Part 21 Report - 1996-542

ACCESSION #: 9609230065 NOTE: This text document was processed from a scanned version or an electronic submittal and has been processed as received. Some tables, figures, strikeouts, redlines, and enclosures may not have been included with this submittal, or have been omitted due to ASCII text conversion limitations. In order to view this document in its entirety, you may wish to use the NUDOCS microfiche in addition to the electronic text. Commonwealth Edison Company LaSalle Generating Station 2601 North 21st Road Marseilles, IL 61341-9757 Tel 815-357-6761 ComEd September 11, 1996 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attention: Document Control Desk Washington, D.C. 20555 Subject: LaSalle County Station Units 1 and 2 10CFR Part 21 Notification 9603 General Electric GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers NRC Docket Numbers 50-373 and 50-374 Enclosed in Exhibit B is ComEd's 10CFR Part 21 Notification of the deficiency of GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers, manufactured by General Electric Company and in use at LaSalle Station. This notification is submitted in accordance with the requirements of 10CFR 21, Section 21.1 (b), 21.3a(3), and 21.3d(4). If there are any questions or comments concerning this letter, please refer them to me at (815) 357-6761, extension 3600. Respectfully, W. T. Subalusky Site Vice President LaSalle County Station Enclosure cc: A. B. Beach, NRC Region III Administrator M. P. Huber, NRC Senior Resident Inspector - LaSalle D. M. Skay, Project Manager - NRR - LaSalle F. Niziolek, Office of Nuclear Facility Safety - IDNS DCD - Licensing (Hardcopy: Electronic:) Central File A Unicom Company Memorandum ComEd Date: September 11, 1996 To: Nuclear Licensing Manager From: Charles J. Bohan Date SEC Engineer Charles H. Furlow Date SEC E/I&C Supervisor Petros Antonopoulos Date SEC Manager Subject: Part 21 Notification 9603-GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers LaSalle Site Support Engineering has evaluated the subject document and determined that the defect/noncompliance is reportable under the requirements of 10CFR Part 21. The attached report has been prepared for submittal to the NRC, and should be submitted by to the NRC Operations Center. Questions regarding this report should be directed to Lawrence Bukantis, ext. 2576. Enclosure cc: President and Chief Operating Officer Senior Vice President, Nuclear Operations Vice President BWR Operations Vice President PWR Operations Vice President Nuclear Engineering and Construction General Manager Nuclear Services General Manager Quality Programs and Assessments Nuclear Station Managers Nuclear Engineering Manager Safety Assessment Manager Manager of Quality Assurance/Nuclear Safety Part 21 Coordinator ENC Regulatory Assurance Supervisor I:\opex\miscdocs\gememo.doc h:\worddata\gememo.doc A Unicom Company 10CFR Part 21 Notification Possible Failure of GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers with Instantaneous Trip Function Applicability This notification is submitted in accordance with the requirements of 10CFR Part 21, Section 21.1 (b), 21.3a(3), and 21.3d(4) Identification of Facility and Component LaSalle County Station, Units One and Two Commonwealth Edison Chicago, Illinois GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers Identification of Component Manufacturer General Electric Nature of Defect On May 28th, 1996, LaSalle County Station reported to General Electric Nuclear Energy (GE-NE) that a number of GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers were failing to operate as expected The Instantaneous Trip Function was tripping the circuit breakers at values less than the RMS-9 Programmer switch settings would have implied. LaSalle County Station sent three of these RMS-9 Programmers to GE-NE for testing, evaluation and failure analysis. General Electric's SC96-04, 10CFR Part 21 Notification Letter of August 12, 1996, states that the cause of the problem with the instantaneous pickup switch to be a polyester epoxy film on the internal switch contacts. This film acts as an insulator and consequently, when the switch position is changed, the contacts are prevented from making full contact and the RMS-9 Programmer fails to a lower Instantaneous Pickup setting. This film is apparently the result of insufficient curing of the conformal coating (polyester epoxy) applied to the RMS-9 Programmer circuit board during final assembly. Safely Significance An RMS-9 Programmer with the Instantaneous Pickup Function failed to it's lowest value or at some value lower than anticipated could result in the inability to start a safety significant motor due to the starting current of the motor being above the Instantaneous Pickup setpoint of the RMS-9 Programmer. This could potentially affect the operation of safety related loads required for safe shutdown and mitigating accidents. Time of Discovery August 19th, 1996 (Receipt of GE-NE SC96-04) Corrective Actions Use of the GE TVRMS2 digital tester, to assess as found settings of RMS-9 units currently installed and confirm the as left RMS-9 settings. The GE TVRMS2 digital tester provides confirmation of the proper settings of the RMS-9 Programmer. Number and Location of All Defective Components A summary of the safety related breakers equipped with RMS-9 programming units and their service is provided in the table below. Cubicle Service 236X-303C RHR SW Pump 2C 236X-302A AEER Air Cooled Condenser Fan 0B 236X-302B AEER Supply Fan 0B 236X-302C 2A DGCW Pump 236X-302D AEER Supply System Refrig Compressor 0B 236X-301B MCC 236X-3 Feed Breaker 236X-301C MCC 236X-2 Feed Breaker 236X-301D MCC 236X-1 Feed Breaker 236Y-403B Main Feed to 236Y 236Y-403C RHR SW Pump 2D 236Y-401A Control Room HVAC Air Cooled Condenser Fan 0B 236Y-402C Fuel Pool Emergency Makeup Pump 2B 236Y-402D Control Room HVAC Refrig Unit 2B 236Y-401B MCC 236Y-3 Feed Breaker 236Y-401C MCC 236Y-1 Feed Breaker 236Y-401D MCC 236Y-2 Feed Breaker 136X-302B Main Feed to 136X 136X-302C RHR SW Pump 1C 136X-303A 1A DGCW Pump 136X-303B AEER Supply System Compressor 0A 136X-303C AEER Air Cooled Condenser Fan 0A 136X-303D AEER Supply Fan 0A 136X-304B MCC 136X-1 Feed Breaker 136X-304C MCC 136X-2 Feed Breaker 136X-304D MCC 136X-3 Feed Breaker 136Y-402B Main Feed to 136Y 136Y-402C RHR SW Pump 1D 136Y-403A Control Room Air Cooled Condenser Fan 0A 136Y-403B Control Room Refrig. Unit 0A 136Y-403C Primary Containment Vent Supply Fan 1B 136Y-403D Fuel Pool Emergency Makeup Pump 1B 136Y-404A Hydrogen Recombiner Power Cabinet 136Y-404B MCC 136Y-1 Feed Breaker 136Y-404C MCC 136Y-2 Feed Breaker 136Y-404D MCC 136Y-3 Feed Breaker 135X-102B Main Feed to 135X 135X-102C RHR SW Pump 1A 135X-103A 0 DGCW Pump 135X-103B MCC 135X-1 Feed Breaker 135X-103C MCC 135X-2 Feed Breaker 135X-103D MCC 135X-3 Feed Breaker 135Y-202B Main Feed to 135Y 135Y-202C RHR SW Pump 1B 135Y-203A Primary Containment Vent Supply Fan 1A 135Y-203B Fuel Pool Emergency Makeup Pump IA 135Y-203C Cleanup Recirc Pump 1C 135Y-203D MCC 135Y-1 Feed Breaker 135Y-204B MCC 135Y-2 Feed Breaker 235X-103B Main Feed to 235X 235X-103C RHR SW Pump 2A 235X-102A 0 DGCW Pump 235X-102B MCC 235X-1 Feed Breaker 235X-102C MCC 235X-2 Feed Breaker 235X-102D MCC 235X-3 Feed Breaker 235Y-203B Main Feed to 235-Y 235Y-203C RHR SW Pump 2B 235Y-202A Cleanup Recirc Pump 2C 235Y-202C Primary Containment Vent Supply Fan 2A 235Y-201A Fuel Pool Emergency Makeup Pump 2A 235Y-201B MCC 235Y-1 Feed Breaker 235Y-201C MCC 235Y-2 Feed Breaker 235Y-201D MCC 235Y-3 Feed Breaker Contacts Larry Bukantis Auxilary Power System Engineer LaSalle County Station Commonwealth Edison 2601 North 21st Road Marseilles, Illinois 61341 (815) 357-6761 AUG 19 1996 10 CFR PART 21 NOTIFICATION GE Nuclear Energy SC96-04 August 12, 1996 TO: Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. Northeast Utilities Boston Edison Co. Omaha Public Power District ComEd Rochester Gas & Electric Corp. Duquesne Light Co. Southern Nuclear Operating Co. Entergy Operations, Inc. Tennessee Valley Authority GPU Nuclear Corp. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co. Corp. SUBJECT: Possible Failure of GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers with Instantaneous Trip Function [ ] Reportable Condition [21.21 (c)] 60 [X] Transfer of Information [21.21 (b)] [ ] Day Interim Report [21.21 (a) (2) [ ] Safety Information Communication SUMMARY: This Notification provides the results of an evaluation by GE Nuclear Energy (GE-NE) of failures reported in the Instantaneous Trip Function of GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers. These devices were manufactured by GE Electrical Distribution and Control, and supplied by GE-NE as Safety Related components for balance-of-plant or unspecified applications. Since the applications and associated safety functions of RMS-9 Programmers supplied by GE-NE are not known, it is not possible for GE-NE to evaluate the safety significance of a possible failure to determine if a defect exists in the context of 10CFR Part 21. We are therefore transferring the information to the affected utilities for evaluation. Issued by: M. A. Smith, Manager Safety Evaluations Project GE Nuclear Energy, M/C 187 175 Curtner Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125 Notice. This 10 CFR Part 21 Notification pertains only to the plants or facilities specifically indicated as being affected. GE Nuclear Energy (GE-NE) has not considered or evaluated the applicability, if any, of this information to any plants or facilities other than those specifically indicated as being affected and for which GE-NE supplied the equipment or services addressed in the Notification. Determination of applicability of this information to a particular plant or facility, and the decision of whether or not to take action based on the Notification, are the responsibilities of the Owner of that plant or facility. SC96-04 Background A domestic BWR licensee has reported to GE Nuclear Energy (GE-NE) that a number of GE Type RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers were failing to operate as expected. The Instantaneous Trip Function was tripping the circuit breaker at values less than the RMS-9 Programmer switch setting would have implied. The licensee sent three (3) of these RMS-9 Programmers to GE-NE for testing, evaluation, and failure analysis. Subsequent testing confirmed that the Instantaneous Pickup Switches sometimes failed to their lowest value (1.5X). At other times, changing the switch setting had no apparent effect on the RMS-9 Programmer setting. Only the Instantaneous Pickup Switch appears to be affected. GE-NE has not identified any problem with the other switches on the RMS-9 Programmers. GE-NE has determined the cause of the problem with the Instantaneous Pickup Switch to be a polyester epoxy film on the internal switch contacts. This film acts as an insulator and consequently, when the switch position is changed, the contacts are prevented from making full contact and the RMS-9 Programmer fails to it's lowest Instantaneous Pickup setting (1.5X). This film is apparently the result of insufficient curing of the conformal coating (polyester epoxy) applied to the RMS-9 Programmer during final assembly. Testing has shown that some of the conformal coating ran under the switch when it was applied and was not cured because it was shadowed by the switch during the ultraviolet curing process. Over a period of time the external contacts of the switch acted as wicks and drew some of the uncured conformal coating into the switch where it then formed the film on the internal switch contacts. Since the thickness of the film on the internal contacts varies, the effect is to cause the switch to fail to it's lowest setting. At this setting the film is thick enough to act as an open circuit and to cause the switch to operate erratically. While this same action may have occurred at other switches in the RMS-9 Programmer, the higher current through the other switches allowed the film to "burn off". This is why only the Instantaneous Pickup Switch is being affected. Based on the testing performed by GE-NE the film does not appear to form between the movable contacts and the stationary contacts in the switch. This means that if the switch is operating properly and is not moved from the position verified to have proper operation, the switch will continue to operate properly. The affected RMS-9 Overcurrent Trip Device Programmers were manufactured by GE Electrical Distribution and Control, and supplied by GE-NE as Safety Related components for balance-of-plant or unspecified applications. They were variously provided as spare parts or as components of either refurbished circuit breakers or new AK7/AKR7 circuit breakers. Page 2 SC96-04 Safety Basis An RMS-9 Programmer with the Instantaneous Pickup Function failed to it's lowest value or at some value lower than anticipated could result in the inability to start a motor due to the starting current of the motor being above the Instantaneous Pickup setpoint of the RMS-9 Programmer. Likewise, if the Instantaneous Pickup setpoint is at some value higher than expected, it is possible that a circuit fault could result in the circuit breaker not tripping in accordance with the selective tripping scheme of the power system. This could result in losing significant portions of the power system due to the circuit breaker failing to trip when expected and thus forcing upstream circuit breakers to isolate a fault. Corrective Actions and Preventative Measures GE-NE recommends that as the final step in any procedure requiring the repositioning of the Instantaneous Pickup Switch, the proper operation of the Instantaneous Trip Function be verified by testing. This testing may be performed by Primary Current Injection or by using the GE TVRMS Test Set to verify the "electronic" position of the Instantaneous Pickup Switch. This recommendation is based on the evidence that a properly operating switch will continue to operate properly unless and until the switch position is changed such that the film (if present) comes into play. Page 3 SC96-04 ATTACHMENT 1 AFFECTED PLANTS UTILITY PLANT AFFECTED Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. Calvert Cliffs 1 x Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. Calvert Cliffs 2 x Boston Edison Co. Pilgrim x Carolina Power & Light Co. Brunswick 1 Carolina Power & Light Co. Brunswick 2 Centerior Energy Perry 1 ComEd CRIT Facility x ComEd Dresden 2 x ComEd Dresden 3 x ComEd LaSalle 1 x ComEd LaSalle 2 x ComEd Quad Cities 1 x ComEd Quad Cities 2 x Consumers Power Co. Big Rock Point DTE Energy Fermi 2 Duquesne Light Co. Beaver Valley 1 x Duquesne Light Co. Beaver Valley 2 x Entergy Operations, Inc. Grand Gulf Entergy Operations, Inc. River Bend x Entergy Operations, Inc. Waterford 3 x GPU Nuclear Corp. Oyster Creek x IES, Utilities, Inc. Duane Arnold Illinois Power Co. Clinton Long Island Lighting Co. Shoreham Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co. Maine Yankee x Nebraska Public Power District Cooper New York Power Authority FitzPatrick Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. Nine Mile Point 1 Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. Nine Mile Point 2 Northeast Utilities Millstone 1 x Northern States Power Co. Monticello Omaha Public Power District Fort Calhoun x PECO Energy Go. Limerick 1 PECO Energy Co. Limerick 2 PECO Energy Co. Peach Bottom 2 PECO Energy Co. Peach Bottom 3 Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. Susquehanna 1 Pennsylvania Power & light Co. Susquehanna 2 PIMS PIMS Public Service Electric & Gas Co. Hope Creek Page 4 SC96-04 UTILITY PLANT AFFECTED Rochester Gas & Electric Corp. R. E. Ginna x Southern Nuclear Operating Co. Hatch 1 x Southern Nuclear Operating Co. Hatch 2 x Southern Nuclear Operating Co. Vogtle 1 x Southern Nuclear Operating Co. Vogtle 2 x Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry 1 x Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry 2 x Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry 3 x Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. Vermont Yankee x Washington Public Power Supply System WNP-2 x Page 5 SC96-04 ATTACHMENT 2 10 CFR PART 21 NOTIFICATIONS FOR 1995/1996 The following is a list of 10CFR Part 21 notifications that GENE has provided to BWR owners in 1995 and 1996 as Reportable Conditions (RC), Transfers of Information (TI), Safety Information Communications (SC) or 60 Day Interim Reports (60 Day). Table omitted. Page 6 *** END OF DOCUMENT ***

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