ML20155D672
| ML20155D672 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Byron  |
| Issue date: | 10/04/1988 |
| From: | Davis A, Murley T NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II), Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Reed C COMMONWEALTH EDISON CO. |
| References | |
| GL-87-12, IEIN-86-101, IEIN-87-023, IEIN-87-046, IEIN-87-23, IEIN-87-46, IEIN-88-036, IEIN-88-36, NUDOCS 8810110337 | |
| Download: ML20155D672 (4) | |
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION e
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Do:ket No. 50-454 Mr. Cordell Reed Senior Vice President Comonwealth Edison Company P.O. Box 767 Chicago, Il 60609
Dear Mr. Reed:
1 This letter is ;o irform you of the NRC's concern regarding a recent event at Byron Unit 1.
On September 19, 1988, the Unit 1 reactor vessel was inadver-tently drained to the point where the residual heat removal pump cavitated and was declared inoperable.
Since December 12, 1986, the NRC has issued four information notices and a generic letter which discussed loss of decay heat re:noval events during re-fueling operations. Generic Letter 87-12 identified 37 Loss of Decay Heat Removal events which occurred from 1977 through April 1987. These events were attributed to inadequate reactor coolant system level. The four infor-mation notices (86-101, 87-23, 87-46, and 88-36) identified use of erratic and/or inaccurate reactor vessel level instrumentation as a significant cause for the loss of decay heat removal capability during low reactor coolant level operations and discussed operators mistrust of such instruments, in general.
Although your operators may have properly mistrusted the level instrumentation available to them, it is evident that they were relying upon a makeshift pro-cedure that had not been properly developed and reviewed.
Although no personnel were injured and a radioactive release did not occur, we are concerned about the apparent failure to factor previous industry lessons learned, transmitted by generic correspondence, into plant proce-dures and practices.
It is our understanding that both your corporate and individual plant staffs routinely review generic correspondence to ensure that lessons learned from events are evaluated for applicability and that a detemination is made of whether actions to preclude such occurrences are warranted at your facilities.
It is apparent that the evaluation of loss of decay heat removal events was not effective in preventing the Byron Unit 1 event, and it raises broader questions regarding the general effectiveness of incorporating lessons learned into your pit.nt operating procedures, b(oi 8810110337 881004 Q
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October 4,1988 Mr. Cordell Reed 2
i We would be interested in learning your views of how incidents such as this can be prevented in the future.
l Sincerely, Original signed 14 m aasz.Marley e Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i
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We would be interested in learning your views of how incidents such as this can be prevented in the future.
Sincerely, YA YA jk.
Thomas E. Murley, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation O
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A. B. Davis, Regional Administrator l
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Mr. Henry E. Bliss Byron Station g
Comonwealth Edison Company Units 1 and 2 cc:
Mr. William Kertier Regional Administrator, Region III Atomic Power Distribution U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Westinghcuse Electric Corporation Comission Post Office Box 355 799 Roosevelt Road, Bldg. f4 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230 Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137 Michael Milltr, Esq.
Mr. Michael C. Parker, Chief Sidley and Austin Division of Engineering One First National Plaza Illinois Department of Chicago, 1111 cots 60603 Nuclear Safety 1035 Outer Park Drive Springfield, Illinois, 62704 Mrs. Phillip B. Johnson 1907 4tratford Lane Joseph Gallo, Esq.
Rockford, Illinois 61107 Hopkins and Sutter Suite 1250 Ms. Lorraine Creek 1050 Connecticut Avenue N.N.
Rt. 1, Box 182 Washington, D. C.
20036 Mantenc, Illinois 60950 Douglass Cassel, Esq.
Dr. Bruce von Zellen 109 N. Dearborn Street Departnent cf Biological Sciences Suite 1300 Northern Illinois University Chicago, Illinois 60602 DeKalb, Illinois 61107 Ms. Pat Morrison Mr. Edward R. Crass 5568 Thunderidge Drive Nuclear Safeguards a Licensing Rockford, 1111ncis 61107 Sargent & Lundy Engineers 1
55 East e nroe Street Attorney General Chicago, Illinois 60603 500 South 2nd Street U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Contission 1
Byron / Resident Inspectors Offices Chaiman, Ogle County Board 4446 North Geman Church Road Post Office Box 357 Byron, Illinois 61010 Oregon, Illinois 61061 ESI Review Coordinator l
Environmental Prctection Agency Region V 230 5. Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604 i
Comonwealth Edison Company l
Byron Station Manager 4450 North Geman Church Road j
Byron, Illinois 61010
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