[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 221 (Thursday, November 17, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28402]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 17, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-445]

 

Texas Utilities Electric Company; Comanche Peak Steam Electric 
Station, Unit 1; Receipt of Petition for Director's Decision Under 10 
CFR 2.206

    Notice is hereby given that by a ``PETITION FOR EMERGENCY 
ENFORCEMENT ACTION UNDER PROVISION OF 10 CFR 2.206 WITH REGARD TO 
COMANCHE PEAK UNIT 1 AND THERMOLAG 330-1 FIRE BARRIERS,'' dated 
September 26, 1994, Citizens for Fair Utility Regulation and Nuclear 
Information and Resource Service (Petitioners) request that the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission take action with regard to Comanche Peak Steam 
Electric Station (CPSES) Unit 1 of Texas Utilities Electric Company (TU 
Electric).
    The Petition requests that (1) the licensee perform additional 
destructive analysis for Thermo-Lag configurations in proportion to the 
total installed amount to determine the degree of ``dry joint'' 
occurrence; (2) the licensee perform fire tests on up-graded ``dry 
joint'' Thermo-Lag configurations for conduit and cable trays to rate 
the barrier as a tested configuration in compliance with fire 
protection regulations; and (3) the NRC immediately suspend the 
Comanche Peak Unit 1 license until the above corrective actions are 
taken.
    As the bases for their requests concerning Thermo--Lag 330-1 Fire 
Barrier upgrades, Petitioners state that: (1) The licensee's records on 
the original installation of Thermo-Lag fire barriers on conduits and 
cable trays indicate that its contractor followed specifications for 
pre-buttering all joints; (2) NRC Inspection Report No. 50-455/93-42; 
50-446/93-42 found, based on destructive analysis documents, that a 
concern did exist where Thermo-Lag conduit joints fell apart easily and 
did not appear to have any residual material of a buttered surface, 
indicative of a joint that had not been pre-buttered; (3) the ``dry 
joint'' deficiency appeared in Room 115A and other areas of the unit; 
(4) the licensee directly contradicts a NRC inspector's findings that 
were determined in part by destructive analysis; (5) the ``dry joint'' 
or absence of pre-buttering of Thermo-Lag panels can be determined only 
by destructive analysis and cannot be determined by a walk down visual 
inspection; (6) the findings reported in the Comanche Peak Unit 1 
Region IV inspection report 50-445/93-42 and 50-446/93-42, based on the 
limited amount of destructive analysis conducted at the unit, 
constitutes a substantial documentation of installation deficiencies 
found in Thermo-Lag fire barriers as documented in NRC Information 
Notice 91-79 and IN 91-79 Supplement 1; (7) neither the NRC nor the 
industry, by its agent Nuclear Energy Institute, nor a utility, have 
conducted fire tests on dry fitted or ``dry joint'' upgraded 
configurations of Thermo-Lag 330-1; and (8) the presence of ``dry 
joint'' upgraded configurations in Comanche Peak Unit 1 constitutes an 
untested application of Thermo-Lag fire barriers.
    The Petition is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the 
Commission's regulations. The Petition has been referred to the 
Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. As provided by 10 CFR 2.206, 
appropriate action will be taken on this Petition within a reasonable 
time. By letter of November 7, 1994, the Director denied Petitioners' 
request for an immediate suspension of the operating license.
    A copy of the Petition is available for inspection at the 
Commission's Public Document Room at 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20555, and at the University of Texas at Arlington Library, Government 
Publications/Maps, 702 College, P.O. Box 19497, Arlington, Texas 76019.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 7th day of November 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William T. Russell,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-28402 Filed 11-16-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M