ML20247D126
| ML20247D126 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/24/1989 |
| From: | Brach E Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Grimes B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8909140184 | |
| Download: ML20247D126 (11) | |
Text
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' WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 l ' '****} August 24, 1989 MEMORANDUM FOR: Brian K. Grimes, Director Division of. Reactor Inspection- -and Safeguards-FROM: E.. William' Brach,. Chief Vendor In:;pection Branch Division of Reactor Inspection and Safeguards
SUBJECT:
NRC/NUMARC MEETING TO DISCUSS POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE-OVERCURRENT TRIP DEVICES 'E On April 22, 1989 NRC staff met with NUMARC representatives to exchange information related to potentially defective overcurrent trip devices supplied to~ licensees by Satin American Corporation (SA). NUMARC provided preliminary results of Licensee survey which they are conducting in? order to determine how many licensees have procured such equipment from SA. Based on 34 responses received to date, only five licensees have procured trip . devices and/or circuit breakers from SA for safety related applications. Eight respondents have procured.such equipment from SA but. limited its use for nonsafety related service.- NUMARC expects to receive responses from all utilities by the end'of August. A copy of NRC draft bulletin, Potential Defects in Low and Medium-Voltage Switchgear and Related Equipment Supplied to Nuclear Utilities by the Satin ,p, American Corporation, (attached) was provided to NUMARC for comments. h-NUMARC committed to provide comments to the draft bulletin as well as the final results.of. their utility survey discussed above by August 31. .y E am Br ch Vendor Inspection 3 ranch Division of Reactor Inspection and Safeguards
Enclosures:
.1. Draft.NRC Bulletin, Potential Defects in Low and Medium-Voltage Switchgear and Related Equipment Supplied to Nuclear Utilities by the Satin American Corporation g 01g' 2. List of Attendees pfDb (]y gV 3 l 0/l cc: Mr. A. Marion jl I(( k I,gh I I Nuclear Management and Resources Council l, gj7F 1776 Eye Street, NW -f Washington, DC 20006-2496 /f;" l8909140184 890824 !D 'I / PDR REVGP ERGNUMRC P. { { hhf Kgt PDC to
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- Brian'K[ Grimes'
'A copy of NRC braft bulletin,-Potential Defects in Low and Medium-Voltage b l .Switchgear and Related Equipment Supplied to Nuclear Utilities by the Satin . American Corporation, (attached).was provided to NUMARC for. comments. -).. NUMARC consnitted to provide comments to the draft bulletin as well as the final P-results of their. utility survey discussed above by August 31. original signed by Uldis Potapovs E. William Brach, Chief jg Vendor Inspection Branch U Division of Reactor. Inspection' r.,- and Safeguards
Enclosures:
- 1.. Draft NRC Bulletin, Potential Defects.
in Low and Medium-Voltage Switchgear and Related Equipment Supplied to Nuclear l .. Utilities. by the Satin American Corporation-
- 2. ' List of Attendees t
.cc: Mr. A. Marion Nuclear Management and Resources Council ~ 1776 Eye Street, NW Washington,- DC: 20006-2496- -DISTRIBUTION a;CsstiFa/Fl311e9 DRIS R VIB R/F. PDR-JHSniezek FJMiraglia I BKGrimes MClausen b: EWBrach UPotapovs BHayes BLetts JRoe ERossi 1 [NUMARCMEETING] ,0FC -
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DATE :08/ /89
- 08/ /89 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY r
DRAFT 0M,No., us000n NRCB 89-XX UNITED STATES .D/2 AFT &-22.-6) NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 July XX,1989 NRC BULLETIN NO. 89-XX: POTENTIAL DEFECTS IN LOW AND MEDIUM-VOLTAGE SWITCHGEAR AND RELATED EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED TO NUCLEAR UTILITIES BY THE SATIN AMERICAN CORPORATION Addressecs: E All holde s of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power reactors.
Purpose:
The purpose of this bulletin is to address the problem of potentially defective l k electricalequipment,inparticular,GeneralElectric(GE) EC-type electro-mechanic.al,-series overcurrent trip devices, in safety-related applications, or available for use in such applications, supplied to nuclear power plants by the Satin American. Corporation (SA) and its affiliate, Circuit Breaker Systems, .f.-Incorporated,bothofShelton, Connecticut,orthroughanyofSA'srepresente- ?f
- tives, f
Description of Circumstances: HRC Information Notice (IN) No. 89-45 discussed a General Electric (GE) type AKF-2-25 metalclad low-voltage power circuit breaker (field discharge configur-ation), supplied to the Quad Cities nuclear power plant by SA, that was found to have been built or refurbished with nonstandard and substar.dard parts. l l l l 0001.0.0 l \\
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nqhAFT W NRCB 89-XX " ' ~ July XX, 1989 Page 2 of _ 1 1 IN 89-45, Supplement 1 discussed the NRC's findings with respect to GE EC-type trip devices made during followup inspections at utilities that have procured circuit breakers and related electrical equipment such as trip devices from SA. As discussed in detail in the supplement, the NRC found EC-type trip devices supplied.by SA that were refurbished with nonstandard and possibly substandard parts, or old, used parts, in nonstandard combinations using questionable fabrication methods. I Some of these devices had failed in service or testing and additional tests were conducted by utility personnel, observed by representatives of the original manufacturer and the NRC, in which the devices exhibited inconsistent perfor-mance and several test failures. Subsequently, the NRC obtained more of these f, SA-supplied trip units and had them tested and examined at the GE Apparatus F .f Service Facility in Atlanta, Georgia which is currently the sole original equipment manufacturer of EC-type trip devices. The results of this testing were also unsatisf actory, with virtually all devices tested exhibiting out-of-specification operation of one or more of their functions in some portions of their design operating ranges. The devices were not adjustable such that they would operate within tolerance at all points within their name-plate identified characteristic curves, and some of them f ailed to perform one or more of their trip functions entirely. Post-testing examination of these 0001.1.0 i J
4 1 DRAFT NRCB 89-XX July XX,1989 Page 3 of, j l J devices confirmed that they were rebuilt with used parts, in incorrect combi-nations. Some of the parts were sufficiently degraded with age that they were no longer suitable for use, and some of the unsatisfactory test results were directly attributable to the conditions found. I g Some of the fabrication methods evident constitute latent defects that could cause erratic operation and failure, that would not be readily detectable during l routine inspection and testing, and could render the circuit breakers in which they were installed unreliable during normal operation due to spurious tripping, as well as unreliable with respect to overcurrent protection. The NRC has now learned that the SA facility in Shelton, Connecticut has suffered major damage in a fire. This may make it difficult or impossible for f
- SA's customers to audit the company and obtain the information necessary to I
L: essure that previously purchased equipment was in full compliance with the applicable specifications and purchase order requirements. Actions Requested: 1. All addressees are requrested to perform the following actions within 30 days of the receipt of this bulletin: 0001.2.0
77 DRAFT ~
- C eg-xx
?.- -July XX, 1989 Page 4 of, a. Identify all GE EC-type overcurrent trip devices installed, or available for installation, in safety-related AC or DC circuit breakers that were supplied or refurbished by the Satin American Corporation,- of Shelton. Connecticut, or Circuit Breaker Systems, Incorporated, of Shelton, Connecticut, or their representatives. E b. Evaluate the quality and suitability for' service of all SA-supplied or refurbished trip devices installed in safety-related systems by appropriate inspection and testing and by consultation with the original manufacturer. c. Determine operability of affected systems and equipment where quality y and suitability for service cannot be established. F 3-d. Develop a plan for the removal from service of all SA-supplied GE EC-type overcurrent trip devices that cannot be positively. demonstrated, in consultation with the original manufacturer, to be fabricated, labeled and operable in accordance with the original manufacturer's specifications. Holders of operating licenses are i requested to complete this action before startup from the first refueling outage beginning after January 1, 1990. Holders of construction permits are requested to complete this action before fuel load. 0002.0.0
DRMT ,,c,,,.xx July XX, 1989 Page 5 of _ =2. Any material in question that is identified, whether in stores or when removed from service, if warranted, should be administratively controlled and held in a secure location, segregated from other equipment and stores, and each piece should be positively marked, bagged or tagged as appropriate with identifying information, including origin and plant installation. t This action is requested to facilitate possible future examination by the NRC. Reporting Requirements: All addressees are required to provide a written report within 45 days from y the receipt of this bulletin that: i, ir a. Confirms that items la, Ib, and Ic of the actions requested have been completed. b. Provides a schedule for the completion of item Id of the actions requested. c. Identifies the number and type of overcurrent devices determined to be subject to the bulletin actions, describes the disposition of these devices, and summarizes in as much detail as practicable any 4 deficiencies indentified in the examination and testing of these devices. 0003.1.0 I
1 -[ -g%khT_ NRCB 89-XX July XX, 1989 Page 6 of, If addressees cannot perform the actions requested or meet the reporting deadlines, they should justify to the NRC their alternative approaches and schedules. The written reports required shall be addressed to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, ATTN: Document Control Desk, Washington, D.C. 20555 under oath or affirm 6 tion under provisions of Section 182a, Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended. In addition, a copy shall be submitted to the appropriate Regional Administrator. .This request is covered by Office of Management and Budget Clearance Number 3150-0011 which expires Decenter 31, 1989. The estimated average burden hours f, is person-hours per owner response, including assessment of the new h recommendations, searching data sources, gathering and analyzing the data, and preparing the required letters. These estimated average burden hours pertain only to the identified response-related matters and do not include the time for actual implementation of the requested action. Send coments regarding this j burden estimate or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Records and Reports f4anagement Branch, Division of Information Support Services, Office of Information Resources Management, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, Washington, D.C. 20555; and to the Paperwork Reduction Project (3150-0011), Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503. l 0004.0.0 w__ _ -- - -
i J ,t.,- L:P~~ DRAFT ' i: NRCB 89-XX q 1 July XX, 1989. Page 7 of _ If you have any questions about this~ matter, please contact one of the technical contacts listed below or the Regional Administrator of the appropriate NRC regional office. .The NRC intends to review the information collected under this bulletin and g. 1 determine the' adequacy of specific actions proposed by each licensee. The information will be analyzed and placed in-the NRC Public Documents Rooms. Charles E. Rossi, Director Division of Operation Events Assessment Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Technical Contacts: S. D. Alexander, NRR I .t - (301)492-0995 .. L U. Potapovs, NRR i (301)492-0984 Attachnient: List of Recently Issued NRC Bulletins 0004.1.0
7___ c L3 g ;..E opFT NRCB 89 XX July XX,1989 l' Page 7 of, .If you have any questions about this matter, please contact one of the technical contacts listed below or the kegional Administrator of the appropriate NRC regional office. The NRC intends to review the information collected under this bulletin and determine the adequacy of specific actions proposed by each licensee. The information will be analyzed and placed in the NRC Public Documents Rooms. Charles E. Rossi, Director Division of Operation Events Assessment Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation E Technical Contacts: S. D. Alexander, NRR (301) 492 0995 U. Potapovs NRR (301) 492 0984 t
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Bulletins 6 r -{ r.p- [tmCB89-XX] )FC
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- CHMN:CRGR iAME.:JGoldberg*
- CBerlinger
- ERossi
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- 08/ /89 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY 0005.0.0
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