ML20205F352

Forwards Findings of Onsite Assessment of Qualified Display Processing Sys Conducted During Wk of 880627 at Plant

ML20205F352
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	10/13/1988
From:	Dick G Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Goldberg J HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO.
References
NUDOCS 8810280050
Download: ML20205F352 (8)

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j UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i,

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. -l wAssiNoToN, D. C. 20555 October 13, 1988

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Docket No. 50-498 Mr. J. H. Goldberg Group Vice-President, Nuclear Housten Lighting & Power Company P. O. Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77001 tear fir. Goldberg:

SUCJECT: ONSITE ASSESSMENT OF THE QUAllFIED DISPLAY PROCESSlf;G SYSTEl1 (QDPS), SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT, UhlT 1 During the week of Junc 27, 1988, the subject assessrient was conducted and the findings, which are included in the enclosure to this letter, were presented to merhers of your staff at an exit meeting held on July 1,1988.

It was noted that the QDPS had been in operation for about nine months and was extensively used by plant operating staff. The staff w6s w(11 inferred and knowledgeable ebout the QDPS.

During the assessrent, there were findings in four areas that require responses frcra Houston Lighting & Power Cor.pany (HL&P) to the staff. They are as follevs:

(1)

It was deternined that sere class IE corponents containing the burned in programabl or.ly nenory (EPR0ft) were stored inappropriately. HL&P should evaluate its controls for storage of EPR0fts and report the results to the staff.

(2) In accordance with the comitment made in its letter of December 23, 1986, HL&P should provide periodic reports to the staff of all trcubits encountered and all changes made to the QDPS during the first operating cycle of the plant.

(3) Until May 1988 Westinghouse supplied HL&P revised cards with inadequate docurtntation. HL&P should inform the staff that the lack of documentation concern has been resolved and whether new validation tests need to be performed to properly integrate the existing software with the new hardwarr.

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r (4) IIL&P should investigate the existing QDPS maintenance program and make a determination as to the proper surycillance progran for the QDPS and the plasma diagnostic displays.

Please inform us when the responses to the concerns will be forthcoming.

The reporting and/or recordkeeping requirerents contained in this letter affect fewer than 10 respondents; therefore, OMB clearance is not required under P.L.96-511.

Sincerely,

}b George F. Dick, Jr., Project flanager Project Directcrate - IV Division of Reactor Projects - III, IV, Y and Special Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation j

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/ enclosure:

See next page l

D1' RIBUTION ocFe~t File

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OCC-Rockville E. Jordan P. Grires ACRS(10)

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(4) PL&P should investigate the existing QDPS maintenance progran and r.ake a determination as to the proper surveillance progran for the QCPS and the plascia diagnostic displays.

Please inform us when the respenses to the concerns will be forthcoming.

The reporting and/or recordkceping requirerents contained in this letter affect fewer than 10 respondents; therefore, OMB clearance is not required under P.L.96-511.

Sincerely, A

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b.,N Georg F. Dick, J!, Project Manager Project Directcrate - IV Division of Reactor Projects - !!!,

IV, Y and Special Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosure:

As stettd cc w/ enclosure:

See rext pese l

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Mr. J. H. Goldberg South Texas Project Houston Lighting and Power Company CC*

Brian Berwick, Esq.

Resident Inspector / South Texas Assistant Attorney General Project Environenental Protection Division c/o U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Consnission P. O. Box I?548 P. O. Box 910 Capitol Station Bay City, Texas 77414 Austin, Texas 78711 Pr. Jonathan Davis Fr. J. T. Vesterreter Assistant City Attorney General Manager, South Texas Project City of Austin Fousten Lighting and Power Corpany P. O. Box 1088 P. O. Boy ?89 Austin, Texas 78767 Housten, Texas 77483 Ps. Pat Coy Fr. R. J. Miner Citizens Concerned About Nuclear Chief Operating Officer Power City of Austin Electric Utility 10 Singleton 7?! Barton Springs Road Eureka Springs, Arkansas 7?f3?

Austin, Texas 7870a Pr. M. A. McBurnett Mr. R. J. Costello Manager, Operations Support Licensing Mr. ii. T. Ha rdt Houston Lighting and Power Corpany City Public Service Bosro P. O. Box PE9 P. O. Por 1771 Kadsborth, Texas 77483 San Antonio, Texas 78?9C Pr. A. Zaccaria Jack R. Newan, Esq.

Mr. K. G. Fess tiewan A Poltringer, P. C.

Bechtel Corporation 1615 L Street, NV P. O. Box PICC Vashington, D.C.

20036 Houston, Texas 77001 Pr30ert Schwart7, Jr., Esq.

Mr. P. P. Verret M er 1. Botts Fr. R. L. Range One Shell Plaza Central Power and Light Corpany Houston, Texas 7700?

P. O. Box Pl?1 Corpus Christi. Texas 78403 Prs. Peggy Buchorn Executive Director Doub Puntring and (>1asgow Citizens for Equitable Utilities, Inc.

Attorneys at Law Route I, Box 1684 Suite 400 Brazoria, Texas 774??

E08 Seventeenth Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C.

20006 Fr. S. L. Rosen General Manager, Operations Support Fouston Lighting and Power Corpany P. O. Boy 789 Wadsworth, Texas 77483

Fr. J. H. Goldberg South Texas Project Houston Lighting & Power

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CC:

Pegional Administrator, Region IV U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Office of Executive Director for Operations 611 Ryan Plaza Drive Suite 1000 Arlington, Texas 76011 Mr. Lanny Sinkin, Counsel for Interv.enor Citi7 ens Concerned about Nuclear Power, Inc.

Christic Institute 1324 North Capitol Street Washington, D.C.

20002 Licensing Representative Fouston Lighting and Power Corrpany Suite C10-Three Petro Center Bethesda, Maryland 20814 Rufus S. Scott Associate General Counsel Fouston Lighting & Power Corpary P. O. Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77001 1hPO Records Center 1100 Circle 75 Parkway Atlanta, Georgia 30339-3064 Joseph M. Hendrie 50 Bellport Lane Fellport, New York 11713 Cerald E. Vaughn, Vice President Nuclear Operations Houston Lighting 8 Pcwer Company P. O. tox 289 Wadsworth. Texas 77483 R. W. Chewning, Chairnn Nuclear Safety Review Board Houston Lighting & Power Corpany P. O. Fox 289 Wadsworth, Texas 77483

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ENCLOSURE

_ SOUTH TEX,A,S, PROJECJ2 pj,T,1 ONSITEASSESSMENT0,F,9p,P,5 The licensee has installed a microprocessor based system to perform several safety-related functions at the South Texas Project. The micro system is called the Qualified Display Processing System (QDPS) processor based The system performs the following Class 1E functions:

Data acquisition, processing and qualified displey for Post Accident Monitoring.

Data acquisition, display and analog control for Safe Shutdown to address separation / isolation concerns for a postulated Control Room / Relay fire.

Data acquisition and digital processing of stean generator water level signals ar.d prinary ccolant system hot leg tenperature signals for transmission to the Reactor Trip System /ESF actuation System and for qualified display.

The Qualified Control Syster function within the QDPS perforns Class IE velve control actions including:

(1) closed loop control and position indicationforthesteamgeneratorpower-operatedreliefvalves,(2) contact output signals for autoretic control and position indication of euxiliary feedweter control valves within the upper and lower flow limits, (3) open-loop control and position indication for the reactor vessel heat vent valves, and (4) closed loop control and position indication for essential cuolitig water flow control valves to safety relattd HVAC chillers.

This distributed rait.roprocessor based system was assessed by the staff to verify irplerentation and its operational effectiveness. This assessment focused on the adtquacy of operating controls and operator interface. This was eccor.plished by reviewing prograrns and procedurts, interviewing personnel, touring the facility and observing orgoing activities.

Particular erphasis was placed en maintenance and start-up testing procedures for the QDPS.

As part of the assessrient, control room activities using the QDPS were observed. The systern had been in operation for nine sonths and was used extensively by the operators for bringing other systems on line. The operators had both classroom and simulator traininD on the QDPS. Observations and discussions with the operators indicated an overall understanding of each display and ability to call-up new displays to support timely response to new alares. Overall, the STP operating staff was well informed and knowledgead e in the operation and execution of the QDPS. The operators dernonstrated an awareness and understanding of the three major functions of the QDPS:

(1) Frotection (2) Qualified Control and, (3) Post Accident Monitoring.

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2 The following items represent the major findings that were presented to the licensee during the exit interview on July 1, 1988:

(1) Class IE replacement EPROMs were pulled from Warehouse C on May 12 to be installed in QDPS. Due to personnel shortage and the CDPS system ceridition (code 50), they had not been installed at the time of the assessnent(June 28,1988). Apparently, since May 12, they were located on a desk top or in a locker (unlocked) in the 18C Building (f3). Since these parts are Class 1E and have undergone a stringent V&V process they should have been placed in the interim safety-irepound storage area as detailed im the STP QA guidelines. The staff believes that these EPROMs should be revalidated to assure their programing and quality before installation. The licensee should investigate this matter and report its resolution to the NRC.

l IP) Since June 1986 there have been sore 170 QOPS card failures and since Jar.uary 198E there have been approximately 15 card failures. This is well abhe the Westinghouse docunented failure rate that was presented to I

the staff and used as part of the licensir.g basis for the QDPS at STP.

In addition, during the OL review, the staff requested a coririitment frota FL&P to keep NRC abreast cf all trcubles encountered and all changes cade to the (MPS during the first operating cycle of the plant. This was to provide the staff a basis for evaluating the reliability of the systen, i

The licensee made this comitment in the QDPS V8V final report transmittal letter (letter dated Decerber 23, 1986 from M. R. Wisenburg I

toVincentS.Noenan). This corritment does not appear to have been l

etintained. HL&P should investigate these matters and justify the apparent deNietion fror. the previous cenritment.

l (3)

It is apparent that L' is undergoing a constant development process for the QDPS. This is proven by the various revisiers that are being rade to the replacement cards. Up ur.til the end of May 1988, a problem existed in that decur<entation was not being supplied with these revised cards. As l

a result of these revisions the new cards had not been a direct replactr:ent for the old cards in that the jurper configurations are different.

HL&P was only calibrating the replacement cards using existing procedures which ensure that the setpoints are valid but would i

not ensure the proper operation of QOPS for all existing conditions. The licensee had originally comitted to utilize the existing V8V program for all sof tware r.aintenance/redifications until such time that an "in house" utility program has been developed and received an appropriate staff approval. HL&P should ensure that this lack of docurentation concern has been resolved and they should determine whether new validation tests as discussed in IEEE-7.4.3.2 "Application Criteria for Prograrrable Digital Computer Systers and Safety Systers of Nuclear Power Generating Stations' need to be performed to properly integrate the existing software with the new hardware.

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3 (4)

It doesn't appear that HL&P was taking advantage of the power supply voltage menu that is presented on the QDPS plasma displays. The +5 VOC supply for the ADC A control card was found to be oscillating on the order of 70% which is indicatise of a power supply that will soon fail, in discussions with the operator it became apparent that no one would take preventive action on this power supply failure and that only a total failure would cause action to be taken by the maintenance staff. HL&P should investigate the existing QDPS maintenance program and make a determination at to the proper surveillance progran for the QDPS and the plasne diagnostic displays. Proper surveillance of these power supply voltage level; by I and C personnel should result in better reliability for the QDPS.

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