Information Notice 1999-13, Insights from NRC Inspections of Low-and Medium-Voltage Circuit Breaker Maintenance Programs

Insights from NRC Inspections of Low-and Medium-Voltage Circuit Breaker Maintenance Programs

ML031040447
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, 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:	04/29/1999
Revision:	0
From:	Marsh L B Division of Regulatory Improvement Programs
To:
References
IN-99-013, NUDOCS 9904280024
Download: ML031040447 (10)

April 29, 1999

NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 99-13: INSIGHTS FROM NRC INSPECTIONS OF LOW- ANDMEDIUM-VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKERMAINTENANCE PROGRAMS

Addressees

All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors.

Purpose

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information notice to summarizeobservations made and insights gained during inspections of licensee circuit breakermaintenance programs. It is expected that recipients will review the information for applicabilityto their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate. However, suggestions contained in thisinformation notice are not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written responseis required.

Description of Circumstances

Because of concerns about the reliability of safety-related medium-voltage (4-kV to 15-kV) andlow-voltage (600-V and below) power circuit breakers, the NRC inspected the circuit breakermaintenance programs at eight nuclear power plant sites in 1998, using Temporary Instruction(TI) 2515/137, Revision 1, "Inspection of Medium-Voltage and Low-Voltage Power CircuitBreakers," issued on March 9, 1998. For more detailed information, the individual inspectionreports are available through the NRC Public Document Room. Attachment I lists theinspection reports and their accession numbers.The TI inspections confirmed that the programs were generally adequate. However,observations made at several of the plants inspected indicate that licensee programs haveseveral areas in common in which improvement may be desirable. In addition, in a fewinstances certain aspects of programs did not meet NRC requirements, and violations werecited. Licensees for the inspected plants have already taken steps to address many of theareas of concern identified by the inspections. This notice was developed so that all licenseesmay take advantage of insights gained from the inspections when considering circuit breakermaintenance program improvements.DiscussionSignificant observations from the TI inspections are described below and have beencategorized as follow: (1) general programmatic issues, (2) preventive maintenance,i9042k8 o0l0 3(EEDEZq9Dt IN 99-13April 29, 1999 (3) licensee/vendor interface, (4) control voltage calculations, and (5) operating experiencereview. However, licensees are encouraged to review the inspection reports for detailedfindings and their resolutions.I. General Programmatic IssuesLicensee preventive maintenance procedures and practices did not always reflect all of theapplicable vendor recommendations or industry operating experience, and when licenseesdeviated from such recommendations and operating experience there was often nodocumented basis or rationale given. Adherence to vendor recommendations is not aregulatory requirement, but a sound engineering basis for such deviations is Important, andshould be performed in consultation with the vendor when possible, to ensure that valuablevendor information is not overlooked.Storage, shelf life, environment, segregation, and issuance of lubricants and cleaning materialswere not well controlled. Some licensees had not identified shelf lives for circuit breakerlubricants and cleaning agents or solvents.Individual breakers at some plants either did not come with or were not given unique identifiers.Some licensees were not aware that group or series identifiers, such as shop order numbers,were not unique. Some licensees did not record both the breaker serial number, when present,or the cubicle number in maintenance records to allow for tracking of breaker location,performance, and maintenance history.At most plants, the racking of breakers In and out of the cubicle (and local operation whenrequired) was the job of operations department personnel rather than circuit breakermaintenance personnel. However, operations department training and/or procedures did notalways cover breaker position verification or functional testing in the connected position (closingthe breaker and running load equipment, when permitted by plant conditions). Trainingoperations department personnel to verify proper indications, closing spring recharging, andrestoration of all electrical and mechanical interfaces and interlocks, and cycling the breakerafter it is racked in, could result in fewer failures to close on demand.II. Preventive MaintenancePreventive maintenance was not always performed with the frequency recommended by theoriginal equipment manufacturer (OEM), and licensees had no documented justification fordeviating from that frequency.Maintenance procedures sometimes did not cover inspection for specific problems identified inindustry operating experience. Some licensees stated that they covered such items in training,but specific items in question were seldom explicitly addressed in lesson plan IN 99-13April 29, 1999 Ill. Licenseeh/endor InterfaceThe TI inspections revealed that circuit breaker and switchgear vendor manuals were often notkept current, and the programs for periodic recontact provided for in Generic Letter (GL) 90-03were ineffective in obtaining revisions or updates to vendor manuals, or other pertinenttechnical information.Some licensees identified areas in which improvements could be made to vendor interfaceprograms, including (1) periodic review of plant equipment to ensure that lists of key safety-related equipment are current, (2) establishing organizational and procedural interfaces andlinks to ensure that vendor interface personnel are kept informed of equipment changes ormodifications, (3) establishing personal contact with the appropriate vendor personnel,(4) substantial involvement in the process by technically knowledgeable personnel, and(5) periodic comprehensive reconciliation with the vendor of lists of equipment and relatedtechnical publications or documentation.IV. Control Voltaae CalculationsThe TI inspections revealed that a few licensees had not performed the circuit breaker controlvoltage calculations based on as-built systems. In some cases where calculations wereperformed several discrepancies were identified, including (1) not starting with the minimumbattery voltage; (2) using an incorrect minimum battery voltage that did not take into accountloading, state of discharge, and/or aging factors; (3) using incorrect current paths, cablelengths, conductor sizes, and/or ohms/foot values to determine overall cable resistance;(4) calculation of cable conductor resistance using ambient temperature values, but neglectingtemperature rise caused by heat from surrounding cables In a raceway or without having datato justify the non-conservative lower temperature assumption; and (5) using incorrect loadingvalues in the final determinations of voltage drops. One licensee, had not translated this designbasis information into test procedures to demonstrate breaker operability (NRC InspectionReport 50-266/98-13).V. Operating Experience ReviewAt most of the plants inspected, weaknesses were observed in the review of operationalexperience documents related to low- and medium-voltage circuit breakers. These documentsincluded NRC information notices (INs); INPO SEE-IN documents or Nuclear Network reports;and vendor information, such as service information letters, technical bulletins, or serviceadvisory letters.The TI inspections revealed instances of industry operating experience information erroneouslydetermined to be not applicable because of narrowly focused and/or superficial reviews, andinsufficient involvement by technically knowledgeable personnel. Problems genericallyapplicable to several types of breakers were often not recognized because the plant's breakersdid not have exactly the same model designation as the one used as an example in theinformation notice or the vendor technical bulleti IN 99-13April 29, 1999 TI 2515/137, Revision 1, lists 62 NRC information notices and bulletins that deal with problemswith low- and medium-voltage power circuit breakers. As many as one-third of these wereerroneously determined to be not applicable at one or more plants.Related Generic CommunicationsIN 98-38, Metal-Clad Circuit Breaker Maintenance Issues Identified by NRC Inspections,".issued on October 15, 1998, alerted licensees to issues identified by reactive NRC inspectionsat plants that experienced problems concerning circuit breaker reliability in 1997. The eventsdiscussed in that information notice were the catalyst that prompted the TI inspections oflicensee maintenance programs in 1998.ConclusionThis information notice requires no specific action or written response. However, recipients arereminded that they are required to consider industry-wide operating experience (including NRCinformation notices) where practical when setting goals and performing periodic evaluationsunder Section 50.65, "Requirement for monitoring the effectiveness of maintenance at nuclearpower plants," of Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If you have anyquestions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contactslisted below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.Ledyard B. Marsh, ChiefEvents Assessment, Generic Communications,and Non-Power Reactors BranchDivision of Regulatory Improvement ProgramsOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnical contacts: Stephen Alexander, NRR Amar Pal, NRR301- 415-2995 301- 415-2760E-mail: sdaDnrc.cov E-mail: anDrtnrc.aovDavid Skeen, NRR S.K. Mitra, NRR301- 415-1174 301- 415-2783E-mail: dlsO-nrc.gov E-mail: skm1I(nrc.aov

Attachments:

1. Table of NRC TI Inspection Reports2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices I -1'UAttachment 1IN 99-13April 29, 1999 TABLE I -Temporary Instruction 26151137 Inspection ReportsPLANT REPORT ISSUE ACCESSIONNUMBER DATE NUMBERCallaway 50-483/98-15 10/26/98 9810290263Hatch 1 & 2 50-326/98-08 04/30/98 9805110181Nine Mile Point 2 50-410/98-18 11/13/98 9811240071Perry 50-440/98-11 07/16/98 9807220299Point Beach 1 & 2 50-266/98-13 09/11/98 9809180178Seabrook 50-443/98-07 09/28/98 9810050116Sequoyah 1 & 2 5D-327/98-05 06/12/98 9807070138Waterford 3 50-382/98-13 111/17/98 9811240126

-4Attachment 2IN99-13April 29, 1999 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUEDNRC INFORMATION NOTICESInformation Date ofNotice No. Subject Issuance Issued to99-12Year 2000 Computer SystemsReadiness Audits4/28/99All holders of operating licensesor construction permits for nuclearpower plants99-11Incidents Involving the Use ofRadioactive Iodine-1314/23199All medical use licensees97-15, Sup 1Reporting of Errors and 4/16/99Changes inLarge-Break/Small-Break Loss-of-Coolant Evaluationmodels of Fuel Vendors andCompliance with 10 CFR 50.46(a)(3) certified that fuelfrom the reactorAll holders of operating licenseesfor nuclear power reactors, exceptthose who have permanentlycease operations and havehas been permanently removed99-1099-0999-0899-07Degradation of Prestressing 4/13/99Tendon Systems in PrestressedConcrete ContainmentsProblems Encountered When 3/24/99Manually Editing Treatment Dataon The Nucletron Microselectron-HDR(New) Model 105.999Urine Specimen Adulteration 4/11/99Fire Protection Preaction 3/22/99Sprinkler System Deluge ValveFailures and Potentials TestingDeficienciesAll holders of Ols for nuclearpower reactorsAll medical licensees authorizedto conduct high-dose-rate (HDR)remote after loadingbrachytherapy treatmentsAll holders of operating licenseesFor nuclear power reactors andlicensees authorized to possessor use formula quantities ofstrategic special nuclear material(SSNM)All NRC licenseesOL = Operating LicenseCP = Construction Permit IN 99-13April 29, 1999 TI 2515/137, Revision 1, lists 62 NRC information notices and bulletins that deal with problemswith low- and medium-voltage power circuit breakers. As many as one-third of these wereerroneously determined to be not applicable at one or more plants.Related Generic CommunicationsIN 98-38, "Metal-Clad Circuit Breaker Maintenance Issues Identified by NRC Inspections,"issued on October 15, 1998, alerted licensees to issues identified by reactive NRC inspectionsat plants that experienced problems concerning circuit breaker reliability in 1997. The eventsdiscussed in that information notice were the catalyst that prompted the TI inspections oflicensee maintenance programs in 1998.ConclusionThis information notice requires no specific action or written response. However, recipients arereminded that they are required to consider industry-wide operating experience (including NRCinformation notices) where practical when setting goals and performing periodic evaluationsunder Section 50.65, "Requirement for monitoring the effectiveness of maintenance at nuclearpower plants," of Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If you have anyquestions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contactslisted below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.[Original signed by]Ledyard B. Marsh, ChiefEvents Assessment, Generic Communications,and Non-Power Reactors BranchDivision of Regulatory Improvement ProgramsOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnical contacts: Stephen Alexander, NRR Amar Pal, NRR301- 415-2995 301- 415-2760E-mail: sdaO-nrc.gov E-mail: anPDnrc.govDavid Skeen, NRR S.K. Mitra, NRR301- 415-1174 301- 415-2783E-mail: dlsO-nrc.aov E-mail: skm1(Dnrc.aov

Attachments:

1. Table of NRC TI Inspection Reports2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information NoticesDOCUMENT NAME: G:\DLS\BKRINSP.IN -See previous concurrenceTo receive a copy of this document, Indicate in the box C=Copy wfo attachment/enclosure E=Copy with attachment/enclosure N = No copyOFFICE PECB:DRPM TechEd C:EELB D:DE l CPECBNAME l DSkeen* 0 JCalvo* 7 JStrosnider* LMarsh* lDATE 7 4/21/99 l 04/09/99 4/16/99 j 04/22/99 14/21/99OFFICIAL RECORD COPY 4 IN 99-xxApril xx, 1999 TI 2515/137, Revision 1, lists 62 NRC information notices and bulletins that deal with problemswith low- and medium-voltage power circuit breakers. As many as one-third of these wereerroneously determined to be not applicable at one or more plants.Related Generic CommunicationsIN 98-38, "Metal-Clad Circuit Breaker Maintenance Issues Identified by NRC Inspections,"issued on October 15, 1998, alerted licensees to issues identified by reactive NRC inspectionsat plants that experienced problems concerning circuit breaker reliability in 1997. The eventsdiscussed in that information notice were the catalyst that prompted the TI inspections oflicensee maintenance programs in 1998.ConclusionThis information notice requires no specific action or written response. However, recipients arereminded that they are required to consider industry-wide operating experience (including NRCinformation notices) where practical when setting goals and performing periodic evaluationsunder Section 50.65, "Requirement for monitoring the effectiveness of maintenance at nuclearpower plants," of Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If you have anyquestions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contactslisted below or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.Ledyard B. Marsh, ChiefEvents Assessment, Generic Communications,and Non-Power Reactors BranchDivision of Regulatory Improvement ProgramsOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnical contacts:Stephen Alexander, NRR301- 415-2995E-mail: sda(nrc.aovAmar Pal, NRR301- 415-2760E-mail: anDLnrc.govDavid Skeen, NRR301- 415-1174E-mail: dIs(Dnrc.aovS.K. Mitra, NRR301- 415-2783E-mail: skm10_nrc.gov

Attachments:

1. Table of NRC TI Inspection Reports2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information NoticesDOCUMENT NAME: G:\DLS\BKRINSP.IN -See previous concurrenceTo receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box U=Gopy wo attacnmenienclosure t=Copy witn atnacnmenuenciOFFICE PECB:DRPM I TechEd C:EELB DC:PECBNAME DSkeen*

• JCalvo* Strosn er LMarsh*DATE 4/21/99 04/09/99 4/16/99 .Yi9, 4/21/99DSUre N = NO COPYOFFICIAL RECORD COPYA \ ,<

IN 99-XXApril xx, 1999 Related Generic CommunicationsIN 98-38, "Metal-Clad Circuit Breaker Maintenance Issues Identified by NRC Inspections,"issued on October 15, 1998, alerted licensees to issues identified by reactive NRC inspectionsat plants that experienced problems concerning circuit breaker reliability in 1997. The eventsdiscussed in that information notice were the catalyst that prompted the TI inspections oflicensee maintenance programs in 1998.ConclusionThis information notice requires no specific action or written response. However, recipients arereminded that they are required to consider industry-wide operating experience (including NRCinformation notices) where practical when setting goals and performing periodic evaluationsunder Section 50.65, "Requirement for monitoring the effectiveness of maintenance at nuclearpower plants," of Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If you have anyquestions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contacts listedbelow or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manager.Ledyard B. Marsh,Events Assessment, Generic Communications,6- and Non-Power Reactors BranchDivision of Regulatory Improvement ProgramsOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnical contacts: Stephen Alexander, NRR Amar Pal, NRR301- 415-2995 301- 415-2760E-mail: sda~nrc.gov E-mail:anp@nrc.govDavid Skeen, NRR S.K. Mitra, NRR301- 415-1174 301- 415-2783E-mail: dls@nrc.gov E-mail:skm1@nrc.gov

Attachments:

1. Table of NRC TI Inspection Reports2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information NoticesDOCUMENT NAME: G:\DLS\BKRINSP.INTo receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy w/o attachmentlenclosure ECopy with attachment/enclosure N = No copylOFFICE PECB:DRPM l TechEd l C:EELB l C:PECBll D:DE INAME DSkee JCalvo LMarsh't JStrosniderlDATE A11199 04/09/99 /99 it/12199 I /99OFFICIAL RECORD COPY IN 99-XXApril xx, 1999 Related Generic CommunicationsIN 98-38, "Metal-Clad Circuit Breaker Maintenance Issues Identified by NRC Inspections,"issued on October 15, 1998, alerted licensees to issues identified by reactive NRC inspectionsat plants that experienced problems concerning circuit breaker reliability in 1997. The eventsdiscussed in that information notice were the catalyst that prompted the TI inspections oflicensee maintenance programs in 1998.ConclusionThis information notice requires no specific action or written response. However, recipients arereminded that they are required to consider industry-wide operating experience (including NRCinformation notices) where practical when selling goals and performing periodic evaluationsunder Section 50.65, "Requirement for monitoring the effectiveness of maintenance at nuclearpower plants," of Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If you have anyquestions about the information in this notice, please contact one of the technical contacts listedbelow or the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Re ulation (NRR) project manager.HeI f eA.Dalid .MOEliews, DirectorDivision e ulatory Improvement ProgramsOffice o uclea-tmor RegulationStephen Alexander, NRR Amar Pal, NRR301- 415-2995 301- 415-2760E-mail: sdaenrc.gov E-mail:anp@nrc.govTechnical contacts:David Skeen, NRR301- 415-1174E-mail: dls@nrc.govS.K. Mitra, NRR301- 415-2783E-mail:skml@nrc.gov

Attachments:

1. Table of NRC TI Inspection Reports2. List of Recently Issued NRC Information NoticesDOCUMENT NAME: G:XDLS\BKRINSP.INcoov of this document. indicate In the box C=Coov w/o attachmentlenclosure E=Coov with attachment/enclosure N = No coDYTo receive iOFFICE PECB:DRPM P l TechEd I C:EELB IC C:PECB I D:DE I D.D INAME DSkeen__ _ JCalvo MC LMarsh JStrosnider IMatewsDATE A /I1k09 04/09/99 4______ //99 / /99 1 A \OFFICIAL RECORD COPYMr t"I