Information Notice 1996-19, Failure of Tone Alert Radios to Activate When Receiving a Shortened Activation Signal

Failure of Tone Alert Radios to Activate When Receiving a Shortened Activation Signal

ML031060187
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:	04/02/1996
From:	Crutchfield D M Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
IN-96-019, NUDOCS 9603270127
Download: ML031060187 (7)

'Se UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY

COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 April 2, 1996 NRC INFORMATION

NOTICE 96-19: FAILURE OF TONE ALERT RADIOS TO ACTIVATE WHEN RECEIVING

A SHORTENED

ACTIVATION

SIGNAL

Addressees

All holders of operating

licenses or construction

permits for nuclear power reactors.Purgose The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) is issuing this information

notice to alert addressees

to the possibility

that tone alert radios may not reliably activate when receiving

a shortened

activation

signal. It is expected that recipients

will review the 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

In a report made pursuant to Section 50.72(b)(1)(v)

of Title 10 of the Code o Federal Regulations

(10 CFR 50.72(b)(1)(v)), Event Number 29907, dated January 30, 1996, the licensee for the Callaway site reported a problem with tone alert radios. During a test of the Emergency

Alert System (EAS), a radio station engineer observed that a tone alert radio receiver did not activate.An investigation

by the licensee found that the length of the broadcast activation

signal was insufficient

to reliably activate the tone alert radio receiver model in use at the radio station. The broadcast

duration of the activation

signal had been reduced from 20 seconds to 8 seconds as permitted by current Federal Communications

Commission (FCC) regulations.

The radio station restored the duration of the activation

signal broadcast

to the original 20-second

length and observed that the tone alert radio receiver activated

as expected.Discussion

Section 50.47(b)(5)

of 10 CFR requires emergency

response plans for nuclear power reactors to include a means of providing

early notification

and clear instruction

to the populace within the plume exposure pathway emergency planning zone (EPZ) in the event of an emergency.

Many nuclear power reactor sites have integrated

tone alert radios into alert and notification

systems used to notify and provide instructions

to members of the general public near the site during emergency

situations.

t$DR~~~~ If aeq 0n 9Goc 9603270127

1\ -

% i KY-2 IN 96-19 April 2, 1996 These radios may serve as supplements

to a siren system by filling in voids in siren coverage, or they can be the principal

means of notifying

the EPZ population.

Tone alert radio receivers

are used in conjunction

with the EAS.On December 28, 1994, the FCC issued a Report and Order (59 FR 67090)concerning

the Emergency

Broadcast

System (EBS). This Report and Order replaced the EBS with what is now known as the EAS. This change allowed for the creation of a new generation

of alerting equipment

embracing

digital technology.

The change also modified some of the old EBS requirements.

One of the changes permits the use of a shorter duration tone activation

signal to activate tone alert radio receivers.

This change may have decreased

the reliability

of some tone alert radios currently

in use to activate when required.Before July 1, 1995, the broadcast

duration of the signal that activates

tone alert radios was required to be between 20 and 25 seconds. After July 1, 1995, the broadcast

duration of the signal that activates

tone alert radios was permitted

to be between 8 and 25 seconds. The FCC encourages

the use of the longer (up to 25 seconds) tone during emergencies.

Tone alert radio receivers

are, and have been, available

from various manufacturers

for several years. Depending

on the specifications

provided by the purchaser, the threshold

for activation

has been built into receivers.

The signal duration needed for some tone alert radio receiver models may be longer than the currently

approved 8-second minimum signal duration now allowed by FCC regulations.

The FCC regulations

permit individual

radio stations to select the duration of the activation

signal they broadcast, provided it is within the limits of 8 to 25 seconds. To reliably activate a tone alert radio receiver the duration of the activation

signal broadcast

by the radio station must be long enough to meet the activation

threshold

built into tone alert radio receivers

in service in a particular

reception

area. If the duration of the activation

signal broadcast

is not compatible

with the threshold

set in a receiver, the reliability

of the receiver response is questionable.

Either the duration of the activation

signal broadcast

or the threshold

for activation

built into receivers

may need to be modified to ensure compatibility.

i N' IN 96-19 April 2, 1996 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.Den4 o. Cru e , Director Division of Reactor Project Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical

contacts: D. M. Barss, NRR (301) 415-2922 Internet:dmbl~nrc.gov

J. L. Birmingham, NRR (301) 415-2829 Internet:lb4@nrc.gov

Attachment:

List of A b1~f;ilivJ-

Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices%b eo

Attachment

IN 96-19 April 2, 1996 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED NRC INFORMATION

NOTICES Information

Date of Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to 96-18 95-03 Supp. 1 96-17 96-16 Compliance

with 10 CFR Part 20 for Airborne Thorium Loss of Reactor Coolant Inventory

and Potential Loss of Emergency

Mitiga-tion Functions

While in a Shutdown Condition Reactor Operation

Incon-sistent with the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report BWR Operation

with Indicated

Flow Less Than Natural Circulation

Unexpected

Plant Perform-ance During Performance

of New Surveillance

Tests Degradation

of Radwaste Facility Equipment

at Millstone

Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1 Potential

Containment

Leak Paths Through Hydrogen Analyzers Control Rod Insertion Problems 03/25/96 03/25/96 03/18/96 03/14/96 03/08/96 03/01/96 02/26/96 02/15/96 All material licensees authorized

to possess and use thorium in unsealed form All holders of OLs or CPs for PWR power plants All holders of OLs or CPs for nuclear power reactors All holders of OLs or CPs for boiling-water

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 holders of OLs or CPs for nuclear power reactors 96-15 96-14 96-13 96-12 OL = Operating

License CP = Construction

Permit

IN 96-xx March xx, 1996 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.Dennis M. Crutchfield, Director Division of Reactor Project Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical

contacts: D. M. Barss, NRR (301) 415-2922 Internet:dmbl~nrc.gov

J. L. Birmingham, NRR (301) 415-2829 Internet:jlb4@nrc.gov

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices* See previous concurrence

OFFICE PERB:DRPM:NRR

SC/PERB:DRPM

I C/PERB:DRPM:NRR

NAME DMBarss* THEssig* CLMiller*I DATE 03/18/96 03/18/96 I 03/18/96 OFFICE TECHED:RPB

PECB:DRPM:NRR

C/PECT.VPM.?NRR

D/DRPM:HRR

NAME BCalure* l JBirmingham*

AEChaffJ DMCrutchfield

DATE I03/ /96 03/21/96 03/a2/96 V0! 03/ /96.rrt -t~~s e rserl swur 1.w -ntn^ *a.PlrIULAL WULUiILFI

wAML: b: JLL1 I\UNLALKI.1N

IN 96-xx March xx, 1996 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.Dennis M. Crutchfield, Director Division of Reactor Project Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical

contacts: D. M. Barss, NRR (301) 415-2922 Internet:dmbl@nrc.gov

J. L. Birmingham, NRR (301) 415-2829 Internet:jlb4@nrc.gov

Attachment:

List of Recently Issued NRC Information

Notices 11 5 ?ee-e a 4jo&5 Cti4et- A4J-t.OFFICE PERB:DRPM:NRR

SC/PERB:DQPM

C/PERB:DRPNRR

NAME DMBarss Z&N 6 THEssig 1& J MWller l_ _ _ are __ _= .. .-_I_ .DATE 03/IJ/96 j 03/0TV/96 l 03I%'iI96 J OFFICE TECHED:RPB

PECB:DRPM:NRR

C/PECB:DRPM:NRR

D/DRPM:NRR

NAME 1 JBirmingham

-AEChaffee

DLCrutchfield

DATE I03/'t /96 1031&'196/4

03/ /96 103/ A96 O DUMT N--E: : _ _ -._. ..OFFICIAL DOCUMENT NAME: G:.\MLMUS\1UNLALK1.1N

OFFICE PERB:DRPM:NRR

SC/PERB:DRPM

C/PERB:DRPM:NRR

NAME DMBarss THEssig CLMiller.DATE 03/ /96 03//96 03/ /96 OFFICE TECH PECB:DRPM:NRR

C/PECB:DRPM:NRR

D/DRPM:NRR

NAME 4 JBirmningham

AEChaffee

DLCrutchfield

DATE 03//P96 03/ /96 03/ /96 03/ /96-.r .I .rl., , nu n ... uuS e -t. * .lr 4- AI .t Val UrlWlAL UULUMtNI NAML: b: FILMUZO\ I URALK I. I *