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Forwards Insp Repts 50-413/98-13 & 50-414/98-13 on 980807-0915.Apparent Violations Being Considered for Escalated Enforcement Action
	ML20155B355
Person / Time
Site:	Catawba
Issue date:	10/19/1998
From:	Mallett B; NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:	Gordon Peterson; DUKE POWER CO.
Shared Package
ML20155B359	List: ML20155B355; ML20155B382;
References
	50-413-98-13, 50-414-98-13, EA-98-477, NUDOCS 9810300127
	Download: ML20155B355 (7)
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October 19, 1998

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L _EA 98-477

Duke Energy Corporation

[ ' ATTN: Mr. G. R. Peterson

Site Vice President

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Catawba Nuclear Station

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4800 Concord Road

York. SC 29745

SUBJECT: NRC INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50-413/98-13 AND 50-414/98-13

Dear Mr. Peterson:

This refers to a special ice condenser inspection conducted by the NRC

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August 7 through September 15. 1998, to review NRC licensed activities at your

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Catawba nuclear reactor facility. The purpose of the inspection was to review

the identification and correction of Unit 1 ice condenser related problems

which led to a forced unit shutdown. The inspection also reviewed your

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]rogram for selected maintenance, surveillance and engineering activities in

Joth Units 1 and 2.

Your actions were adequate to resolve the identified problems to support

restart of Unit 1: however, the enclosed report-documents deficiencies in the

program which-has oversight of the material condition and surveillance

. implementation of the Unit 1 ice condenser system. Subsequent to the Unit 1

forced outage. problems similar to those which existed on Unit 1 were

identified during a Unit 2 refueling outage, which commenced on September 5.

1998. NRC inspection results regarding Unit 2 outage activities will be

documented-in NRC Inspection Report 50-413, 414/98-10.

Based on the inspection results, a number of apparent violations were i '

identified and are being considered for escalated enforcement action in )

accordance with the " General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC

Enforcement Actions" (Enforcement Policy). NUREG 1600. The apparent

violations involve: Failure to promptly identify and correct ice condenser j

flow channel blockage and damaged ice baskets in accordance with 10 CFR l

Part 50. Appendix B. Criterion XVI: Failure to adequately perform Technical

Specification Surveillance Requirements involving containment debris

inspections: Failure to install ice condenser components in accordance with

applicable drawings as required by 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B. Criterion V: and

Failure to ensure that design control measures were followed as required by

10 CFR Part 50. Appendix B. Criterion III.

9810300127 981019 n

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DEC 2

The apparent violations remain under NRC review. After completion of this '

review, the NRC will contact you to schedule an open predecisional enforcement

conference. Accordingly, no Notice of Violation is presently being issued for

these inspection findings. In addition. please be advised that the number and l

characterization of the apparent violations described in the enclosed

inspection report may change as a result of further NRC review. No response

regarding the apparent violations is required at this time.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790(a) of the NRC's " Rules of Practice." a copy of

this letter and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room

(PDR).

Should you have any questions concerning this ma ter, plea e contact us.

Sincerely.

Bru S. Mallet . Director

Di> sion of Re tor Safety

Docket Nos. 50-413 and 50-414 l

License Nos. NPF-35 and NPF-52

Enclosure: NRC Inspection Report

cc w/ encl:

M. S. Kitlan

Regulatory Compliance Manager

Duke Energy Corporation

4800 Concord Road

York. SC 29745-9635

Paul R. Newton

Legal Department (PB05E)

Duke Energy Cor] oration

422 South Churc1 Street

Charlotte NC 28242

J. Michael McGarry III. Esq.

Winston and Strawn

1400 L Street. NW

Washington D. C. 20005

(cc w/ encl cont'd - See page 3)

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DEC 3

(cc w/ encl cont'd) I

North Carolina MPA-1 l

Suite 600

P. O. Box 29513 l

Raleigh, NC 27626-0513 ,

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Virgil R. Autry. Director

Div. of Radioactive Waste Mgmt.

S. C. Department of Health

and Environmental Control 1

2600 Bull Street !

Columbia. SC 29201 l

Richard P. Wilson. Esq.

Assistant Attorney General

S. C. Attorney General's Office i

P. O. Box 11549 l

Columbia. SC 29211 l

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Michael Hirsch .

Federal Emergency Management Agency

500 C Street, SW. Room 840 l

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Washington, D. C. 20472

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North Carolina Electric

Membership Corporation

P. O. Box 27306

Raleigh. NC 27611

Karen E. Long

Assistant Attorney General

N. C. Department of Justice

P. Box 629

Raleigh, NC 27602

Saluda River Electric

Cooperative. Inc.

P. O. Box 929

Laurens. SC 129360

County Manager of York County

York County Courthouse

York. SC 29745

l Piedmont Municipal Power Agency

l 121 Village Drive

Greer. SC 29651

(cc w/ encl cont'd - See page 4)

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DEC 4

(cc w/ encl cont'd) l

L. A. Keller. Manager

Nuclear Regulatory Licensing

Duke Energy Corporation

526 S. Church Street

Charlotte. NC 28201-0006

Steven P. Shaver

Senior Sales Engineer

Westinghouse Electric Company

5929 Carnegie Boulevard. Suite 500

Charlotte. NC 28209

Distribution w/ encl:

S. Shaeffer. RII

P. Tam. NRR

R. Carroll RII

C. Ogle. RII

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P. Fredrickson. RII

C. Payne. RII

A. Boland. EICS

J. Lieberman. OE

OE:EA File (B. Summers, (2)) OE)

PUBLIC

NRC Resident Inspector .

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission l

4830 Concord Road

York. SC 29745

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Catawba Nuclear Station

NRC Inspection Report 50-413/98-13 and 50-414/98-13

This special report discusses aspects of the licensee's maintenance and

engineering support programs. The report reviewed a number of significant

problems involving the Unit 1 ice condenser system during a unit forced

shutdown for the ice condenser system and the licensee's corrective actions

associated with the identified issues on both units, when applicable.

Maintenance

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An overall weakness was identified with initial scoping of problems and

thoroughness of licensee inspections completed during the outage for

flow channel degradation foreign material intrusion, and material

condition of ice condenser baskets. Licensee management's failure to

confirm the thoroughness of contractor personnel to provide a proper

scoping of problems contributed to this weakness. After problems were

identified by the NRC in each of these areas, licensee response to the

problems was considered adequate. (Section M1.1)

. An apparent violation of 10 CFR Part 50. Appendix B. Criterion XVI was

identified for failure to identify and correct significant ice condenser

flow blockage. (Section M1.2.b.1)

. Immediate licensee corrective actin is for the flow channel blockage

problem, including a forced unit shutdown and extensive cleaning of the

affected area, were considered adequate to support restart of the unit.

(Section M1.2.b.5)

. An unresolved item was identified concerning past ice condenser flow

blockage operability. (Section M1.2.b.5)

. Licensee evaluations regarding potential adverse impact of the leaking

block-ice machine on critical minimum ice mass requirements were

adequate. The identification of a high number of stuck baskets in Bay 5

and the mass increase of other baskets during the 1997 Unit 1 refueling

outage were additional opportunities to identify and correct the

significant condition adverse to quality. (Section M1.2.b.6)

. Based on the receipt of new design basis information, previous licensee

interpretations regarding ice condenser flow passage areas were

determined to be non-conservative. (Section M1.2.b.7)

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. An apparent violation of technical specification 4.5.2.c was identified

for failure to conduct adequate visual debris inspections in the Unit 1

containment. (Section M1.3)

. An unresolved item was identified concerning foreign material effects on

the Unit 1 containment emergency core cooling system sump. (Section

M1.3)

. The licensee's efforts to exclude foreign material from the ice

condenser during previous outages had not been adequate as evidenced by

the amount of debris found during a Unit 1 forced outage. At the end of

the inspection. licensee sensitivity in the area of foreign material

exclusion in the ice condenser had improved. (Section M1.3)

. An apparent violation of 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B. Criterion XVI was

identifled for failing to promptly identify and correct ice condenser

basket material condition problems. (Section M1.4)

. An unresalved item was identified regarding past operability reviews of

denting identified on ice condenser baskets. (Section M1.4).

. Corrective actions taken for the ice condenser basket denting and deck

door bolting issues was adequate to support restart of the unit.

(Sections M1.4 and M1.5)

. An apparent violation of 10 CFR Part 50. Appendix B. Criterion V was

identified for failure to accomplish activities affecting quality in

accordance with documented drawings. (Section M1.5)

. The stored ice chemical sampling technical specification (T.S.) was not

sufficiently specific and warranted improvement to more clearly address

T.S. intent in the actual specification. No immediate operability >

concerns were identified. (Section M1.6)

. Final material condition of the Unit 1 ice condenser was adequate to

support operability of the ice condenser system. Applicable ice

condenser Technical Specification surveillances were appropriately

identified and successfully corrected. (Section M1.7)

Enaineerina !

. Engineering oversight and problem resolution of a degraded condition in

Bay five of the Unit 1 ice condenser was inadequate. This inadequacy

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led to a significant condition adverse to quality being left

unidentified and uncorrected for an approximate two year period.

(Section M1.2.b.5)

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An apparent violation was identified concerning inadequate design

control measures within the Unit 1 and 2 ice condenser systems.

l Corrective actions taken for the identified concerns were adequate to

l support restart of Unit 1 and continued operation of Unit 2. (Section

E2.1)

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ML20155B355

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