Update Sept 14, 2018
The problem with Brunswick nuclear plant is they are not self governed. The don't find things on their own or fix things before they break. The post Fukushima NRC inspection are an example of this.
Originally posted on Jan 1 2015...reposted from Apr 23, 2015
05000369,05000324
The problem is:
You are always dependent on small potatoes third party vendors because the original Nordberg DG manufacturer is bankrupt.
It is repetitive with these kinds of failures such with Brunswick +
(Closed) LERs 05000369/2014-001-00 and 05000369/2014-001-01, Condition Prohibited by Technical Specifications (TS) due to Emergency Diesel Generator 1B
Failurea. Inspection Scope
This URI was initiated for the NRC issuance of Notice of Enforcement Discretion (NOED) 14-2-002, dated August 27, 2014, in order to review the circumstances that led to the NOED request to determine if any performance deficiencies or violations contributed to the need for the NOED. The inspectors reviewed the licensee’s LERs associated with the failure of the cylinder 5L intake valve stem on the 1B EDG, the licensee’s root cause investigation, and their corrective actions to address the failure. Previous evaluation of the accuracy and details of the licensee’s request for the NRC to exercise discretion not to enforce compliance with the required action completion time for TS Limiting Condition for Operability (LCO) 3.8.1 to allow extra time for the engine to be repaired was documented in NRC Integrated Inspection Report 05000369, 370/2014005.The licensee established a formal root cause team consisting of six team members, including an outside industry diesel expert, to evaluate the failure and to determine applicable corrective actions. An extensive metallurgical laboratory analysis was conducted on the failed parts and further analysis was conducted by the disassembly of other cylinder heads on the 1B EDG during the subsequent fall 2014 refueling outage when the engine was removed from service. The inspectors found the licensee’s root cause evaluation to be detailed and exhaustive. The licensee determined the cause of the 1B
Basically crap parts...
EDG cylinder 5L intake valve failure was due to the combined effects of three inlet valve sub-parts which were manufactured by a third party supplier outside of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) (i.e., Norberg) specified tolerances. These manufacturing discrepancies included: 1) the inlet valve stem hardness/tensile strength was below specifications, 2) the hydraulic valve lash adjuster, which dampens the force between the intake valve and its seat, did not function properly due internal clearances being out-of-specification, and 3) the inlet valve spit rings, connecting the valve stem upper end to its rocker arm, was found with a larger radius. The combined effects of these out of tolerances resulted in inlet valve stem stresses beyond the endurance limit and subsequent valve failure due to high cycle fatigue.The licensee implemented a number of corrective actions to address the causal factors identified. Actions were taken to place a hold on the procurement of the three out of tolerance components until the EDG parts procurement specifications were revised. The revision would add additional vendor verifications that the components meet the original Nordberg specifications. To address the immediate extent of condition to limit the vulnerability of similar cylinder components being out of tolerance, the licensee reviewed cylinder vibration and ultrasonic signature testing of each of the cylinders of all four EDGs to detect any inlet valve closure anomalies. In addition, during the Fall 2014 refueling outage, both the 1B and 1A EDGs were inspected to ensure no similar out of tolerance components were installed. Similar inspections are planned for the remaining 2A and 2B EDGs. In the interim, the licensee plans to continue conducting periodic cylinder performance signature testing to detect any abnormal change in cylinder performance. The inspectors verified that an adequate extent of condition review was performed for all EDGs, and concluded that there were no licensee performance deficiencies associated with the August 18, 2014, 1B EDG failure. This URI and associated LERs are closed.b. FindingsNo findings were identified.
Originally posted on 1/13/2015
Can you imagine having no manufacturer support, replacement parts stream or large DG engineering or maintenance service.
It is like owning a car and you have to contract through a private vendor service to get them to manufacture spark plugs according to your special specification. You just can't call the manufacturer with a parts number and get the item by FedEx delivery.
Tim
Talked to the McGuire senior resident for about an hour today over this LER. He was a inspector for twenty five years. Couldn't get him to end the conversation. This is the LER:LER 2014-01Components inside the DG failed leading to a shutdown (Aug 2014). McGuire and Brunswick are the only plants in the USA who sports Nordberg DGs. Nordberg went out of business. Basically Duke bought the remaining shell of a company, mostly for the paperwork to support their DGs. They don’t have a typical repair parts stream…they contract to get replacement parts on their own.
I believe these replacement parts came from an ocean transportation company who owns big ships according to the resident. Seems old and obsolete Nordberg DG engines are popular in ocean shipping. The NRC is going to violate them in the future. The machine failed in Aug 2014 and the NRC still can't make their mind up to charge them or not.
"The cause of the EDG 1 B cylinder 5L failure is high cycle fatigue of the inlet valve due to the combined effects of three inlet valve train parts which were manufactured outside of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) specified tolerances.
The following factors caused the 5L inlet valve failure:
* Inlet valve stem hardness/strength below specification
* Hydraulic lash adjuster internal inadequate clearance
- Inlet valve keeper inadequate upper ID radius and thickness
You can imagine Duke going to the large DG manufacture for independent advice...do you think these out of tolerance parts will be safe and not cause us problem? If they were a valid manufacturer, you know they would say replace it.
Interaction of the above factors subjected the cylinder 5L inlet valve to forces beyond the design and endurance limit. Evidence of inadequate manufacturing was confirmed by inspection, measurement, and testing of the EDG 1 B cylinder 5L inlet valve train components. No single factor on its own can cause an inlet valve failure. A combination of the above factors created the conditions necessary for a failure of the inlet valve from high cycle fatigue over a relatively long time period. EDG 1 B operated for approximately 13 years with the out of tolerance parts. All of the above parts issues were created during manufacturing by inadequate adherence to original Nordberg specifications for materials and tolerances by a third party supplier that is no longer in operation."
You get it with the above, how far down the pike you willing to go with a no longer in operation machine manufacturer ( Nordberg) and then the third party parts supplier who no longer is in operation also. Now the parts are made fraudulently in China. What are we going to think if these parts came from a chain of 5 or 6 no longer operating third party suppliers. That is two corporations. You notice the NRC doesn't specify the third party. This should go to the justice department.
I consider not having a traditional manufacturing company backing up these machines as an un-reviewed safety issue. I told the inspector you got two separate parts found to not meet manufacture specs…how can you trust all the other parts. It got by Duke's QA and their black market parts company is supposed to have nuclear grade QA. Duke has proven themselves as not being a good owner of a DG manufacturing company. You got to test a representative sample of replacement parts to see it them meet specs( they are). I told the inspector making a plant engineer basically playing manufacturer and ordering the manufacturing of parts, plant or corporate engineering isn’t designed for that. It eats up engineering resources and it might cause them not to watch other problems.
I posed the question, well, why can’t you order them to replace all the dgs with new machines. Get a giant manufacture with large engineering services on their machines and the replacement parts traditional stream. He says it is impossible, the specific DGs are integral to the licensing of the plant. Even putting in new machines, it wouldn’t be the original quality. What bs! He said it would be cheaper building a new plant than ripping out an obsolete dg and installing an identical or better dg. If a dg fails in a way it can't be used again...it means the plant would have to permanently shutdown.He says that is why the industry has never changed out not even one dg in all of the history.
They could do as a LAR…it certainly is a lot smaller job that replacing SGs.
The resident brought in NRR and other staff…because the parts had an inadequate pedigree.They really have no idea where the parts came from and they are worried they come from a Chinese fraudulent parts sweat shop?He was vaguely talking about Duke installing non-nuclear grade DGs outside the building to compensate for the reduced quality with their Nordberg DGs. The Nordbergs would still be used and operational…but some amount of outside non nuclear grade capacity would be in standby in case of failure. I told him don’t worry about in the end, risk perspectives will say it is risk insignificant. He doesn't get my humor.I found it suspicious as hell I couldn't get him to hang up?Mike
Duke owns Brunswick today.
November 24, 2009:NRC SPECIAL INSPECTION 05000325/2009011 AND 05000324/2009011
"Brunswick and McGuire are the only two operators in the United States that utilize Nordberg EDGs in nuclear safety-related applications. Progress Energy and Duke Power Corporation are partnered with ESI as owners of the Nordberg nuclear EDG design and share information regarding the Nordberg EDGs. This provides Progress Energy with the availability of shared resources and access to a spare Nordberg diesel at the McGuire nuclear plant for training and troubleshooting. Also, operating experience gained from McGuire provides immediate feedback on key diesel issues or previous maintenance activities."
LER 2014-01-01: Condition Prohibited by Technical Specifications (TS) due to Emer ency Diesel Generator 1 B Failure.
Excepts from the LER:
2 comments:
Why not just have a machine shop make the parts needed? (As well as those anticipated for maintenance, backups, and any critical parts needed)?
This is exactly why we have nuclear engineers, TQM (Total Quality Management Engineers) and machinist.
If we create our own parts, manufacture our own equipment, then these become non-issues.
When we are reliant on parts from overseas, not only do we question if we're getting what we need, when we need it, but it becomes a national security issue, and fast.
We need to create and maintain our own equipment, fuel, etc. that's necessary for every day life, least we become a crippled country.
We've had presidents and congress that have been asleep on the job for many, many years.
NAFTA shouldn't have ever been emplemented.
We have a press that's fighting America being, once again independant. Our educational institutions have been hijacked, censorship by Google, whose co-founder is Russian, anx who hires many foreigners. Obama let a ton of spies into our country. The MB (& others)have infiltrated our country, written our educational system, gotten into our colleges and universities, industry, infrastructure (look up who works in water, wastewater, air quality, environmental "protections", scaring people to further ask for, or even demand more destructive regulations... destructive to our country.
Who keeps pushing for more, unvetted immigrants? An entire party sold out, along with others...
Wake up America! Get an education that allows you to make things, run healthcare, water, wastewater, desalinization, become a machinist, learn to weld, etc...
Should scare the pants off of every American! If you're young, consider joining the military. We have the best Commander and Cheif we've had since 1963, perhaps longer. Support him, as he's working hard to turn the disasterous BS around, and get our country back on track!
Ask senators, congressmen, state and local authorities to support ICE, close our borders, and again become self-sufficient. Become a local authority! No room for slackers in you young people, if you're going to retain your freedoms, your country. It's your country at stake!
Learn the important things in life. Do them! If you don't, you could be answering to leaders that could turn you into slaves, could tell you and your children what to do and when to do it.
Fight for the freedoms you have, both politically, educationally, and otherwise.
Don't give in to emotional BS sob stories on the news. Our news isn't run by Americans any more, it's propaganda from other countries, from elites that would just assume take over and see you dead.
Wake up, get an educarion, stand up for the Constitutional rights of Americans. We are at war, an undeclared, yet VERY real war.
Time to buck up, least a lotta blood will be spilt, and likely on US soil.
The gas explosions in MA recently, terrorist attacks, all that and far more. We have spies, unlawful enemy combatants, sleepers and traitors in our country... time to get them out now. Time to take back America.
Well, I think it is a fallacy the newspapers are liberal. The vast majority of the are owned republican extremist. They really control what gets into the news.
And there is not a Democrat left in the nuclear industry. They long ago have been purge for their liberal beliefs.
But I was so pissed off with the Democrats, I voted for Trump. I think Trump is going to wake us all up. But not in the way you wish.
I am for producing things in the USA. Ninety percent of the uranium in our nuclear plants comes from Russia. The Republican extremist think they can make more profits by using Russian fuel.
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