Information Notice 1991-61, Preliminary Results of Validation Testing of Motor-Operated Valve Diagnostic Equipment

Preliminary Results of Validation Testing of Motor-Operated Valve Diagnostic Equipment

ML031190195
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:	09/30/1991
From:	Rossi C Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
IN-91-061, NUDOCS 9109240245
Download: ML031190195 (6)

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 September 30, 1991 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 91-61: PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF.VALIDATION TESTING OF

MOTOR-OPERATED VALVE DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT

Addressees

All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power

reactors and motor-operated valve (MOV) diagnostic equipment vendors-identified

herein.

Purpose

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) 'is'issuing this information notice

to alert addressees to the'preliminary: results of the validation testing of MOV

diagnostic equipment.conducted..by.the MOV.user's group (MUG) of nuclear power:

plant licensees. It is expected that recii'ents will review the information,.

for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to

avoid operability problems with MOVs. However, suggestions contained in this

information notice are not NRC requirements; therefore, no-specific action or

written response is required. _ .

Description of Circumstances

'

In 1990, the MUG initiated a program to conduct tests of MOV diagnostic equip- ment to validate'the accuracy of the equipment asserted by the diagnostic

equipment vendors. .The MUG requested the Idaho National Engineering-Laboratory

(INEL) to provide a test.stand for the 'progrIam and to collect test data. The- NRC Office of..Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES.) provided funds for INEL to

participate, with the stipulation that the resu'lts'of the testing would be made

available to the NRC and the public. .

The diagnostic equipment vendors participating in.the MUG test program were

ASEA-Brown'Boveri (ABB) Impell, ITI-MOVATS, Liberty Technologies, Siemens/KWU,

Teledyne, and Wyle Laboratories.

The INEL test'stand included a Limitorque motor operator which drives a valve

stem into a water reservoir with a compressed air overcharge. INEL obtained

accurate measurements of actuator torque and'tthrust using a torque arm and a

stem-mounted load cell, respectively. Each diagnostic equipment vendor

installed and operated its own equipment to obtain measurements of torque, thrust, and various other parameters.

Several diagnostic system vendors did not meet all of their stated claims of

accuracy. Differences in the time response of the INEL test stand equipment

dia nostic systems being tested may have contributed to deviations in

0924O24 Z

IN 91-61 September 30, 1991 the observed thrust measurements. Further, some of the diagnostic equipment

exhibited problems and anomalies, such as failed sensors or difficulties in

calibration, during the testing program. Of particular concern to the NRC is

that these time inaccuracies, problems, and anomalies may not have been

detected during normal use of the diagnostic equipment at a nuclear facility.

The MUG is comparing the data collected by INEL with the data collected by each

of the diagnostic equipment vendors. At a meeting in Richmond, Virginia, on

July 30, 1991, the MUG released a progress report of the validation

testing. The NRC has placed this report, "MOV User's Group - Progress Report

of the Validation Committee," in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR),

2120 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20555 (telephone (202) 634-3273). The

MUG is continuing to review the test data and intends to release a final report

in January 1992. The NRC will place the final MUG report in the PDR.

During its July meeting, the MUG stated that licensees and diagnostic equipment

vendors should review the progress report for its applicability to the MOVs

installed in nuclear power plants. The MUG also alerted licensees and diagnos- tic equipment vendors to their responsibilities under "Reporting of Defects and

Noncompliance," Part 21 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Discussion of Safety Significance

In NRC Bulletin 85-O37"'Rot6fr-Operated Valve Common Mode-F-ai flres During Plant

Transients Due to Improper Switch Settings," and its supplement, the NRC

recommended that licensees develop and implement a program to ensure that

motor-operator switch settings for MOVs in several specified systems are

selected, set, and maintained so that the MOYs will operate under design-basis

conditions for the life of the plant. In NRC Generic Letter 89-10,

"Safety-Related Motor-Operated Valve Testing and Surveillance," and its supple- ments, the NRC recommended that the program to verify switch settings be

extended to ensure MOVs.operate properly in all safety-related fluid systems.

To meet the recommendations of the bulletin and the generic letter, licensees

have placed increasing reliance on diagnostic equipment to set the motor

operator switches and to ensure the operability of MOVs. The accuracy of the

diagnostic equipment has a direct impact on the operability of entire safety

systems because the same diagnostic equipment is generally used to set the

motor operator switches of the valves in all trains of a safety system.

This concern for the effect that the use of diagnostic equipment can have on

overall system operability prompted NRC to participate in the MUG validation

testing. The NRC will continue to monitor the activities of licensees and

diagnostic equipment vendors in evaluating the results of the MUG test program.

IN 91-61 September 30, 1991 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 project manager.

ckg

Charles E. Rossi, Director

<4't

t 1J

Division of Operational Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Thomas G. Scarbrough, NRR

(301) 492-0794 Owen 0. Rothberg, RES

(301) 492-3924 Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

Attachment - --

I . F -. 1 9141 September 30, 1991 page I of I

LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRCINFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

91-60 False Alarms of Alarm 09/24/91 All Nuclear Resulatory Cor- Ratemeters Because of mission (NRC) icensees

aediofrequency Inter- authorized to use saled

ference sources for industrial

rediography.

91-59 Problems with Access 09/23/91 All holders of 0US or CPs

Authorization Progras for nuclear power reactors.

91-58 Dependency of Offset 09/20/91 All holders of OLs or CPs

Disc Butterfly Valves for nuclear power reactors.

Operation on Orientation

with Respect to Flow

91-57 Operational Esperienc 09/19/91 All holders of OLs or CPs

on us Tnrnsfers for nuclear power reactors.

91-56 Potential Radioactive 09/19/91 All holders of OLsor CPs

Leakage to Tank Vented for nuclear power reactors.

to Atmosphenr

S1-S5 Failures Caused by An 09/16/91 All holders of OLsor CPs

Improperly Adjusted Test for nuclear power reactors.

Link In 4.16 KW6eneral

Electric Switchgear

BS-16. Failures of Undernoltcge 09/10/91 All holders of OLSor CPs for

Supp. I Output Circuit Boards In Westinghouse (W1)-designed

the NestinghouseDesaigned nuclear power reactors.

Solid State Protection

System

91-54 Foreign Experience begard- 09/06191 All holders of OLs or CPs

lng Boron Dilution for pressurized water

reactors (PtRS).

• 9-90 Pressurizer Safety Vnlve 09/05/91 All holders of OLSor CPs.

Supp. 2 Lift Setpoint Shift for nuclear power reactors.

eL

• Operating License

CP

• Constrwction Permit

IN 91-XX

August XX, 1991 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 project manager.

Charles E. Rossi, Director

Division of Operational Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Thomas G. Scarbrough, NRR

(301) 492-0794 Owen 0. Rothberg, RES

(301) 492-3924 Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

OFC :C:EIB:DSIR:RES:D:DS v RES:C:OGCB:DOEA:NRR:D:DOEA:NRR:

NAME :RL6 iel 2  : ers :CHBerlinger :CERossi

DATE: /; /91 -09/I /91 :08/ /91 :08/ /91  :

OFC :OGCB:DOEA:NRR:TEd:FIPS:ADM:EMEB * :NRR:CE :NRR:D :EIB:DSIR:RES:

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NAME :RJKiessel :JMain 9 n :TG carbrough:J  : ERcha

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DATE :08/) 91X :08/2C/91 :P7/3 /91 WK7i /91i--/- -/ ; /91/1 $X

ocument am UJ VALIDAT N W/amwiv-"k

IN 91-XX

September XX, 1991 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 project manager.

Charles E. Rossi, Director

Division of Operational Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Thomas G. Scarbrough, NRR

(301) 492-0794 Owen 0. Rothberg, RES

(301) 492-3924 Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

• SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCES

OFC *C:EIB:DSIR:RES*D:DSIR:RES:C:OGCB:DOEA:NRR:D:DOEA:NRR:

__ _ _- ------------------------

-- -----------

NAME :RLBaer :WMinners :CH~ar gt---J :CERoss --  ::

DATE :09/06/91 :09/06/91 :09/17/91 :09/ /91  :

OFC *OGCB:DOEA:NRR*TEd:FIPS:ADM*EMEB:DET:NRR*C/EMEB:DET:NRR*D:DET:NRR *EIB:DSIR:RES:

____- ___------___-___-_______ -__ -___ -_-___:-------------_:_-----------:------------:

NAME :RJKiessel :JMain :TGScarbrough:JANorberg :JERichardson:OORothberg  :

_____ _____ _ _______:__-----_--- -------

__------:------------:----------

-  :------

DATE :08/26/91 :08/26/91 :09/03/91 :09/03/91 :09/03/91 :09/04/91 Document Name: MUG VALIDATION TESTING IN

- .IN 91-61 September 30, 1991 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 project manager.

(~e go

114Lkharles E. Rossi, Director

( Division of Operational Events Assessment

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contacts: Thomas G. Scarbrough, NRR

(301) 492-0794 Owen 0. Rothberg, RES

(301) 492-3924 Attachment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices

• SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCES e

OFC *C:EIB:DSIR:RES*D:DSIR:RES:*C:OGCB:DbOEA:NRR:D-.DUEA:NR X-  :

NAME :RLBaer :WMinners  : CHBerlinger :CERossi  :

DATE :09/06/91 :09/06/91  : 09/17/91 :09 f 90 :  :

OFC *OGCB:DOEA:NRR*TEd:FIPS:ADM*EMEB:DET:NRR*C/EMEB:DET:NRR*D:DET:NRR *EIB:DSIR:RES:

____ ___------__--__-------____ -_-_-_-_-___:_ ------------  :------------:--------  :-

NAME :RJKiessel :JMain :TGScarbrough:JANorberg :JERichardson:OORothberg  :

___

DATE :08/26/91  :------------:09/03/91 -:9/03/91 -:090/1 :09--1--------

DATE :08/26/91 :08/26/91 :09/03/91 :09/03/91 :09/03/91 :09/04/91  :

Document Name: IN 91-61