IR 05000395/1998099
| ML20239A454 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Summer  |
| Issue date: | 08/26/1998 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20239A453 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-395-98-99, NUDOCS 9809090194 | |
| Download: ML20239A454 (5) | |
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SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF LICENSEE PERFORMANCE REPORT V. C. SUMMER NUCLEAR POWER STATION 50-395/98 99 BACKGROUND The SALP board convened'on July 31, 1998. to assess the nuclear safety performance of the V. C. Summer Nuclear Power Station for the period October 27, 1996, through July 25. 1998. The board was conducted in accordance with Management Directive 8.6. " Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance." Board Members were Loren R. Plisco. Directo Division of Reactor Projects (Board Chairperson). Victor M. McC e Deputy Director, Division of Reactor Safety, and Pao-Tsin Kuo. Acting Director. Project Directorate 11-1. Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. This assessment was reviewed and approved by the Regional Administrato II. Plant Operations This functional area addresses the control-and execution of activities directly related to operating the plant. It includes activities such as plant startup power operation. )lant shutdown, and system lineup Thus, it includes activities suc1 as monitoring and logging plant conditions. normal operations, response to transient and off-normal conditions, adequacy and implementation of emergency operating procedures and abnormal operating procedures, manipulating the reactor and auxiliary controls, and control room professionalis It also includes initial and requalification training programs for licensed operator Overall performance in the Plant Operations area remained superior during tais assessment period. Management involvement in all aspects of plant operations was evident. Plant performance was characterized by stable plant operations. Operational decisions by management and operators were conservative and focused on safety. Compensatory measures for degraded conditions were appropriate and promp Management closely monitored shutdown risk during outage activitie Control room operators continued to control and execute operations activities in a professional manner. Operators exhibited strong command and control and excellent communications. Testing and maintenance activities were well controlled. Operator attentiveness trid response to equipment problems and plant transients were prompt and effectiv Plant startups and shutdowns were well controlled and conducted in accordance with procedures. Refueling activities were well controlle Overall operator performance was indicative of experienced and knowledgeable operators. However there were occasional instances of inattention to detail. For example, there were three instances where l cooling water flow to a running centrifugal charging pump was incorrectly isolated. These instances were not individually
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significant but highlighted the need for improved oversight of the implementation of changes to systems and procedure The licensed operator requalification training was effectiv Direct involvement of operations management in training was eviden The Nuclear Safety Review Committee and Plant Safety Review Committee provided constructive review and feedback to plant management and conducted thorough and comprehensive reviews that focused on safet The corrective action program was effective at problem identification and resolution. Root cause evaluations were thorough, timely, and accurate. Self-assessment activities were comprehensive and have identified areas for improvemen The Plant Operations area is rated Category III. MAINTENANCE This functional area includes all activities associated with either diagnostic, predictive, preventive, or corrective maintenance of plant structures, systems, and components, or maintenance of the physical condition of the plant, and training of the maintenance staff. It also includes conduct of all surveillance testing activities, all inservice inspection and testing, instrument calibrations, equipment operab1Tity testing, post-maintenance testing, post-outage testing containment leakrate testing, and special testin Strong mana ement su port and involvement, and high quality maintenance j and surveil ance imp ementation characterized overail performance in the i Maintenance are This high level of performance resulted in high equipment reliability and availability, minimal maintenance-induced challenges to plant operations, excellent work practices, effective
)lanning, and a strong on-line maintenance program. Improvement in the Jalance-of-plant ecuipment material condition (e.g., reduction of the number of water anc oil leaks) was noteworthy. There were isolated t occurrences of failures to adhere to procedures, but improvement was evident in the latter part of the assessment period. Individual craft personnel skills were a notable strength. Performance assessment programs were considered effectiv The maintenance staff planned and performed corrective rnaintenance in a 3 professional and competent manner. Technicians were experienced and 1 (knowledgeable, and exhibited good wc.'k practices and techniques. Plant personnel used work packages and proper tools when performing maintenance work. Supervisors and system engineers monitored job progress, and quality control personnel were present when require Predictive and preventive maintenance was well planned, and was performed in a professional and competent manner. Pre-job briefings I were detailed and thorough. Plant equipment and component material L condition was very good, indicating that equipment was well maintaine ,
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Personnel conducting surveillance tests were knowledgeable, performed the testing in accordance with approved procedures, and used appropriate test equipment. Good planning for the tests was evident. and communications during the tests were effective. The Inservice Inspection-and Inservice Testing programs were general?y well organized and were effectively implemente !
Plant staff effectively implemented the Maintenance Rule. Required structures, systems and com)onents were included in the Maintenance Rule scope. Staff properly esta)lished detailed performance criteria, considered safety in establishing goals, properly captured operating data balanced reliability and unavailability and performed appropriate trendin Maintenance Rule audits and assessments were detailed and thoroug Self-assessments, root cause evaluations, and corrective actions were generally thorough, accurate, and effective. The flow-accelerated corrosion program was mature, and did a good job of finding and replacing affected piping component The Maintenance area is rated Category I ENGINEERING This functional area addresses the adequacy of technical and engineering support for plant activities. It includes licensee activities associated with design control; the design, installation and testing of plant modifications; engineering and technical support for operations, outages, maintenance. testing, surveillance, and procurement activities:
configuration management: design basis information and its retrieval:
training of engineering staff; and support of licensing activitie Overall performance in' this functional area was superior. The engineering organization's support to p? ant operations, maintenance, testing, surveillance and procurement activities continued to be effectiv Because of focused management attention, evaluations in response to requests and emergent issues were thorough and timel Engineering and technical support to maintenance activities continued to contribute to the good performance of plant equipment and system Management and staff were proactive in utilizing risk insights to guide monitoring of systems and com)onents and to guide the performance of on-line. maintenance. However, t1ere were a few instances of inattention to -
detail. For example, inservice test requirements for relief valves were -
not' properly incorporated into procedures, and a safety evaluation failed to address all the potential impacts of a special turbine-generator test on the Reactor Protection System. These problems ;
highlighted the need to provide better engineering support to operations '
and maintenance after plant and procedure change The licensee was effective in controlling plant design and maintaining the licensing _ basis. The licensee was also effective in responding to p
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1 A generic issues such as Generic Letter 96-06 " Assurance of Equipment l Operability and Containment Integrity During Design-basis Accident Conditions.' and to other issues identified through bench marking and operating experience review The design, installation and testing of plant modifications was considered excellent, and 10 CFR 50.59 screenings and evaluations for design changes were generally found to be technically adequate. A weakness identified in the quality of design calculations for the Emergency Feedwater System was addressed through th? licensee's design basis documentation and corrective action processes. Although current licensee pr0.Cadures for design calculation development were considered adequate, this weakness indicates that other older safety-related system calculations may warrant attention by the licensee to assure their qualit System engineers were knowledgeable and monitored their systems adequately. The system engineers provided good support for troubleshooting efforts and field activities. A number of detailed self-initiated safety system functional reviews contributed to thc strong performance of the engineering organization and were beneficial in identifying problems. Engineering managers and staff consistently provided prompt corrective action, supported by thorough engineering reviews for plant equipment and system problem The Engineering area is: rated Category PLANT SUPPORT This functional area assesses activities related to the plant support function, including radiological controls, radioactive effluent chemistry, emergency preparedness, security, fire protection, and housekeepin The radiological protection program was effective in controlling
. individual radiation doses to levels well below regulatory limits for occupational dose. There was an overall decreasing trend in the collective personnel exposures and the licensee was generally successful in meeting established goals for "as low as is reasonably' achievable"
--(ALARA). The licensee was properly monitoring and controlling personnel radiation exposure and posting area radiological condition Management and staff actions resulted in improvement in the control of contaminated material as compared to the performance during the previous assessment Jeriod. In addition, contaminated areas were kept to a minimum. T1e radioactive effluent control program continued to be effective in reducing the amounts of radioactive material from the plant and maintaining exposures to members of the public well below regulatory limits. There was an overall decreasing trend in the amount of activity released from the plant in-liquid and gaseous effluents. The results of the environmental monitoring program confirmed the effectiveness of the effluent ' control .
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During power operations the licensee maintained a strong primary and l secondary water chemistry control program for_ radiation field reduction
! and to inhibit degradation of component integrity-. However, during the cooldown for the last refueling outage. the licensee's control of-critical chemistry parameters was challenged in that shutdown chemistry
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controls caused an unexpected elevation of dose rates in the radiation-l controlled area and resulted in the annual and outage ALARA goals being exceeded.
i The Emergency Response facilities were satisfactorily maintained.
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Improvements.were also noted in the capabilities of-the emergency response equipment and in emergency response staffing. Management and staff actions resulted in improvements to tho emergency response (
scenarios as compared to the previous period. Response to emergency preparedness drills and exercise challenges were timely'and effective in l mitigating the consequences of the problems posed by the scenario The conduct of security and safeguards activities continued to be excellent during this SALP cycle. Security facilities and equipment continued to be effectively maintained and operated. Security and safeguards procedures and documentation were detailed and thorough.
- Security and safeguards staff were knowledgeable and proficient, and staff training and qualification continued to be effectively manage The' licensee was effective in identifying, analyzing. and resolving security related problems. and implemented. adequate corrective actions to prevent recurring problems.
L , The fire protection and prevention program, including the fire watch l program were effectively implemented. A strong surveillance and test l program was provided for fire protection systems and features. The low l- number of inoperable or degraded fire protection components demonstrated L that the licensee placed appropriate emphasis on the maintenance and l operability of fire protection features. The fire brigade was L satisfactorily staffed and trained and the fire brigade responded well during drill Plant housekeeping remained goo Recurring equipment storage problems
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identified early in the period were corrected by the license Self-assessments of the' radiological protection program were useful in focusing staff and management attention on the issues that needed to be addressed. Corrective actions for problems in the areas of radiological controls and security were timely and, in most cases, effectiv The Plant Support area is rated Category 1.