Information Notice No. 79- 28, Overloading of Structural Elements Due to Pipe Support Loads

IN79028 

                             November 16, 1979 

MEMORANDUM FOR:     B. H. Grier, Director, Region I 
                    J. P. O'Reilly, Director, Region II 
                    J. G. Keppler, Director, Region III 
                    K. V. Seyfrit, Director, Region IV 
                    R. H. Engelken, Director, Region V 

FROM:               Norman C. Moseley, Director, Division of Reactor 
                      Operations Inspection, Office of Inspection and 
                      Enforcement 

SUBJECT:            Information Notice No. 79- 28, OVERLOADING OF 
                    STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS DUE TO PIPE SUPPORT LOADS 

     The subject Information Notice No. should be dispatched on November 16, 
1979 to all power reactor facilities with an operating license or 
construction permit. Enclosed is a draft copy of the transmittal letter for 
this purpose. 


                                        Norman C. Moseley, Director 
                                        Division of Reactor Operations 
                                          Inspection 
                                        Office of Inspection and Enforcement 

Enclosures: 
1.   Draft Transmittal Letter
2.   Information Notice No. 79-28

CONTACT:  H. J. Wong, IE 
          49-28180 
.

(Draft letter to all power reactor facilities with an operating license or 
construction permit)  

                                           Information Notice No. 79-28 

Addressee: 

The enclosed Information Notice No. 79-28 provides information on the 
overloading of structural elements due to pipe support loads. 

                                        Sincerely,  


                                        Signature 
                                        (Regional Director) 

Enclosures: 
1.   Information Notice No. 79-28 
2.   Recently Issued IE 
       Information Notices
.

                                                            Attachment 1 
                                                            SSINS No.: 6870 
                                                            Accession No.: 
                                                            7910250475 

                               UNITED STATES 
                      NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 
                   OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT 
                          WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 
                                     
                            November 16, 1979  

                                           Information Notice No. 79-28 

OVERLOADING OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS DUE TO PIPE SUPPORT LOADS 

Description of Circumstances: 

Recently, the NRC was informed that, in the course of the inspections 
pursuant to IE Bulletin No. 79-02 and 79-14 by the Portland General Electric
Co. (PGE) at the Trojan Nuclear Plant, some walls were found which did not 
have adequate structural strength to sustain the required support reactions.
Bechtel Corporation was the Architect Engineer for the plant. These 
structural inadequacies were reported to be attributable to two 
deficiencies: 

1)   Apparent lack of a final check of certain pipe support locations and 
     reactions to ensure that the supporting structural elements possessed 
     adequate structural integrity to sustain the required loads. 

2)   Inadequate design criteria for the reactions from supports anchored 
     into the face of concrete block walls; e.g., relying on the combined 
     strength of double concrete block walls without positive connection 
     between the two walls by means other than the bond provided by layer of 
     grout between them. 
     
The NRC is currently pursuing these issues in detail for the Trojan Nuclear 
Plant to determine the extnet of these deficiencies and the generic 
implications for other Bechtel facilities. 

This Information Notice is provided as an early notification of a possible 
significant matter. It is expected that recipients will review the 
information for possible applicability to their facilities and the actins 
being performed under IE Bulletin No. 79-02. Specific action is being 
requested relating to the adequacy of attachments to concrete block walls 
under IE Bulletin No. 79-02, Revision 2, item 5.c. No specific actions are 
requested in response to this Information Notice. If NRC evaluations so 
indicate, further licensee actions may be requested or required. If you have
any questions regarding this matter, please contact the Director of the 
appropriate NRC Regional Office. 

No written response to this Information Notice No. is required.