Information Notice 1997-67, Failure to Satisfy Requirements for Significant Manipulations of the Controls for Power Reactor Operation Licensing

Failure to Satisfy Requirements for Significant Manipulations of the Controls for Power Reactor Operation Licensing

ML031050127
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Three Mile Island, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant
Issue date:	08/21/1997
From:	Slosson M Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
IN-97-067, NUDOCS 9708150270
Download: ML031050127 (8)

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-OpO1 August 21, 1997 NRC INFORMATION

NOTICE 97-67: FAILURE TO SATISFY REQUIREMENTS

FOR SIGNIFICANT

MANIPULATIONS

OF THE CONTROLS FOR POWER REACTOR OPERATOR LICENSING

Addressees

All holders of operating

licenses for nuclear power reactors except those who have permanently

ceased operations

and have certified

that fuel has been permanently

removed from the reactor vessel.

Purpose

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) is issuing this information

notice to alert addressees

that operator license applicants

are required to perform at least five significant

control manipulations

on the facility for which a license Is sought (Section 55.31 (a)(5) of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations

[10 CFR 55.31(a)(5)]).

Licensees

have erred on the interpretation

of the requirements

of this section of 10 CFR Part 55. It is expected that recipients

will review information

for applicability

to their facilities

and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems.

However, suggestions

contained

in this information

notice are not NRC requirements;

therefore, no specific action or written response is required.Description

of Circumstances

Operator license applicants

are required to provide evidence that they, as trainees, have successfully

manipulated

the controls of the facility for which an operator or senior operator license is sought. At a minimum, applicants

must perform five significant

control manipulations

which affect reactivity

or power level on the facility for which the license is sought (10 CFR 55.31(a)(5)).

Controls as defined in 10 CFR 55 are apparatus

and mechanisms, the manipulation

of which directly affects the reactivity

or power level of the reactor. Licensees

have erred on the interpretation

of what constitutes

a significant

control manipulation.

During a review of operator license applications

for the Pilgrim facility, NRC inspectors

determined

that the requirements

for operator and senior operator applicants

to perform at least five significant

control manipulations

on the facility were not satisfied.

The Pilgrim licensee incorrectly

assumed that a single 30 percent decrease in power with recirculation

pumps was equivalent

to three 10 percent or greater power reductions

and counted this as three of the five required significant

control manipulations.

The licensee contacted

other licensees

regarding

the practice at their facilities

and reported that there was a wide range of interpretations

by the other licensees

contacted.

I I_pDp4 rceq -01 1101'2¢Q05020 Hills r, .'Y 4 IN 97-67 August 21, 1997 The NRC administered

examinations

to the individuals

but did not issue operator licenses until the facility submitted

revised applications

and provided details of how the applicants

satisfied

the requirements

to perform the required significant

control manipulations.

As documented

in "Pilgrim Examination

Report 50-293/97-006 and Notice of Violation," (Accession

No. 9707290261), dated July 18, 1997, the NRC determined

that a violation

of NRC requirements

had occurred because two applicants

had not completed

the five significant

control manipulations

required by 10 CFR 55.31 (a)(5) in an acceptable

manner.Discussion

Before 1987, the operator license application

required the licensee to certify that the applicant

had learned to operate the facility and also to provide the details of the training and experience

of the applicant.

A 1987 NRC rule changed the requirement

to provide the details of the applicant's

training and experience

and requested

instead a simple check mark in the boxes on the application

form (NRC-398)

to indicate that the applicant

has successfully

completed

an Institute

of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) accredited

operator training program that is based on a systems approach to training, and that a certified

simulation

facility is used in the operator training program.During rule making, the nuclear industry requested

clarification

of the phrase "leamed to operate" (Federal Register Vol. 52, No. 57 Wednesday, March 25, 1987, page 9456) and NRC added 10 CFR 55.31 (a)(5) to specify the minimum number of control manipulations

that the applicant

had to conduct on the facility.Examples of significant

control manipulations

are contained

In Regulatory

Guide (RG) 1.8, Revision 2, "Qualification

and Training of Personnel

for Nuclear Power Plants." Paragraph

C.1.h. of RG 1.8 states in part that: Control room operating

experience

...should include manipulation

of controls of the facility during a minimum of five reactivity

changes. Every effort should be made to have a diversity

of reactivity

changes for each applicant.

Startups, shutdowns, large load changes, and changes in rod programming

are some examples and could be accomplished

by manually using such systems as rod control, chemical shim control, or recirculation

flow.Additional

examples of significant

control manipulations

include, but are not limited to, items A-F of 10 CFR 55.59(c)(3) (on-thejob

training for requalification):

IN 97-67 August 21, 1997 A. Plant or reactor startups to include a range that reactivity

feedback from nuclear heat addition is noticeable

and heatup rate is established.

B. Plant shutdown.C. Manual control of steam generators

or feedwater

or both during startup and shutdown.D. Boration or dilution during power operation.

E. Significant ( 10 percent) power changes in manual control or recirculation

flow.F. Reactor power change of 10 percent or greater where load change is performed

with load limit control or where flux, temperature, or speed control is on manual (for HTGR).As defined in 10 CFR 55.59(c)(3)(E), a 10 percent or greater power change is considered

to be a significant

control manipulation.

Additional

clarification

was provided in NUREG-1262,"Answers to Questions

at Public Meetings Regarding

Implementation

of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 55 on Operators'

Licenses," dated November 1987, which was transmitted

to all licensees

on November 12, 1987, as an attachment

to Generic Letter 87-16 (Accession

No. 8712030029).

Some of the guidance included in NUREG 1262 is reiterated

below; licensees

should refer to NUREG 1262 for additional

details.The situation

in which an applicant

performs a 30 percent change in power in a short period (i.e., on the same shift) with no diversity

of controls would be evaluated

as one significant

control manipulation.

The situation

in which an applicant

reduces power from 100 percent to 95 percent and then increases

power from 95 percent to 100 percent would be evaluated

as one significant

control manipulation.

The situation

when an applicant

performs a 50 percent change in power in a short period of time with diversity

of controls (recirculation

flow and control rods, or chemical shim and controls rods) can be evaluated

as two significant

control manipulations.

The situations

when an applicant

reduces power by 10 percent then holds there for performance

of other work or testing and then later in the shift increases

power by 10 percent can be evaluated

as two significant

control manipulations.

Diversity

of significant

control manipulations

on the plant are expected;

however, it is not required.

If the applicant

does not have experience

in diverse significant

control manipulations, this fact should be noted in the comments section of NRC form 398.

.I IN 97-67 August 21, 1997 This information

notice requires no specific action or written response.

If you have any questions

about the information

in this notice, please contact one of the technical

contacts listed below or the appropriate

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.Original signed by Maryle on, Fiting Director Division of Reactor Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical

contacts: Brian Hughes, NRR 301-415-1096 E-mail: bxhl@nrc.gov

John Pellet, RIV (817) 860-8159 E-mail: jlp@nrc.gov

Donald Florek, RI (610) 337-5185 E-mail: djfl@nrc.gov

Thomas Peebles, RII (404) 562-4638 E-mail: tap@nrc.gov

Mel Leach, Rill (630) 829-9705 E-mail: mnl@nrc.gov

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices ,5 A ge Tech Editor has reveiwed and concurred

on 7/8/97 DOCUMENT NAME: G:ICDPIN95X7A.BXH

• See previous concurrence

To receive a copy of this document.

hIdlcate hI the box: C -Copy without ettachment/enclosure

'E -Copy with attachmentfenclosure

'N' -No copy OFFICE HOLB/DRCH

I HOLB/DRCH

I PECB [__ PECB/NRR NAME BHughes:rc/bh

RGallo Cpetrone AChaffee G us{DATE 08/06/97*

08/07/97*

08/14/97*

08/14/97*

0819797 lOFFICIAL

RECORD COPY

I -Attachment

IN 97-66 August 20, 1997 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED NRC INFORMATION

NOTICES Information

Date of Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to 97-66 Failures to Provide 08/20/97 All holders of oDeratir ia licenses Special Lenses for Operators

Using Respirator

or Self-Contained

Breathing Apparatus

During Emergency

Operations

or construction

permits for nuclear power and non-power reactors and all licensed reactor operators

and senior operators 97-65 Failures of High-Dose- Rate (HDR) Remote After-loading Device Source Guide Tubes, Catheters, and Applicators

08/15/97 All high-dose-rate (HDR)remote afterloader

licensees 97-64 97-63 97-62 97-61 Potential

Problems Associated

with Loss of Electrical

Power in Certain Teletherapy

Units Status of NRC Staff's Review of BWRVIP-05 Unrecognized

Reactivity

Addition During Plant Shutdown U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services Letter, to Medical Device Manu-facturers, on the Year 2000 Problem 08/13/97 08/07/97 08/06/97 08/06/97 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission

medical tele-therapy licensees All holders of OLs or CPs for boiling water reactors All holders of OLs or CPs*for nuclear power reactors All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission

medical licensees, veterinarians, and manu-facturers/distributors

of medical devices OL = Operating

License CP = Construction

Permit

IN 97-XX August XX, 1997 This information

notice requires no specific action or written response.

If you have any questions

about the information

in this notice, please contact one of the technical

contacts listed below or the appropriate

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.Marylee M. Slosson, Acting Dir ctor Division of Reactor ProgramWianagement

Office of Nuclear Reactor egulation Technical

contacts:

Brian Hughes, NRR John Pellet, RIV 301-415-1096

(817) 860-8159 E-mail: bxhl@nrc.gov

E-mail: jlp@nrc. v Donald Florek, RI Thomas P les, RI1 (610) 337-1585 (404) 56 638 E-mail: djfl@nrc.gov

E-mailf pnrc.gov Mel Leach, Rill (630) 829-9705 E-mail: mnl@nrc.gov

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued N Information

Notices DOCUMENT NAME: G:1CDP1lN9pX7A.BXH

• See previous concurrence

/To receive a copy of this document.

Indicate hI the box: *C -Copy without attachmentlenclosure

E -Copy with attachment/enclosure

N' -No copy 4 A OFFICE HOLB/DRCH

' HOLB/DRCH

PEC &NAME BHughes:rc/bh

RGallo Cpet'rone

kc-hafftee

DATE 08/06/97*, 08/07/97*

08/)cf/97

08/ #( /97 (A) DRPM 11slosson 08/ /97 UV-VILIAL

KtLUUV LUFY'y9'Y% 1V I

IN 97-XX July XX. 1997 This information

notice requires no specific action or written response.you have any questions

about the information

in this notice. please c act (one of) the technical

contact(s)

listed below or the appropriate

ice of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.Jack Roe. Acting rector Division of Rea or Program Management

Office of Nuc ar Reactor Regulation

Technical

contact(s):

Brian Hughes. NRR/HOL (301) 415-1096 E-Mail: BXH1@NRC.

V Donald Florek, egion I Thomas Peebles. Region II (610) 337-158 (404) 562-4638 E-Mail: DJ @NRC.GOV E-Mail: TAP@NRC.GOV

Mel Leac .Region III John Pellet. Region IV (630) 29-9705 (817) 860-8159 E-Mai. MNL@NRC.GOV

E-Mail: JLP@NRC.GOV

Attachment:

List of Recen y Issued NRC Information

Notices*See previous concurrence

To receive a copy of this document.

Indlicate

In the bo C -Copy without attachment/enclosure

E -Copy with attachment/enclosure

'N' -No copy OFFICE HOLB/DRCH

TECH/EDITOR

l PECB/NRR DRPM/NRR NAME BHughes:rc/bht.

RGallo'f DCalureA d AChaffee JRoe DATE 08/06/97*

08 /97 07/08/97*

08/ /97 08/ /97 I ..INFORMATION

NOTICE FORMAT This information

notice requires no specific action or written res onse. If you have any questions

about the information

in this notice, please ntact (one of)the technical

contact(s)

listed below or the appropriate

fice of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.Marylee M. osson, Director Division Reactor Program Management

Office Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical

contact(s):

Brian ghes, NRR/HOLB 301- 5-1096 E- 11: BXH1@NRC.GOV

onald Florek, Region I Thomas Peebles, Region II 610-337-1585

404-562-4638 E-Mail: DJF1@NRC.GOV

E-Mail: TAP@NRC.GOV

Mel Leach, Region III John Pellet. Region IV--- --- ----eS no o a 63U-829-9/Ub

E-Mail: MNL@NRC.GOV

E/-MaJU-iJb

G E-Mail: JLP@NRC.GOV

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices To receive a copy of this document, hIdicate hi the box: 'C -Copy without attachmentlenclosure

WE' -Copy with attachment/enclosure

'N" -No copy OFFICE HOLB/DRCH

I HOLB/DRCH

I TECH/EDITOR

I PECB/NRR I DRPM/NRR l l INAME BHughes:rc/bh

RGallo DCalure4UPP

AChaffee MSlosson DATE 08/6 /97 08/ /97 08/ /97 08/ /97 07/ /97 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY Issue Date: 03/21/94 E20-5 0720, Exhibit 20