IR 05000498/1988032

Insp Repts 50-498/88-32 & 50-499/88-32 on 880516-20.No Violations or Deviations Noted.Major Areas Inspected: Licensee Water Chemistry & Radiochemistry Programs & post-accident Sampling Sys

ML20196K671
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	06/20/1988
From:	Baer R, Nicholas J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:
Shared Package
ML20196K664	List: IR 05000498/1988032 ML20196K661
References
50-498-88-32, 50-499-88-32, NUDOCS 8807070071
Download: ML20196K671 (7)

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APPENDIX-U.S. NUCLEAR RcGULATORY COMMISSION

REGION IV

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NRC Inspection Report: 50-498/88-32 Operating License: NPF-76'

50-499/88-32 Construction' Permit: CPPR-129

. Dockets: 50-498-50-499 Licensee: Houston Lighting & Powe'r Company (HL&P)

P.O. Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77001 Facility Name: South Texas Project Electric Generating Station (STP), Units 1 and 2

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Inspection At: STP Site, Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas Inspection Conducted: May 16-20', 1988 Inspector:

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C, d 4//4/rp J SB. Nicholas, Senior Radiation Specialist Date -.

ScilitiesRadiologicalProtectionSection

' Approved:

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h Rf E. Baer, Chief, Facilities Radiological M20Ah3 Date Protection Section Inspection Summary Inspection Conducted May 16-20, 1988 (Report 50-498/88-32)

Areas Inspected: Routine, unannounced inspection of the licensee's water chemistry and radiochemistry programs and the postaccident sampling syste Results: Within the areas inspected, no violations or deviations were identified. One previously identified open item was closed.

[ Inspection Conducted May 16-20, 1988 (Report 50-499/88-32)

i Areas Inspected: No inspection of Unit 2 was conducte Results: Not applicable.

l 8807070071 880627 PDR ADOCK 05000498 Q PDC

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DETAILS Persons Contacted HL&P

• Wisenberg, Plant Superintendent, Unit 1

• P. T. Appleby, Manager, Nuclear Training J. E. Behm, Quality Assurance (QA) Lead Auditor S. E. Citzler, Chemical Analysis Technical Supervisor, Unit 2 W. P. Evans, Licensing Engineer

• R. A. Gangluff, Chemical Analysis Supervisor

• J. D. Green, Manager, Inspection and Surveillance

• S. M. Head, Licensing Engineer Supervisor W. G. Isereau, QA Surveillance Supervisor W. F. Jocher, Chemical Support Supervisor J. R. Lovell, Manager, Technical Services R. J. Rehkugler, QA Audits Supervisor K. E. Runk, Senior Chemistry Technician R. P. Sanders, Chemistry Technician R. E. Schirmer, Chemical Analysis Technical Supervir , Unit 1 R. G. Strebeck, Senior Chemistry Technician P. J. Thorne, Lead Chemistry Technician

• T. E. Underwood, Manager, Chemical Operations & Analysis (C0&A)

NRC

• J. E. Bess, Operations Resident Inspector, STP

• D. L. Garrison, Construction Resident Inspector, STP

• J. L. Milhoan, Director, Division of Reactor Safety

• Denotes those present during the exit interview on May 20, 198 . Followup on Previously Identified Inspection Findings (92701)

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(Closed) Open Item 498/8624-07: Postaccident Sampling System (PASS) -

This item was identified in NRC Inspection Report 50-498/8624 and involved completion of the installation of an operable PASS in STP, Unit 1. The licensee, on February 26, 1988, demonstrated for the onsite NRC inspector the capability to collect and analyze samples fram the reactor coolant system and containment atmosphere within 3 hour3.472222e-5 days <br />8.333333e-4 hours <br />4.960317e-6 weeks <br />1.1415e-6 months <br /> . NRC Inspector Observations

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The following are observations the NRC inspector discussed with the licensee during the exit interview on May 20, 1988. These observations are not violations, deviations, unresolved items, or open items. These observations were identified for licensee consideration for program

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improvement,'but the observations'have-no. specific regulatory requirement The licensee stated that these observations would be evaluate Chemistry Technician PASS Training - The licensee'had not. conducted

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PASS operation training for ten recently assigned senior chemistry technicians (see paragraph 5). ' Chemistry Analysis Section Training Reviews - The chemistry analysis section supervisor had not completed reviews of all chemistry technician training records (see paragraph 5). Water Chemistry Laboratory Instrument Quality Control - The licensee had not included several water chemistry laboratory instruments on the computer scheduling system'to track calibration /standarization and performance check requirements (see paragraph 6).

- Organization and Management Controls (83722/83522)

The NRC inspector reviewed the licensee's organization, staffing, identification and correction of program weaknesses, audits and appraisals, communication to employees, and documentation and implementation of the water chemistry and radiochemistry programs to determine adherence to commitments in Chapter 13.1 of the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) and the requirements in Section 6.2 of Unit 1 Technical Specifications (TS).

The NRC inspector verified that the organizational structure of the C0&A division was as defined in the FSAR and TS. The NRC inspector reviewed the C0&A staff assignments and management controls for the assignment of responsibilities for the management and implementation of the STP, Unit 1, water chemistry and radiochemistry programs. The'NRC inspector verified that the administrative control and program implementing responsibilities specified in the FSAR, TS, and STP procedures were being implemente The NRC inspector reviewed the staffing of-the chemical analysis section (CAS) and the chemical support _section (CSS) of the C0&A division and noted that, since the previous NRC water chemistry / radio 3emistry

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inspection in November 1987, the CAS has added seven senior chemistry technicians and the CSS has added a radwaste technical supervisor and two radwaste specialists. The number of CAS and CSS personnel were determined to be in accordance with licensee commitments for Unit 1, and additional personnel were in training for the staffing of Unit 2.

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No violations or deviations were identifie . Training and Qualifications (83723/83523)

The NRC inspector reviewed the licensee's training and qualification program for CAS and CSS personnel including education and experience, adequacy and quality of training, employee knowledge, qualification

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requirements, new employees, Institute of Nuclear Power Operation (INPO)

accreditation, and audits and appraisals to determine adherence to commitments in Chapters 13.1 and 13.2 of the FSAR and the requirements in Section 6.4 of the Unit 1 T The NRC inspector reviewed the education and experience backgrounds of the present CAS and CSS staffs and determined that all personnel met the qutlifications specified in the FSAR, TS, and ANSI /ANS 3.1-1981. The NRC inspector reviewed the CAS shift staffing assignments and determined that the licensee had an adequate staff to meet staffing requirements for Unit 1 and had implemented training of personnel for Unit The NRC inspector reviewed the licensee's program for training and qualification of STP CAS personnel. The NRC inspector found that the licensee's chemistry training program was being implemented and documented in accordance with STP procedures. It was determined that the chemistry training program was in the task analysis stage of INP0 accreditatio The NRC inspector reviewed the CAS individual staff training records and qualification cards. It was noted that 13 of the lead and senior chemistry technicians had received PASS training. However, it was also noted that the seven recently hired senior chemistry technicians and the three recently proraoted chemistry technicians to senior chemistry technicians had not received PASS qualification training. This observation was discussed with the licensee during the inspection and at the exit interview on May 20, 1988. The licensee agreed to schedule PASS qualification training for these ten senior chemistry technicians as soon as possible, The NRC inspector also observed that CAS sapervisors' reviews of the chemistry technicians' training records and all phases of the qualification training had not been completed for all chemistry technicians. These reviews should be completed as soon as possible for all completed training so as to couplete the CAS personnel training record No violations or deviations were identifie . Light Water Reactor Water Chemistry Control n d Chemical Analysis (79701)

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The dRC inspector reviued the licensee's water chemistry program including establishment and implementation of a water chemistry control program, sampling, facilities and equipment, and establishment and implementation of a quality control program for chemical measurements to determine adherence to commitments in Chapters 9 and 10 of the FSAR and the requirements in Section 3/4.7.1.4 and 6.8 of the Unit 1 T The NRC inspector's review of the water chemistry program fot.nd that the licensee had revised and approved surveillance procedures, chemical

control procedures, instrument calibration and quality control procedures, and analytical procedures. A review of selected procedures revised and i

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approved since'the previous NRC ir.sp N November 1987 indicated that the CAS had established sufficient pu ' procedures to meet the requirements of the FSAR and T ~

The NRC inspector inspected the facilitit. and equipment used by the CAS staff. The following facilities were inspected: water chemistry laboratory, radiochemistry . laboratory, and radiochemistry counting roo The laboratories were equipped with the necessary' chemicals, reagents, labware, and analytical instrumentation to perform the required analytical procedures. The water chemistry and radiochemistry facilities and analytical instrumentation appeared to be adequate to perform routine water chemistry and radiochemistry requirements to support plant operation The NRC inspector reviewed selected water chemistry procedures for chemical analysis of secondary water to determine compliance with TS requirements. The NRC inspector witnessed the sampling of the steam generator blowdown and_the preparation and analysis of these samples for gross specific activity in accordance with TS requirement The NRC inspector reviewed selected water chemistry proceduras for operation, calibration, and quality control of the water chemistry laboratory instrumentation to determine the adequacy and effectiveness of the licensee's water chemistry messurement program. It was observed that the atomic absorption flame spectrometer instrument logbook in the water chemistry laboratory did not contain calibration curves for analysis of <

iron, copper, and nickel. The calibration curves were found in the atomic absorption flame spectrometer instrumeit logbook in the radiochemistry laboratory. The calibration curves indicated no date of calibration performance. The licensee wrote a condition report and generated new-calibration curves for both atomic absorption instruments immediately on May 19, 1988. It was also observed that several laboratory L instrumentation calibration / standardization and performance check l requirements were not being controlled and tracked by the computer l

scheduling system. This observation was discussed with the licensee l

during the inspection and at the exit interview on May 20, 1988. The licensee indicated that they would evaluate the NRC inspector's observations and take corrective actions for program improvement.

t No violations or deviations were identified.

j 7. Quality Assurance and Confirmatory Measurements for In-Plant Radiochemical l Analysis (84725)

I l The NRC inspector reviewed the licensee's raalochemical analysis program

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including procedures, facilities 6nd equipment, and implementation of l chemistry control of the reactor coolant system and plant borated water I sources to determine adherence to commitments in Chapters 5 and 9 in the FSAR and the requirements in Sections 3/4.1.2.5, 3/4.4.7, 3/4.5.1, i

3/4.5.5, and 6.8 of the Unit 1 T <

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The NRC insoecter reviewed selected' radiochemistry laboratory analytical procedures revised and approved.since the previous NRC inspection in November 1987 and determined that the licensee had established and implemented sufficient analytical procedures to meet the FSAR and TS'

requirement The NPC inspector reviewed the licensee's records for the period January through May 1988 to determine compliance with TS requirements for sampling and analysis of the reactor coolant system,'the boric acid storage system, the refueling water storage tank, and the accumulators. The NRC inspector verified that all TS required chemistry sampling and analyses of the above listed systems had been performe The NRC inspector witnessed the sampling of the refueling water storage-tank and the performance of the boron analysis. The analysis results met the TS requirement. The NRC inspector also witnessed the sampling of the-

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ree: tor coolant system and the performance of the TS required analyses including: dissolved oxygen, fluoride, chloride, boron, and isotopic specific activity. In conjunction with observing the chemistry technician's laboratory techniques, the NRC inspector verified that

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laboratory reagents were currently standardized and that laboratory instruments were in current calibration and quality control checks had been performed according to STP procedure The NRC inspector was unable to inspect the operation of the PASS due to the plant being shutdown at the time of the inspection. However, the NRC inspector reviewed the results of the PASS operational tests performed on February 26, 1988, which were witnessed by onsite NRC and STP QA personnel. The results demonstrated satisfactorily the initial system capability to sample and analyze a sample of reactor coolant and a sample of cor N . ment atmosphere within the required 3 hours3.472222e-5 days <br />8.333333e-4 hours <br />4.960317e-6 weeks <br />1.1415e-6 months <br /> in accordance with NUREG-0/3 The NRC inspector reviewed the C0&A Operating Order 87-037,

"PASS Operational Checks," dated November 16, 1987, which provides for weekly checks to be performed on the PASS. Results of these weekly checks for the period January through May 1988 were reviewed and appeared to be adequate to maintain and test the PASS operabilit No violations or deviations were identifie . Quality Assurance Program (79701; 84725)

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l The NRC inspector reviewed the licensee's QA surveillance and audit I

programs regarding water chemistry and radiochemistry activities to i determine adherence to commitments in Chapter 17 of the FSAR and the

! requirements in Section 6.5.2.8 of the Unit 1 TS.

t The NRC inspector reviewed the audit schedules for 1987 and 1988, QA surveillance and audit plans and checklists, selected QA procedures, and the qualifications of QA auditors. Surveillance reports and audit reports of QA activities performed during 1987 and the first quarter of 1988 in j

the areas of water chemistry and radiochemistry were reviewed for scope to

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9 ensure thoroughness of-program evaluation. The NRC inspector determined that the QA surveillances and audits were comprehensive and designed.to-ensure compliance-with the FSAR, TS, and STP procedures. The NRC inspector. verified that:the audit findings had been reviewed by licensee's management and the responses and corrective actions to findings and concerns had been determined satisfactory and documented in accordance with QA procedures. The NRC-inspector determined that the surveillances

.and audits were performed by qualified personnel and the audit teams included'a technical. specialist trained and knowledgeable in chemistry activities of nuclear power facilitie No violations or deviations were identifie . Exit Interview The NRC inspector met with the NRC resident inspectors and the licensee representatives identified in paragraph 1 of this report at the conclusion of the inspection on May 20, 1988. The NRC inspector summarized the scope of the inspection and discussed the inspection findings and inspector observations as presented in this repor .

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