Headquarters Daily Report SEPTEMBER 17, 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 - HEADQUARTERS SEP. 17, 1996 MR Number: H-96-0067 NRR DAILY REPORT ITEM GENERIC COMMUNICATIONS Information Notice 96-51, "RESIDUAL CONTAMINATION REMAINING IN KRYPTON-85 HANDLING SYSTEM AFTER VENTING," was issued on September 11, 1996. NRC is issuing this information notice to alert all material licensees to several cases where residual contamination was found in some components of Kr-85 handling systems after the standard flushing and venting process. Although these incidents only involve Kr-85, the inherent concerns extend to all systems that subject radioactive gas to vacuum/pressure cycling. Contact: Michele Burgess, NMSS (301) 415-5868 Internet:mlb5@nrc.gov _ REGION I MORNING REPORT PAGE 2 SEPTEMBER 17, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. MR Number: 1-96-0085 Vermont Yankee 1 Date: 09/17/96 Vernon,Vermont Dockets: 50-271 BWR/GE-4 Subject: "A" DIESEL GENERATOR OUTPUT BREAKER CLOSING COILS DISCOVERED TO BE DISCHARGED Reportable Event Number: 31004 Discussion: While tagging out the "A" diesel generator (DG) for outage maintenance on September 13, 1996, the licensee discovered that the closing springs for the generator output breaker (GE AM4.16 4kV Magnablast) were discharged. In this condition, the breaker would not have closed either electrically or manually. The "A" DG was last demonstrated to be operable during a surveillance test on August 19, 1996; if the closing springs failed to recharge during the associated breaker operations, then the "A" DG would have been inoperable for 25 days as of the date of discovery. The cause of this event was not immediately obvious. Three screws were found in the breaker cubicle under the closing spring charging motor. Two of these were screws that hold the two halves of the motor housing together. Of the two remaining motor housing screws, one was found to be loose, and the other was still tight. It did not appear, however, that this condition had caused the failure of the closing springs to recharge (i.e., through failure of the charging motor). One half of the charging motor housing is bolted to the breaker frame, and the other half is restrained by a bracket that supports the motor output train. The source of the third screw (approximately 1/4-inch long and 3/16-inch diameter) has not yet been determined. As of 10:00 a.m., September 17, 1996, the breaker was still quarantined and the licensee was still developing a plan for troubleshooting the cause of the problem. As a result of this discovery, the licensee examined the closing spring charging motors for other 4kV breakers. Of these, three were found to have housing screws that had begun to back out, and one additional small screw of undetermined function was found. No other instances of discharged closing springs were identified. Until the specific cause of this event is identified, the licensee is re-verifying the proper charging operation of all in-service 4kV breakers following other manual or automatic operation of the breakers. Regional Action: The resident inspectors will continue to follow the licensee's troubleshooting efforts and root cause analysis. Coincidentally, a region-based electrical engineering inspector is on site this week to review electrical maintenance, and will also be following this item. Contact: Harold Eichenholz (610)337-5225 _ REGION IV MORNING REPORT PAGE 3 SEPTEMBER 17, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Nebraska Public Power District MR Number: 4-96-0099 Cooper 1 Date: 09/16/96 Brownville,Nebraska Senior Resident Inspector Dockets: 50-298 BWR/GE-4 Subject: MANAGEMENT CHANGES Discussion: The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) announced that, effective September 16, 1996, Philip Graham would assume the position of vice president-nuclear for NPPD. Graham had been the interim site manager. Also announced, effective September 16, 1996, was the re-assignment of Robert Godley, Licensing Manager, to the position of manager of plant engineering, which includes system engineering, maintenance engineering, and reactor engineering. Jim Gauseman, the former manager of system engineering, will be re-assigned as an assistant to the plant manager. Mike Bennett will be the acting licensing manager. Regional Action: Information purposes only. Contact: E. Collins (817)860-8291 _