ML20154K949
| ML20154K949 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Arkansas Nuclear  |
| Issue date: | 09/21/1988 |
| From: | Murley T Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20154K954 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8809260057 | |
| Download: ML20154K949 (3) | |
Text
[
j'k PI-l 37
/ o n.g%
UNITED STATES l'
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
(
rf WASHINGTON, D C 20555 k.... p#
September 21, 1988 e
Docket No. 50-368 MEMORANDUM FOR:
Victor Stello, Jr.
Executive Director for Operations FROM:
Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
USE OF E-BRITE 26-1 MATERIAL IN THE SHUTDOWN COOLING HEAT EXCHANGERS AT ARKANSAS UNIT 2 This men.orandum is in response to the September 6,1988, nerorandum to you from Sharon R. Ccnnelly, Director, Office of Inspector and Auditor, concerning NPC's followup of an allegation about the use of E-Brite 26-1 raterial in nuclear facilities. The substance of the allegation was that E-Brite 26-1 raterial cannot he welded and its ductile-to-brittle transition tenperature cannet be controlled, thus naking its use in ruclear reactors extrerely hazardous.
Referencing an NRC insper. tion conducted in August 1986 by the Vendor Inspection Branch (Inspection Report No. 99901063/Ef-01), the merorandur questioned whether a deterr.ination on the substnnte of the allegation had ever been made. This question arose because the inspection report primarily addressed the use of E-Brite raterial in nuclear facilities and not its suitability. The inspection determined that E-Brite raterial had not been supplied to nuclear facilities ty the BOC Group (Airco Vacuur Fetals); therefore, no further followup action stered warranted at the tire.
However, the NRC staff learned in late 1987 that tubes niade of E-Brite 26-1 naterial had been used to fabricate replacement tube bundles for the shutdewn cooling heat exchangers at Arkansas Unit 2 in 1981. The tubing manufacturer was Allegheny Ludlur Corporation and the tube bundle fabricator was Engineers and Fabricators Co. (EFCO).
In response, the Vendor Inspection Branch conducted an inspection (Inspection Report No. 99902007/88-01) on January 4-7, 1988, at the Claremore Oklahona.
Tubular Products Divisien of the Allegheny Ludlum Corporation. This plant was the fabrication site for the E-Brite,6-1 tubing used at Arkansas Unit 2.
No violations of NRC requirements were identified. The report also indicated that no other applications in nuclear facilities of E-Brite tubing or raterial had been made by Allegheny Ludlum, the sole supplier of E-Brite material at the tine. This inspection report is included as Enclosure 1.
CONTACT:
C. Harbuck, NRR/PD-ly 492-1344 S809260057 GSO921 PDR ADOCK 05000368 P
PDC I
(
1 Victor Stello, Jr.
-2 September 21, 1988 Additionally), on March ? and 3, 1988, an NRC inspection (Inspection Report No.
50-368/88-04 was performed at the Arkansas Unit 2 site. Two inspectors, one from NRR and one from Region IV, participated. The inspection reviewed the pro-curement and operational history associated with retubing of the heat exchangers with E-Brite 26-1 material. The inspection report indicated that the procure-ment and ranufacture of the tube bundles met NRC requirerents. The inspection also indicated that E-Brite 26-1 raterial had adequate weldability for the fabrication of heat exchanger tube bundles. Also, the absence of leaks in the heat exchangers since January 1903 provides additicnal assurance of the adequacy of this material. A copy of the March 1988 NRL inspection report is included as Enclosure ?; the E-Brite inspection is discussed on pages 9 thrcush
!? of the report.
ETC0 successfully performed tube-to-tube sheet kelds during the heat exchanger tube bundle fabrication.
Therefore, the alleger's assertions that E-Brite 06-1 cannot be welded and that its ductile-to-brittle transition terperature cannot be controlled were not substantiated in the Arkansas Unit 2 application.
Furtherrore, a June 7,1988, werorandum to Brian K. Grires from Edward T. Baker indicated that E-Brite 26-1 material was properly accepted into the ASME Code l
(Table I of Section II).
This memorandum is included as Enclosure 3.
Besides the case of Arkansas Unit 2, there are no other kncwn safety-related applications of this material in nuclear facilities.
Even so, the staff has l
determined that E-Brite material is acceptable for use in nuclear facilities.
i Thus, further investigation to identify other applications is not deeried l
necessary.
l Oricum sisnd bg A masE. Earleyj Thomas E. Murley, Director l
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosures:
As stated D}STRIBUTION w/o enclosure Wocket TTW NFC POR w/cy of incoming Local POR w/cy of inccming EDO #0003933 ECO Reading T Purley/J. Sniezek i
l
- 0. Crutchfield PC4 Reading G. Holaban/M. Krebs L. Rubenstein OGC-Rockville D. Possburg (ED0#0003933) w/cy of incoming P. Shea P. Noonan C. Harbuck w/cy of incoming J. Calvo FD4 Green Ticket File Tech. Ed.
E. Brach T. Gillespie F. Miraglia
- sce previous concurrence
- F04/LA
- FD4/FM
- PD4/D
- RV1B/BC
- Tech. Ed.
ADR 3
FNoonan Chart uck:sr/kb JCalvo EBrach LRute tein 9/13/88 d
09/14/88 09/13/88 C9/15/88 09/ 4 /88 09/13/88} 4, Wl4 GQ
- y lahan CCr 1
j TPurle 09%/88 09/ /88 09/q/EE i
UNITE] STATES j)' bt7 s
[
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION u
1 WASHINGTON, D. C. 20066 g
bN EDO Principal Correspondence Control FROM:
DUE:
k D M EDO CONTROL 0003933 DOC DT 09/06/88 FINAL REPLY Charon R. Connelly y
OIA TO:
Victor Stello FOR SIGNATURE OF
$$ GRN CRC NU ROUTING:
DESC:
IDENTIFICATION OF A POSS!DLE SAFETY ISSUE AT Stello Taylor ARKAN"
Hoyle RMartin i-DATE: 09/07/88 A SIGNED TO:
CONTACT:
NRR Murley
- - ~. _
~'
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:
\\
Fcr Appropiate Action N
tmR RECEIVED: SEPT. 7,1988 ACTION:
DRSP:!)OLMW1 ICIR ROUTING:
?URLEY/SNIE"EK CRtJICHFIELD MIRAGLIA GILLESPIE POSSBURG
_ - _ _ _ - _ _ - _ _ _ _ - - - - - - - -