Protecting People and the EnvironmentUNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
SSINS No.: 6835
IN 82-34
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555
August 20, 1982
Information Notice No. 82-34: WELDS IN MAIN CONTROL PANELS
Addressees:
All holders of a nuclear power reactor operating license (OL) or
construction permit (CP).
Purpose:
This information notice is provided as an early notification of a
potentially significant problem pertaining to welds in main control panels
supplied by Systems Control of Iron Mountain, Michigan; Reliance Electric of
Stone Mountain, Georgia; and Comsip of Linden, New Jersey, to a number of
operating plants and construction sites. The potential safety significance
of this problem is still under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) staff. If NRC evaluation so indicates, further licensee action may be
requested. In the interim, the staff expects licensees to review the
information herein for applicability to their facilities. No specific action
or response is required at this time.
Description of Circumstances:
Inspections at the vendors' facilities have disclosed numerous welding
practices not in accordance with the American Welding Society (AWS)
Standards and several quality assurance practices not in compliance with the
vendors' procedures or NRC requirements. Among these were the following:
1. Certified material test reports not required, not available, or
not in accordance with AWS specifications
2. Changes to drawings not properly reviewed and accepted
3. Welding being done by unqualified individuals without qualified
procedures and using uncalibrated equipment
4. Poor welds, including lack of fusion, undercuts in excess of 1/32"
and weld wire remnants from 1/2" to 4" in accepted welds
5. Welding procedure qualification and welder qualification testing
required by AWS Standards not accomplished
6. Essential variables as specified by AWS Standards violated
7. Management oversight not accomplished for lengthy periods; lack of
separate review and approval for Quality Assurance
8. Unidentified weld filler metal used
9. Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process used but not documented in
place of required gas metal arc welding (GMAW) or shielded metal
arc welding (SMAW) processes
.
IN 82-34
August 20, 1982
Page 2 of 2
Since the inspection determined that the non-conforming practices of all
three vendors are similar and widespread at each manufacturing facility, it
can be assumed that any panel from these vendors may have defective welds.
Although the vendors have seismically qualified similar panels, their
current welding practices and resultant defective welds may affect the
validity of those qualifications.
Sites at which defective welds in control panels have been identified are
Byron 1 and 2, Braidwood 1 and 2, Midland 1 and 2, Vogtle 1 and 2, Callaway
1, Comanche Peak 1 and 2, and Waterford 3.
Sites which have received panels which may have defective welds are as
follows: Wolf Creek; Brunswick 1 and 2; Seabrook; Palo Verde 1, 2, and 3;
Susquehanna; Three Mile Island 1; Salem 1 and 2; Hope Creek; Monticello;
Perry 1 and 2; Hatch 1 and 2; Indian Point 2; Shearon Harris 1, 2, 3, and 4;
St. Lucie 2; Shoreham; Virgil Summer; Marble Hill 1 and 2; Dresden; LaSalle;
Clinton; Beaver Valley; and Millstone.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the
administrator of the appropriate Regional Office or this office.
Edward L. Jordan, Director
Division of Engineering and
Quality Assurance
Office of Inspection and Enforcement
Technical Contact: M. S. Wegner
301-492-4511
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices
