IR 05000498/1997099

SALP Repts 50-498/97-99 & 50-499/97-99 for Period 960324-971115

ML20197H642
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	12/22/1997
From:	NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:
Shared Package
ML20197F278	List: ML20197F273 ML20197H642
References
50-498-97-99, 50-499-97-99, NUDOCS 9712310340
Download: ML20197H642 (7)

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SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT ELECTRIC GENERATING STATION SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF LICENSEE PERFORMANCE (SALP)

Report 50-498/97 99: 50 499/97 99 BACKGROUND The SALP Board convened on November 19,1997, to assess the nuclear safety performance of the South Texas Project for the period March 24,1996, through November 15,1997. The Board was conducted in accordance with Management Directive 8.6, " Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance." The board members included: T. P. Gwynn (Board Chairperson), Director, Division of Reactor Projects:

D. D. Chamberlain, Deputy Director, Division of Reactor Safety; and J. N. Hannon, Director, Project Directorate ill 1, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. This assessment was reviewed and approved by the Regional Administrato Eunctional Areas and Ratinas .

Current Previous Plant Operations 1 2 Maintenance 1 1 Engineering 2 2 Plant Support 1 1 11. PLANT OPERATIONS Overall performance in the operations functional area improved and attained a superior rating. Management oversight and supervisory presence in the plant were effective, resulting in conservative decision-making and contributing to the organization functioning well as a team. An excellent safety focus was maintained throughout the organizatio Routine and nonroutine activities were performed well, although equipment clearance-orders needed management attention. Operator performance improved with superior operating practices being the norm. Emergency operating procedures were properly implemented. The training organization continued to thoroughly train, evaluate and critique operating crews, contributing to the professional response of the operators to plant event Some examples were noted where the training staff lacked an understanding of NRC requirements. Self-assessments were effective in improving operational performanc Management involvement and oversight were effective and resulted in conservative decision-making and excellent safety focus. This was particularly evident in the decision to take Unit 2 off-line to repair an iso-phase bus duct boot following restart from the fifth refueling outage. Management support of site activities was evident at alllevel Additionally, a strong sense of teamwork permeated the organization. Supervisory presence in the plant continued to increase the staff's awareness of management expectation Procedural and administrative controls governing plant operations, refueling activities, and reduced inventory operations were excellent. Reduced inventory operations conducted

- during the latter half of the assessment period showed marked improvement. Containment closeout inspections performed during the latter half of the assessment period were 9712310340 971222 ADOCK 05000498

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2-thorough and provided assurance of containment recirculation sump operability. Shift turnovers and pre-evolution shift briefs were thorough and professional, contributing to the effective and efficient operation of the units. However, instances of inadequate equipment clearance orders and improper use of equipment clearance orders to implement de facto procedure changes were identified, indicating the need for increased management attention to this performance are Operators performed well during routine activities. Operator attentiveness to the plant, formality of operational practices, and professionalism were notable. Excellent communications continued to be a strength. Self verification was routinely observed, and operators properly implemented the requirements of operating and surveillance procedures with few exceptions. Operator response to plent perturbations and transients resulted in safe and effective control of the units. This was particularly notable in the response to a f ailed open moisture separator reheater relief valva. Supervision, communications, coordination of operational activities across the organization, alarm response, and implementation of emergency procedures were all strength The material condition of plant equipment wcs excellent. The reliable oper3 tion of equipment in response to plant events and the small number of restraints to plant restart after trips were clear evidence of the excellent material condition of the plant. Systems were routinely found properly aligned and safety equipment availability was high. However, some examples of problems during the manipulation of controls and components were noted. This was particularly evident in the inadvertent manipulation of the wrong valves which resulted in the loss of level control for the volume control tank and, in another instance, for the spent fuel pool. These remote, manually-operated valves were later found to have inadequate position indicatio Operator training remained very effective with thorough evaluations and good crew critiques. Previous training program weaknesses had been corrected. Critiques were instrumentalin focusing attention on areas for performance improvement. Training provided strong support to operations and was routinely involved in preparing the operating staf f for infrequently performed evolutions. This was particularly evident in the preparations for a major control room modification that was to be perfort ;n-line. The quality of operator training was reflected in the professional response of tne operators to plant perturbations and events. Notwithstanding this high level of training performance, there were three examples of a lack of understanding of NRC requirements by the training staff during the assessment period. These involved the f ailure to provide requalification training to a licensed senior reactor operator with an inactive license, the submittal of poor quality examination materials to the NRC, resulting in a necessary delay in the administration of initiallicense examinations, and erroneously exempting the staff involved in developing examination materials from taking requalification examination A strong self-critical assessment process was evident in the operations functional are Both the regu%r feedback & the operating organization and the relatively high level of self-identification and correction of problems demonstrated this. The condition reporting

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-3 process was effectively used with a low threshold for problem identification. Nevertheless, several events were caused, in part, by incomplete or inadequate corrective actions to similar events, indicating additional opportunities to improve in this area. Examples included the repetitive problems with control of spent fuel pool level and the repeat loss of reactor coolant system level instrumentation during reduced inventory operation Overall performance in the Plant Operations functional area was rated Category Ill. MAINTENANCE Overall safety performance in the maintenance functional area continued at a superior level during this assessment period. Effective management oversight was frequently evident with conduct of maintenance activities. Outage planning and execution was superio Maintenance backlogs were effectively controlled, including the emphasis on control room annunciator and inttrument deficiencies and any conditions requiring special astention by plant operators. Very few equipment problems caused plant challenges during the assessment period and, for those challenges or transients that did occur, plant and equipment response was excellent. Management and staff continued to take an aggressive approach to resolving equipment deficiencies. The licensee had achieved and was maintaining an outstanding material condition at the facilit Senior management support of maintenance activities was outstanding and conservative safety conscious decision making was routinely demonstrated in addressing plant and equipment problems. The licensee's approach to addressing the control rod insertion problems was indicative of the overall safety conscious approach to issues. Maintenance programs and implementation were strong, with maintenance planning and scheduling particularly notable and maintenance schedule adherence high. Problems identified by the licensee demonstrated a continuing emphasis on assuring quality procedures. Program and procedure problems were addressed promptly when identified. Maintenan::e personnel routinely demonstrated a thorough understanding of tasks to be performed. Examples of isolated problems with maintenance implementation included the identification that maintenance personnelleft three plastic bags containing equipment in containment and the f ailure to isolate the component cooling water supply to the residual heat removal pump for disassembly of the pum Outage planning and execution was superior. The "one-stop shopping" concept utilized to f acilitate and coordinate outage activities was particularly noteworthy and effectiv Licensee control of on-line maintenance activities was effective, including outstanding utilization of risk insights with well developed risk program tools provided to the plant staf Licensee use of equipment mockups was particularly noteworthy for complex maintenance activities as demonstrated by the activities associated with the control room f acility upgrade The surveillance program and procedures were generally of high quality. Sumellance program implementation was generally strong, with only a few performance problems that

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were usually identified and corrected by the licensee. Program and procedure problems were addressed promptly when identified. Licensee actions in response to Generic Letter 96-01, Testing of Safety Related Logic Circuits, were effective in identifying and correcting procedure problem Trainin0 and qualification of . maintenance and surveillance personnel was a strengt ' Utilization of strong on the job training techniques were noted during observation of maintenance activities. Formal training programs were strong and the licensee effectively utilized equipment mockups for training and pre-job planning. Personnel performance errors were few and not indicative of training or qualification deficiencies. Self assessment and corrective action processes in the Maintenance area were strengths, with the licensee utilizing both internal and external assessments to identify areas for improvemen Utilization of the condition report process to self identify and correct problems was a ,

notable strengt Overall performance in the Maintenance functional area was rated Category IV. ENGINEERING

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Overall safety performance in engineering was very good. Engineering support to other organizations was generally strong and particularly noteworthy in systems engineering, The engineering workload was generally well managed. Engineering programs were generally of high quality and were being executed effectively. Of particular note was the continued strong use of probabilistic risk assessment in support of the plant. However, deficiencies related to corrective actions for set point problems, the proper control of calculations, and condition report classification s,t the appropriate condition adverse to quality threshold within the design engineering organization detracted from otherwise strong engineering performanc System engineering support for operations and maintenance was generally thorough, timely and conservative. Engineering and safety evaluations were generally of excellent quality. Examples included review and development of corrective actions related to a bound control rod drive mechanism and a seal leak of containment Spray Pump 1B, as well as the inspection of an essential cooling water system annubar flow element to evaluate long-term performanc System engineers were knowledgeable of their systems, had good communications with other

. plant disciplines, and readily identified plant problems. The_ operability implications of degraded plant conditions were satisfactorily' addressed, with few exception The excellent use of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) insights identified during the last SALP period continued into this period and matured to a high level. Several industry leading initiatives took place: PRA insights were used to support an application for extending the allowed outage times for the standby diesel generators, and PRA insights effectively supported the graded quality assurance program' application. Both appications were approved by NRC during this SALP period in addition, PRA insights were being used effectively to monitor plant performance on a day 4o-day basis and for scheduling and planning purposes

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. The training program for engineering personnel continued to be strong. In addition to position specific and general continuing training, approximately 50 engineers have been Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) certifie Management effectiveness and focus on safety were mixed. Management provided the proper safety focus in dealing with the phenomenon of incomplete control rod insertion. Bumup in rodded fuel assemblies was iimited, periodic rod drop tests were performed, analyses to support continued safe operation were performed, and a fuel design change was made. In addition, support for the condition reporting and corrective action program was evident, and the program effectiveness continued to improve over the SALP period, in general, condition reports were thorough and the corrective actions adequate to prevent recurrence. Engineers were knowledgeable of the corrective action program and confident in its use. Industry operating experience information was appropriately disseminated and reviewed, and appropriate corrective action was taken. However, notable exceptions were identified where the corrective action process was not effectively implemented. One significant exception noted early in the SALP period involved leakage from the safety injection system outside containment that was not evaluated until questioned by the NRC. The initial engineering evaluation of this adverse condition failed to address the design basis aspects of the leakage. Another exception occurred where timely corrective action was not taken for setpoint problems. Further, engineering management had not provided sufficient resources for design engineering to have the proper modeling tools to maintain the design calculations for electrical load studies. NRC involvement was also needed during this SALP period for design engineering to focus on the design of the advanced liquid waste processing system. When it was installed in 1992, it replaced portions of the original processing equipment without clearly meeting the associated Updated Final Safety Analysis Report commitments and without a documented safety evaluatio The quality of design engineering was mixed. Design change packages, engineering evaluations, and 10 CFR 50.59 safety evaluations were generally of excellent quality. Examples include changes to the qualified display processing system, replacement of a thimble tube fitting, and the addition of storage racks inside Unit 1 containment. However, there were some weaknesses in design engineering. For example, the control of calculations for electrical, mechanical, and instrumentation and control design bases needed improvement. In addition, as a result of a programmatic weakness, there was not a procedural requirement to evaluate calculation changes for impact on the Updated Final Safety Analysis Repor In the area of self assessment and quality verification, performance was good, but selected areas needed improvement. Effective corrective action was taken for the deficiencies noted in the previous SALP report. The self-assessment of engineering identified some adverse conditions; however, there we:e examples where the resulting corrective action was too narrowly focused. For example, the corrective actions for molded case circuit breaker sizi only assured that the circuit breaker in question was properly s!2ed and did not verify that other similar circuit breakers were also properly sized. In another instance involving a problem with essential chiller insulation degradation, the licensee did not assess the adequacy of corrective r ctions for prev!ous similar condition reports. There were other instances where management was not effective in assuring that design engineering condition reports were correctly classified

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. at the appropriate condition adverse to quality threshold. For example, set point calculation deficiencies, which were identified by the licensee in 1992 and again in 1995, were not identified as conditions adverse to quality in tha> condition report system. In ancther instance, a potential nonconservatism in the auxiliary feedwater storage tank useable volume instrument uncertainty calculation was not identified as a condition adverse to quality. Consequently, effective prioritization for corrective action was not always accomplished. Strengths were noted in the steam generator replacement program and in the quarterly oversight planning and scheduling process. Corrective actions resulting from the cuality assurance quarterly monitoring reports were generally appropriat Overall performance in the Engineering functional area was rated Category PLANT SUPPORT Overall performance in the Plant Support area continued at a superior level. Performance in the radiological controls area was superior, with excellent support provided for plant activities and only isolated performance problems noted over the assessment perio Security performance continued to be outstanding, with plant and equipment upgrades significantly improving capabilities over the assessment period. Emergency Preparedness performance continued at the superior level attained during the previous assessment period with a notable commitment to excellence dernonstrated by the entire organizatio Housekeeping was outstanding over the assessment period and the fire protection program continued to be effectively implemented. Self assessment and corrective action effectiveness were strong, routinely resulting in early identification of problems and elimination of recurring problem Superior performance in the radiological controls area continued during the assessment period. Radiation protection personnel provided excellent support for routine plant activities and outage activities. An excellent ALARA program maintained the 3-year average person-rem exposure among the top performers in the industry. Control of radioactive materials, surveys, and personnel monitoring were excellent. Isolated problems were usually identified by the licensee and timely and etfective corrective actions were implemente Superier performance was noted in the chemistry, radiological waste effluents management, radiological environmental monitoring, solid radioactive waste management, and transportation of radioactive materials programs. Training and qualification programs for the staff were excellent and effectively implemented. Qualifications and technical expertise of the staff remained at a high leve Superior oerformance was noted in the physical security, access authorization, and fitness-for duty program areas. Senior management support for the security program continued to be outstanding. Plant and equipment upgrades in the security area provided notable improvements in capabilities over the assessment period and significantly enhanced the ability of the security organization to perform at a superior level. The design and installation of the vehicle barrier system was excellent. The new video assessment system

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and tiie badge / hand geometry access system significantly enhanced program performanc , Training and qualification programs were effective, with excellent facilities provide Emergency Preparedness performance continued at the superior level achieved during the ,

previous assessment period, demont,trating a high level of commitment to excellence and teamwork b/ the entire organization.' Crew performance during simulator walkthroughs was excellent. The overall performance during the biennial emergency preparedness exercise was excellent, with only one weakness identified related to recotective measures for offsite field monitoring teams. Strengths were identiflod related to exercise control and the critique process. The emergency plan, procedures, and facilities were appropriately maintained. Training and qualification programs were strong, with personnel demonstrating a high level of knowledge regarding changes to emergency implementing procedure Housekeeping was a notable strength and was considered outstanding over the assessment period. The fire protection program continued to be effectively implemented. Sel assessments and corrective action processes in the Plant Support area were stron Critical self assessments and audits along with effective problem identification and correction routinely resulted in early identification of problems and elimination of recurring problem ,

Overall performance in the Plant Support functional area was rated Category _

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