ML19340E559
| ML19340E559 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/15/1980 |
| From: | Ahearne J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Hart G SENATE, ENVIRONMENT & PUBLIC WORKS |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19340E547 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8101140904 | |
| Download: ML19340E559 (2) | |
Text
o UNITED STATES
)N NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 9E W ASW NGTO N, D. C. 20555 5*
ue c
gseu j CHA R AN The Honorable Gary Hart, Chairman Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation Committee on Environment and Public Works United States Senate Washington, D.C.
20510
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The following infomation is provided for your information.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed plans for a major program to assure that all safety-related equipment in nuclear power facilities is quali-fied to perform its function under conditions which would exist in an accident.
The scope of the program includes all environmentally sensitive safety-related equipment located in areas potentially exposed to a harsh environment, and required to function during or following an accident for safe plant shutdown, or required to mitigate the~ consequences of an accident.
Specifically, the program covers safety significant electrical, instrumentation and control equipment intended for installation in plants under construction and replace-ment or requalified equipment for plants in operation.
In September, the NRC ordered utility operators of nuclear power facilities to submit information showing that safety-related equipment in their facilities can withstand the severe environmental conditions that could result from a serious accident. The NRC staff will review this information and issue safety evaluation reports early next year.
The NRC requires that samples of equipment that could be subjected to a harsh environment be tested in an equivalent environment or that the facility owners prove by analyses based on existing test data that the equipment is qualified.
As part of its c,verall equipment qualification program, the NRC will inspect and review in-depth the industry test programs of selected critical components.
This will include an NRC review of equipment specifications, test plans, test procedures and acceptance standards before the industry's qualification tests are performed.
The NRC will also witness the assembly and preparation of specimens, review the test set-up and witness the actual qualification tests.
This review and inspection of the on-going qualification tests will afford the l
NRC the opportunity to ensure that necessary changes or adjustments are made before the work is completed.
In addition to its audit of industry test programs, the NRC will conduct independent qualification tests of important. equipment to verify the industry results. To the extent; practicable, the NRC tests will be conducted on equip-0 'l 013 O k
2-The Honorable Gary Hart ment which has been in use in a nuclear power facility. When this is not practical, specimens will be obtained from stock designated for a nuclear power facility, artificially aged and then tested.
The NRC is preparing a new rule that will address the subjectrof equipment qualification in detail. This rule will provide specific guidance and require-ments for meeting the Commission's present General Design Criteria for nuclear power plants.
One of the requirements will be that future environmental qualification tests be performed in a laboratory accredited for that purpose.
Accredited laboratories could be operated by equipment manufacturers, utilities, independent research and development institutes, universities or independent testing laboratories. The NRC currently is working with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to initiate a laboratory accreditation program.
Initially the program will review the capabilities of laboratories already conducting environ-mental tests on equipment for the nuclear industry.
Its purpose is to achieve greater uniformity and consistency in the testing process regardless of the specific interest of the testing organization.
An outline of the new program is provided in Enclosure 1 of SECY-80-319, Analysis of Alternatives for Conducting Independent Verification Testing of Environmentally Qualified Equipment. A copy of SECY-80-319 including the enclosures is provided herein as an Enclosure.
Sincerely, John F. Ahearne
Enclosure:
SECY-80-319 cc: Sen. Alan Simpson e
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July 1, 1980 SECY-80-319 COMMISS:0.NER ACT[ON For:
The Commissioners dA From:
Victor Stello, Director, P
0 Office of Inspection and Enforcer 5ent f0 Thru:
Executive Director for Operations
Subject:
ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES FOR CONDUCTING IN EPENDENT VERIFICATION TESTING OF ENVIRONMENTALLY QUALIFIED EQUIPMENT
Purpose:
To inform the Commission of the results of the subject analysis, to identify the staff's program for conducting independent verification testing and inspection of safety related equipment's environmental qualifications and to obtain the Cominission's consent to implement the program.
Discussion:
Backcround Prior to the electrical connector assembly failures during the 1977 Sandia methodology tests the staff's program related to equipment environmental qualification consisted of a review of the SAR to verify that the licensee committed to meet the appropriate standards and in-house review of some equipment qualification reports.
Following
-the investigation of the connector failures several Bulletins were issued that uncovered the generic problem of gross inadequacies in safety-related equipment environ-mental qualifications.
The staff's current program consists of reviewing the licensees responses to IE Bulletins and reviewing a backlog of environmental quali-fication reports submitted for equipment installed in operating plants.
Effort under the current program has been aimed at catching up with the equipment qualification inadequacies in operating plants.
On April 13, 1978, the Commission issued a memorandum and order to the staff that included ten directives resulting from the Union of Concerned Scientists petition dated November 4, 1977.
Directive #5 of that memorandum and order stated:
/
.. R. Rutherford, IE SECY NOTE:
This subject is schedul
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CONTACT:
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