Headquarters Daily Report OCTOBER 15, 1996 *************************************************************************** REPORT NEGATIVE NO INPUT ATTACHED INPUT RECEIVED RECEIVED HEADQUARTERS û REGION I û REGION II û REGION III û REGION IV û PRIORITY ATTENTION REQUIRED MORNING REPORT - REGION I OCTOBER 15, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Duquesne Light Co. MR Number: 1-96-0089 Beaver Valley 2 Date: 10/15/96 Shippingport,Pennsylvania RI/PC Dockets: 50-412 PWR/W-3-LP Subject: ITE/GOULD J12 RELAY FAILURES DUE TO THERMAL AGING Discussion: On October 11, 1996, Duquesne Light Company (DLC) determined that J12 series auxiliary relays installed on Beaver Valley Unit 2 were susceptible to thermal aging degradation which could potentially result in a loss of control power to multiple safety related components. Systems potentially affected include safety injection, component cooling, charging, instrument air, quench spray, recirculation spray, emergency diesel generators, and service water. The unit is in cold shutdown, preparing for plant heatup following completion of refueling. Four J12 relays failed during routine outage testing. In each case, the normally energized relay had been deenergized for several days to support electrical bus outage maintenance. Upon bus reenergization two contact pairs on the J12 relay failed to pick-up. This prevented manual operation of the safety related valve it controlled, but did not affect the automatic ESF function. Thermal aging (7-10 years, normally energized) caused the plastic armature carrier piece to deform and become brittle. The minor deformation interfered with free movement of the armature assembly (type J20M) and caused the contacts not to pick-up. However, in each case, upon recycling the power supply breaker once, the condition cleared itself and the contacts made up. Licensing engineers proposed that the observed failures may be a precursor to coil failure and loss of control power, similar to that reported at Millstone- 3 in 1991 (LER 50-423/91-30 and discussed in NRC IN 92-27). A related Part 21 notification was issued in 1987 by Telemecanique (ITE/Gould) regarding failed J10 relays. On October 11, 1996, DLC engineers performed a bench test on a failed J12 relay by energizing the relay with the contacts mechanically stuck in the open position. The excess armature gap caused the coil to generate additional heat. After approximately six minutes, the coil insulation broke down and shorted, resulting in a current surge sufficient to blow the associated component's control power fuse. A blown control power fuse would cause the component to fail as is. DLC reported this event under 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(iii). Engineers have determined that the J20M armature assembly may also be installed in other J- series relays. Approximately 223 J12 relays are installed on Unit 2. Material reviews indicate that J-series relays are not installed on Unit 1. A more comprehensive review of J-series relays at Beaver Valley Unit 2 is in progress. Replacement relays from a different vendor are being procured commercial grade and dedicated for safety related application. The relay replacements are expected to require 6 to 9 days for completion. Unit 2 will remain in cold shutdown until the replacements and testing are complete. REGION I MORNING REPORT PAGE 2 OCTOBER 15, 1996 MR Number: 1-96-0089 (cont.) Regional Action: The resident inspectors are on site monitoring licensee activities. Contact: Pete W. Eselgroth (610)337-5234 Dave Kern (412)643-2000 _ REGION II MORNING REPORT PAGE 2 OCTOBER 15, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Babcock And Wilcox MR Number: 2-96-0095 Naval Nuclear Fuel Division Date: 10/15/96 Lynchburg,Virginia Dockets: 07000027 License No: SNM-42 Subject: URANYL NITRATE SOLUTION SPILL Discussion: At 2:45 a.m. on October 15, 1996, a spill of approximately 80 liters of four percent enriched uranyl nitrate solution occurred in the Uranium Recovery Area from Sapphire downblending equipment. None of the workers in the area was contaminated as a result of the spill. The concentration of the solution was 350 grams of uranium per liter of solution. The spill occurred when a sampling connection broke off as plastic tubing was being attached to the end of the sampling tap. The solution had been prepared by mixing one percent and ninety percent enriched solutions and was being recirculated through favorable geometry columns. The spilled solution was contained in a 1.25 inch favorable geometry slab area under the equipment until the solution was returned to the columns. Clean up was completed by 9:45 a.m. with residual contamination levels of less than 500 disintegrations per minute per 100 square centimeters. Regional Action: The Resident Inspector will followup on the licensee's corrective actions to preclude recurrence. Contact: E. J. McAlpine (404)331-5547 _ REGION III MORNING REPORT PAGE 3 OCTOBER 15, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Iowa Electric Light & Power Co. MR Number: 3-96-0111 Duane Arnold 1 Date: 10/11/96 Palo,Iowa Dockets: 50-331 BWR/GE-4 Subject: PLANT SHUTDOWN FOR REFUELING Discussion: On October 11, 1996, the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC) commenced the fourteenth refueling outage. The generator was taken off-line after 493 days of consecutive operation. Major activities, in addition to refueling the reactor, planned during this scheduled 30 day outage include: noble metal chemical addition (DAEC is the first plant to undergo this evolution), Appendix R and thermo-lag modification, feedwater control enhancements, HPCI exhaust line modification, reactor vessel weld inspections, scram solenoid pilot valve diaphragm replacement, and chemical cleaning of the drywell coolers. In addition, over one thousand preventive and corrective maintenance activities are planned. Regional Action: Resident and region based inspectors observed the shutdown and will be assessing activities throughout the outage. Contact: M. J. JORDAN (630)829-9637 K. R. RIEMER (630)829-5111 _