ML20205M816

Testimony of TB Thorsell Re Intervenor Rorem QA Subcontention 8.B Concerning Vulkene Wire.Related Correspondence

ML20205M816
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	04/11/1986
From:	Thorsell T COMMONWEALTH EDISON CO., SARGENT & LUNDY, INC.
To:
Shared Package
ML20205M802	List: ML20205M799 ML20205M812 ML20205M816 ML20205M824 ML20205M828 ML20205M836 ML20205M844 ML20205M848 ML20205M853 ML20205M857 ML20205M860 ML20205M873
References
OL, NUDOCS 8604150386
Download: ML20205M816 (11)

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April 11, 1986 i gu.Ano CONNWM 00CMETED USNRC UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION .gf ggg j4 pg;)$

j BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD 0FFICE OF ?:c .

00ChtipJ,.. t o,

1. d#NC" 4 In the Matter of )

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l COMMONWEALTH EDISON COMPANY ) Docket Nos. 50-456

) 50-457 j (Braidwood Station Units l'and 2) )

t TESTIMONY OF THOMAS B. THORSELL 4 (ON ROREM Q.A. SUBCONTENTION 8.B) j (Vulkene Wire) l Q.l. Please state your full name for the record.

i i A.l. Thomas B. Thorsell.

i Q.2. Who is your employer and what is your occupation? j 1

A.2. I am employed by Sargent & Lundy (S&L) as a Senior l

Electrical Project Engineer. My business address is l

i j 55 East Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. I have been employed by S&L since June 1973. I am currently f assigned to commonwealth Edison Company's Braidwood Project.

i Q.3. What are your responsibilities with respect to the

! Braidwood Project?

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i A.3. As Senior Electrical Project Engineer for Braidwood, I am l

responsible for directing electrical engineers and j designers in the development of conceptual design, design i

! B604150386 860411 PDR ADOCK 05000456 T PDR

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l l of individual system components and preparation of procurement specifications. I evaluate the proposals of manufacturers, make purchase recommendations, and monitor l

the activities of manufacturers to ensure that l

1 manufacturers' drawings and finished components'are received on schedule. I work with the client, Commonwealth Edison Company, and with manufacturer and contractor representatives to assure that the electrical design, engineering, and construction of Braidwood l

incorporate the latest techniques. I also coordinate the work of the S&L electrical engineering department with that of other S&L departments and review specifications and drawings to ensure that all electrical work is correctly done.

1 Q.4. Please state your educational background and professional experience.

A.4. I have a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. I am a' registered professional engineer in the State of Illinois.

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In addition to the work described _in A.3, above, I have experience at S&L in the electrical design, engineering and analysis of steam-electric generating stations. This experience includes design and economic evaluation of i

o-i auxiliary power systems, review of electrical designs to assure compliance with various IEEE standards, including IEEE-323 and IEEE-383, and performance of a variety of studies covering grounding system design, power system reliability, power system expansion and distribution system protection. I have developed computer programs for l calculating power system reliability and for economic evaluation of power pool contracts between utility and l industrial generation.

Q.5. What is the purpose of your testimony?

A.S. My testimony explains the engineering evaluation performed by S&L to support the dispositioning of Commonwealth Edison's Nonconformance Report, NCR-707. S&L was requested by Commonwealth Edison to review NCR-707 and to i provide a recommendation regarding the disposition of the NCR. This NCR, which resulted from inspections conducted by the NRC's Construction Appraisal Team at Braidwood, questions the use of Vulkene wire in applications where switchboard wire qualified for harsh environments is required.

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Q.6. What is Vulkene wire?

A.6. Vulkene wire is a brand name for an SIS type switchboard l

wire manufactured by the General Electric Company. SIS is l .

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1 l, the' designation of a wire construction described in the 4

4 National Electric Code that is installed in switchboards.

l The National Electric Code requires switchboard wire to be i 1

flame retardant. Vulkene wire meets the Underwriters Laboratories Standard 44, " Rubber Insulated Wire and cables," requirements of the VW-1 (Vertical Wire) Flame

! Test.

A.7. What does the phrase " environmental qualification" mean?

A.7. Safety-related equipment installed in a nuclear power

'l plant like Braidwood must perform its intended function for the anticipated service conditions of the plant area in which it is installed. For electrical equipment, the service conditions include electrical characteristics, such as voltage, frequency and load; and environmental

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parameters, such as temperature, humidity, pressure and

) radiation exposure that are expected to be experienced as a result of normal operating conditions and postulated design basis accident conditions.

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l The service conditions, including environmental l

parameters, experienced during normal operation are i

! accommodated during the design process of the electrical i equipment. Environmental qualification of electrical

) equipment located in harsh environments, that is, areas 3

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I where the environmental parameters change significantly l l

during postulated design basis accident conditions is )

demonstrated and documented by testing, operating experience or engineering analysis in accordance with '

applicable IEEE standards. Mr. Green's testimony explains the basis for determining harsh environmental areas for i the environmental qualification of switchboard wire used at Braidwood.

l Q.8. The NRC CAT inspection report suggests that switchboard wire for use at Braidwood should be qualified to ,

l IEEE-383-1974. Do you agree?

A.8. No. Switchboard wire is not required to be qualified to i IEEE-383-1974. IEEE-383-1974 is entitled " Standard for i

i Test of Class 1E Electric Cables, Field Splices, and Connections for Nuclear Power Generating Stations." The l requirements of this Standard are only mandatory for qualifying cables, field splices and connections.

IEEE-383-1974 may be used for switchboard wire qualification as a matter of discretion. However, i

Commonwealth Edison's commitment in its Braidwood FSAR '

limits the application of IEEE-383-1974 solely to cables, splices and connections.

l' Switchboard wire used in safety-related applications in harsh environments at Braidwood is qualified to

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IEEE-323-1974, which is entitled " Standard for Qualifying i Class lE Equipment for Nuclear Power Generating Stations."

The qualification of switchboard wire in accordance with IEEE-323-1974 meets the requirements of NRC's NUREG-0588, Rev. 1 and 10 CFR S 50.49.

Q.9. Is the Vulkene wire used at Braidwood environmentally qualified for all locations in the plant?

1 A.9. Vulkene wire used at Braidwood is acceptable for use for the service conditions experienced during normal 1

operation. Environmental qualification in accordance with IEEE-323-1974 has also been demonstrated and documented for some, but not all harsh environment applications.

Q.10. Please explain the basis for your determination that the Vulkene wire used at Braidwood meets the service conditions experienced during normal operation and, in addition, is environmentally qualified for some harsh environments.

A.10. The determination that Vulkene wire meets the service conditions experienced during normal operation is based on the fact that the wire meets the technical requirements ,

specified in CECO Standard EM-30105, " Switchboard Wire for Stations and Substations," which envelopes the service conditions experienced during normal operation.

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• i The environmental qualification of Vulkene wire in harsh I environments is based on testing performed by Acton Environmental Testing Corporation. The tests were commissioned by Johnson Controls, Inc., as required by S&L, in conjunction with the qualification of HVAC control panels furnished by Johnson Controls to Braidwood. The  ;

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environmental parameters included in the test program enveloped the parameters for the environments in which the  !

HVAC control panels were located. Vulkene wire has not been tested beyond these parameters for use at Braidwood. j i

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The test results show that Vulkene wire is qualified for a temperature of 50*C, a relative humidity of 90% and a .

total integrated radiation exposure of 1 x 10 rads.

Therefore, the Vulkene wire used at Braidwood has been environmentally qualified in accordance with IEEE-323-1974 for use in these areas of the plant that may be exposed to environmental parameters up to and including a relative humidity of 90%, a temperature of 50'C and/or a total 7

integrated radiation exposure of 10 million (1 x 10 )

rads.

Q.11. Do you believe the test results are reliable?

A.11. Yes. Acton Environmental Testing Corporation's Quality Assurance Program has been reviewed and found to be an

s acceptable test facility by Commonwealth Edison's Quality Assurance Department.

In addition, before the Vulkene wire was tested, Sargent &

Lundy reviewed the Acton test procedure to ensure that the test would be conducted in accordance with the requirements of IEEE-323-1974. After the test was completed, the Acton test report was reviewed by S&L to ensure that the test had been performed in accordance with the reviewed test procedure. Test data was also reviewed to ensure that the available documentation supported the stated results. The review established that the test does support environmental qualification of the Vulkene wire for the parameters stated in A.9.

Q.12. Will plant locations at Braidwood experience harsh environmental conditions in excess of the parameters for which Vulkene wire is environmentally qualified?

A.12. Yes, some plant locations would exceed the temperature or radiation parameters for which Volkene wire is environmentally qualified as a result of either a loss of coolant accident or high energy line break accident. The plant locations include the the containment Building, Main Steam Piping Tunnel, Auxiliary Steam Piping Tunnel, and Safety Valve Rooms.

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Q.13. Could Vulkene wire have been improperly installed in those locations at Braidwood?

A.13. Yes. Some safety-related electrical equipment is located in the areas indicated in A.ll. and switchboard wire has been installed by the electrical contractor in some of

, this equipment. Since CECO had not determined where the vulkene was installed, S&L assumed, for purposes of dispositioning NCR 707, that Vulkene wire was installed in these locations.

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Q.14. Has S&L recommended any corrective action with respect to NCR-707?

A.14. Yes. S&L recommended that NCR-707 be dispositioned by examining the safety-related equipment for Vulkene wire located in plant areas subject to environments for which vulkene wire is not qualified. S&L recommended that any Vulkene wire so identified be replaced with qualified l l l wire, i Q.15. How were the specific locations identified in the plant where Vulkene wire may be improperly installed?

I A.15. These locations were identified by a review of Table 3.11-2 of the Braidwood FSAR. Table 3.11-2 lists each area in the plant and its assigned environmental zone.

The boundaries for the environmental zones identified in the table are defined on zone maps which are also included

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in Section 3.11 of the FSAR.. Environmental parameters l

! l l such as temperature, pressure, humidity and radiation are l l l also listed on Table 3.11-2 for all environmental zones

within the plant. The values listed for each of'the  !

l l parameters are maximum calculated values which may be  ;

i i experienced within the zone during normal operating l

conditions as well as during or after a design basis l

accident. Thus, an examination of Table 3.11-2 and the zone maps permit the ready identification of specific '

locations where vulkene wire may have been improperly installed.

Q.16. How did you identify safety-related electrical equipment located in these harsh environmental zones where switchboard wire is installed?

A.16. The Braidwood environmental qualification list identifies all safety-related electrical equipment and identifies the l

environmental zone in which the equipment is located. l This list was examined to identify all safety-related equipment located in harsh environmental zones for which Vulkene wire is not qualified. The resulting list of safety-related equipment was the subject of the examination for Vulkene wire.

Q.17. Mr. Gieseker's testimony indicates that Vulkene wire rather than switchboard wire qualified for use in all

i plant areas at Braidwood was obtained because CECO's Engineering Department had not issued a purchase specification. What corrective action, if any, was taken with respect to this matter?

A.17. It was determined that the reason a purchase specification

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for switchboard wire was not available was due to the fact that the requirement for the wire had been deleted from a specification covering a number of items and a specification for switchboard wire had never been reissued. S&L was directed by CECO's Engineering Department to review safety-related specifications to determine if any purchased items had been deleted in subsequent amendments to specifications without creating a specification for such items or relocating such items into another specification.

Q.18. What was the result of the review?

A.18. S&L reviewed 80 safety-related specifications in the l electrical (14) and mechanical (66) areas. It was determined that no other instances existed in which specified items were deleted from specifications and then not reissued. Based on finding no other instances, it was concluded that no further corrective action is required.

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