UNITED STATES
                          NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
                      OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C.  20555

                                 April 26, 1988


Information Notice No. 88-19:  QUESTIONABLE CERTIFICATION OF 
                                   CLASS 1E COMPONENTS


Addressees:

All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for nuclear power 
reactors.

Purpose:

This information notice is being provided to alert addressees to a possible 
problem with the certification of Class 1E components furnished by Planned 
Maintenance Systems (PMS) of Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  It is expected that 
recipients will review the information for applicability to their facilities 
and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems.  However, 
suggestions contained in this information notice do not constitute NRC 
requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is required.  

Description of Circumstances:

On April 1, 1988, Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation (WCNOC) submitted a 
written 10 CFR Part 21 Notification to NRC Region IV concerning 60 Class 1E 
fuses that had been procured from PMS.  One of the requirements of the 
purchase order (PO) issued to PMS was that the PO items were to be supplied in 
accordance with the requirements of a specific fuse qualification 
specification for Class 1E equipment.  This specification contained detailed 
requirements including materials, environmental qualification, seismic 
qualification, and inspection/ test requirements.  The PMS Certificate of 
Compliance supplied with the order certified that all of the procurement 
document requirements had been met and no deviations from the requirements had 
been identified. 

The fuses were placed on hold by WCNOC because a required Quality Department 
surveillance had not been performed.  A subsequent WCNOC surveillance revealed 
that the records in PMS's possession did not support the statement on the PMS 
Certificate of Compliance that all PO requirements had been met.  
Qualification specification requirements were not covered by PMS quality 
assurance records with respect to information on environmental qualification, 
radiation levels, and seismic qualification.  In addition, it could not be 
established that a required continuity/resistance check of each fuse had been 
performed before the fuses were shipped.  





8804220217
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                                                            April 26, 1988
                                                            Page 2 of 2


Discussion:

The WCNOC 10 CFR Part 21 notification has brought into question the validity 
of the Certificate of Compliance issued by PMS for Class 1E fuses that they 
supplied.  Accordingly, licensees may wish to review Class 1E component pro-
curements from this vendor to ensure that appropriate bases exist for the use 
of the components.

No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.
If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the technical 
contact listed below or the Regional Administrator of the appropriate regional 
office.  




                              Charles E. Rossi, Director
                              Division of Operational Events Assessment
                              Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation


Technical Contact:  Joseph J. Petrosino, NRR
                    (301) 492-0979


Attachment:  List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices
.                                                            Attachment
                                                            IN 88-19 
                                                            April 26, 1988 
                                                            Page 1 of 1

                             LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED
                            NRC INFORMATION NOTICES 
_____________________________________________________________________________
Information                                  Date of 
Notice No._____Subject_______________________Issuance_______Issued to________

88-18          Malfunction of Lockbox on     4/25/88        All NRC licensees 
               Radiography Device                           authorized to 
                                                            manufacture, 
                                                            distribute, and/or 
                                                            operate radio-
                                                            graphic exposure 
                                                            devices. 

88-17          Summary of Responses to NRC   4/22/88        All holders of OLs
               Bulletin 87-01, "Thinning of                 or CPs for nuclear
               Pipe Walls in Nuclear Power                  power reactors. 
               Plants" 

88-16          Identifying Waste Generators  4/22/88        Radioactive waste 
               in Shipments of Low-Level                    collection and 
               Waste to Land Disposal                       service company 
               Facilities                                   licensees handling
                                                            prepackaged waste, 
                                                            and licensees 
                                                            operating 
                                                            low-level waste 
                                                            disposal 
                                                            facilities. 

88-15          Availability of U.S. Food     4/18/88        Medical, Academic,
               and Drug Administration                      and Commercial 
               (FDA)-Approved Potassium                     licensees who 
               Iodide for Use in Emergencies                possess 
               Involving Radioactive Iodine                 radioactive 
                                                            iodine. 

88-14          Potential Problems with       4/18/88        All holders of OLs
               Electrical Relays                            or CPs for nuclear
                                                            power reactors. 

88-13          Water Hammer and Possible     4/18/88        All holders of OLs
               Piping Damage Caused by                      or CPs for nuclear
               Misapplication of Kerotest                   power reactors. 
               Packless Metal Diaphragm 
               Globe Valves 

88-12          Overgreasing of Electric      4/12/88        All holders of OLs
               Motor Bearings                               or CPs for nuclear
                                                            power reactors. 
_____________________________________________________________________________
OL = Operating License
CP = Construction Permit