framing was essen-tially completed by the end of September 1971. Concrete placements 7 5lol W M h 1

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-U for floor and roof slabs were completed in mid-1972. Although some of the interior walls remained open for personnel access and equipment installation purposes; the major composite sheat walls were completed in late 1972. '

Federal regulations published February 24, 1977 requiring further security measures at nuclear power plants led to the evaluation of potential addi-tional guard stations and associated electronic equipment. On April 12, 1978, Bechtel reported to PGE that in the process of reviewing some work contemplated for a security-related modification it had identified a potential nonconformance of the shear walls in the Control Building with the design criteria stated in the Trojan FSAR.

On April 13, 1978, there were further discussions between PGE and Bechtel management personnel regarding the potential nonconformance, the status of Bechtel's review, and the schedule for completion of the necessary detailed ana ysis. On the basis of that discussion, PGE advised the NRC on April 13, [0ffice of Inspection and Enforcement, Region V (I&E)}, and April 14,1978 [0ffice cf Nuclear Reactor Regulation; Division of Operating Reactors (DOR)] of the potential nonconformance and the design review actions being taken. The Oregon Department of Energy (DCE) wac also informed of the situation on April 14, 1978.

• Upon being informed on April 27 that Bechtel had concluded that the Control Building did not meet the seismic criteria of the FSAR with the conservatism originally provided, PGE formally notified the NRC (I&E, DOR) and the Oregon DOE of the nonconformance on April 28, 1978.

On May 1,1978, PGE and Bechtel discussed the nonconformance with NRC Staff engineers in Bethesda, Maryland. PGE's and Bechtel's evaluation of j the significance of the nonconformance was documented on May 5,1978 when

. Licensee Event Report (LER) 78-13 was transmitted from PGE to the NRC (I&E and DOR) and Oregon DOE. Another meeting with the NRC Staff was held on May 19, 1978. In response to requests for information generated in the course of the NRC review, PCE submitted " Supplemental Information to LER 78-13" on May 24, 1978.

n Bechtel's analysis of the Control Building under as-built conditions is described in the LER and Supplement, and is summarized in the testimony being presented in this proceeding by Messrs. Anderson, Katanics, Johnson, and White. This re-evaluation study concluded that the Control Building has the capability to withstand the Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) of 0.25g. It also showed that the calculated value of the Operating base Earthquake (OBE) was reduced to 0.11g from the originally selected value >

of 0.15g. The LER was reviewed and approved by PGE's Nuclear Operations Board (NOB) and the Flant Review Board (PRB). The technical review within PGE was conducted principally by the Civil Engineering Branch of the Generation Engineering Department, which reviewed the design criteria, assumptions, and code formulae utilized in Bechtel's re-evaluation study, and concluded that the results were reasonable. I Following review of the LER and Supplement, the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) issued its Safety Evaluation Report on May 26, 1978, which concluded that there was adequate assurance that the Plant could safely withstand the SEE in the interim before completion of the Control Building modification. In its order accompanying the Safety Evaluation Report, NRR determined that the facility could be operated 1

during the interim without undue risk to the health and safety of the '

public, subject to two conditions to ensure the Control Building's integrity:

-(l) No modification which may reduce the strength of l the existing shear walls shall be made without prior NRC approval.

(2) In the event of an earthquake at the Plant pite exceeding 0.llg peak ground acceleration, the facility shall be brought to a cold shutdown con- I dition and inspected; and operation will not resume without prior NRC approval.

In acccidance with the first condition, any such modifications will commence at the Plant only af ter the design changes and the proposed construction have been approved in accordance with both standard review procedures applicable to all construction activities at the Plant, and 1

additional special review procedures that have been instituted as a

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result of the i y 26, 1978 Order (these procedures are discussed in Attachment 1).

Furthermore, with respect to the second condition, PGE (as set forth in the testimony of Mr. Withers and Mr. Christensen) had its seismic instru-mentation reset and modified its emergency procedures to reflect the commitment to shut down 'the Plant in the event of an earthquake of 0.11g, even though NRR's Order of May 26, 1978 did nor become effective because requests for. hearing on this matter were grante d.

To further substantiate the structural capabilities of the Control Build-ing in responding to an earthquake, Bechtel, in August 1978, utilized a recently developed computer model with a finite element analytical method.

PGE notified the Board and the parties on August 22, that further analysis of the preliminary results obtained from the use of this model was neces-sary before testimony could be filed. A meeting was held with the NRC Staff and the State of Oregon on August 28, to discuss these preliminary results, which were subsequently documented in the submittal to the NRC Staff of September 1, 1978. The final conclusions from this analysis are contained in the report entitled " Trojan Control Building Supplemental Structural Evaluation" prepared by Bechtel and dated September 19, 1978.

These additional investigations and analyses, which will be summarized in testimony of Messrs. Anderson, Katanics, Johnson and White, further demonstrate that the Trojan Control Building can safely withstand the i

forces due to a 0.25g SSE and that the 0.11g OBE continues to be appro- I priate for interim operation.

Under the direction of counsel for PGE, Professors Myle J. Holley, Jr.

and Boris Bresler have independently reviewed the capability of the Control Building to resist a 0.25g SSE. The results of their investiga-tion are contained in their report entitled " Response of Trojan Nuclear Plant Control Building to Specified SSE Event", dated September 20, 1978, which also comprises their testimony in this proceeding. Their conclu-sions confirm that the Control Building in its as-built condition can withstand the SSE with no consequences that could interfere with safe shutdown of the Plant.

In light of all these circumstances, we conclude that there will be no  !

undue risk to the health and safety of the public from operation of the

, Plant in the interim until modifications of the Control Building can be completed.

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ATTACHMENT 1 TO TESTIMONY OF DONALD J. BROEHL DISCUSSION OF STANDARD AND SPECIAL PROCEDURES APPLICABLE TO MODIFICATIONS AT TROJAN STANDARD PROCEDURES The standard procedures begin with a detailed review of any requeste,d design change to assess its potential impact on the Plant, particularly from the standpoint of Plant safety. The Safety Evaluation for each design change is reviewed by the PRB and approved by the Plant Super-intendent. No change can be approved unless it is determined that it does not require revision of Technical Specifications nor constitute an unreviewed safety question.

After a design change for a safety-related large-ecope modification is approved, a complete construction package is prepared by Generation or Plant Engineering and reviewed in accordance with detailed procedures.

The package consists of engineering instructions, drawings, specifica-tions and a list of materials. The package receives engineering review and approval either by the PGE Manager of Generation Engineering (or his designee) or by the Plant's Chief Nuclear Plant Engineer prior to trans-mittal to the Plant Superintendent for implementation.

Following preparation of the complete construction package, a formal work plan is prepared which provides a detailed listing of steps required to accomplish the construction task. The Construction Coordinator at the Plant prepares this plan under the direction of the Resident Engineer.

j Procedures require that the work plan include applicable limitations, Technical Specifications and other precautions necessary to ensure that conditions consistent with license and safety requirements are estab-lished and maintained during the work. The work plan is reviewed by the Quality Control Coordinator, concurred in by the Plant Quality Assurance Supervisor and approved by the Resident Engineer. The Plant Maintenance I

Department follows similar procedures prior to implementation of design changes not assigned to the Resident Engineer.

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l Observance of the < foregoing procedures is documented in the completed work package which is retained on file at the Plant.

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SPECIAL PROCEDURES In addition to the standard procedures outlined above, which are observed I

, prior to commencement of any construction work at the Plant, special j design review procedures have been established in connection with pro-

posed modifications.related to the Control Building. Any such activity

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j. will be reviewed and evaluated to assure that it will not reduce the strength of existing shear walls. The review and evaluation will be i conducted by Ceneration Engineering and approved by the PRB and NOB. If it is determined that a proposed modification might reduce the strength f

of the existing shear walls, it shall not be made without prior NRC j approval.

I In accordance with the request in the NRC letter of July 21, 1978, j Licensee will inform the Board, the NRC staff and all parties to this l proceeding of any preliminary construction activities relating to the

proposed modifications of the Control Building. Licensee will also l l continue to inform the Board, the NRC staff and all parties of any

! other construction or maintenance activity relating to the shear walls l of the Control Building.

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O NAME: Donald J. Broehl TITLE AND DUTIES: Assistant Vice President, Generation Engineering-Construction - Responsible for the engineering, licensing and construction of all generating plants.

Authority over Generation Engineering-Construction Division in matters relating to generating plant scope, regulatory requirements, procedures, design-licensing-construction schedule, cost, major scope changes.

EDUCATION: OSU - LS in EE (1948); GE Power System Engineering Course (1956); GE Nuclear Training Course (1967);

GGA Comprehensive Nuclear Course (1967); E Reactor Operators Training Program (1969); Nuclear Funda-mentals - OSU (1968); Introduction to Nuclear Power -

NUS (1969); Stanford U (1944); North Carolina State (1945).

PROFESST'NAL AFFIT.Ic tiONS : PE - Oregon; IEEE - Senior Member; ANS; ICOLD; PE0; NSPE; AAAS; Member of AIF Ad Hoc Committee on Inspec-tion Practices.

EXPERIENCE: Portland General Electric Company - Underground Depart-ment, Electrical Engineer (1948-1949); Valuation Department, Electrical Engineer (1949-1951); Engineering Department, Electrical Design Engineer (1951-1952);

Engineering Department, System Planning Engineer (1952-1957); Resident Engineer, Pelton and Round Butte Hydro-electric Projects (1957-1966); Construction Coordinating Department, Engineer (1966-1968); Nuclear Projects Coordinator (1968-1970); Nuclear Projects Engineer (1970-1972); Manager of Nuclear Projects (1972-1977);

Assistant Vice President (Generation Engineering-Construction (1977- ).

m' NRC PUBLIC DOCUEN1 ROUM q) S UNITED STATES OF AMERICA sg sc ll' NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION g]% 71 l BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD ph

% 6 In the Matter of ) 03 '4

) Docket 50-344 PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, ) l et al ) (Control Building Proceeding)

)

(Trojan Nuclear Plant) )

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE ,

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I hereby certify that on October 3,1978:

1) Testimony of Licensee's Witnesses Donald J. Broehl, S. R.

Christensen, and Bart D. Withers, with statements of qualifi-cation attached;

2) Testimony of Licensee's Witnesses Richard C. Anderson, George Katanics, Theodore E. Johnson, and William H. White, with l attachments and statements of qualification;

) " Response to Trojan Nuclear Plant Control Building to Specified SSE Event" to be considered as testimony of Myle J. Holley, Jr.

N and Boris Bresler, with statements of qualification attached; I 4) Testimony of Glen E. Bredemeier (PGE) with statement of qualifi-cation attached, and Hector J. Durocher (BPA) in the event they are called to testity for the Licensee; have been served upon the persons listed below by delivery to a messenger for service or by depositing copies thereof in the United States mail with proper postage affixed for first class mail.

Marshall E. Miller, Esq. , Chairman Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555 Washington, D. C. 20555 Dr. Kenneth A. McCollom, Dean Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Division of Engineering, Board Architecture and Technology U. S. Nuclear Regul3. tory Commission Oklahoma State University Washington, D. C. 20555 Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074 Robert M. Johnson, Esq.

Dr. Hugh C. Paxton Assistant Attorney General 1229 - 41st Street 100 S tate Of fice Building Los Alamos, New Mexico 97544 Salem, Oregon 97310

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 1

1 Joseph R. Gray, Esq. Robert Lowenstein, Esq. j Counsel for NRC Staff , Lowenstein, Newman, Reis & Axelrad j U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Suite 1214 1 Washington, D. C. 20555 1025 Connecticut Ave. , N. W.

W'shington, a D. C. 20036 Columbia County Courthouse l

Law Library Mr. Eugene Rosolie Circuit Court Room Coalition for Safe Power St. Helens, Oregon 97051 215 S. E. 9th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97214  !

Ms. Nina Bell I 632 S. E.18th Street Mr. Stephen M. Willingham Portland, Oregon 97214 555 N. Tomahawk Drive Portland, Oregon 97217 Columbia Environmental Council P. O. Box 611 John H. Socolofsky, Esq.

St. Helens, Oregon 97051 Assistant Attorney General Of Attorneys for the State of Oregon Mr. John A. Kullberg 100 State Office Building Route 1, Box 250Q Salem, Oregon 97310 ,

Sauvie Island, Oregon 97231 Gregory Kafoury, Esq.

Mr. David B. McCoy Counsel for Columbia Environmental 348 Hussey Lane Council Grants Pass, Oregon 97526 202 Oregon Pioneer Building l 320 S. W. Stark i Ms. C. Gail Parson Portland, Oregon 97204 P. O. Box 1852 Kodiak, Alaska 99615 Willialm Kinsey, Esq. i Bonneville Power Administration I Docketing acd Service Section P. O. Box 3621 '

Office of the Secretary Portland, Oregon 97208 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission -

Washington, D. C. 20555

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Ronald W. Jphhr6n Corporate M orney l Portland General Electric Company Dated: October 3,1978 J