Information Notice 1997-63, Status of NRC Staff'S Review of BWRVIP-05

Status of NRC Staff'S Review of BWRVIP-05
	ML031050170
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Three Mile Island, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant
Issue date:	08/07/1997
From:	Slosson M; Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	;
References
	IN-97-063, NUDOCS 9708070078
	Download: ML031050170 (10)
	v • d • e

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UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 August 7, 1997 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 97-63: STATUS OF NRC STAFF'S REVIEW OF

BWRVI P-05

Addressees

All holders of operating licenses or construction permits for boiling water reactors (BWRs).

Purpose

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

addressees about the status of NRC staffs review of "BWR Vessel and Internals Project, BWR Reactor Pressure Vessel Shell Weld Inspection Recommendations (BWRVIP-05)."

This information notice does not transmit or imply any new or changed requirements or staff

positions. No specific action or written response is required.

Discussion

On May 12, 1997, the NRC staff and members of the Boiling Water Reactor Vessel and

Internals Project (BWRVIP) met with the Commission to discuss the NRC staffs review of

the BWRVIP's proprietary report, "BWR Vessel and Internals Project, BWR Reactor

Pressure Vessel Shell Weld Inspection Recommendations (BWRVIP-05)," dated

September 28, 1995. This report questions the extent of augmented reactor vessel

inspection required in 10 CFR Part 50, 50.55a(g)(6)(ii)(A)(2). In accordance with guidance

provided by the Commission following that meeting, in Staff Requirements Memorandum

(SRM) M970512B, dated May 30, 1997, the staff has initiated a broader, risk-informed

review of the BWRVIP-05 proposal. Further, the final safety evaluation report (SER) will

need to be reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) prior to

issuance. Based on the NRC staffs review of the BWRVIP-05 report, the staff has

concluded that the industry's assessment does not sufficiently address risk, and additional

work is necessary to provide a complete risk-informed evaluation. Therefore, the NRC

staffs current estimate is that completion of this effort, including industry input and ACRS

review, will take approximately six months.

One result of the additional review performed to date was the identification of a transient at

a foreign BWR of U.S. design in which the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) was subjected to

high pressure at a low temperature. This cold over-pressure transient was not included as

a design-basis event for BWRs nor was it considered from a risk perspective in the

BWRVIP-05 report. However, the recognition of this transient has led the staff to determine

that cold over-pressure transients are of sufficient safety significance that they heed to be

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IN 97- 63 August 7, 1997 as part of the BWRVIP-05 review. Therefore, the staff intends to request an industry

evaluation of the potential for, and consequences of, nondesign-basis events which were not

addressed in the BWRVIP-05 submittal.

In order for the additional analysis requested by the Commission to be completed and

reviewed, the staff will consider technically-justified requests for reliefs from the

augmented examination in accordance with 10 CFR 50.55a(a)(3)(i), 10 CFR 50.55a(a)(3)(ii),

and 50.55a(g)(6)(ii)A(5) from BWR licensees who are scheduled to perform inspections of the

BWR RPV circumferential shell welds during the Fall 1997 or Spring 1998 outage seasons.

Acceptably-justified reliefs would be considered for inspection delays of up to two operating

cycles for BWR RPV circumferential shell welds only. Licensees will still need to perform

their reqgred inspections of "essentially 100 pertr of all axial welds.;,

Granting reliefs for 40-months or two operating cycles is based on the consideration of the

availability of inspection equipment and the need for licensees to reschedule inspections if

they should be deemed necessary upon completion of the risk-informed evaluation.

Licensees should be aware that if the NRC staff determines at the conclusion of its

review of the BWRVIP-05 proposal that inspections of the BWR RPV circumferential shell

welds are necessary, any licensee who seeks and receives schedular relief will be required

to perform the inspections at the first reasonable opportunity.

This information notice requires no specific action or written response. If you have any

questions about the information in this notice, please contact the person listed below or the

appropriate NRC Regional Office.

Marylee M. Slosson, Acting Director

Division of Reactor Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical contact: C. E. Carpenter, NRR

301-415-2169 E-mail: cec@nrc.gov

Attachment: List of IsecenIsued NRC Information Notice

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Attachment

IN 97-63 August 7, 1997 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

NRC INFORMATION NOTICES

Information Date of

Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to

97-62 Unrecognized Reactivity 08/06/97 All holders of OLs or CPs

Addition During Plant for nuclear power reactors

Shutdown

97-61 U.S. Department of 08/06/97 All U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Health and Human Commission medical licensees, Services Letter, to veterinarians, and manu- Medical Device Manu- facturers/distributors of

facturers, on the medical devices

Year 2000 Problem

97-60 Incorrect Unreviewed 08/01/97 All holders of OLs or CPs

Safety Question Deter- for pressurized-water

mination Related to reactors

Emergency Core Cooling

System Swapover from

the Injection Mode to

the Recirculation Mode

97-59 Fire Endurance Test 08/01/97 All holders of OLs or CPs

Results of Versawrap for nuclear power reactors

Fire Barriers

97-58 Mechanical Intejrity of 07/31/97 Holders of and Applicants

In-Situ Leach Injection for Licenses for In-Situ

Wells and Piping Leach Facilities

97-57 Leak Testing of Packaging 07/30/97 Suppliers and users of

Used in the Transport of packaging for the trans- Radioactive Material portation of radioactive

material required to per- form packaging leak tests

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit