Headquarters Daily Report APRIL 24, 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 APRIL 24, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Boston Edison Co. MR Number: 1-96-0039 Pilgrim 1 Date: 04/24/96 Plymouth,Massachusetts Dockets: 50-293 BWR/GE-3 Subject: High Turbine Vibrations Cause Automatic Reactor Scram from 22% Reactor Power (UPDATE: PNO-I-96-024) Discussion: At 1:58 a.m. on April 24, operators placed the mode selector switch to the STARTUP position. Operators brought the reactor critical at 4:41 a.m.. Plant heat-up is in progress and preparations for rolling the main turbine are underway. The resident inspectors monitored the approach to criticality. The BECo post scram review evaluated several anomalies that occurred following the scram which was caused by high turbine vibrations. The alarm setpoint for high turbine vibrations was lowered to 5 mils to allow the operators more response time. The high vibration setpoints for were increased to 14 mils from 12 mils. A special test procedure will be used to provide guidance on evaluation and corrective action for high turbine vibrations. Also, the post scram review attributed the rapid reactor pressure decay following the scram to the combination of the normal water level "swell" and a leaking secondary plant side pressure relief valve which exacerbated the water level swell. For corrective actions, the relief valve was replaced and a modification was made to the high reactor water level Group 1 isolation to +54 from +48 inches as permitted by a recent license amendment. Further, BECo revised the HPCI surveillance procedure to reduce pump flow along with jogging open the test line valve. During start-up at rated pressure, the HPCI system will be run for a checkout test and the test line valve will be full open. The pump discharge pressure will be recorded and an expected pressure band will be developed. Additionally, BECo replaced and successfully tested the turbine lock-out relay coil which has no safety related function. Lastly, regarding rod position indication problems, BECo is evaluating a rod worth minimizer software modification to provide operators alternative indication to aid in determining that all rods are inserted. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was notified on April 24, 1996. Regional Action: The resident inspectors are observing startup activities. Contact: Harold Eichenholz (610)337-5225 _ REGION II MORNING REPORT PAGE 2 APRIL 24, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Florida Power & Light Co. MR Number: 2-96-0035 Saint Lucie 1 2 Date: 04/24/96 Florida Dockets: 50-335,50-389 PWR/CE,PWR/CE Subject: MANAGEMENT CHANGES Discussion: The licensee announced on April 17, 1996, that Art Stall will Join Florida Power & Light Company as the site vice president at St. Lucie nuclear plant effective May 13, 1996. Bill Bohlke, who has been acting site vice president for St. Lucie, will return to his previous corporate position as vice president of nuclear engineering and licensing. Regional Action: None Contact: E. LEA (404)331-3641 _ REGION III MORNING REPORT PAGE 3 APRIL 24, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Commonwealth Edison Co. MR Number: 3-96-0049 Byron 1 2 Date: 04/23/96 Byron,Illinois E-MAIL Dockets: 50-454,50-455 PWR/W-4-LP,PWR/W-4-LP Subject: NATURAL DRAFT COOLING TOWER FIRE Discussion: On April 23, 1996, at about 1:25 P.M. (CDT), a fire in the Unit 1 natural draft cooling tower (NDCT) occurred. Unit 1 was in a refueling outage with the reactor core defueled and the NDCT out-of-service and drained. The licensee, with assistance from the fire department, extinquished the fire at about 2:06 P.M. The licensee determined that the fire in the NDCT did not degrade plant safety. The licensee was performing NDCT modification activities which included the removal of the old plastic material and inserting new material inside the tower. Contract workers ignited approximately a 10 foot square area while using a blow torch to cut out the old material. The licensee made the 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(vi) 4 hour non-emergency notification based on potential media interest and the notification to other government agencies. The licensee also notified the local police and fire department, and the State Environmental Protection Agency. The licensee initiated a stop work on all potentially fire related activities at the Unit 1 NDCT (including welding, cutting, and grinding) until the completion of the fire investigation. Regional Action: The resident inspector reviewed the licensee's Generating Station Emergency Plan emergency action levels and determined that the licensee's assessment of the event and subsequent 10 CFR 50.72 notification was appropriate. The residents will continue to monitor the licensee's investigation. Contact: LEW MILLER (708)829-9629 _ REGION IV MORNING REPORT PAGE 4 APRIL 24, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Houston Lighting & Power Co. MR Number: 4-96-0042 South Texas 1 2 Date: 04/24/96 Wadsworth,Texas Resident Inspector Dockets: 50-498,50-499 PWR/W-4-LP,PWR/W-4-LP Subject: MOV TESTING ACCURACY Discussion: On April 23, 1996, the licensee informed the resident staff that it had received a technical notice from a vendor, ITI MOVATS, that the vendor's motor-operated butterfly valve test system's field accuracy was less than previously identified. Therefore, depending on specific circumstances, the switch settings of certain low margin (approximately 15 percent or less) safety-related motor-operated butterfly valves may not be sufficient to ensure the capability of these valves to perform their safety functions under all design basis conditions. The vendor recommended reevaluating all butterfly motor-operated valves previously set up with its system. The licensee has identified 69 valves that are potentially affected. The licensee is performing operability and reportability reviews for the affected valves, to be completed by May 3, 1996. Regional Action: The Region is following licensee actions on this issue and has provided the available information to the Special Inspection Branch. Contact: J. L. Pellet (817)860-8183 _