ML20207M320

Forwards Biweekly Status Rept for 861218-31.Reactor Remained Shutdown & in Cold Condition Throughout Period for Maint

ML20207M320
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	01/01/1987
From:	Wiggins J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:	Blough A NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
References
NUDOCS 8701130140
Download: ML20207M320 (4)

Text

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s 6i JAN 1 37 Docket No. 50-293 MEMORANDUM FOR: Allen R. Blough, Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 1 FROM: James T. Wiggins, Chief Reactor Projects Section IB

SUBJECT:

PILGRIM STATUS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD DECEMBER 18, 1986 -

DECEMBER 31, 1986 Enclosed is the Pilgrim bi weekly status report from the NRC Resident Office at Pilgrim. Two NRC resident inspectors and two region based inspectors monitored activities at the plant during the report period. The reactor remained shutdown and in a cold condition throughout the period for mainten-ance.

These status reports are intended to provide NRC management and the public with an overview of plant activities and NRC inspection activities.

Subsequent inspection reports will' address many of these topics in more detail.

Original Signed Ef; James T. Wiggins, Chief Reactor Projects Section IB 8701130140 870101 PDR ADOCK 05000293 R PDR j.

0FFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEKLY STATUS REPORT -

0001.0.0 01/02/87 J E nl J

2 cc wrencl:

T. Murley, NRC, RI W. Kane, RI S. Ebneter, NRC, RI T. Martin, RI J. Partlow, NRC, IE-S. Collins, RI H. Denton, NRC, NRR J. Zwolinski, NRC, NRR R. Auluck, NRC, NRR J. Lydon, Chief Operating Officer, BECO L. Oxsen, Vice President, Nuclear Operations, BECO A. Pedersen, Station Manager, BECO Paul Levy, Chairman, Department of Public Utilities Chairman, Board of Selectmen J. D. Keyes R. Bowlay Plymouth Civil Defense Director Senator Edward P. Kirby Representative Peter Forman S. M. Pollard M. Conyngham M. R. Jeka K. R. Anderson The Honorable E. J. Markey Public Document Room (PDR)

Local Public Document Room (LPDR)

Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)

NRC Resident Inspector-CommonwealthofMassachusetts(2) bec w/ enc 1:

Region I Docket Room (with concurrences)

Management Assistant, DRMA (w/o encl)

DRP Section Chief R. Auluck, LPM, NRR PA0(2)

RI:DRP RI:DRP R :DRP M. McBride . Wiggins R. Blough 1/6/87 1/ 5787 1/g/87 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEKLY STATUS REPORT -

0002.0.0 01/02/87

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ENCLOSURE PILGRIM STATUS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD DECEMBER 18, - DECEMBER 31, 1986 1.0 Plant Status As of 8:00 a.m. on December 31, 1986, the reactor was shutdown with the mode switch in the Refuel position and with moderator tempersture about 75 degrees fahrenheit.

2.0 Facility Operations Summary The plant has been shut down for maintenance, and to make program improve-ments since April 12, 1986. The present outage is currently scheduled to continue into the second quarter of calendar year 1987 and will include reactor refueling.

The upper portions of the primary containment and the reactor vessel have been disassembled in preparation for removal of fuel. The licensee plans to completely defuel the reactor in late January, transferring all fuel from the reactor vessel to the fuel storage pool. This will allow performance of certain plant modifications which are more easily done without fuel in the reactor. Reload of the fuel will begin approximately two months later. '

3.0 Items of Special Interest Loss of Normal Offsite Power to the Station On December 23,1986 at 11:17 a.m., normal offsite power was lost for about 30 minutes when an electrical fault occurred in the station 345 kv switchyard. The reactor was in cold condition with the reactor head off and the refueling cavity filled with water at the time. The fault was caused by water mist that lightly coated an insulator in a live section of the switchyard during a switchyard washing operation. An adjacent de-l energized section of the switchyard was being washed at the time to remove ocean salt buildup. Live sections of the yard are routinely washed to l prevent faulting due to salt buildup, but precautions are taken to remove the salt with heavy streams of water. According to knowledgeable licensee representatives, a light coating of water apparently can generate an electrically conducting medium on the insulators.

One of the two diesel generators was out of service at the time for Appendix R modifications. The second diesel generator started and loaded normally when power was lost. A 24 kv offsite power source was used to power the emergency loads normally supplied by the second diesel gene-rator. Several engineered safety features were activated by the power loss including secondary containment isolation, standby gas treatment initiation, shutdown cooling isolation, and reactor scram. These actu-ations were reset after power was reestablished.

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEKLY STATUS REPORT -

0003.0.0 ,

2 No switchyard or station damage was caused by the power loss. A similar power loss caused by switchyard washing operations occurred in September 1985.

4.0 Emergency Notification System (ENS) Reports During this period, the licensee made two reports to NRC pursuant to 10 CFR 50.72. These reports described the following incidents.

A. On December 22, 1986 a partial primary and secondary containment isolation occurred unexpectedly when certain electrical motor contral centers were deenergized to support fire protection modification work. Power was promptly restored to the equipment and the partial isolations reset. An alternate power source to the equipment was subsequently established and modification activities resumed.

B. On December 23, 1986 normal offsite power was lost for about 30 minutes. See section 3.0 of this report for details.

5.0 NRC Staff Status During the Period Two NRC Resident Inspectors monitored plant activities between December 18, 1986 and December 31, 1986. The inspection staff at Pilgrim during the report period consisted of the following:

Martin McBride, Ph.D. --- Senior Resident Inspector Jeffrey Lyash --- Resident Inspector Two NRC specialist inspectors were onsite during the report period to review maintenance and radiation protection activities.

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM WEEKLY STATUS REPORT -

0004.0.0 01/02/87

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