ML19351E823
| ML19351E823 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/09/1980 |
| From: | Plesset M Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | Ahearne J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| ACRS-R-0909, ACRS-R-909, NUDOCS 8012190388 | |
| Download: ML19351E823 (2) | |
Text
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[Wu:s*o UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 3
s ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS k
[
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555
/
December 9, 1980 p;jg j 2; s lJ HonorabledohnF.Ahearne Chairman l
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
-d.
i Washington, D. C. 20555 s
S
SUBJECT:
NEW SAFETY CONCEPTS FOR FUTURE CONSTRUCTION
Dear Dr. Ahearne:
In a memorandum dated September 11, 1980 you asked for ACRS suggestions con-cerning potential safety improvements which could be incorporated into any new design for nuclear power plants.
You also forwarded a copy of a memoran-dum of the same date and subject to the Acting Executive Director for Opera-tions(ED0). More recently, the ACRS received a copy of a memorandum dated October 24, 1980 from the EDO to you on the same suidect.
The ACRS agrees with Mr. Dircks that, "It would not be fair to say that NRC has a major integrated program for examining potential safety improvements." In 1978, in response to a Congressional requirement, the NRC proposed a program of research to improve the safety of light-water reactors in NUREG-0438,
" Plan for Research to Improve the Safety of Light-Wuter Nuclear Power Plants,"
but this program received very little financial support.
The ACRS believes that it is important for the NRC to address the subject of improved safety for future LWR designs and that it warrants a sufficient allocation of research and regulatory resources to address the matter in a timely fashion. The ACRS believes that, if necessary, lower priority topics should be identified for delay or cancellation, in order to permit the appro-priate effort to be given to this subject.
The ACRS plans to have a subcommittee address this general subject, and hopes to have recommendations for you by the summer of 1981. However, a consider-able number of candidates for consideration exist from previous ACRS reports and other sources. The following list includes several examples covering a wide range of potential safety items and approaches.
The incorporation of a bunkered, dedicated system for shutdown heat removal (or othemise improved shutdown heat removal system) into the design The use of probabilistic methodology in design to ascertain the means and the need, if any, to go beyond the single failure criterion N
The more effective use of separation to reduce the likelihood of 4k0 certain common mode failures 80 12190 3&P
Honorable John F. Ahearne December 9, 1980 Improvements in the reliability of AC and DC power supplies and in the capability of the plant to withstand an extended loss of power Design features to mitigate accidents involving severe core damage or core melt The inclusion of consideration of industrial sabotage in design Design measures to improve control system reliability and control room functionability Consideration and evaluation of the general subject should include both regulatory and research perspectives, and a multi-pronged approach may be appropriate. One early avenue for pursuit is a reevaluation of the General Design Criteria to ascertain the extent that they can and should be reformu-lated to provide guidance for the design of future reactors.
A second avenue might involve an attempt to develop general guidance for the use of probabi-listic methodology in design. A third might involve an attempt to develop general guidance for a design approach for coping with accidents involving severe core damage and core melt.
It is not envisaged that such efforts by the ACRS and/or the NRC Staff would involve nuclear reactor design, per se. However, the NRC might be able to obtain useful design-related infomation if it had the ability to provide general direction and guidance for a timely, design-concept-oriented program perfomed under the auspices of the Department of Energy.
Si ncerely, Milton S. Plesset Chairman 1