Information Notice 1988-58, Potential Problems with Asea Brown Boveri ITE-51L Time-Overcurrent Relays

Potential Problems with Asea Brown Boveri ITE-51L Time-Overcurrent Relays

ML031150022
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, 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, 05000000, Zimmer, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant, Crane
Issue date:	08/08/1988
From:	Rossi C E Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
IN-88-058, NUDOCS 8808020102
Download: ML031150022 (6)

j UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 August 8, 1988 NRC INFORMATION

NOTICE NO. 88-58: POTENTIAL

PROBLEMS WITH ASEA BROWN BOVERI ITE-51L TIME-OVERCURRENT

RELAYS

Addressees

All holders of operating

licenses or construction

permits for nuclear power reactors.

Purpose

This information

notice is being provided to alert addressees

to potential problems involving

ASEA Brown Boveri ITE-51L time-overcurrent

relays. It is expected that recipients

will review this information

for applicability

to their facilities

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

However, suggestions

contained

in this information

notice do not constitute

NRC requirements;

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

of Circumstances:

Several spurious actuations

of ASEA Brown Boveri (ABB) ITE-51L relays have occurred at the Beaver Valley nuclear power plant. These actuations

resulted in unnecessary

interruptions

of the electrical

power supply to safety-related

equipment.

The ITE-51L relays monitor circuit current. When the magnitude of the current exceeds a reference

value for a specific duration, the relay actuates to energize the circuit breaker's

trip coil. The licensee has determined

that the spurious relay actuations

were caused by faulty silicon-controlled

rectifiers (SCRs) that were manufactured

by the Motorola Company.SCRs are solid-state

devices that are used as electronic

switches in electrical

circuits.

When a voltage is applied across the terminals

of the SCR, the device is designed to allow current to flow only when 'gated" or switched on by the proper electrical

signal. The SCRs that failed at Beaver Valley allowed cur-rent to flow in the absence of the proper gating signal. These "leakage" currents were of sufficient

magnitude

to energize the trip coil of the as-sociated circuit breaker.The licensee was informed by Motorola that SCRs manufactured

between the late 1970s and early 1980s are susceptible

to this mode of failure and that these SCRs are likely to fail within the first 2 years of service. Since 1982, all SCRs manufactured

by Motorola have been subjected

to a "burn-in" test. In this test, the SCRs are placed in a high-temperature

environment

both with and with-'out voltage applied. SCRs that pass this test are expected to perform normally for an extended period.88080200

IN 88-58 August 8, 1988 Beaver Valley Unit 2 has approximately

105 ITE-S5L relays installed

in safety-related applications, and Unit i has 10. The licensee is testing all the relays in Units 1 and 2 to determine

whether the SCRs are faulty.No specific action or written response is required by this information

If you have any questions

about this matter, please contact one of the contacts listed below or the Regional Administrator

of the appropriate

office.notice.technical regional Charles E. Rossi, Director Division of Operational

Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

K. R. Naidu, NRR (301) 492-0980 Technical

Contacts: N. E. Fields, NRR (301) 492-1173 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices S

Attachment

IN 88-58 August 8, 1988 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED NRC INFORMATION

NOTICES Information

Date of Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to 88-57 88-56 88-55 88-54 Potential

Loss of Safe Shutdown Equipment

Due to Premature

Silicon Controlled

Rectifier

Failure Potential

Problems with Silicone Foam Fire Barrier Penetration

Seals Potential

Problems Caused by Single Failure of an Engineered

Safety Feature Swing Bus Failure of Circuit Breaker Following

Installation

of Amptector

Direct Trip Attachment

Licensee Violations

of NRC Regulations, Which Led to Medical Diagnostic

Misadministrations

Failure of Intrauterine

Tandem of Fletcher Applicator

Brachytherapy

Devices During Patient Treatment 8/8/88 8/4/88 8/3/88 7/28/88 7/28/88 7/27/88 All holders of OLs or CPs for nuclear power reactors.All holders of OLs or CPs for nuclear power reactors.All holders of OLs or CPs for nuclear power reactors.All holders of OLs or CPs for nuclear power reactors.All manufacturers

and distributors

of radio-pharmaceuticals

for human use, nuclear pharmacies, and medical licensees.

Medical licensees.

88-53 88-52 88-46, Supplement

1 Licensee Report of Defective

Refurbished

Circuit Breakers 7/26/88 All holders of OLs or CPs for nuclear power reactors.88-51 Failures of Main Steam Isolation

Valves 7/21/88 All holders of OLs or CPs for nuclear power reactors.OL = Operating

License CP = Construction

Permit

IN 88-58 August 8, 1988 Beaver Valley Unit 2 has approximately

105 ITE-51L relays installed

in safety-related applications, and Unit 1 has 10. The licensee is testing all the relays in Units 1 and 2 to determine

whether the SCRs are faulty.No specific action or written response is required by this information

If you have any questions

about this matter, please contact one of the contacts listed below or the Regional Administrator

of the appropriate

office.notice.technical regional Charles E. Rossi, Director Division of Operational

Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical

Contacts: K. R. Naidu, NRR (301) 492-0980 N. E.(301)Fields, NRR 492-1173 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices*see previous concurrence

EAB:NRR El KNaidu* N1 7/18/88 7/*C:GCB:NRR

CHBerlinger

8/1/88 kB:NRR Fields*/14/88 EAB:NRR DFischer*BCj

re*7/19/88 NRR:RVIB EBaker*7/19/88 VIB:NRR WBrach*7/20/88 AD:DRIS BGrimes*7/22/88 C:EAB:NRR WLanning*8/2/88*D:DEST LShao 7/29/88'V/3/88 IN 88-July , 1988 Beaver Valley Unit 2 has approximately

105 ITE-51L relays installed

in safety-related applications, and Unit 1 has 10. The licensee is testing all the relays in Units 1 and 2 to determine

whether the SCRs are faulty.No specific action or written response is required by this information

notice.If you have any questions

about this matter, please contact the technical contacts listed below or the regional administrator

of the appropriate

regional office.Charles E. Rossi, Director Division of Operational

Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical

Contact: K. R. Naidu (301) 492-0980 N. E. Fields, NRR (301) 492-1173 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices*see previous concurrence

EAB:NRR EAB:NRR EAB:NRR H: KNaidu

• NFields* DFischer*BC

&re*/ /88 / /88 / /88 C:G S d--R D: D:DOEA:NRR

CHBerlinger

LShao CERossi (/* /88 1 / /8 8/ /88 NRR:RVIB EBaker/ /88 VIB:NRR WBrach*/ /88 AD:DRIS BGrimes*/ /88'ink C:EAB:NRR WLanning r/ 2 /88 IN 88-July , 1988 Beaver Valley Unit 2 has approximately

one hundred and five ITE-51L type relays installed

in safety-related

applications.

Unit 1 has ten of the faulty relays in safety related applications.

The licensee is in the process of testing all the relays in Units 1 and 2 to determine

whether the SCRs are faulty.No specific action or written response is required by this information

notice.If you have any questions

about this matter, please contact the technical contact listed below or the Regional Administrator

of the appropriate

regional office.Charles E. Rossi. Director Division of Operational

Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical

Contact: K. R.(301)Naidu 492-0980 N. E. Fields, NRR (301) 492-1173 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices EAB: 1RR KNa i du 7 /A/88 EAB:N1 NFieli 7//1 l RR &XAB R T2 ds DFischer aS 7//1/88 8 4G 3/p/ W TRR:RVIB EBaker 7 /A/88 r -1 1) Y- -/4 -j'Vz'X, C:EAB:NRR WLanning/ /88 C:GCB:NRR CHBerlinger

/ /88 u:IMUEA:NRR

WRossi/ /88 Ra