ML20203D727
| ML20203D727 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 12/02/1997 |
| From: | Hehl C NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Langenbach J GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES CORP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20203D733 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-289-97-09, 50-289-97-9, EA-97-533, NUDOCS 9712160275 | |
| Download: ML20203D727 (3) | |
See also: IR 05000289/1997009
Text
O
o
t
December 2, 1997
EA No. 97 533
Mr. James Langenbach
Vice President and Director, TMl
GPU Nuclear Corporation
Three Mile Island Nuclear Station
Post Office Box 480
Middletown, PA 17057 0191
SUBJECT:
NRC INTEGRATED INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50 289/97 09
Dear Mr. Langenbacn:
-This lette, refers to the NRC inspections conducted between September 7 and November
1,1997, at your Three Mile island 1 reactor facility. The inspections focused on nuclear
safety during the conduct and completion of the 12th refueling outage, in the areas of
operation, maintenance, engineering and plant support. The ins,aectors included resident
and regional based personnel. The enclosed report presents the results of the inspections.
Overall your staff conducted the outage activities safety. Operators controlled plant
conditions effectively and conducted a well planned and coordinated plant restart.
Maintenarice and surveillance activities went on properly, including the replacement of
control rod drive mechanism thermal barriers to avert future slow control rod drop times
and the inspection of all high pressure injection thermal sleeves and needed repairs to one.
Engineering performed well, as exemplified by the identification that the power operated
relief valve on the pressurizer was inoperable durin0 the prior operating cycle and in the
development and accomplishment of a modification to enhance the closure capability of
the outboard reactor coolant letdown containment isolation. The Inspectors also found the
core flood system maintained in good material condition and that the associated design
basis adequately reflected the current system operatlag parameters. The outage
radiological controls generally met acceptable staridards. Controls over the protected area
boundary improved since the last outage.
Despite the overall good performance severalissues developed that appeared to reflect
poorly on personnel performance in tS areas of operations, maintenance, and radiological
controls. As such, the inspection report identifies four apparent violations that we are
considering for escalated enforcement action in accordance with the " General Statement of
Policy and Procedure for NRC Entorcement Actions " (Enforcement Policy), NUREG-1600.
Specifically: 1) A licensed senior reactor operator directed that a reactor coolant system
fill flowpath, not allowed by the governing procedure, be used to increase the fill rate.
This resulted in an uncontrolled spill of water from the control rod drive mechanism vents,
before the unauthorized fill path could be secured. 2) Your staff found that the pressurizer
power operated relief valve had been inoperable since the last refueling outage, which
ended in October 199Q.nThis condition resulted from a wiring error and the failure to
%%E0
'
( LJ k
_c m
k
hhhI!h)hh'll
9712160275 971202
ADOCK 05000289
*
o * -
O
__
_ _ _ _
. _ _ _
.
. _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ .
_._
_
'
,.
..
Mr. James Langenbach
2
conduct a post maintenance test to verify operability. This issue concerned the NRC staff
because of the inability to use this valve during emergency procedure evolutions, to contro!
reactor coolant system pressure. 3) During once through steam generator tube
inspections, contract personnel left a locked high radiation area boundary unlocked. This
incident seemed similar to previous problems with locked area and radiological boundary
controls. 4) Following work in the fuel transfer canal, after refueling, a worker became
contaminated by a rodioactive particle, due to an apparent failure to conduct detailed
suivoys and take actions to control the spread of radioactive particles. Accordingly no
-
Notices of Violation are presently being issued for these inspection findings, in addition,
please be advised that the number and characterization of these apparent violations may
change because of further NRC review.
A predecisional enforcement conference (conference) to discuss the api
nt violations
has been scheduled for December 15,1997. The decision to hold a coni ince does not
mean that the NRC has determined that violations have occurred or that ei.lorcement
action will be taken. This conference in being held to obtain information to enable the NRC
to make an enforcement decision, such as a common enderstanding of the facts, root
causes, missed opportunities to identify the apparent violations sooner, corrective actions,
significance of the issues, and tne need for lasting and effective corrective actions. In
addition, the conference will be an opportunity for you to point out any errors in our
inspection report and for you to provide any information concerning your perspective on 1)
the severity of the apparent violations, 2) the applicability of the factors that the NRC
considers when it determines the amount of a civil penalty that may be assessed in
accordance with Section VI.B.2 of the Enforcement Policy, and 3) any other application of
the Enforcement Policy to thesc cases, including the exercise of discretion in accordance
with Section Vll.
At the conference we would also like to discuss the Unresolved item dealing with your
management's decision to enter the mid loop condition with only one means of decay heat
removal available. While allowed by the Technical Specifications, this evolution appeared
to reflect a poor safety interpretation of the bases for the Technical Specifications and poor
minimization of shutdown risk.
Following the conference we will advise you by separate correspondence of the results of
our deliberation on tlase matters. No response regarding these apparent violations is
required at this time.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter
and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR).
Sincerely,
,
g,
Charles W. Hehl, Director
Division of Reactor Projects
!
i
i
_ -
__
__
,_
__
_
_____ - _ -_.__._-_......_
'
,
4
Mr. James Langenbach
3
Docket No.: 50 289
i
License No.: DPR 50
Enclosure:
NRC Inspection Report No. 50 289/97 09
.
t
'
cc w/ encl:
J. C. Fornicola, Director. Nuclear Safety Review
M. J. Ross, Director, Operations and Maintenance
D. Smith, rnMS Manager
TMI Alert (TMIA)
M. Laggart, Manager, TMl Regulatory Affairs
E. L, Blake, Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge (Legal Counsel for GPU,N)
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
,
2
Distribul!Qn_wlencit
Region 1 Docket Room (with concurrences)
Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)
PUBLIC
NRC Resident inspector
H. Miller (RA)/W. Axelson, ORA
T. Kenny,DRS
P. Eselgroth, DRP
D. Haverkamp, DRP
N. Perry, DRP
A. Linde, DRP -
Distribution w/enci (VIA E MAIL):
W. Dean, OEDO
L. Thonus, NRR
3. Weiss, NRR
R. Correia, NRR
F. Talbot, NRR
DOCDESK
Inspection Program Branch, NRR (IPAS)
DOCUMENT NAME: G:\\ BRANCH 7\\TMi\\lR97 09
To receive a copy of this document. Indicate in the box: "C" = Copy without
attachment / enclosure
"E" = Copy with attachment /enclosyreh,"N" = No copy
"
OFFICE
Rl/DRP
Rl/DRP ,
6 Rl/O R ( \\j )
Rl/DRPn
N AME /,, SW1
Es@#
,,a
WalkprM
i a
Hehl l/)/L' M
DATE f 11'26/97
11$g7 7[f
12 [ /99,4 1 ,'I
12/b/97
I
/
'
OFFICIAL RECOR 2 COPY j'
'
.
Y
, - , - -
-
,,y.
,
, , ,
r_ - - -
,
, , , . - . - -
e.m,--
w
.,me
,..-.-.,m.-
-
, - .
v
.-
a
_
-