ML081120649

UNITED STATES 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION 

WASHINGTON, DC 20555-0001 

June 18, 2008 

NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 2008-11: SERVICE WATER SYSTEM DEGRADATION AT 

BRUNSWICK STEAM ELECTRIC PLANT UNIT 1 

ADDRESSEES

All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those who have 

permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently removed 

from the reactor vessel. 

PURPOSE

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information notice (IN) to inform 

addressees of recent service water problems experienced at the Brunswick Steam Electric Plant 

(Brunswick) Unit 1. It is expected that recipients will review the information for applicability to 

their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. However, 

suggestions contained in this IN are not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or 

written response is required. 

DESCRIPTION OF CIRCUMSTANCES

The licensee at Brunswick Unit 1 recently encountered problems with the service water system, 

including failure of one of the supply valves to the residual heat removal (RHR) service water 

system, an RHR service water pump that was rendered inoperable by foreign material, and flow 

degradation to a safety-related room cooler. 

RHR Service Water Supply Valve Failure

On July 26, 2007, the 1B loop RHR service water supply motor-operated butterfly valve failed to 

open while operators were attempting to place the B loop RHR service water pumps in service. 

This caused the 1B and 1D RHR service water pumps to trip on low suction pressure. The 

failure of this 24-inch Fisher Series 7600 butterfly valve was due to the loss of two taper pins 

used to connect the valve stem to the valve disc. Taper pins are impact-driven into holes in the 

valve stem and disc and are intended to hold them together through an interference fit. The 

licensee determined that the most likely cause of the failure was that the taper pins had not 

been completely driven into the holes during valve refurbishment, which allowed the pins to 

become displaced during operation. 

The licensee had previously reviewed operating experience, including NRC IN 2005-23, 

“Vibration-Induced Degradation of Butterfly Valves,” dated August 1, 2005, which showed that 

vibration could cause these pins to come loose over time, and had determined that no action 

was necessary based on different operating conditions, periodic valve inspections, and valve 
IN 2008-11 

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assembly conducted in accordance with vendor recommendations. In light of the July 26, 2007, 

valve failure, licensee corrective actions included welding or staking any service water valve 

taper pin that was vulnerable to loss (i.e., becoming dislodged and carried downstream). In 

addition, the licensee revised their valve maintenance procedures to specify staking or welding 

taper pins on these valves during refurbishment. 

RHR Service Water Pump Failure

Following identification of the two missing taper pins from the loop B RHR service water supply 

valve, the licensee attempted to find and retrieve both pins, but could only locate one. The 

licensee’s operability evaluation concluded the system was operable based on their 

determination that the pin had passed through the RHR service water pumps to the 1B RHR 

heat exchanger, where it would remain in the heat exchanger’s service water inlet endbell. The 

licensee based this conclusion, in part, on bench testing they conducted which consisted of 

dropping a spare taper pin through a stationary pump impeller. 

On August 21, 2007, the 1D RHR service water pump seized during a start attempt. The 

licensee’s investigation identified that the pump failure was the result of the missing taper pin 

from the loop B RHR service water supply motor-operated valve becoming lodged between the 

pump casing and impeller. During their evaluation of the missing taper pin, the licensee had not 

contacted the vendor to assist in determining whether the taper pin would pass through an 

operating pump. During subsequent discussions, the vendor indicated that based on the 

pump’s internal clearances, they could not predict if a taper pin would pass through. Licensee 

corrective actions included replacing the rotating element for the 1D RHR service water pump. 

Service Water Flow Decrease to RHR Room Cooler

On August 2, 2007, operators identified that service water cooling flow through the 1B RHR 

room cooler had decreased from a normal value of 380 gallons per minute (1438 liters per 

minute) to 250 gallons per minute (946 liters per minute). Flow continued to decrease, and the 

cooler and the B RHR loop were declared inoperable on August 16, 2007. The licensee opened 

the cooler for inspection and found foreign material in the cooler inlet piping consisting of rubber 

lining material from a Fisher Model 9100 butterfly valve. Because there was only one valve of 

this type upstream of the affected cooler, the licensee concluded that all the material came from 

this valve and had been removed during cooler cleaning. The valve was tagged closed to 

prevent the release of additional material and an operability evaluation was completed. The 

licensee’s operability evaluation concluded that the service water system was operable but 

degraded, and that normal system monitoring would be effective at discovering any 

unrecovered foreign material. 

At Brunswick, there have been a number of failures of Fisher Model 9100 butterfly valve rubber 

liners dating back to 1985 and most recently at Unit 1 in 2004. The valve believed to be the 

source of the material had not been internally inspected, and the NRC inspectors questioned 

the licensee’s operability conclusion, given the possibility that the foreign material could have 

come from historical valve lining failures and that additional foreign material from these previous 

failures could remain in the system. On September 9, 2007, the licensee decided to shut down 
IN 2008-11 

Page 3 of 4 

Unit 1 to inspect portions of the service water system. This decision was based on the failure of 

the 1D RHR service water pump and inoperability of the 1B RHR room cooler. The licensee 

inspected the valve believed to be the source of the foreign material and found that its rubber 

lining was intact. Additional foreign material, in the form of rubber valve lining, oyster shells, 

and two pieces of service water strainer tie rod with retaining nuts, was identified during these 

inspections. The licensee removed the foreign material and completed a subsequent operability 

determination to demonstrate that the service water system was operable prior to plant restart. 

An NRC special inspection team reviewed the circumstances surrounding these issues. The 

team identified that the service water system problems experienced at Brunswick occurred 

because the licensee did not take adequate corrective actions to remove foreign material from 

the system and did not perform an adequate loose parts analysis and operability evaluation 

once foreign material was identified. Additional information is available in NRC Special 

Inspection Report 05000324/2007-011 and 05000325/2007-011, dated November 16, 2007, 

and can be found on the NRC’s public website in the Agencywide Documents Access and 

Management System (ADAMS), under Accession No. ML073200779. 

BACKGROUND 

Related NRC Generic Communications

NRC IN 2005-23, “Vibration-Induced Degradation of Butterfly Valves,” dated August 1, 2005 

(ADAMS Accession No. ML051740299). This IN was written to alert addressees to failure of 

Fisher butterfly valves in the component cooling water system at San Onofre Nuclear 

Generating Station. Two of the taper pins used to hold the stem to the disc came loose, 

preventing valve operation. Similar failures had been reported at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power 

Station and Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant with valves manufactured by Flowserve and 

Henry Pratt Company, respectively. 

DISCUSSION

Licensees are required to have an operable service water system as specified in plant technical 

specifications. The Brunswick Unit 1 service water problems were the result of the loss of two 

taper pins from a Fisher service water system butterfly valve, historical degradation of Fisher 

butterfly valve lining material, and failure to adequately assess the impact of foreign material in 

the system. 
IN 2008-11 

Page 4 of 4 

CONTACT

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. Please direct any 

questions about this matter to the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of 

Nuclear Reactor Regulation project manager. 

/RA by MMaxin for/

Michael J. Case, Director 

Division of Policy and Rulemaking 

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 

Technical Contacts: Gerald Wilson, RII Gregory Bowman, NRR/DIRS 

404-562-4613 301-415-2939 

E-mail: gerald.wilson@nrc.gov E-mail: gregory.bowman@nrc.gov

Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, 

http://www.nrc.gov, by going to the Electronic Reading Room and then to Document Collections. 
IN 2008-11 

Page 4 of 4 

CONTACT

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. Please direct any 

questions about this matter to the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate Office of 

Nuclear Reactor Regulation project manager. 

/RA by MMaxin for/

Michael J. Case, Director 

Division of Policy and Rulemaking 

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 

Technical Contacts: Gerald Wilson, RII Gregory Bowman, NRR/DIRS 

404-562-4613 301-415-2939 

E-mail: gerald.wilson@nrc.gov E-mail: gregory.bowman@nrc.gov

Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, 

http://www.nrc.gov, by going to the Electronic Reading Room and then to Document Collections. 

Distribution: 

IN r/f 

*Concurred via email 

**See previous concurrence 

ADAMS Accession Number: ML081120649

OFFICE DIRS/IOEB** TECH EDITOR* BC/DIRS/IOEB** D/NRR/DIRS 

NAME GBowman CHsu MRoss-Lee FBrown 

DATE 05/14/08 04/18/08 05/15/08 06/11/08 

OFFICE DPR/PGCB DPR/PGCB BC/DPR/PGCB D/NRR/DPR 

NAME DBeaulieu CHawes MMurphy MCase 

DATE 06/5/08 06/18/08 06/18/08 06/18/08 

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY