ML20217N307
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| ML20217N307 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hatch  |
| Issue date: | 04/21/1998 |
| From: | Reyes L NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | Sumner H SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATING CO. |
| References | |
| 50-321-98-01, 50-321-98-1, 50-366-98-01, 50-366-98-1, EA-98-209, NUDOCS 9805050287 | |
| Download: ML20217N307 (5) | |
See also: IR 05000321/1998001
Text
{{#Wiki_filter:.
<
l . . 1 ! l
April 21.1998
Southern Nuclear Operating Company. Inc.
ATTN: Mr. H. L. Sumner. Jr.
Vice President. Hatch Plant
Nuclear Operations
P.O. Box 1295
Birmingham AL 35201
SUBJECT: EXERCISE OF ENFORCEMENT DISCRETION
t
(NRC INTEGRATED INSPECTION REPORT 50-321/98-01. 50-366/98-01)
Dear Mr. Sumner:
On March 21. 1998, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed an
inspection at your Hatch facility. The results of that inspection were
discussed at an exit meeting conducted on March 27. 1998. and documented in
NRC Inspection Report No. 50-321/98-01. 50-366/98-01 issued on
April 20.1998.
During the inspection, the NRC examined an issue related to the Main Control
Room Environmental Control (MCREC) system. On February 16. your staff
identified that a tem 3erature switch was not installed on each of the two
MCREC trains. On eac1 MCREC filter train, the missing temperature switch left
an approximately one-half inch diameter hole that was open to a conduit
containing the wiring for each missing temperature switch. The holes left by
'
the missing temperature switches allowed bypass flow to enter the control room
without filtration by charcoal filters installed in the affected MCREC filter
trains. The design basis of the plant includes limiting thyroid dose to
control room personnel to less than 30 Rem during and following a design basis
accident. As documented in NRC Inspection Report No. 50-321/98-01.
50-366/98-01. and in your Licensee Event Report 50-321/98-001. Inoperable
MCREC System Filter Trains Result in Entry Into LCO 3.0.3. dated March 18.
1998. with the charcoal filters in both MCREC trains bypassed as a result of
l the openings created by the missing temperature switches. the thyroid dose I
received by control room personnel would have exceeded 30 Rem in the event of
,
a design basis accident.
Based on the information developed during the inspection. the NRC has
- determined that a violation of NRC requirements occurred. 10 CFR 50
Appendix B. Criterion III. Design Control, requires that measures shall he
'
established to verify the adequacy of design, such as by design reviews,
alternate or simplified calculational methods, or suitable testing. In this
case. the requirements of Appendix B. Criterion III. were not met because
measures were not established to verify the adequacy of the as-installed MCREC ,
system filter tr.in d a ign. This violation resulted in the MCREC system not
being able to pe:Torm its intended safety function under certain design basis !
l
conditions A violctirm involving a safety-related system which is unable to
perform its intended safety function under certain conditions is generally )
~
98050502a7 980421
PDR ADOCK 05000321
G PDR {
.1?O!
. -
.
SNC 2
characterized as a Severity Level III violation in accordance with the
" General Statement of Policy and Procedures for Enforcement Actions"
(Enforcement Policy). NUREG-1600. However, as provided in Section VII.B.3 of
the Enforcement Policy, the NRC may refrain from issuing a Notice of Violation
(Notice) and proposing a civil penalty for a Severity Level III violation
which involves old design issues.
After review of this violation and consultation with the Director Office of
Enforcement, the NRC has concluded that while a violation did occur,
enforcement discretion is warranted end issuance of a Notice is not
appropriate in this case. The specific bases for the decision to exercise
enforcement discretion are: (1) your staff identified the deficiency during
planned testing and calibration of the MCREC filter trains, when a special
effort was made to remove the charcoal filter beds out of Josition to look
behind a portion of the system that was not easily accessi)le: (2) you
promptly declared both MCREC system filter trains inoperable and entered the
required action statement of Technical Specification (TS) 3.0.3: (3) as part
of your immediate corrective actions, the Standby Gas Trer.tment Systems for
both units, which have a similar configuration as the MCREC system, were
verified to have no missing temperature switches: (4) you promptly implemented
an appropriate temporary modification for each MCREC system filter train in
accordance with plant procedures, and exited TS 3.0.3: (5) the temporary
modification for each train was removed and a temperature switch for each
train was installed and properly tested in accordance with plant procedures:
(6) the deficiency is considered an old design issue, was not likely to be
identified through routine licensee efforts, and is not reflective of current
licensee performance: and (7) the issue was reported to the NRC in Licensee
,
Event Report 50-321/98-001. Inoperable MCREC System Filter Trains Result in
Entry Into LCO 3.0.3, dated March 18, 1998.
This letter closes apparent violation EEI 50-321,366/98-01-08, and no formal
response to the apparent violation is recuired. NRC's final evaluation of
your corrective actions will be addressec during the review and closeout of
-LER 50-321/98-001.
*
! . i In accordance with 10.CER 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Proctice " a copy of I this letter will be'pbiced in the NRC Public Document Room.
*
.
Sincerely.
%
Original Signed by L. A. Reyes
Luis A. Reyes
Regional Administrator
Docket Nos. 50-321 and 50-366
License Nos.. DPR-57 and NPF-5
cc: see Page 3
T
, -
.
SNC 3
cc:
. J. D. Woodard
Executive Vice President
Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc.
P.. 0. Box 1295
Birmingham AL' 35201-1295
Mr. P. H. Wells
General Manager. Hatch
Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc.
- U.S Highway 1 North
P. O. Box 2010
- l Baxley, GA 31515
D. M. Crowe
- Manager Licensing - Hatch
l Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc.
- P. O. Box 1295
Birmingham AL 35201-1295
Ernest L. Blake. Esq.
Shaw. Pittman. Potts and
Trowbridge
2300 N Street. NW
-
Washington, D. C. 20037 j
Charles H. Badger
Office of Planning and Budget
Room 610
270 Washington Street. SW
Atlanta, GA 30334
! Harold Reheis. Director
Department of Natural Resources
205 Butler Street. SE. Suite 1252
Atlanta, GA 30334
I Thomas Hill Manager l Radioactive Materials Program i Department of Natural Resources ! l
4244 International Parkway 1
Suite 114
Atlanta. GA 30354 ;
Chairman
!
Appling County Commissioners
County Courthouse 1
Baxley. GA 31513
.,
--
. .
l
SNC 4
i !
cc: Continued
R. D. Barker
Program Manager
i
Fossil & Nuclear Operations
i Oglethor3e Power Corporation
- 2100 E. Exchange Place
! Tucker, GA 30085-1349
Charles A. Patrizia. Esq.
Paul Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
10th Floor
1299 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D. C. 20004-9500
, Steven M. Jackson
Senior Engineer - Power Supply
i Municipal Electric Authority
of Georgia
~ .
1470 Riveredge Parkway NW
l Atlanta, GA 30328-4684
1
l l ; l i l
4
1
j
I
u
p
.
+ a.
l r. Distribution: l' LJCallan. EDO-
HThompson DEDR
AThadani. DEDE
LChandler. OGC
l JGoldberg OGC
EJulian,:SECY
BKeeling CA
l Enforcement Coordinators l RI. RIII. RIV !
JLieberman. OE
l WBeecher. OPA l GCaputo. 01 l TMartin. AE0D l HBell. OIG i CEvans. RII !
KClark RII
. ' LPlisco. RII
BMallett. RII
PSkinner. RII
MTschiltz. OEDO
l ABoland. RII ! SSparks. RII
LOlshan NRR
'TReis. OE
RCarrion. RII
l '
OE:EA File (BSummers. OE)(2 letterhead)
PUBLIC
i '
.NRC Resident Inspector
, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ,
11030 Hatch Parkway North-
l
Baxley GA 31513 .
( ,
sh
+9 ge
/ / .
SENDTOPUBLICDOCUMENTR00M7[ YES [ [/ //
OFFICE di! +pWP - Rll:0k / RilhtpS [ RI/ydR[ RI!:0[[
A L EVAN D
DATE 4/ N /98 I/ /98 4/ d[/ /98 4/ M /98- k/ N /9 0
COPY? YES - k YES No fES) NO YES h YES [0) YES NO
OfflCIAL RECORD M Y DOCUMENT NAME:H'I\1980 PEN.ENF\98209 HAT.DIR\DISCLTR.HA V
}}