ML20217J357
| ML20217J357 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 10/09/1997 |
| From: | Miller H NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Langenbach J GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES CORP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20217J362 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-289-97-08, 50-289-97-8, EA-97-473, NUDOCS 9710210048 | |
| Download: ML20217J357 (3) | |
See also: IR 05000289/1997008
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October 9, 1997
EA No. 97 473
Mr. Jarr is Langenbach
Vice President and Director, TMI
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 08, EXERCISE OF
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Dear Mr. Langenbach:
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On September 6,1997, the NRC completed an inspection at your Three Mile Island 1
reactor facility. The enclosed report presents the results of that inspection.
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Overall, your staff operated and maintained the unit safely. The control room staff
responded well to several minor plant transients caused by equipment problems and
performed end of core life operations and the unit shutdown for the refueling outage
excellently, Maintenance and surveillance activities were performed very wellincluding
main steam safety relief valve setpoint and post shutdown core flood testing. The
engineering department provided good support for operations and the testing activities.
Radiological controls for spent fuel pool work were very good and took into account recent
industry problems with such activities,
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This inspection included an evaluation of your emergency preparedness (EP) program,
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including review of deficiencies identified during the emergency exercises and inspections
in March and May,1997. During this inspection, your programmatic controls of EP
activities were acceptable.
Your staff responded very effectively to a generic original design deficiency in the
engineered safeguards actuation system (ESAS), demonstrating a proactive resolution. The
temporary changes to the emergency operating procedures addressed the issue and
allowed for throttling of the building spray and low pressure injection pumps to maintain
adequate net positive suction head after a design basis loss of coolant accident with a
single failure of a DC bus. We note that you plan to design and install a permanent
neodification to correct this design deficiency prior to restart from the current refueling
outage (12R).
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Mr. James Langenbach
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The NRC notes that this past design deficiency pertaining to the ESAS power supply logic
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was identified by your staff through industry communications. The NRC considers this
initiative to identify a longstanding design issue a strength. Corrective actions taken and
planned were comprehensive and should prevent recurrence. The design deficiency was
subtle in nature and was not likely to be identified by routine surveillance or quality
assurance activities.
This design issue is an apparent violation of NRC requirements which could be considered
for escalated enforcement and subject to a civil penalty. However, after consultation with
the Director, Office of Enforcement, I have been authorized to not issue a Notice of
Violation and not propose a civil penalty in this case in accordance w"h the provisions
provided in Section Vll.B.3 of the NRC's Enforcement Policy. This decision was made after
consideration that: (1) the violation was identified by your staff's good questioning
attitudes during voluntary initiatives; (2) corrective actions, both taken and planned, were
comprehensive and timely; (3) the condition was subtle in nature and not likely to be
disclosed through routine surveillance or quality assurance activities; and (4) the violation
is not reasonably linked to current performance. The exercise of discretion acknowledges
your good effort to identify and correct subtle violations that would not be identified by
routine efforts before the degraded safety systems are called upon.
In accordance svith 10 CFR 2.700 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,
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Hubert J. Miller
Regional Administrator
Docket No.: 50 289
License No.: DPR 50
Enclosure: NRC Inspection Report No. 50-289/97 08
cc w/ encl:
E. L. Blake, Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge (Legal Counsel for GPUN)
J. C. Fornicola, Director, Nuclear Safety Assessment
M. J. Ross, Director, Operations and Maintenance
D. Smith, PDMS Manager
TMI Atert (TMIA)
J. S. Wetmore, Manager, TMI Regulatory Aff airs
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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Mr. James Langenbach
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Distribution w/engji
Region i Docket Room (with concurrences)
Nuclear Safety information Center (NSIC)
PUBLIC
NRC Resident inspector
H. Miller
W. Axelson, ORA
T. Kenny, DRS
P. Eselgroth, DRP
D. Haverkamp, DRP
A. Keatley, DRP
M. Davis, NRR (MJD1) (For FSAR Info only)
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