View source for 05000261/FIN-2016002-01

{{finding
| title = Licensee-Identified Violation
| docket = 05000261
| inspection report = IR 05000261/2016002
| finding integer = 01
| quarter = 2016Q2
| IR section = 4OA7
| finding type = NCV
| significance = Green
| cornerstone = Mitigating Systems
| violation of = 10 CFR 50.55a
| identified by = Licensee
| Inspection procedure = 
| Inspector = C Dykes, C Fontana, C Rapp, G Hopper, J Dodson, J Hickman, K Ellis, S Herrick, S Sanchez, A Beasten
| CCA = N/A for ROP
| INPO aspect = 
| description = Section 50.55a(h)(2) of 10 CFR states in part, for nuclear power plants with construction permits issued before January 1, 1971, protection systems must be consistent with their licensing basis or may meet the requirements of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Std. 6031991 and the correction sheet dated January 30, 1995. The Robinson FSAR (current licensing basis) Section 3.1.2.20, states in part that, reactor protection is designed to meet all presently defined reactor protection criteria and is in accordance with the proposed Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 279 Standard for Nuclear Plant Protection Systems, August 1968. IEEE-279, Section 4.2, requires that any single failure within the protection system shall not prevent proper protection system action when required. Contrary to this requirement, from initial startup, until April 13, 2016, when using a FRBV (i.e., FRBV in the open position in Modes 1, 2, and 3), and a MSLB occurred, the protection system would not provide the proper system protection action. Specifically, with a single failure of the FRBV to close, the protective system action to isolate feedwater could not be accomplished. This would cause an increase in secondary mass available for release in containment structure, resulting in a higher peak containment pressure that would challenge the containment design pressure. As corrective actions, the licensee implemented a standing instruction and placed caution tags on the FRBVs to ensure the valves remain closed/isolated while operating in Modes 1, 2, and 3. Additionally, the licensee completed an engineering change to update the containment analysis and licensing basis. The licensee entered this issue into the CAP as CRs 2012658, 2020495, and 2018710. The failure to meet the single failure criterion for feedwater isolation following a main steam line break inside containment was a performance deficiency (PD). Significance Determination Process (SDP) screening in accordance with NRC IMC 0609.04 determined that the PD affected the secondary short term heat removal safety function of the mitigating systems cornerstone. The finding was determined to represent a loss of function and a detailed risk assessment was performed per NRC IMC 0609 Appendix A. The bounding analysis assumed a conditional core damage probability of 1.0, a 14 day exposure period estimated from surveillance and outage schedules, and main steam line break inside containment (MSLBIC) initiating event probability and main feedwater regulating valve bypass (MFWRVBV) failure to close probabilities from the NRC SPAR model data. The dominant sequence was an MSLBIC with a failure to close of the MFWRVBV which was assumed to lead to core damage and large early release. The risk was mitigated by short exposure period and the low likelihood of the MSLBIC and the failure to close of the MFWRVBV. The bounding analysis determined that the PD represented a risk increase of < 1.0E-7/year, a GREEN finding of very low safety significance for both core damage frequency and large early release frequency.
}}