ML20247H084
| ML20247H084 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/14/1998 |
| From: | Black S NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| To: | Jergi J GNB, INC. (FORMERLY GNB BATTERIES, INC.) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20247H087 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-QA-99901251 99901251-98-01, 99901251-98-1, NUDOCS 9805210060 | |
| Download: ML20247H084 (2) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES g
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May 14, 1998 Mr. J. Jergi Vice President, Technology and Quality Assurance GNB Technologies 829 Parkview Boulevard Lombard, Illinois 60148-3249
SUBJECT:
NRC INSPECTION REPORT 99901251/98-01
Dear Mr. Jergt:
On October 20 through 22,1997, and on March 4 through 6,1998, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) performed an inspection at the GNB Technologies (GNB) facilities at Lombard, Illinois, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, respectively. The purpose of the inspection was to perform an assessment of the adequacy of your commercial quality program associated with the manufacture of Class 1E qualified battery cells used in commercial nuclear power plant facilities.
The enclosed report presents the results of the inspection.
As you well know, Nuclear Logistics Incorporated (NLI), Fort Worth, Texas, sells NCN series batteries manufactured by GNB to nuclear plants. GNB manufactures and controls the design of the Class 1E qualified battery cells by using its Intemational Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 quality system at its two facilities that are associated with Class 1E battery cells.
GNB has established an ISO 9001, "Model for Quality Assurance in Design, Development, Production, installation and Servicing," for its Lombard, Illinois, corporate office and an ISO-9002, "Model for Quality Assurance in Production, installation and Servicing," for its Fort Smith, Arkansas, flooded battery cell manufacturing facility. The contractual agreement is effected by having NLI verify, in accordance with its Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Appendix B, (10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B), quality assurance program, that GNB's design and manufacturing controls meet the applicable portions of Appendix B. NLI is responsible for ensuring GNB commercial controls meet the applicable requirements of 10 CFR 50, Appendix B.
The inspection team had originally planned to review activities such as the formation of cells, plate casting, paste mixing, and plate pasting at the Fort Smith facility. However, the team did not complete all of these activities because of a problem regarding process control and a procedural compliance issue. As a result, three of the five inspectors interrupted their inspection functions and commenced a review of the issue to determine the root cause of the noncom-pliance with GNB procedures. The team concluded, and your staff concurred, that a certain process, though suitable, was not appropriate for the application.
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1 Mr. J. Jergl May 14, 1998 Although the team did not complete its review of each area included in the scope of its planned inspection, the team was able to draw some conclusions relating to GNB's process controls.
The team determined that some areas of GNB's quality assurance system contained weak-nesses as discussed in the enclosed NRC inspection Report. Some of the weaknesses were identified by the NRC inspectors and others were identified in two memorandums that were written in 1997 by NLI and provided to GNB. The inspectors noted that the two NLI memoran-dums stated, based on a limited scope assessment of GNB's Fort Smith and Lombard facilities, there "has been a Quality System breakdown." However, the inspectors were concemed that these problems were not documented in a nonconformance report in accordance with NLl's QA program control. The matteris further discussed in NRC's Inspection Report of NLI, Report 99901298/98-01.
The NRC is concemed with the identified weaknesses and quality system breakdown identified by NLl. Taken together, they suggest a lack of attention to detailin certain aspects of GNB's established and implemented quality assurance controls for the manufacture of Class 1E battery cells. The NRC will request NLI to respond to our conclusion and provide its proposed action to address the matter. You are not required to respond to this letter.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and enclosures will be placed in the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR). Should you have any questions conceming the issues discussed in this letter, we will be pleased to discuss them with you.
Sincerely, Original signed by:
Suzanne C. Black Suzanne C. Black, Chief Quality Assurance, Vendor inspection and Maintenance Branch Division of Reactor Controls and Human Factors Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l
Docket:
99901251 i
l
Enclosure:
Inspection Report 99901251/98-01 cc:
Mark T. Schessler, Operations Manager Archie Bell, Vice President GNB Technologies Nuclear Logistics incorporated 4115 South Zero Street 7461 Airport Freeway Fort Smith, Arkansas 72908 Fort Worth, Texas 76118 I
DISTRIBUTION:
Central File Docket Files RIDS lE:09 PDR HQMB R.F.
SDAlexander RAGramm SNSaba JJPetrosino DLSkeen DOCUMENT NAME: G:\\ DRAFT.GNB-CLT To rictive a copy of this docurnent, indicate in the box: "C" = Copy without enclosures "E" - Copy with enclosures "N" = No copy OFFICE HQMB/DRCH
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DATE 05/// /98 0 05////98 05/ly98 05/ /98 05/ /98 i
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