NRC ORDER – NOV (White)

On December 18, 2013, the NRC issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC for a violation of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion V, “Instructions, Procedures, and Drawings,” associated with a White Significance Determination Process finding involving the failure of Duane Arnold personnel to prescribe a work instruction of a type appropriate to the circumstances for the re-assembly of the ‘A’ standby diesel generator lube oil heat exchanger. Specifically, on October 18, 2012, the licensee completed work order 40132858, which replaced the ‘A’ standby diesel generator lube oil heat exchanger tube bundle. The work order did not contain a specific and detailed sequence for re-assembly of the heat exchanger and connected piping system to achieve uniform and appropriate compression of the tube bundle-to-shell gasket. This contributed to the catastrophic failure of the tube bundle-to-shell gasket during a maintenance run of the engine on March 8, 2013, rendering the ‘A’ standby diesel generator unavailable.