ST-HL-AE-3156, Special Rept:On 890619,primary Meteorological Tower Instrumentation Declared Inoperable to Perform Semiannual Sys Calibr.Calibr Not Completed within 7 Days.Sys Calibr Procedures Revised to Allow out-of-sequence Calibr

Special Rept:On 890619,primary Meteorological Tower Instrumentation Declared Inoperable to Perform Semiannual Sys Calibr.Calibr Not Completed within 7 Days.Sys Calibr Procedures Revised to Allow out-of-sequence Calibr

ML20246E910
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	07/06/1989
From:	Vaughn G HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
ST-HL-AE-3156, NUDOCS 8907130042
Download: ML20246E910 (3)

Text

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l The Light company P.O. Box 1700 Ifouston, Texas 77001 (713) 228-9211 Ilouston Lighting & Power -. . -- - ~ _ . . _ . , - - . ...~.- . _ . - . . . - -

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July 6, 1989 ST-HL-AE-3156 l File No.: G02 10CFR50.36 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attention: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 South Texas Project El. ctric Generating Station Units 1 and 2 Docket No. STN 50-498 and 50-499 Special Report Regarding Inoperable Primary Meteorological Tower Instruments Pursuant to the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station (STPEGS)

Technical Specification 3.3.3.4, " Meteorological Instrumentation," Houston Lighting & Power submits the attached Special Report regarding inoperable primary meteorological tower instruments.

If you should have any questions on this matter, please contact Mr. C. A. Ayala at (512) 972-8628.

O.b. Clue)b G. E. Vaughn Vice President

}j i Plant Operations GEV/CAA/n1

Attachment:

Special Report Regarding Inoperable Primary Meteorological Tower Instruments

[hl NL.89.180.01 A Subsidiary of Ilouston Industries incorporated I g 890'7130042 890706 PDR ADOCK 05000498

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Ilouston 1.ighting & Power Corn [>ain ST-HL-AE-3156 File No.: G02 Page 2 i

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Regional Administrator, Region IV Rufus S. Scott Nuclear Regulatory Commission Associate General Counsel 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 1000 Houston Lighting & Power Company Arlington, TX 76011 P. O. Box 1700 Houston, TX 77001 George Dick, Proj ect Manager U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission INPO Washington, DC 20555 Records Center 1100 Circle 75 Parkway Jack E. Bess Atlanta, GA 30339-3064 Senior Resident Inspector-Unit 1 j c/o U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Dr. Joseph M. Hendrie P. O. Box 910 50 Be11 port Lane Bay City, TX 77414 Be11 port, NY 11713 J. I. Tapia D. R. Lacker Senior Resident Inspector-Unit 2 Bureau of Radiation Control c/o U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Texas Department of Health P. O. Box 910 1199 West 89th Street Bay City, TX 77414 Austin, TX 78756-3189 l

J. R. Newman, Esquire Newman & Holtzinger, P.C.

1615 L Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20036 R. L. Range /R. P. Verret Central Power & Light Company P. O. Box 2121 Corpus Christi, TX 78403 i R. John Miner (2 copies)

Chief Operating Officer City of Austin Electric Utility 721 Barton Springs Road Austin, TX 78704 R. J. Costello/M. T. Hardt City Public Service Board P. O. Box 1771 San Antonio, TX 78296 Revised 06/16/89 NL.DISR4

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Houston Lighting & Power Company l ST-HL-AE-3156

!- Attachment Page 1 oi 1 South Texas Project Electric Generating Station Units 1 and 2 Docket No. STN 50-498 and 50-499 Special Report Regarding an Inoperable Primary Meteorological Tower Instruments DESCRIPTION OF EVENT:

On June 19, 1989 the Primary Meteorological Tower Instrumentation was l declared inoperable'for performance of the semiannual system calibration required by Technical Specification 3.3.3.4. . The instrument calibration could not be completed within the seven day restoration time limit of the Technical Specification, thus requiring the submittal of a Special Report.

The South Texas Project Electric Generating Station has two meteorological towers. The Primary Tower consists of a 60 meter tower with instruments located at the 10 meter and 60 meter levels. The Backup Tower, located approximately one-half mile south of the Primary Tower, consists of a 10 meter tower with one set of instruments at the 10 meter level.

To perform the required calibration, the meteorological instruments on the tower are replaced with instruments which have been recalibrates by the instrument manufacturer. Once installed, they are calibrated for their specific orientation on the tower and then matched to the signal conditioning and recording equipment. A substantial delay in the calibration process on the 60 meter tower was experienced due to severe weather associated with tropical storm Allison. This delay was compounded by calibration procedure steps which were required to be performed sequentially, i.e., calibration of the differential. temperature instruments could not be started.until completion of the wind direction instrument calibration.

CORRECTIVE ACTION:

The Primary Tower instruments were successfully calibrated and returned to service on June 29, 1989. To avoid delays, the system calibration procedure will be revised to allow calibration of the instruments to be performed out of sequence. This action will be completed by November 30, 1989, prior to the next performance of the calibration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The wind velocity and direction instruments on the 10 meter Backup Tower were operable throughout the period from June 19, 1969 to June 29, 1989.

Under certain meterological conditions, loss of the Primary Tower could have resulted in an inability to determine the stability class for calculating offsite doses. To compensate for this loss, emergency preparedness procedures provide for the determination of the stability class from default values which are based on historical data.

NL.89.180.01

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