ML20133C377

Responds to Request for Info on Item 13 in BNL Rept Re Exposure Time of Low Hydrogen Electrodes to Environ After Removal from Hermetically Sealed Containers or Drying/ Storage Ovens.Related Correspondence

ML20133C377
Person / Time
Site:	Palo Verde, Midland, 05000000
Issue date:	05/24/1985
From:	Jackie Cook CONSUMERS ENERGY CO. (FORMERLY CONSUMERS POWER CO.)
To:	James Keppler NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
Shared Package
ML20133C381	List: ML20133C377 ML20133C405
References
CON-#385-192 32286, OL, OM, NUDOCS 8508070027
Download: ML20133C377 (5)

Text

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MM Consumers Power James W Cook O h Vice President - Projects. Engsneering and Construction oeneral offices: 1948 West Parnell Road, Jackson, MI 49201 * (517) 788 0453 CSC KETEI' U3HRC May 24, 1985

'85 HAY 30 A11:25 Mr J G Keppler, Regional Administrator j:- 3 ,

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission COCc.E u'2 .-

Region III EM*

799 Roosevelt Road Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 g .g,g g gq MIDLAND ENERGY CENTER GWO 7020 LOW HYDROGEN ELECTRODE WELDING CONTROL PROGRMi FILE: 0505.2, 0.4.2 SERIAL: 32286

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Reference:

(1) J W Cook letter to J G Keppler, Brookhaven National Laboratory Report Concerning Welding Program Allegations, Serial 32225, dated April 19, 1985 (2) Charles Norelius Letter to J W Cook, dated March 22, 1985 transmitting BNL Report on Welding Allegations, dated January 1985 Reference (1) provided our response to reference (2). This letter responds to your request for further information on item 13 in the Brookhaven Report concerning the exposure time of low hydrogen electrodes to the environment after removal from their hermetically sealed containers or drying / storage ovens. Reference 2 requested that we provide any information "to show that relief from the requirements of AWS D1.1 (as described in the BNL evaluation of Allegation 13) was granted to CPCo or Bechtel for welding activities at the Midland site."

On page 13 of the BNL report the response to Allegation 13 states in part:

"Bechtel personnel at the Midland site belisve their program has NRC approval. Several documents were examined which indicate an alternative program was submitted to the NRC and accepted by the Division of Reactor Construction Inspection, IE (dated December 8, 1977, G W Reinmuth to R H Engalken) but, was specific to the ?alo Verde site."

At the time of the NRC investigation, Bechtel personnel believed that their program had an NRC Generic approval. The basis for the belief was: (1) an April 28, 1978 memorandum from B D Hackney to P A Martinez (copy given to Brookhaven), (2) a December 8, 1977 NRC memorandum, G W 3einmuth to R H l

Engelhen (copy given to Brookhaven), and (3) discussions with various Bechtel staff personnel to obtain information to support the on-going NRC investiga-tion. See also a copy of a May 9, 1978 Bechtel memorandum written by B D Hackney to Lex and Mitchell who were management representatives within Bechtel OC0585-0033B-MP02 8508070027 850524 gDR ADOCK 05000329 PDR

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2 Power Corporation. Copies of all three letters (Attachments 1 through 3) are provided for your information. Approvals of exposure times longer than four hours at some projects had been obtained from the NRC; the Bechtel construc-tion sites of Palo Verde and San Onafre allowed a 12-hour exposure tine and Grand Gulf allowed up to a 14-hour exposure time all in unheated containers.

The testing by Bechtel for the alternative program to extend atmospheric exposure time beyond four hours was made available to the above sites and Midland. The testing was done under the provision of 5.2 of the code which allows alternative qualifications to specific code elements. The letter (Attachment 4) from the AWS Structural Welding Committee to Chicago Bridge and Iron addresses this specific item. 1 The Midland weld wire control program generally reflects the Bechtel corporate (M&QS) Program (WFMC-1). Over the course of the project, there have been discussions between CPCo and Bechtel as to what the specific Midland program should be and various additional conservative requirements were imposed by Consumers Power. Region III Inspectors specifically reviewed the Midland weld wire control program in March of 1978. At that time there were no findings or open items identified from that inspection.

In the BNL report summary they classify this item as not significant in that it has been responded to on a technical basis, and BNL's remaining question was that a response be provided to address the Bechtel generic or Midland specific NRC approval. As a result of our research, it has been confirmed that there was never a specific Midland approval nor does Bechtel now believe that there was ever a documented generic (Topical Report) approval obtained from the NRC. However, we believe that the relevant question in this allega-tion is not whether the NRC had specifically approved the out-of-oven time but whether Midland practices were in compliance with the applicable Code (AWS DI.1-72 through July 1974 addenda) to which the Project was committed. It is possible that ,the investigation failed to consider that the 10-hour question did not appear until the 1979 edition of the Code.

If Region III believes that more discussion or review # si necessary to address this issue, w; propose that such actions be deferred to when and if there is a Project restart. As stated in reference 1, we will bring specific suggestions to the NRC Staff for resolution cf all remaining open items and the conclu-sions reached at that time can be factored into the programs used for comple-tion of the job.

6 JWC/WRB/lr CC: WShafer, NRC RLandsman, NRC AJBoos, Bechtel )

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OC0585-0033B-MP02

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Attachments

1. Bechtel Interoffice Memorandum B D Hackney to P A Martinez, dated April 28, 1978

2. NRC Memorandum, G W Reinmuth to R H Engelhen, dated December 8, 1977

3. Bechtel Interoffice Memorandum, B D Hackney to B L Lex /M J Mitchell, Qualification of an Alternative Electrode Control Procedure, (BDH-058-07) dated May 9, 1978

4. AWS Committee letter to Chicago Bridge and Iron dated December 19, 1974 6

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OC0585-00333-MP02

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s OM/0L SERVICE LIST Mr Frank J Kelley Atomic Safety & Licensing Attorney General o'f the Appeal Board State of Michigan U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission M's Carole Steinberg Washington, DC 20555 Assistant Attorney __ General Environmental Protection Division Mr C R Stephens (3) 720 Law Building Chief. Docketing & Services Lansing, MI 48913 U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission Offico of the Secretary Washington, DC 20555 Mr Myron M Cherry, Esq Suite 3700 Ms Mary Sinclair Three First National Plaza 5711 Summerset Street Chicago, IL 60602 Midland, MI 48640 Mr Wendell H Marshall Mr William D Paton, Esq RFD 10 Counsel for the NRC Staff

, Midland, MI 48640 U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555 Mr Charles Bechhoefer, Esq Atomic Safety & Licensing Atomic Safety & Licensing Board Panel Board Panel

- U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission '

Washington, DC 20555 Washington, DC 20555 Ms Barbara Stamaris Dr Frederick P Cowan 5795 North River Road 6152 N Verde Trail Rt 3 Apt B-125 Freeland, MI 48623 Boca Raton, FL 33433 Dr Jerry Harbour Mr Fred C Williams Atomic Safety & Licensing Isham, Lincoln & Beale Board Panel 1120 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 840 U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20036 Washington, DC 20555 Mr James E Brunner,- Esq Consumers Power Company Mr M I Miller, Esq 212 West Michigan Avenue Isham, Lincoln & Beale Jackson, MI 49201 Three First National Plaza  !

52nd Floor Chicago, IL 60602 Mr Steve Gadler, Esq Mr John Demeester, Esq 2120 Carter Avenue Dow Chemical Building i St Paul, MN 55108 Michigan Division Midland MI 48640 Mr P Robert Brown Clark, Klein & Beaumont Ms Lynne Bernabei

, 1600 First Federal Bldg Government Accountability Project Woodward Ave 1901 Q Street, NW Detroit, MI 48226 Washington, DC 20009 OC0585-0033A-MP02

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, A copy of the report, " Qualification of.an Altenative Electrode .

f?rogram for AWS D1.1," prepared by M5qS for the Palo Verde Project q . /. >

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, The report. has been submitted to and,secepted by :he NRC as a .

" Topical Report" thereby per=itting generic use of the alternative "

3-electrode control practices and procedures desdbed. ' ~ ' '. -

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It is unlikely a PSAR change will be necessary 'since. ANS D1 l' pe'i::ii,'ts '.

the type of alternate qualification perfor:ed; however, each~ project . . ' .-

will need to deter::ine the correct acurcach to imolement the alternative - , . - '

procedare.

Implementation of proceddes should re'sult in unifo'rs /.N r "+:- J' application to essentially all phases of welding and should pel:=it"~ l '..

the elimination of poi:able red war =ers for E7018, austeni1;ic ;spainless ,,

steel and nickel base electrodes. , ,

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