ML20154K361
| ML20154K361 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dresden, Pilgrim, Susquehanna, Limerick, Vermont Yankee, Duane Arnold, 05000000, Shoreham |
| Issue date: | 03/05/1986 |
| From: | Fox R CONAX CORP. (FORMERLY CONAX BUFFALO CORP.) |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| References | |
| REF-PT21-86, REF-PT21-86-082-000 PT21-86-082-000, PT21-86-82, NUDOCS 8603110296 | |
| Download: ML20154K361 (6) | |
Text
,
a CE3 NEEM IsuffssEsa cars: oration 2300 WALOEN AVE.
- OUFFALO, NY 14225
- 710 0044000 THEX: 01-275 = CANE:COSAICO Q acosaxcower March 5, 1986 Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.-20555 Subj ect:
Confirmation of telephone notification of a potential defect relative to the wiring of certain Conax fabricated primer chamber assemblies for standby liquid control (SLC) valves.
Gentlemen:
On February 14, 1986, in a telephone communication with your Mr. Boyce H.
Grier, Region I, King of Prussia, PA and Mr. Eric Weiss, Conax reported a possible wiring defect relative to subject valve component.
This formal notification is submitted in compliance with the requirements of 10CFR21. The following information is provided to the extent known to date.
1)
Reporting Individual:
R. A. Fox, President 716/684-4500 Conax Buffalo Corporation 2300 Walden Avenue Buffalo, NY 14225 II)
Component identification (A)
Description (1)
Primer chamber assembly P/N 1621-186-01, which could be supplied by itself or as a sub assembly of trigger assembly P/N 1617-139-01 which, in turn, could be supplied by itself or as a component of replacement kit P/N 1532-117-01 or in Conax SLC valve P/N 1832-117-01.
(ii) A second primer chamber assembly P/N 1621-240-01 for trigger assembly P/N 1617-210-01, replacement kit P/N 1532-162-01 and Conax SLC valve P/N 1832-162-01 respectively as per above is only suspect because of its similarity to the P/N 1621-186-01 unit assembled during the same time span and at the same (Conax Florida) facility.
(B)
Facility identification (i)
For primer chamber assembly P/N 1621-186-01 (a)
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant (6 pcs.)
l Governor Hunt Road Serial Nos.
Vernon, VT 05354 552-557 (b)
Dresden Power Station (6 pcs.)
Rural Route #1 Serial Nos.
Morris (Divine), IL 60450 546-551 76/9 hI~
8603110296 860305 PDR ADOCK 05000010
/
S PDR I
s.
(II)
For primer chamber assembly P/N 1621-240-01 (a)
Shoreham Nuclear Power Station (7 pcs.)
Route 254, i mile E. of Wm. Floyd Pkwy. Serial Nos.
Shoreham, NY 11786 635-640, 668 (b)
Duane Arnold (6 pcs.)
3277 DAEC Road Serial Nos.
Palo, Iowa 52324 669-674-(c)
Susquehanna Nuclear Gen. Station (19 pcs.)
5 miles N.E. of Berwick, PA Serial Nos.
675-681, 686-697 (d)
Limerick Generating Station (10 pcs.)
Evergreen Road Serial Nos.
Sanatoga, PA 19464 699-708 (e)
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (3 pcs.)
Sta. 600 RFD #1 Serial Nos.
Rocky Hill Road-659-661 Plymouth, Mass. 02360 (III)
In addition to the above, units were supplied, for foreign usage, through:
Norca Machinery Co.
Division of Nor:a Corp.
185 Great Neck Road Great Neck, NY 11022 Pertinent information relative to these foreign shipments, given to Norca, who has Informed its customers of the possible defect, is as follows:
Part Number Qty Norca P.O. No.
Serial Nos.
1621-186-01 3
G220028 299-302 1621-240-01 3
G220019 620-622 1621-240-01 3
G220024 641-643 1621-240-01 4
G220027 729-732 1621-240-01 3
G220031 644,645 & 647 1621-240-01 18 D330001 623-640 111)
Component Supplier:
Conax Florida Corporation Tyrone Industrial Park 2801 75th Street North St. Petersburg, FL 33710 Malling Address:
P.O. Box 43008 St. Petersburg, FL 33743-9990 IV)
Nature of Potential Defect The nature of the potential defect relates to a possible incorrect internal wiring of the explosive primer chamber assembly of the SLC valve. This could result in failure of the valve to function if required.
This situation was brought to Conax's attention by Mr. David K. McElwee of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in a telephone conversation with Mr. A. E. Haefner of Conax Buffalo Corporation on February 13, 1986.
Mr. McElwee reported that P/N 1621-186-01 primer chamber assembly, serial
number 556 failed to fire in a routine surveillance test. The monitoring circuit at Vermont Yankee indicated that the primer chamber assembly was satisfactory but the unit failed to fire when a firing current.was applied.
The unit functioned satisfactorily when a firing current was applied to connector pins that were not designated as a part of the primer firing circuit.
Units supplied previously, serial numbers 198-203, functioned satisfactorily on the established plant circuitry with current applied to the properly designated connector pins.
The Conax primer chamber assembly has two sets of bridgewires (resistance wires) Internal to the explosive charge, either of which will fire the charge.
Correct and incorrect wiring of the explosive charge bridgewires to the primer chamber connector termination are shown on Figure 1.
Vermont Yankee reported that all six P/N 1621-186-01 primer chamber assemblies, serial numbers 552-557 were wired incorrectly. This was verified by Mr. Fran Miller and A. E. Haefner of Conax Buffalo Corporation in a visit to the Vermont Yankee facility on February 19, 1986.
It was also confirmed during that visit that the external wiring circuit utilized by Vermont Yankee could indicate a proper circuit where none existed but would not fire that incorrectly internally wired unit.
V)
Cause The incorrect wiring of the P/N 1621-186-01 primer chamber assemblies serial numbers 552-557 supplied to Vermont Yankee was caused by:
(A) Assembly and inspection by inexperienced personnel.
The units in question were fabricated by Conax Florida Corporation shortly after its relocation from Buffalo, NY to St. Petersburg, FL.
(B) An incorrect assembly operation sheet for P/N 1621-186-01 which specified pin locations,for soldering and circuit testing of the bridgewire circuits,by obsolete alphabetical callouts rather than numerical as defined on the part drawing. The operator and inspector most likely assumed that the pins 1,2,3 and 4 were respectively A,B,C and D.
Unfortunately, in this case they would have been A,D,C and B respectively. The numerical sequence (due to a change by the connector vendor in 1976) was numbered in a counter-clockwise direction whereas they were previously designated alpha-betically in a clockwise direction.
(C)
Lack of connector pin identification on the connector.
VI)
Corrective Action The five unfired faulty P/N 1621-186-01 primer chamber assemblies, serial numbers 552-555 and 557 are being returned to Conax Buffalo Corporation for safe disposal and replacement.
The other continental U.S. A. Nuclear Power Plants, specified in Section 11, were notified of the possible defect by the NRC in your Information Notice j
No. 86-13 of February 24, 1986. As of February 28, 1986, representatives of all of these facilities have contacted Conax by telephone regarding this situation.
No other faulty units have been located.
Norca informed their overseas customers of the possible problem on February 21, 1986.
As of the date of this letter, there has not been any report of faulty units from them.
-r--v--,-w--
-- - --- ~ - -
___ -_ __ _____ - _ _ _. ~ _ _ _ _ -
4 1
l Vil) Preventative Action The following steps have been or are being taken to prevent a future discrepancy of this type on all explosive actuated SLC valves by Conax:
(A) All SLC valve drawings, test procedures, operation sheets and instruction manuals are being reviewed and revised where necessary to assure that all are up-to-date and consistent to one another relative to the correct numerical connector pin Identifications.
(B)- A copy of the applicable drawings and instruction Manual to accompany hardware on all future shipments.
(C) A mating connector cable assembly, P/N N-27005-41, which positively identifies the correct pins /bridgewire circuit, has been fabricated for use on checking circultry of the primer chamber assembly, its use will be specified on the operation sheets for the various primer chamber assemblies.
(D)
Only the fabrication of SLC valves and components not requiring the ASME B & PV Code Section lli "N" or "NPT" stamp was transferred to i
our Florida facliity. Buffalo continued to fabricate the units 1
requiring code stamping. The fabrication and test of all SLC valves and components thereof will be consolidated at the Conax Buffalo facility for all. future orders.
Conax Florida Corporation will continue to be the marketing facility.
(E) All Conax personnel involved in the marketing, engineering, production j
and quality control / assurance of the SLC valves are to be informed of this incident and instructed in the proper method to assure that there will not be a recurrence.
All of the above actions are scheduled for completion by March 28, 1986.
If any additional Information is required en this matter, please contact Mr. A. E. Haefner, Conax Buffalo Corporation, at 716/684-4500, ext. 342.
Sincerely, I
Conax Buffalo Corporation
/?)
fA Robert A. Fox C
President cc: See list j
/sb f
i t
i 1
a
N fs
'_ 5
/
e
.,_ o
/}l m
w-
,l
/
-~
BrtIDGEWl2 E5 Pol ARIEING Pita 1,,
--' III 1
--/
f f
i T
4 4
CORGECT f f hi-TO-BRIDGG WI G E C0Hid ECTIC d BelDG EWIRES 3
y i N;T l
3
/V
- ,,[X w
N]
m
\\
INCORREC T' PlW-To-BelDGEWIRE CoudecTiod l
FIGUEE I.
WIRING Dl AG.RA M For2 COMAx PRIMER CHAMPsEra
_ ASS E M F5LI E S PAET W u M P E2. S *.
1 G 21 18G-01 N-17 005-o n 1G11-140-01 N-17 0 tS- 01 l
S k 2 4.tGc.
7 1 2.-4-sc
cc: Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp.
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Attn: David K. McElwee Attn. Plant Maintenance Engr.
RD 5, P.O. Box 169 Station 600 RFD #1 Ferry Road Rocky Hill Road Brattleboro, VT 05301 Plymouth, M4 02360 Yankee Atomic Electric Co.
Norca Machinery Corp.
Attn: Roger Vibert Div. Norca Corp.
1671 Worcester Road Attn: Mr. Seymour Goldstein Framingham, MA 01701 185 Great Neck Road Great Neck, NY 11022 Office of Inspect. & Enforcement Nuclear Regulatory Commission Conax Corporation - Corporate Office Region 1 J. A. Adams, President Attn: Boyce H. Grier R. L. Duroure, Q. A. Mgr.
631 Park Avenue King of Prussia, PA 19406 Conax Florida Corporation L. B. Bean, President General Electric Co.
C. W. Naab V.P. Tech. Director-Attn: Mr. W. G. Dye M/C 519 R. Schneider, Q.A. Mgr.
175 Curtner Avenue San Jose, CA 95125 Conax Buffalo Corporation F. L. Lampman, V.P. Manufacturing Shoreham Nuclear Power Station D. P. Jensen, V.P. Engrg, Sales, Mktg.
Attn: Tim Curt W. C. Federick, Mgr. Engrg, Sales, Mktg.
Route 254, i mile E. of Wm. Floyd Pkwy R. E. Farchmin, Q.A. Mgr.
Shoreham, NY 11786 R. E. Duiski, Q.C. Mgr.
A. E. Haefner, Chief Engineer-SEP Nuclear 4
lowa Electric Co.
Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Station Attn: Wm. Miller 3277 DAEC Road Palo, Iowa 52324 Susquehanna Nuclear Gen. Station Attn: P. Rusanowsky P.O. Box 218 Berwick, PA 18603 Philadelphia Electric Co.
Limerick Generating Station Attn: Plant Maintenance Engr.
Evergreen & Sanatoga Roads Limerick Township, PA 19468
. - _ _. -