ML20236G445

Special Rept:On 980618,declared Wind Speed Instrumentation Loops of Meteorological Monitoring Instrumentation Sys Inoperable.Caused by Failure to Meet TS Definition of Channel Calibr.Will Revise Selected Licensee Commitment

ML20236G445
Person / Time
Site:	Catawba
Issue date:	07/01/1998
From:	Gordon Peterson DUKE POWER CO.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
NUDOCS 9807060246
Download: ML20236G445 (5)

Text

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!7 Duke Power -

Catawba Nudear Station u% ,- 4800 Concord Road York, SC 29745 m ,y g, ym,, (803) 831-4251 omCE Vice President (803) 831-3426ux July-1, 1998 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attention: Document Control Desk Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

SUBJECT:

Duke Energy Corporation Catawba Nuclear Station Units 1 and 2 Docket No. 50-413/414 Special Report Inoperability of Meteorological Monitoring Instrumentation Channels Pursuant to Selected Licensee Commitment 16.7.3 and Technical Specification 6.9.2, this Special Report is

~being submitted due to portions of the Meteorological Monitoring Instrumentation System being inoperable for greater than seven days.

Selected Licensee Commitment 16.7.3 requires the Meteorological Monitoring Instrumentation channels as shown in Table 16.7-3A to be operable. The instrumentation in Table 16.7-3A concerns wind speed, wind direction and air temperature. The Testing Requirements of Selectc.d Licensee Commitment 16.7.3 require the meteorological nonitoring

' instrumentation channels to be demonstrated operable by the performance of a " CHANNEL CHECK" and " CHANNEL CALIBRATION" at a semi annual frequency. The use of the capitalized term

" CHANNEL CALIBRATION" indicates that the Technical Specification definition for CHANNEL CALIBRATION applies. lO The Technical Specification definition states:

"A CHANNEL CALIBRATION shall be the adjustment, as _

necessary, of the channel such that it responds within the required range and accuracy to known

{h ]

values of input. The CHANNEL CALIBRATION shall encompass the entire channel including the sensors and alarms, . interlock and/or trip functions and may be performed by any series of sequential,  !

overlapping, or total channel steps such that the i entire channel is calibrated."

9907060246 990701 '

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b U.S. Nuc1;ar Regulatory Commission

. July 1, 1998~

Page 2 On June 16, 1998 it was determined from a review of industry operating experience that the method used to calibrate the wind speed instrumentation loops of the Meteorological Monitoring Instrumentation System at Catawba Nuclear Station does not meet the~ Technical Specification definition for CHANNEL CALIBRATION. The calibration as it is currently

. performed involves removing the wind speed sensor from the meteorological tower.and having it bench calibrated. The cable from the sensor at the top of the tower to the signal-processing unit at the bottom of the tower is not included in the channel calibration as it is currently performed.

A Channel Calibration per the Technical Specification Definition is performed from the signal processing unit at the bottom of the meteorological tower to the Control Room.

The wind speed instrumentation loops of the Meteorological ]

Monitoring Instrumentation System were declared inoperable  ;

on June 18, 1998.

Since it is not practical to inject a signal at the top of the tower, the " Testing Requirements" of Selected Licensee Commitment 16.7.3 will be revised to reflect the calibration as it is currently being done. The revised wording will  !

clarify that the sensor is bench calibrated, the cable from 1 the top of the tower to the bottom of the tower is not included in the calibration, and that both.the sensor and cable are included in a channel check subsequent to any work performed on the instrumentation. The only requirement for the cable is verification of continuity which is a part of the Channel Check.

This Selected Licensee Commitment revision will be consistent with Regulatory Guide 1.23 which discusses instrument cal.ibration as an activity performed at a frequency as necessary to ensure 90% data recovery (but not to exceed a semi-annual frequency).

While investigating this issue another condition was discovered which affects the wind direction instrumentation and the air temperature instrumentation. On June 25, 1998, it was determined that a CHANNEL CALIBRATION has not been

performed on the wind direction and air temperature i channels. The. wind direction sensors and air temperature sensors have been bench calibrated on the proper frequency as listed in Table-16.7-3B. However, neither the upper nor lower wind direction signal processors have been calibrated.

1 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

+ Julp 1, 1998 Page 3 A review of available past calibration history and interviews with maintenance technicians indicate this calibration has never been performed. The wind direction and i air temperature instrumentation were declared inoperable on l June 25, 1998.

Procedure IP/0/B/3343/13 " Meteorological Monitoring System (EEB) Calibration and Maintenance Procedure", will be  !

revised to implement a channel calibration of the wind l

l ' direction and air temperature instrumentation channels per j the technical specification definition.

l This condition has no impact on the ability to obtain j meteorological data for dose assessment purposes because an- I alternate method is available. This method can be used until the meteorological instrumentation is returned to an operable status.

l The following items are the only commitments described in l this Special Report:

1. A revision to Selected Licensee Commitment 16.7.3 to describe the wind speed instrumentation calibration process as it is currently performed.

2. A revision to Procedure IP/0/B/3343/13 to include a calibration of wind direction and air temperature j

' instrumentation. J

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I L Questions-on this Special Report may be directed to j Glenn at (803) 831-3051.

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G.R. Peterson 1

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U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

. July-1, 1998

.Page 4 xc:

L . 'A . Reyes ..

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regional Administrator, Region II Atlanta Federal Center 161 Forsyth St., SW, Suite 23T85 Atlanta, Georgia P. S. Tam

'NRC Senior Project Manager (CNS)

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop O-14H25 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 D. J. Roberts Senior Resident' Inspector U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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Catawba Nuclear Site I

i l

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

. July 1, 1998

.Page 5 bxc:

M.S..Kitlan J.W. Glenn K.E. Nicholson L.A. Keller.

NRIA File / ELL Catawba Owners: NCMPA-1,SREC, PMPA, NCEMC

[ .RGC Licensing Group File 801.01 Document Control File: 801.01 l

l 1

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