ML20150E768

Codes & Stds for Nuclear Power Plants, 10CFR50 Final Rule. Regulations Amended to Incorporate Listed Addenda & Sections to ASME Code.Limitation Placed on Use of Paragraph IWB-3640 of Winter 1983 & 84 Addenda to Section Xi,Div 1

ML20150E768
Person / Time
Issue date:	04/13/1988
From:	Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:
Shared Package
ML20150E547	List: ML20150E543 ML20150E699 ML20150E717 ML20150E745 ML20150E768 ML20150E789 ML20150E799 ML20150E817 ML20150E820 ML20150E825 ML20150E828 ML20151E040 ML20195G742 ML20195G756
References
FRN-52FR24015, RULE-PR-50 AC29-2-05, AC29-2-5, NUDOCS 8807150287
Download: ML20150E768 (36)

Text

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DUCLEAR REGl'LATORY COMMISSION 10 CFR Part 50 1

Codes and Standards for Nuclear Power Plants l

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. l ACTION: Final rule. .

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SUMMARY

The Comission is amending its regulations to incorporate by l

reference the Winter 1984 Addenda, Sumer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition of Section III, Division 1, of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code), and the l Winter 1983 Addenda, Sumer 1984 Addenda, Winter 1984 Addenda, Sumer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition of Section XI, Division 1, of the ASME Code. A limitation is placed on the use of paragraph IWB-3640 l as contained in the Winter 1983 Addenda and Winter 1984 Addenda of Section XI, l l

Division 1. This limitation requires that for certain types of welds, IWB-3640 when implemented shall be used as modified by the Winter 1985 Addenda. In addition, the existing rrodification pertaining to the inser-vice inspection of pressure retaining welds in ASME Code Class 2 piping has been revised to limit its applicability up to the 1983 Edition with addenda up through the Sumer 1983 Addenda. The sections of the ASME Code being incorporated by reference provide rules for the construction of light-water-cooled nuclear power plant components and specify requirements 8807150287 880708 P PDR S 52 24015

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for inservice inspection of those components. Adoption of these amendments would permit the use of improved methods for construction and inservice inspection of nuclear power plants.

EFFECTIVE DATE: . The incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in the regulations is approved by the Office of the Director of the Office of the Federal Register as of .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. G. C. Millman, Division of Engineer-ing, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Telephone: (301)492-3872.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 26, 1987, the Nuclear Regulatory Com-mission published in the Federal Register (52 FR 24015) a proposed amendment to its regulation,10 CFR Part 50, "Domestic Licensing of Production and l Utilization Facilities," to update the reference to editions and addenda of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Yessel Code (ASME Code). This amendment revises i 50.55a to incorporate by reference all editions through the 1986 Edition and all addenda through the Winter 1985 Addenda that modify Division 1 rules of Section III, "Rules for the Construction of Nuclear Plant Components," and, subject to certain limitations and modifications, addenda through the Winter 1985 Addenda that modify Division 1 rules of Sections XI, "Rules for the Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components," of the ASME Code. Specifically, this amendment to 5 50.55a incorporates by reference the Winter 1984 Addenda, Sumer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition for Division 1 2

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rules of Section lil, and the Vinter 1983 Addenda, Sumner 1984 Addenda, Winter 1984 Addenda, Summer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition for Division 1 rules of Section XI of the ASME Code. The 1986 Edition is equivalent to the 1983 Edition, as modified by the Summer 1983 Addenda, Winter 1983 Addenda, Summer 1984 Addenda, Vinter 1984 Addenda,-  !

Summer 1985 Addenda, and Winter 1985 Addenda. The Summer 1984 Adde da and Summer 1985 Addenda for Section XI do not include technical requirements, but are included in the reference to prevent the confusior.

. that might occur with a lack of continuity in the addenda references.

• Interested persons were invited to submit writtea comments for con-sideration in connection with the proposed amendment by August 25, 1987. l Commen+r were received from three individuals in response to the notice of proposed rulemaking. Two of the commenters were in favor of the pro-posed rule, and submitted suggestions for editorial clarifications. One of these commenters was concerned that the manner proposed for specifying the endorsed editions and addenda in SS 50.55a(b)(1) and (b)(2) was poten-tially confusing for this specific amendment because the latest addenda that is specified does not modify the latest edition that is specified j (i.e., the Winter 1985 Addenda modifies the 1983 Edition). The staff agrees with the commenter and has modified paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) to make it clear that the Winter 1985 Addenda applies to the 1983 Edition, and 4

that the 1986 Edition is the latest ASME Code update being incorporated by reference into the regulation.

The other commenter in favor of the proposed rule believes that the pro-posed additional sentence in i 50.55a(b)(2)(1) which specifies a limitation on the use of IWB-3640 for certain addenda should be provided for clarity

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in a separate paragraph. The staff has considered and adopted this suggestion. In this final rule, the specified limitation is contained in a new paragraph (b)(2)(v). This commenter also recommended a revision to I 1

Footnote 6 to clarify details regarding implementation of the code cases specified in the identified reguletory guides. It is the opinion of the l staff that the rule should not be cluttered with such information. There-fore, that proposed revision has not been incorporated into the final rule.

However, the staff is considering incoiporating additional information directly into the regulatory guides to clarify their use.

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Additionally, this comenter noted that the Winter 1983 Addenda to Section XI included significant improvements to the inservice inspection of Class 2 piping. This comment is correct. In particular, the rules specified in that addenda satisfy NRC staff concerns associated with the i rules specified in earlier addenda for the examination of pressure retair-ing welds in ASME Code Class 2 piping, ii.6uding residual heat removal systems, emergency core cooling systems, and containment heat removal systems. The staff previously addressed these concerns by specifying a modification in i 50.55a(b)(2)(iv), which required that the extent of

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examinations for pressure retaining welds in ASME Code Class 2 piping be determined based upon specific rules in the 1974 Edition and Addenda I

l through the Sumer 1975 Addenda. Although the comenter did not make the

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point specifically, the proposed rule should have recognized the improve-ments in the Winter 1983 Addenda by incorporating a revision to limit the applicability of the required existing modification specified in paragraph (b)(2)(iv) to ASME Code editions and addenda up to the 1983 l l

Edition with addenda up through the Sumer 1983 Addenda. This final rule 1 l

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incorporates this limitation to the use of the modification specified in paragraph (b)(2)(iv).

The third commenter opposed the proposed amendment. That commenter believes that the NRC should not rely on industry standards, but rather should develop its own standards based upon NRC experience and data. NRC practice is to utilize national standards, such as the ASME Code, whenever possible to define acceptable ways of implementing the NRC's basic safety regulations. This is consistent with OMB Circular No. A-119 (Revised)I ,

which provides policy and administrative guidance to federal agencies -

regarding participation in the development and use of voluntary standards.

Consistent with this policy, the NRC staff participates actively in the development of many national standards, including the ASME Code, to ensure i

that NPC experience and data is part of the infonnation base used to sup-  !

port development of the standard. Although the NRC staff is heavily j l

involved in the development of the ASME Code, endorsement of the ASME i l

Code by the NP.C without esception is not an automatic action as evidenced by the existing limitations and modifications specified in 5 50.55a(b)(2) and the new limitation specified in paragraph (b)(2)(v) by this final rule.

Paragraph IWB-3640 was incorporated into the Winter 1983 Addenda of Section XI, Division 1, to provide procedures and acceptance criteria for determining the acceptability for continued service of austenitic stain-less steel piping with flaws in excess of the allowable indications spec-ified in IW8-3514.3. Concern was expressed by the NRC staff and others that IWB-3640, as presented initially in the Winter 1983 Addenda, did not provide an acceptable level of margin against fcilure for materials with I Single copies of OMB Circular No. A-119 may be obtained from the OMB Publications Office, 7?6 Jackson place, NW, Washington, DC, 20503, Telephone (202)395-7332.

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low toughness, such as might cccur in fluxed welds (t.e., submerged arc welds (SAW) or shielded metal arc welds (SMAW)). One concern with low toughness materials was that such materials might fail at load levels below limit load. Additionally, there was concern that secondary stresses, which were not included in the stress analysis procedures required by IWB-3640, might contribute to the failure of low toughness materials.

The ASME established a special task group to address the concerns associated with paragraph IWB-3640 as contained in the Winter 1983 Addenda. In the interim, the NRC staff required that licensees utilizing the procedures and acceptance criteria of IWB-3640, as contained in the Winter 1983 Addenaa, apply additional safety factors in their analyses to be submitted to the staff to account for the above concerns. NRC staff acceptance criteria were provided in Generic Letter 84-11. "Inspections of BWR Stainless Steel Piping."2 In the opinion of the NRC staff, the concerns associated with material toughness have been adequately addressed by the ASME Code with the modi-fication to paragraph IWS-3640 in the Winter 1985 Addenda. This addenda provides specific acceptance criteria for SAW and SMAW type welds, and these criteria address the concerns associated with limit load and the need to incorporate secondary stresses in the evaluation.

This amendment to 6 50.55a incorporates a limitation in paragraph (b)(2)(v) that allows for the use of pr.ragraph IWB-3640, as contained in the Winter 1903 Addenda and Winter 1984 Addenda, for all applications 2

A copy of Generic Letter 84-11 is available for inspection or copying for a Tc: at the NRC Public Document Room 1717 H Street NW., Washington, DC.

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.i permitted in that paragraph except those associated with SAW and SMAP type welds. For these welds, this amendment specifies that paragraph IWB-3640, as modified by the Winter 1985 Addenda, must be used.

Footnote 6 of i 50.55a provides reference to the NRC Regulatory Guides that denote which ASME Code Cases have been determined to be acceptable to the NRC staff for implementation. Previously, this footnote provided reference to only Regulatory Guides 1.84 and 1.85, which denote acceptability of Section III, Division 1, Code Cases on design and fabrication, and on materials, respectively. This amendment revises Footnote 6 to incorporate-a reference to Regulatory Guide 1.147, "Inservice Inspection Code Case Acceptability -- ASME Section XI Division 1," which identifies the Code Cases acceptable to the NRC staff for implementation in the inservice inspection (ISI) program of light-water-cooled nuclear power plants. At present, the Implementation section of Regulatory Guide 1.147 specifies that applicants should make a specific request to the NRC to use Code i Cases endorsed in the regulatory guide. The next revision of Regulatory Guide 1.147 (i.e., Revision 6) will reflect the proposed change in Footnote 6 of the regulation. It will permit the use of Code Cases endorsed in the regulatory guide without a specific request to the NRC for approval.

In the interim, it is the intent of the NRC that Code Cases listed in Regulatory Guide 1.147 be used without specific application to the NRC.  !

l This amendment further revises Footnote 6 to correct the referenced titles for Regulatory Guides 1.84 and 1.85.

Paragraph 50.55a(g) provides requirements for selecting the edition and addende of Section XI to be complied with during the preservice inspection (6 50.55a(g)(3), for plants whose construction permit was issued i 7

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l on or after July 1,1974); the initial 10-year inspection interval

($ 50.55a(g)(4)(i)); and successive 10-year inspection intervals (650.55a(g)(4)(ii)). Paragraph IWA-2400 of Section XI, as revised by the-Winter 1983 Addenda, incorporates rules for selecting the applicable edition and addenda of Section XI during the preservice inspection (IWA-2411); the initial 10-year inspection interval (IWA-2412); and suc-cessive 10-year inspection intervals (IWA-2413).

The criteria provided in the regulations and Section XI are effec-tively the same for the preservice inspection, and the successive 10-year -

inspection intervals, but differ for the initial 10-year inspection j interval. For the initial In-year inspection interval, the regulations specify that inservice examinations of components and inservice tests shall comply with the requirements in the latest edition and addenda of the Code incorporated by reference on the date 12 months prior to the date of issuance of the operating license while Section XI provides that '

the inspection plan shall comply with the Edition and Addenda of Sec- )

tion XI that has been adopted by the regulatory authority 36 months after the date of issuance of the construction permit, or subsequent Editions and Addenda that have been adopted by the regulatory authority. In general, use of the Comission requiremer..s will result in the selection of a more recent edition and addenda than will use of the Section XI rules.

1 Satisfying the requirements of 9 50.55a(g)(4)(i) for the initial 10-year  ;

inspection interval will, in general, aise satisfy the rules of Section XI. l It is the Commission's intent that in all cases the existing require-1 ments in 9 50.55a(g) be the basis for selecting the edition and addenda of Section XI to be complied with during the preservice inspection, the 10-year inspection interval, and successive 10-year irispection intervals.

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Subsection IWE, "Requirements for Class FC Components of Light-Water Cooled Power Plants," was added to Section XI, Division 1, in the Winter 1981 Addenda. However,10 CFR $ 50.55a presently incorporates only those ,

portions of Section XI that address the ISI requirements for Class 1, ?,

l and 3 components and their supports. The regul6 tion does not currently l address the ISI of containments. Since this amendment is only intended to update current regulatory requirements to include the 16 test ASME Code edition and addenda, the requirements of Subsection IWE would not be imposed upon Commission licensees by this amendment. The applicability of Subsection IWE is being considered separately.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION The NRC has determined that this final rule is the type of action described in categorical exclusion 10 CFR 51.22(c)(3). Therefore, neither an environmental impact statement nor an environmental assessment has been prepared for this final rule.

REGULATORY ANALYSIS  !

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The Comission has prepared a regulatory analysis for this amendment I to the regulations. The analysis examines the costs and benefits of tne alternatives considered by the Commission. Interested persons may examine a copy of the regulatory analysis at the NRC Public Document Room, 1717 H St.

NW., Washington, DC. Single copies of the analysis may be obtained from Mr. G. C. Millman, Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, Washington, DC, 20555 Telephone (301)492-3872.

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e PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT This final rule amends information collection requirements that are subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

These requirements were approved by the Office of Management and Budget, approval number 3150-0011.

REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY CERTIFICATION ,

. l As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, 5 U.S.C. 605(b), j the Comission hereby certifies that this rule does not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. This rule affects j only the licensing and operation of nuclear power plants. The companies that own these plants do not fall within the scope of the definition of "small entities" set forth in the Regulatory Flexibility Act or tLa Small Business Size Standards set out in regulations issued by the Small Business Administration at 13 CFR Part 121. l l

l LIST OF SUBJECTS IN 10 CFR PART 50 Antitrust, Classified infomation, Fire protection, Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Nuclear power plants and reactors, Penalty, Radiation protection Reactor siting criteria, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended, and 5 U.S.C. 553, the NRC is adopting the following amendments to 10 CFR Part 50.

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PART 50 - DOMESTIC LICENS1HG 0F PRODU.CTION AND UTIL17AT10N FACILITIES

1. The authority citation for Part 50 reads as follows:

AUTHORITY: Secs. 102, 103, 104, 105, 161, 182, 183, 186, 189, 68 Stat.

936, 937, 938, 948, 953, 954, 955, 956, as amended, sec. 23f, 83 Stat.

1244, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2132, 2133, 2134, 2135, 2201, 2232, 2233, 2236, 2239,2282): secs. 201, as amended, 202, 206, 88 Stat. 1242, as amended 1244, 1246, (42 U.S.C. 5841, 5842, 5846).

Section 50.7 also issued under Pub. L.95-601, sec.10, 92 Stat. 2951 (42 U.S.C. 5851). Section 50.10 also issued under secs. 101, 185, 68 Stat. 936, 955, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2131, 2235); sec. 102, Pub. L.91-190, 83 Stat. 853 (42 U.S.C. 4332). Sections 50.23, 50.35, 50.55, and 50.56 also issued under sec.185, 68 Stat. 955 (42 U.S.C. 2235). Sec-tions 50.33a, 50.55a and Appendix Q also issued under sec. 102, Pub. L 91-190, 83 Stat. 853 (42 U.S.C 4332). Sections 50.34 and 50.54 also issued under sec. 204, 88 Stat. 1245 (42 U.S.C. 5844). Sections 50.58, 50.91 and 50.92 also issued under Pub. L.97-415, 96 Stat. 2073 (42 U.S.C. 2239).

Section 50.78 also issued under sec. 122, 68 Stat. 939 (42 U.S.C. 2152).  !

Sections 50.80-50.81 also issued under sec. 184, 68 Stat. 954, as amended (42U.S.C.2234). Section 50.103 also issued under sec.108, 68 Stat. 939, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2138). Appendix F also issued under sec.187, 68 Stat. 955 (42 U.S.C. 2237).

For the purposes of sec. 223, 68 Stat. 958, as amended (42 U.S.C. I 2273),9950.10(a),(b),and(c), 50.44,50.46,50.48,50.54,and50.80(a) l are issued under sec.161b, 68 Stat. 948, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2201(b));

il 50.10(b) and (c), and 50.54 are issued under sec. 1611, 68 Stat. 949,

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. i as amended (42 U.S.C. 2201(i)); and 66 50.9, 50.55(e), 50.59(b), 50.70, 50.71, 50.72, 50.73 and 50.78 are issued under sec. 161o, 68 Stat. 950, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2201(o)).

2. For i 50.55a, paragraph (b)(1), the introductory text of para-graph (b)(2), paragraph (b)(2)(iv), and Footnote 6 are revised and para-graph (b)(2)(v) is added to read as follows:

550.55a Codes and standards

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(b) * * *

(1) As used in this section, references to Section III of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code refer to Section III, Division 1, and include editions through the 1983 Edition and Addenda through the Winter 1985 Addenda, and the 1986 Edition.

(2) As used in this section, references to Section XI of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code refer to Section XI, Division 1, and include editions through the 1983 Edition and Addenda through the Winter 1985 Addenda, and the 1986 Edition, subject to the following limitations and modifications:

(iv) Pressure-retaining welds in ASME Code Class 2 piping (applies to Tables IWC-2520 or IWC-2520-1, Category C-F). (A) Appropriate Code Class 2 pipe welds in Residual Heat Removal Systems, Emergency Core Cool-ing Systems and Containment Heat Removal Systems, shall be examined. When i

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applying editions and addenda ur to the 1983 Edition titrough the Summer 1983 Addenda of Section XI of the ASME Cude, the extent of examination for these systems shall be determined by the requirements of paragraph IWC-1220, Table IWC-2520 Category C-F and C-G, and paragraph !WC-2411 in the 1974 Edition and Addenda throvoh the Summer 1975 Addenda.

(B) For a nuclear power plant whose application for a construction permit was-docketed prior to July .1,1970, when applying editions and addenda up to the 1983 Edition through the Summer 1983 Addenda of Sec-tion XI of the ASME Code, the extent of examination for Code Class 2 pipe -  ;

welds may be determined by the requirements of paragraph IWC-1220, Table IWC-2520 Category C-F and C-G and paragraph IWC-2A11 in the 1974 Edition and Addenda through the Summer 1975 Addenda of Section XI of the ASME Code or other requirements the Commission may adopt.  ;

(v) Evaluation procedures and acceptance criteria for austenitic piping (applies to IWB-3640). When applying the Winter 1983 Addenda and Winter 1984 Addenda, the rules of paragraph IWB-3640 may be used for all applica-tions permitted in that paragraph, except those associated with submerged arc welds (SAW) or shielded metal arc welds (SMAW). For SAW or SMAW, use paragraph IWB-3640, as modified by the Winter 1985 Addenda.

l Footnotes to 6 50.55a:

6 ASME Code cases that have been determined suitable for use by the Commission staff are listed in NRC Regulatory Guide 1.84, "Design and Code Case Acceptability -- ASME Section III Division 1," NRC Regulatory Guide 1.85, "Materials Code Case Acceptability -- ASME Section III Division 1,"

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and f:RC Regulatory Guide 1.147, "Ir. service Inspection Code Case Acceptability -- ASME Section XI Division 1." The use of other Code cases may be authorized by the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation upon request pursuant to i 50.55a(a)(3).

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• Dated at k M this/k)!Aday of M4[ 1988.

gQ .V For the Nuclear Regulatory Conunission.

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v Victor 534110,

&f4/n Executive Director f perations, i

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l APPROVED FOR PUBLICATION j The Comission has delegated to the E00 (10 CFR 1.40(c) and (d), published on March 18, 1982, at 47 FR 11816 and October 18, 1985, at 50 FR 42145) the ,

authority to develop and promulgate rules as defined in the APA (5 U.S.C. '

551(4)) subject to the limitations in NRC Manual Chapter 0103, Organization l and Functions, Office of the Executive Director for Operations, paragraphs 0213, ,

038, 039, and 0310.  !

The enclosed final rule entitled "Codes and standards" amends.10 CER 50.55a l to incorporate by reference the Winter 1984 Addenda, Sumer 1985 Addenda, . l Division 1 and the  !

Winter 1985Addenda, Winter 1983 Addenda, and 1986 Sumer Edition ofSumer 1984 Addenda, Section III, Addenda,' Winter 1985 1985 l Addenda, and 1986 Edition of Section XI, Division 1, of the ASME Boiler and I Pressure Vessel Code.

This final rule does not constitute a significant question of policy, nor does it amend regulations contained in 10 CFR Parts 7, 8 or 9, Subpart C, concerning matters of policy. I therefore find that this final rule is within the scope of my rulemaking authority and am proceeding to issue it.

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/Date / ictor Stejjo, Jr I Executive Director f perations  !

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a POR Certified Original:

Date:

Enclosure 2 Regulatory Analysis Amendment to 10 CFR 650.55a Codes and Standards Executive Surmary Section 50.55a of the NRC regulations requires that nuclear power plant owners construct Class 1, 2, and 3 components in accordance with the rules pro-vided in Section III, Division 1, of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code) and that they provide for and perform an inservice inspection of 1 those components in accordance with the rules provided in Section XI, Division l 1, of the ASME Code. NRC has been mandating this requirement since shortly I after initial publication of Section III and Section XI of the ASME Code in i 1971. The preamble to the August 24, 1972, final rule amending s50.55a (37 l FR 17021) states "As new or amended editions of applicable codes, code cases, or addenda are issued, the Commission will review them and amend the provisions of 650.55a ... as appropriate.'

The mechanism for endorsement, which has been used since the first endorsement  !

in 1971, has been to incorporate by reference the ASME Code into 550.55a. The I regulation identifies which edition and addenda of the ASPE Code have been approved by the NRC for use. At present, the NRC endorses for Section III, Division 1, all addenda through the Summer 1984 Addenda and all editions through the 1983 Edition, and for Section XI, Division 1, all addenda through the Sunter 1983 Aldenda and all editions through the 1983 Edition. This amend-ment incorporates by reference all editions through the 1986 Edition and all addenda through the Winter 1985 Addenda for both Section III, Division 1, and Section XI, Division 1.

l This amendirent is of particular importance to operating plants because l 650.55a requires that licensees update their inservice examination and in-service testing programs every ten years to comply with the requirements of the latest edition and addenda of Section XI, Division 1, endorsed by the NRC 12 months prior to the start of the next ten year interval. This amendment is also of importance to plants preparing foi their initial inspection interval, for these plants must comply with the latest edition and addenda of Section XI, Division 1, endorsed by the NRC 12 months prior to the date of issuance of the operating license.

The ASME Code is developed through the American National Standards Institute consensus process. This ensures that the various technical interests (e.g.,

utility, manufacturing, insurance, regulatory) are represented on the standards

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l development committees and their viewpoints are addressed fairly in the stan-dards writing process. In general, revisions are made to improve the Code by providing more detailed rules where experience indicates greater guidance is necessary, or relaxing the rules where experience shows equivalent operational safety can be maintained with a reduced burden on the licensees. The consensus process ensures that the cost and benefit of revisions to the ASME Code are properly considered from all sides and are reasonably balanced. Should the NRC staff feel that at any time in the process safety is being compromised, it can and has taken exception in $50.55a to the rules provided in the ASME Code.

This does not occur often, but is available to the staff when necessary.

This amendment does not conflict with any existing or proposed regulatory action. In particular, the ASME Code rules that address the criteria for allowable cracks in austenitic stainless steel piping provide the basis for existing and proposed generic letters on the inspection of BWR stainless steel piping. -

It is concluded that the proposed amendment, when implemented, would result in a net increase in the overall protection of public health and safety, because it will be the improved rules that will be used in new arid subsequent inservice inspection programs. Obsolete requirements will not be promulgated from inspection interval to inspection interval.

1. Statement of the Problem The General Design Criteria (Appendix A of 10 CFR Part 50) require that structures, systems, and components of light-water-reactors be designed, fabricated, erected, constructed, tested and inspected to quality standards  !

cormensurcte with the importance of the safety function perfonned. Without a set of specific rules to implement these quality standards, it would be neces-sary for each applicant and licensee to develop its own program for submittal i to the NPC. Each program would have to be reviewed by the staff on a case by-  !

case basis. This would increase significantly the licensing review time and  !

would make inspections by the staff more difficult because of the nonstandard nature of each program.

To provide a consistent set of rules, which the industry has participated in developing, 650.55a mandates use of Section III, Division 1, of the ASME Code for construction of Class 1, 2, 3 components, and Section XI, Division 1 of the ASME Code for inservice inspection of these components.Section III and ,

Section XI are implemented by applicants and licensees of all light-water- '

cooled reactors. The NRC first endorsed the ASME Code by reference in 10 CFR 950.55a in 1971. The ASME publishes a new edition of the Code every three years. In the past, new addenda have been published for Section III, Division 1, and for Section XI, Division 1, every six months. Since 1986, new addenda have been published once a year. It has been a continuing policy of the Comission to update this section of the regulations to keep the references current. In those cases where an item in the ASME Code is inconsistent with NRC criteria, an exception may be taken to endorsing that portion of the Code or supplementary criteria may be incorporated to make the item consistent with staff requirements.

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Section 50.55a presently endorses all addenda through the Sumer 1984 Addenda, and all editions through the 1983 Edition for Section III, Division 1, and all addenda through the Sumer 1983 Addenda, and all editions through the 1983 Edition for Section XI, Division 1. The purpose of this proposed rulemaking is to incorporate by reference into the regulations all addenda through the Winter 1985 Addenda and all editions through the 1986 Edition for both Section III, Division 1 and Section XI, Divisicn 1.

The ASME Code is developed through the consensus process, which ensures that the vcrious technical interests (e.g., utility, manufacturers, insurance, regu-latory) are represented on the standards development committees and that their viewpoints are considered in the standards writing process. Endorsement of the ASME Code by the NRC provides a method of incorporating rules into the regulatory process that are acceptable to the NRC and have received industry consideration in their development.

If the NRC did not take action to endorse the ASME Code, the NRC position on methods for construction and inservice inspection would have to be established on a case-by-case basis. If the NRC did not take action to update the ASME Code references, improved methods for construction and inservice inspection might not be implemented.

2. Objectives This final rule amends $50.55a to:

o Incorpvate by reference into 10 CFR 650.55a, the Winter 1984 Ad-denda s Summer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition for Section III, Division 1, and the Winter 1983 Addenda, Sumer 1984 Addenda, Winter 1984 Addenda, Suceer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition for Section XI, Division 1, of the ASME Code.

o Require that when using paragraph IWB-3640 of Section XI, Division 1, for submerged arc welds and shielded metal arc welds the Winter  ;

1985 Addenda be used in place of the rules contained in the Winter I 1983 Addenda and Winter 1984 Addenda. I o Revise footnote 6 to incorporate a reference to Regulatory Guide 1.147, "Inservice Inspection Code Case Acceptability --- ASME Sec-tion XI division 1."

o Limit use of modification specified in paragraph (b)(2)(iv) for pressure-retaining welds in ASME Code Class ? piping inspections, including residual heat removal systems, emergency core cooling systems, and containment heat removal systems, to ASME Code editions and addenda up to the 1983 Edition with addenda up through the Sunner 1983 Addenda. '

3. Alternatives One alternative,to incorporating by reference into NRC's regulations the up-dated requirements of Section III, Division 1, and Section XI, Division 1; and 1

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noting the need to use the improved IWB-3640 rules contained in the Winter 1985 Addenda; limiting the use of the existing modification for Class 2 piping inspection rules; and making the editorial revision to Footnote 6 would be to take no action. This would mean that the NRC position on the methods for con-struction and inservice inspection contained in the latest edition and recent addenda of the ASME Code would have to be provided on a case-by-case basis; the improved rules for inspection of Class 2 piping would not be implemented, and there could be some question as to the applicability of Regulatory Guide 1.147.

A second alternative to incorporating by reference th:se later requirements of Section III, Division 1, and Section XI, Division 1, is to incorporate the entire text of these sections of the ASME Code into the NRC regulations. Be-cause of the volume of these sections, t-his approach is not practicable.

4 Consequences

a. Costs and Benefits Incorporating by reference the latest edition and recent addenda of the ASME Code will establish the NRC staff position on these Code rules on a generic basis for applicants and licensees. This will minimize the need for case-by-case evaluations and will reduce the time and effort required for submittal preparations and license reviews.

The cost / benefit of ASME Code revisions is balanced by the manner in which these revisions are achieved through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) consensus process. The ANSI consensus process ensures that participa-tion in ASME Code development is open to all persons and organizations that might reasonably be expected to be directly and materially affected by the activity, and ensures that such persons and organizations shall have the op-portunity for fair and equitable participation without dominance by any single interest. Consensus is established when substantial agreement has been achieved by the interests involved. Consensus requires that all views and ob-jections be considered and that a concerted effort be made toward resolution.

ASME Code proposed revisions are published for public coment in the ASME Mechanical Engineering and ANSI Reporter publications prior to being submitted for final ASME and ANSI approval. Adverse public coments are referred to the appropriate technical comittee for resolution.

The consensus process ensures a proper balance between utility, manufacturing, regulatory and other interests concerned with revisions to the ASME Code, and ensures that the cost of implementing any Code revision is consistent with its benefit.

b. Impacts on Other Requirements (1) Effect of Amendment on Existing NRC RequirementsSection III and Section XI have been revised, in the past, twice a year.

These revisions have been published in two addenda each year (i.e., Summer Addenda and Winter Addenda). Starting in 1986, there is only one addenda for each of these sections and it will be called the 19XX Addenda (e.g.,

1986 Addenda). The revisions are the result of consensus participants s 4

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meeting 4 - 5 times a year for the purpose of improving the existing rules. The revisions take into account the many lessons learned in a specific area since the development of a particular Code rule. The revisions generally fall into three categories; a) technical revisions that incorporate new rules in technical areas not previously addressed by the Code; b) technical revisions to axisting rules; and c) editorial revisions. When a technical revision is made, it may make the existing set of rules more or less restrictive, or may simply clarify the existing rule without changing its intent. There are numerous revisions in each addenda. Appendix A provides a sumary of those revisions considered to be significant that are included in the edition and addenda affected by the proposed amendment.

In general, technical revisions are made to improve the ASME Code by providing more detailed rules where experience indicates greater guidance is necessary, or relaxing the rules where experience shows equivalent operational safety can '

be maintained with a reduced burden on the licensee.

Relative to implementation of Section III, Division 1, 650.55a specifies that the ASME Code edition and Addenda to be applied to reactor coolant pres-sure boundary (i.e., Class 1), and Quality Group B (i.e., Class 2) and Quality Group C (i.e., Class 3) components must be determined by the provisions of paragraph NCA-1140 of Subsection NCA of Section III, Division 1, of the ASME Code, but the applicable edition and addenda must be those which are in-corporated by reference in $50.55a. NCA-1140 specifies that the owner (or his designee) shall establish the ASME Code edition and addenda to be included in the Design Specifications, but that in no case shall the Code edition -and addenda dates established in the Design Specifications be earlier than three years prior to the date that the nuclear power plant construction permit is docketed. NCA-1140 further states that later ASME Code editions and addenda may be used by mutual consent of the Owner (or his designee) and Certificate Holder. Plants may implement the improved rules on a voluntary basis as they are incorporated by reference into 650.55a, but unless they make that choice, there is no additional burden associated with incorporating the proposed Section III edition and addenda.

Relative to implementation of Section XI, Division 1, 650.55a specifies that:

(a) Inservice examinations of components, inservice tests of pumps and valves, and system pressure tests conducted during the initial 120-month inspectinn interval shall comply with the requirements in the latest edition and addenda of the ASME Code incorporated by rsference on the date 12 months prior to the date of issuance of the operating license, subject to any limitations noted (550.55a(4)(1)).

(b) Similar to (a), above, for successive 120-month inspection interval it is necessary to comply with the requirenents of the latest edition and addenda of the ASME Code incorporated by reference 12 months prior to the start of the 120-month inspection interval, subject to anylimitationsnoted(650.55a(4)(ii)).

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(c) If a licensee determines that conformance with certain Code require-ments is impractical for his facility, the licensee shall notify the Commission and submit information to support his determination (50.55a(g)(5)(iii)). The Comission will evaluate licensee deter-minations that Code requirements are impractical and may grant such relief and may impose alternative reouirements giving due consideration to the burden on the licensee (50.55a(g)(6)(i)).

The existing reauirements in 650.55a specified in Items (a) and (b), above, ensure that all plants perform inservice inspection and inservice test pro-grams in conformance with updated versions of Section XI of the ASME Code. The proposed amendment would update the editions and addenda that are endorsed by the NRC staff, and would thereby cause these later editions 6.id addenda to be implemented by licensees consistent with the time constraints identified in Items (a) and (b), above.

The Winter 1983 Addenda incorporates rules for selecting the applicable edition and addenda of Section XI for use during the preservice inspection, the initial 10-year inspection interval, and successive 10-year inspection intervals. The ASME Code rules for the initial 10-year inspection interval (IWA-2412) are not the same as those provided in the regulation for the initial inspection inter- .

vals ($ 50.55a(g)(4)(i)). In general, use of the Consission requirements will result in the selection of a more recent edition and addenda for the initial 10-year inspection interval than will use of the Section XI rules. Satisfying the Comission requirements will, in general, also satisfy the rules of Sec-tion XI. To clarify the point, the Supplementary Information to the final rule states that it is the Comission intent that in ali cases the existing require-ments in 9 50.55a(g) shall be the basis for selecting the edition and addenda of Section XI to be complied with during the preservice inspection, the initial 10-year inspection interval, and successive 10-year inspection intervals.

The requirement in Item (c), above, provides for the submittal of relief requests by licensees. It ensures that in those cases where the generic requirements of Section XI are impractical, or are overly burdensome for a specific facility, that facility may obtain some relief from the particular requirement, provided the licensee demonstrates to the Comission that omission of the Section XI requirement believed to be impractical will not have an adverse affect on public health and safety.

The regulation presently contains a modification ($ 50.55a(b)(2)(iv)) to Sec-tion XI that requires the use of specific rules in the 1974 Edition and addenda through the Sumer 1975 Addenda of Section XI for detennining the extent of examinations for pressure retaining welds in ASME Code Class 2 piping. The Winter 1983 Addenda to Section XI includes significant improvements to the inservice inspection of Class 2 piping that resolves NRC staff concerns associated with the above modification to Section XI rules. The final rule recognizes the improvements in the Winter 1983 Addenda by incorporating a revision to limit the applicability of the existing modification specified in i 50.55a(b)(2)(iv) to ASME Code editions and addenda up to the 1983 Edition with addenda up through the Sumer 1983 Addenda.

As noted in Appendix A, there are numerous changes in the addenda being incor-porated by reference in to $50.55a. Some of the changes may be considered to reduce the burden of the licensee in implementing the Code, while others may 6

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i increase the burden. In any event, all the revisions were developed as part of the consensus process and, therefore, have been thoroughly reviewed by all elements of the nuclear industry, as wel as the NRC staff. It is fair to say that the consensus process ensures that the value of any revision to the ASME Code is balanced by its burder: on th2 incistry.

The revisions generally improve plar.t safety by incorporating new rules to  ;

cover areas not previously addressed, or by revising the rules consistent with cxperience to reduce the number of areas where the Code has been found to be impractical, inadequate, or insufficiently clear.

As noted above, 650.55a presently requires that licensees update their in-service inspection programs every 10 years to the Section X7 rules that were er.dorsed by the NRC 12 months prior to the : tart of the next 120-month in-spection interval. There will be a substantial increase in safety through the endorsement of the later addenda and edition, because it will be these addenda and edition that will be used in subsequent inservice inspection programs.

Obsolete requirements will not be promulgated from inspection interval to inspection interval.

(2) Effect of Amendment on NRC Regulatory Actions That Address the Inspection of BWR Stainless Steel Piping This amendment addresses one area where an NRC regulatory action exists and where a proposed action is pending. The actions are associated with the ,

inspection of austenitic stainless steel piping. Cracks in austenitic stain- l less steel piping have been a concern since 1973 when intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) was first noted in some BWR feedwater lines.

Since the Winter 1975 Addenda,Section XI, Division 1, has provided criteria in paragraph IWB-3514.3 for allowable indications in austenitic piping.

Because IGSCC often exceeded these criteria, the ASME Code developed supple-mental rules that pennitted evaluation and possible acceptance of these cracks for limited operating periods. These supplemental rules were incorporated into i paragrapn IWB-3640 in the Winter 1983 Addenda of Section XI, Division 1, to provide procedures and acceptance criteria for determining the acceptability for continued services of austenitic stainless steel piping with flaws in excess of the allowable indications specified in IWB-3514.3.

Generic Letter 84-11. "Inspections of BWR Steinless Steel Piping," was issued to provide licensees with a suninary of actions that the staff considered an ac-ceptable response to IGSCC concerns at the time. This generic letter provided licensees with the bases for a reinspection program for piping susceptible to IGSCC. Among other things, the generic letter provides crack evaluation and repair criteria. These criteria, in part, are based upon rules provided in the Winter 1983 Addenda of Section XI, Division 1. Because of uncertainties asso-ciated with crack sizing, the staff has adopted a criteria in Generic letter 84-11 that pennits operation with cracked welds for the time period that the cracks are evaluated to not exceed 2/3 of the limits for depth and length pro-vided in paragraph IWB-3640 of the Winter 1983 Addenda of Section XI, Division 1.

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i An additional concern expressed by the NRC staff and others was that IW8-3640, as contained in the Winter 1983 Addenda, did not provide an acceptable margin against failure for low toughness materials. The ASME established a special task group to address this concera. The result was a revision to IWC 3640 that appeared in the Winter 1985 sddenda. In the opinion of the NRC staf t, this revision adequately addresses the concerns associated with t eh use of IWB-3640 for low toughness materials. The intent of the limitation in the proposed amendment is to prevent the use of IWB-3640 rules in the Winter 1983 Addenda and Winter 1984 Addenda for low toughness materials, and to instead require the use of the improved rules as they are provided in the Winter 1985 Addenda.

NUREG-0313, Revision 2, "Technical Report on Material Selection and Processing Guidelines for BWR Coolant Pressure Boundary Piping," among other things, pro-vides updated guidelines for evaluating IGSCC cracks for limited further opera-tion. This report, which incorporates public comments and is now in the NRC review and approval process, states that the problem of low toughness material has been addressed by the Code, and that the Winter 1985 Addeada provides appropriate criteria for all types of welds.

NUREG-0313, Revision 2, also addresses the original uncertainties associated with the ability to adequately size cracks for evaluation by IWB-3640. The NUREG points out that this issue has been tddressed by the industry, with sup-port from NRC. Recognizing that much of tne uncertainty was associated with examinations being performed by examiners with limited knowledge and experience in sizing IGSCC, the industry established a training and qualification program at the EPRI NDE Center in Ch&rlotte, North Carolina.

The staff now believes that flaw sizes can be adequately determined when both examiners and procedures are qualified by tests provided at the EPRI NDE Center.

A Generic letter to implement the criterie in the technical basis document, NUREG-0313 Revision 2, has been prepared and is in the review and approval '

process along with the subject NUREG.

IWB-3640 as presented in the Winter 1983 Addanda provides the basis for the crack acceptance criteria specified in Generic letter 84-11. The improvements to IWB-3640 for low toughness materials that are contained in the Winter 1985 i Addenda provide the basis f6r the proposed generic letter that would implement the staff technical findings that are provided in NUREG-0313, Revision 2. NRR is presently using the criteria specified in the Winter 1985 Addenda on a case-by-case basis. Since the 1986 Edition of Section XI, Division 1, is a compos-ite of the 1983 Edition and all subsequent addenda through th' Winter 1985 Addenda, the 1986 Edition contcins the accepcable roles for bt- materials and low toughness materials.

(3) Aoplication of Backfit Rule (650.109)

It is the opinion of the Office of the General Counsel that this amendments should not be subjected to the backfit provisions in 10 CFR $50.109. The rationale is that, (I) the Section III, Division 1, update applies only to new construction (i.e., the edition and addenda to be used in the construction of a  :

plant are selected based upon the date of the construction permit and are not changed thereafter, except voluntarily by the licensee, (2) licensees are fully

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aware that $50.55a requires that they update their inservice inspection program every 10 years to the latest edition and addenda of Section XI that were incor-porated by reference in 650.55a 12 months before the start of the next inspec-tion interval, and (3', endorsing and upaating references to the ASME Code, a national consensus standard developed by participants (including the NRC) with broad and varied interests, is consistent with both the intent and spirit of the backfit rule (i.e., NRC provides for the protection of the public health and safet , and does not unilaterally impose an undue burden on app 1! cants or licensees .

(4) Impact on Requirements of Other Government Agencies Implementation of the new ASME Code rules requires certain additional infonna-tion collection requirements. The Supporting Statement for Infonnation Collec-tion Requirements in 10 CFR $50.55a is provided in Appendix B.

This amendment to 550.55a affects only the licensing and operating of nuclear ^

power plants. The companies that own these plants do not fall within the scope of the definition of "small entities" set forth in the Regulatory Flexi-bility Act in the Small Business Administration at 13 CFR Part 121. Since these companies are dominant in their service areas, this amendment does not fall in the province of this Act. This final rule will have no significant ef-fect on a substantial number of small companies.

(5) Decision Rationale From the above analysis it is concluded that this amendment to 10 CFR 550.55a to update the reference to incorporate the latest edition and recent addenda of the ASME Code would result in a r.ew increase in the overall protection of public health and safety, because the improved rules would be used in new and subsequent inservice inspection programs, and would save applicants and licensees, and the NRC staff both time and effort by providing uniform detailed criteria against which the staff could review any single submission. No significant additional cost to applicants and licensees is expected as a result of NRC endorsement of the new ASME Code edition and addenda. l l

(6) Implementation No implementation problems are anticipated. The framework for implementation is already established in both the industry and the NRC.

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nppessueA n l Sumary of Significant Revisions to ASME Code Affected by Proposed Amendrnent to 10 CFR 50.55a m ctda C(fsE SECT CODE'fM A 'TOPlc FiYlSION NET EGS I Ill-r5 KA.41'!0(b) ReferencetoNM-1 Reference to MSI/ASME NOA-1-1979 is updated to NWl-1953. ' Increased 2 Ill-r5 )3-4243 Categry C and siellar weld joints Permits increased used of socket welded joints. Redxed 3 111-r55 NS-u22.9 Teger bead weld repair increase in pereissible depth and surf ace area cf repair. Redxed 4 ill-rES IG-7170 Overpressere protectign Safety relief valves tu new be used (cr stras service. Redxed 5 Ill-r M 16-7526 Capacity certification of pressure relief valves Sare media sust be used fcr test as is expected in service. increased 6 lil-r55 57732.2 Deoenstrationoffunction incorporates fullstate testing el pressure relief valves. Increased 7 lil-T3 10-3133 Coaponents under etternal pressure . Ieproved design rules for external pressure cr conical sections. Increased

? !!!-r 0 W -2121(h) Material specs for component supports Material used for stc9s is erengted frca Subscction W. Rehted i !!!-T E5 HF-3324.5 Sire of fillet and partial penetration welds Minlaue site requirements deleted for coeponent su;;crts. Re$ced 10 til-S*E5 KA-4134.17(c) Quality assurance records Fersitt repro. of radiographs by sitrofilming and ether sethods. Re6ced

/  !! Ill-FE5 _ KA-5261 ,ANI review of test report Clarifies need for Certificate Holder to make reports available to M1. Pb chege 12 !!!-515 NI-4123 Eraninations Celines who is peraitted to perfora visual exa.tinations. Rehced 13 !!!-S'S 18-4522.7(t) Ereeptions to sandatory postweld heat treatment Errspts f?ti of cladding on F-Nurber I base saterial. Reeced

(,

14 111-S'55 13-7511.2 Palanced safety valves Redundant back pressure balancing device required. Inueased 15 Ill-S'i5 F -2122 Copper alleys for structural seebers Cepper based alloys are prthibited from use. Increased, 16 lil-5'E5 W-3322.ltc) Allowable stresses for structural steel New design formulas for austenitic stainless steel ebers. Rehted 17 111-515 F-472 pal Beltholes Dpands peraissible use of overstred bolt holes. Rehted i IS Ill-TES Ni-4725 Lockingdevices List of persissible locking devices sore precisely defined. No chege

( 19 Ill-W 54 NCA-8430 Data Report Fores for component supports W-2 Data Report Fora deleted, orovisions added to other fores. Ib chan;e l 20 !!I-rfa KA-S213 Attachment of name plates. Attachment by pressure sensitive Jhesive systees pereitted. Redxed l 21 Ill-rE4 NB-3338 - Fatigue evaluation of stresses in openings Provides analytical sethod for determining peak stresses. Nochege 22 lilTE4 16-7141 Installation of pressore relief devices Lielts distance between pressure relief device and component. Increased 23 !!-rS$ IWS-2500 haelnation of full penetration welds Conditions for deferral cf vessel no:rle erans clarified. Increased 24 Il-rG5 IWB-3640 Evaluation procedures and acceptance criteria Provides accept. criteria for cracks in SM and SMM austenitic piping. Increased 25 Il-WE5 IWB-4211 Thereal renoval of defects Requirecents for sechanical renoval cf thersally processed areas. Reduced 26 II+55 IW-1100 IST of pre'ssor,k relief devices References ANSI /AStE OH-1-19El, incorp. ' provisions cf Code Case N-415. Ircreased l 27 11-r 55 . Appendir !!! llitrasonic examination of piping systess New requirements for prep. of a (IT aran procehre qual. progran plu. Increased

! 23 Il-WM IW524? Visual erasination Requireeants for visual eras of syues containing borated water. Increased l 29 11483 IWA-2232 IMrasoric etasination Mandates use cf Appendir A cf Section V, Artitle 5. Increased 30 !!-v 63 sppendia VI tiltrasonic etamination of bolts and studs New rules for lli of tolts and studs, incrop. prov. of Code Case N-375. Increased 31 11-r 23 IW2232(el tiltrasonic e asination Requirements fcr use of electronic simulators for calibration. Increased 32 IlfB3 IWA-2300f al - Qualification cf NDE personnel Increases time between recertifications of Level !!! personnel. Re&ced 33 !!-rB3 IWA-2400 Inspectb erog-as Editions and addenda for FSI and 1st 151 tied to date cf CP. Re&ced l 3~ fl-r63 IWA'400 haalnal' q and inspection intervals Clariflesrequireeentsforexaminationandinspectionintervals. No chege

25 11483 IW4120 Coce adden e for repair procedures Owners persitted to use later Section Il editions for repairs. Retxed

'6 IlfE3 IW4120 Stcrage and handling of welding saterial Welding saterial sust be stored and handled law tten procedures. No change 37 11+E3 !W6210 Record.andreports Requires a PSI suecary report prior to coceercial service. Ib che;e 38 Il-r B3 !&2430 Additional inservice inspections New requireeents for additional erans when flaws exceed IWB-3640 licit. Reheed l 31 11+23 14-2500 Darinationofbolting Frohibits deferral cf inscections cf bolting greater than 2*. Increased O Il-rE3 1&2500 Eranination of pressure retaining welds Modifies method for detaraining stress intensity f actors. Redred 41 II + 53 IW3000 Visual etasination Defines relevant conditions and new acceptance criteria. Increased j 42 11453 !&3613 Acceptancecriteriaforflangesandshell New acceptance criteria for areas near structural discontinuity. Redxed l , 43 11+23 !+3640 Evaluation procedures and acceptance criteria Alternative to the requirements of.!W3514.3 for evaluation of flaws. Reduced r

at II-rB3 IWB/C/D-7600 Reptreeent materials Replaceeents say acet later editions of Construction Code. Rehced C il-TE3 IK-1250 Cceponentscreectfromerasination Errepts certain corponents within FJR, ECCS, and C*S from ISI. Reheed 45 !!-rE3 IWC-2500 CE acceptance standards New acceptance standards fcr Class 2 systess. Mreat 1 -. _ - -.

Appendix _B Supporting Statement for Information Collection Requirements in 10 CFR 650.55a Justification

a. Need for the Information Collection NRC Regulations in 10 CFR 650.55a incorporate by reference Division 1 rules of Section III, "Rules for Construction of Nuclear Power ^

Plant Components," and Division 1 rules of Section XI, "Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components," of the Americt.n Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code). These sections of the ASME Code set forth the requirements to which nuclear power plant components are designed, constructed, tested and inspected. Inherent in these requirements are certain recordkeeping functions.

Incorporation of the Winter 1984 Addenda, Sunmer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition for Section III, Division 1, of the ASME Code adds the following recordkeeping requirements.

Section III o Winter 1984 Addenda NCA-8213(c); Attachment of Nameplates - Nameplates attached with pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive system must meet requirements of mandatory Appendix XXI, "Adhesive Attachnent of i Nameplates," which stated that Certificate Holders 0A manuals contain written procedures for the application of nameplates.

NB/NC/ND-7141; Installation of Pressure Relief Devices -

Technical justification for the adequacy of the installation of such devices must be provided in the Over-pressure Protection Report, o Summer 1985 Addenda l

NB-4622.11; Tem)er Bead Weld Repair to Dissimilar Metal Welds or Buttering .

Requires preparation of welding procedure specification. ,

o Winter 1985 Addenda j NCA-8440; Data Reports, Component Supports - New prosisions require the use of NF-1 and N-5 Data leport Forms.

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i NC-3812/NC-3912; Design Report - Certificate Holder must pro- l vide Design Report as part of his responsibility for achieving I structural integrity of atmospheric storage tanks (NC-3812) and 0 - 15 psi storage tanks (NC-3912).  :

1 o Winter 1984 Addenda l No additional recordkeeping.

NC/ND-7750; Capacity Certification of Vacuum Relief Valves - .

Requirement that drawings and test results are to be sub- l mitted to the ASME designee for review and acceptance, 1

o 1986 Edition j The Sumer 1983 Addenda, Winter 1983 Addenda, Sumer 1984 I Addenda, and 1983 Edition have been incorporated by refer- '

ence into 10 CFR 550.55a by a previous amendment. Infor-mation collection requirements for the Winter 1984 Addenda, 1 Sumer 1985 Addenda, and Winter 1985 Addenda are discussed j above. ,

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Incorporation of the W; er 1983 Addenda, Sumer 1984 Addenda,  !

Winter 19C4 Addenda, Sb ar 1985 Addenda, Winter 3985 Addenda, 1 and 1986 Edition for Section XI, Division 1. of the ASME Code adds the follo..!"q recordkeeping requirements.

Section XI o Winter 1983 Addendi IWA-2420; Inspectiin Plans and Schedules - Requires pre-paration of preservice and inservice inspection plans and schedules.

IWA-4210; Storage and Handling of Welding Material -

Requires written procedure for storage, handling, and control cf welding material.

IWA-6210(a)/(c); Owner's Responsibility - Requires Prepara-tion of preservice inspection plans and schedules, records, and summary report for Class 1 and 2 pressure retaining components and their supports.

IWA-6340(b)/(c); Inservice Inspection Records and Reports -

Reqires maintenance of preservice inspection plans, schedules, and reports.

Appndix VI (Nandatory); Ultrasonic Examination of Bolts and Studs - Requires records of the personnel performance I The 1986 Edition cf Section III, Division 1, is equivalent to the 1983 Edition, as modified by the Sumer 1983 Addenda, Winter 1983 Addenda, Sumer 1984 Addenda, Winter 1984 Addenda, Sumer 1985 Addenda, and the Winter 1985, Addenda.

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qualification tests, written procedures for ultrasonic examination, documentation of the procedure cualification, calibration records, and examination records.

o Summer 1984 Addenda No additional recordkceping, o Summer 1985 Addenda No additional recordkeeping. I i

o Winter 1985 Addenda IWA-2232(f); Ultrasonic Examination - Indications that can be identified as originating from surface configurations or  ;

variations in metallurgical structure of materials may be ' l classified as geometric indications. The maximum amplitude, location, and extent of a geometric indication shall be recorded. 1 2

o 1986 Edition The Summer 1983 Addenda and 1983 Edition have been incor- 1 porated by reference into 10 CFR $50.55a by a previous amendment. Information collection requirements for the Winter 1983 Addenda, Summer 1984 Addenda, Winter 1984 l Addenda, Sumer 1985 Addenda, and Winter 1985 Addenda are discussed above,

b. Practical Utility of the Information Collection These records are used by the licensees National Board inspec-tors, insurance companies, and the NRC in the review of a vari-ety of activities, many of which affect safety. The records are generally historical in nature and provide data on which future activities can be based. NRC Inspection and Enforcement person-nel can spot check the records required by the ASME Code to detemine, for example, if proper inservice examination test methods were utilized.

c. Duplication With Other Collections of Information ASME requirements are incorporated to avoid the need for writing equivalent NRC requirements. This amendment will not duplicate the information collection requirements contained in any other generic regulatory requirement.

2 The 1986 Edition of Section XI, Division 1, is equivalent to the 1983 Edition, as modified by the Sumer 1983 Addenda, Winter 1983 Addenda, Sumer 1984 Addenda, Winter 1984 Addenda, Sumer 1985 Addenda, and the Winter 1985 Addenda.

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d. Consultations Outside the NRC.

No consultations.

e. Other Supporting Infor-ation NRC applicants and licensees have been complying with the information collection requirements of the ASME Code since 1971.

No problems with these infomation collection requirements have been identified to the NRC by the applicants or licensees.

2. Description of the Information Collection

a. Number and Type of Respondents in general, the information collection requirements incurred by .

650.55a through endorsement of the ASME Code apply to the owners of the 27 nuclear power plants under construction and to the owners of the 100 nuclear power plants in operation. The actual number of plants that would implement the edition end addenda addressed by the proposed revision, and thereby be affected by their information collection requirements, is depen-dent on a variety of factors. These factors include whether the application is for Section III or Section XI, the class and type of components involved, the date of the construction permit application, the schedule of the inservice inspection program, and whether the plant voluntarily elects to implement updated editions and addenda of the ASME Code,

b. Reasonableness of the Schedule for Collecting Infomation The infomation is generally not collected, but is retained by the licensee to be made available to the NRC in the event of an NRC inspection or audit.

c. Method of Collecting the Infomation See Item 2(b).

d. Adequacy of the Description of the Information The ASME Code provides listings of information required and specific forms to assist, where necessary, in documenting required information.

e. Record Retention Period The retention perjod for infomat .on is in accordance with a schedule provided in Table NCA-4134.17-1 and paragraph IWA-6300 h A-4

e of the ASME Code. The record retention periods for information specified in Item 1.a above are:

Information Retention Period Procedure for attachment of nameplates. 3 yrs afjer superseded Overpressure protection report. Lifetime Welding procedure specification. Lifetime NF-1/N-5 Data Report Forms. Lifetime Design Report for storage tanks. Lifetime Test results for vacuum relief valves Lifetime Proced. for control of welding material. 3 yrs after superseded Preservice Inspection Plan. lifetime Ultrasonic examination records. Lifetime Lifetime retention of the above records is necessary to ensure adequate historical infomation on the design and examination of components and systems to provide a basis for evaluating degra ,

dation of these components and systems at any time during their service lifetime.

3. Estimate of Burden

a. Estimated Hours The infomation collection requirements inherent in incorpo-rating by reference the latest edition and addenda of St.c-tion III, Division 1, and Section XI, Division 1, of the ASME Code are identified in Item 1.a above. These requirements may be categorized in tems of Section III requirements that document component design, and Section XI requirements that address ultrasonic examinations and preservice inspection programs.

The additional Section III requirements incur a one-time burden on plants under construction. Section 50.55a specifies that the Code Edition, Addende, and optional Code Cases to be applied to reactor coolant pressure boundary, and Quality Group B anti Quality Group C components must be detemined by the provisions l of paragraph NCA-1140 of Subsection NCA of Section III of the ASME Code. NCA-1140 specifies that the owner (or his designee) shall establish the ASME Code edition and addsnda to be included in the Design Specifications, but that in no case shall the Code edition end addenda dates established in the Design Specifica-tions be earlier than three years prior to the date that the nuclear power plant censtruction permit is docketed. NCA-1140 further states that later ASME Code editions and addenda may be used by mutual consent of the Owner (or his designee) and Certi-ficate Holder. The earliest Section III addenda being addressed in the proposed rule is the Winter 1984 Addenda. Since the last plant docketed in October 1974 (Palo Verde Units 1, 2, 3), there is no plant under construction for which implementation of the Section III edition and addenda specified in the proposed rule is a requirement. Plants may implement these improved rules on a voluntary basis, but unless they make that choice, there is 3

Service lifetime of the component or system.

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no additional paperwork burden associated with incorporating  ;

the proposed Section III edition and addenda.  ;

The additional Section XI requirements incur an information col-lection burden associated with the documentation of procedures for the storage, handling, and control of welding material; the documentation of preservice inspection plans and schedules; and the implementation of the ultrasonic examination of bolts and studs.

Nuclear power plants are required to update their inservice inspection programs by incorporating into their initial 120-month inspection interva.1 reovirements of the latest edition and addenda of Section XI, Division 1, that have been incor-porated by reference into $50.55a as of 12 months prior to the date of issuance of the operating license; and by incorporating into successive 120-month inspection intervals -

requirements of the latest edition and addenda of Section XI that have been incorporated by reference as of 12 months prior to the start of a 120-month inspection interval. On this basis, many plants will at one time be required to irnplement the Section XI, Division 1, edition and addenda specified in the proposed rule. The number of plants that will be implementing the specified edition and addenda will grow gradually as each plant updates its inservice inspection program at the 10-year interval. Therefore, conservatively, the total number of plants that may ultimately be required to implement the specified edition arid addenda is 127 (i.e.,100 operating plants and 27 plantsunderconstruction).

Paragraph IWA-2420 was revised in the Winter 1983 Addenda to require the preparation of preservice and inservice inspection plans, to specify the content of those plans, and to reo.uire an implementation schedule for the performance of examination and tests. Inservice inspection plans and schedules, including those for preservice inspection are routinely submitted to the NRC as part of the regulatory process. The types of items specified for inclusion in the plan (e.g., applicable Code edition and addenda, identification of components subject to examination and test, and Code requirements for each specified component) are typically included in the plans submitted to l the NRC. Therefore, there is no additional recordkeeping  !

burden associated with the revision of IMA-24?0.

Paragraph IWA-4210 was added in the Winter 1983 Addenda to require a written procedure for the storage, handling, and control of welding material. In general, this procedure would become part of the Owner's Quality Assurance Manual. The pro-cedure would be prepared once per plant and would, like other procedures, be maintained annually thereafter. It is estimated that the time required to prepare the original procedure would be 100 hours0.00116 days <br />0.0278 hours <br />1.653439e-4 weeks <br />3.805e-5 months <br />, and the time required to maintain the procedure would be 2 hours2.314815e-5 days <br />5.555556e-4 hours <br />3.306878e-6 weeks <br />7.61e-7 months <br /> / year / plant. Assuming that all plants presently operating and under construction would at some time implement

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Paragraphs IWA-6210 (a) and (c), and IWA-6340 were revised in )

the Winter 1983 Addenda to clarify that "inservice inspection" included preservice, as well as inservice programs, and that Owners were responsible for preparing and maintaining preserv- 1 ice inspection plans and schedules. Preservice inspections have been a reoufrement of Section XI, Division 1, since its  !

inception. Preservice inspection plans and schedules are rou- l tinely submitted to the NRC as part of the approval process for  !

the inservice inspection program. Therefore, there is no addi-tional recordkeeping burden associated with the revision of IWA-6210 (a) and (c), and IWA-6340. -

i Appendix VI, "Ultrasonic Examination Of Bolts and Studs" was added to Section XI, Division 1, as a mandatory appendix in the Winter 1983 Addenda. Appendix VI provides procedures for the ultrasonic examination of Class 1 and Class 2 holts and studs.

The recordkeeping requirements of this appendix can be divided into those associated with documenting the examination proce-dures (i.e., initial examination development and updates) and those associated with personnel qualification records (i.e.,

test administration, taking tests and updating records). It is estimated that initial development of the examination procedures would require a one time effort for each plant of approximately 400 hours0.00463 days <br />0.111 hours <br />6.613757e-4 weeks <br />1.522e-4 months <br /> of a level III Examiner's time. Assumino 3 updates of these procedures during each 10-year inspection interval, it is estimate.d that an additional 96 hours0.00111 days <br />0.0267 hours <br />1.587302e-4 weeks <br />3.6528e-5 months <br /> would be expended during each interval by Level III examination personnel for updating.

The burden associated with documenting the examination proce-dures per plant per 10-year inspection interval would then be 496 hours0.00574 days <br />0.138 hours <br />8.201058e-4 weeks <br />1.88728e-4 months <br />. Assuming the need for three qualified ultrasonic bolting examiners per plant, and four bolting configurations for each test, it is estimated that for each inspection inter-val, the burden associated with personnel qualification records would be a total of 304 hours0.00352 days <br />0.0844 hours <br />5.026455e-4 weeks <br />1.15672e-4 months <br /> for each inspection interval for each plant (i.e., 48 hours5.555556e-4 days <br />0.0133 hours <br />7.936508e-5 weeks <br />1.8264e-5 months <br /> of test administration,160 hours0.00185 days <br />0.0444 hours <br />2.645503e-4 weeks <br />6.088e-5 months <br /> n updating personnel records, and 96 hours0.00111 days <br />0.0267 hours <br />1.587302e-4 weeks <br />3.6528e-5 months <br /> of actual testing of Level I and II technicians). The burden associated with admin-istering personnel qualification records per plant per 10-year inspection interval would then be 304 hours0.00352 days <br />0.0844 hours <br />5.026455e-4 weeks <br />1.15672e-4 months <br />. Conservatively assuming that all plants presently operating and under construc-tion would at some time implement Appendix VI, the total annual burden of the associated recordkeeping is estimated to be 10,160 hours0.00185 days <br />0.0444 hours <br />2.645503e-4 weeks <br />6.088e-5 months <br /> per year for all plants (i.e., (304 + 496 hours0.00574 days <br />0.138 hours <br />8.201058e-4 weeks <br />1.88728e-4 months <br /> / plant)/

(10-year interval) x 127 plants).

Paragraph IWA-2232(f) was added in the Winter 1985 Addenda to provide the conditions by which ultrasonic indications can be classified as geometric indications. The revision specifies

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that the maximum amplitude, location, and extent of a geometric indication shall be recorded. Since such indications are nor-mally recorded in this manner, there is no additional paperwork burden associated with this requirement.

b. Estimated Cost Required to Respond to the Collection Based upon the hours specified in item 3.a. it is estimated that the cost of responding to the information collection required by the Sec-tion III, Division 1, and Section XI, Division 1, edition ard addenda specified in the proposed amendment to $50.55a is a total of $701,040/

year ((10,160 + 1524) hours. x $60/ hour) for 127 plants, or $5500/ year for each plant.

c. Source of Burden Data and Method for Estimating Burden Estimates of the paperwork burden associated with implementing the identified ASME Code revisions were obtained from utility staff inservice inspection specialists, an inservice inspection corsultant to utilities, and national lab personnel engaged in inservice inspection activities.

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d. Reasonableness of Burden Estimate The estimate of the burden is con 31dered reasonable because of the reliable source of the burden data.

4 Estimate of Cost to the Federal Government NRC inspection personnel who audit plant quality assurance records would include in their audit verification that the above records are being properly prepared and maintained. The time associated with NRC inspectors verifying these records would be extremely small when the activity is performed as part of a normal quality assurance audit.

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Enclosure 3 Draft Transmittal Letter To Congressional Committees The Honorable Morris K. Udall, Chairman Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Enclosed for the information of the Subcommittee are copies of a notice of a final rule to amend i 50.55a of the Commission's regulations codified in 10 CFR Part 50. Section 50.55a requires holders of construction permits and licenses  :

to conform to the requirerents of certain national codes in the design, fabrica-tion, construction, testing and inspection of specified reactor components and systems.

This section of the regulation incorporates by reference Division 1 rules of Section III, "Rules for the Construction of Nuclear Power Plant Components,"  ;

and Division 1 rules of Section XI, "Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear l Power Plant Components," of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler  ;

and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code). ASME procedures provide that editions of l the ASME Code be revised every three years and that addenda to the editions be issued on an annual basis. Prior to 1986, addenda were issued on a semiannual I basis. The present reference endorses the 1983 Edition and Addenda through the Sanner 1984 Addenda for Section III, Division 1, and the 1983 Edition and, subject to certain limitations and modifications, addenda through the Sunner 1983 Addenda for Section XI, Division 1.

This amendment incorporates by reference the Winter 1984 Addenda, Sunner 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition of Section III, Division 1, and the Winter 1983 Addenda, Summer 1984 Addenda. Winter 1984 Addenda, Summer 1985 Addenda Winter 1985 Addenda and 1986 Edition of Section XI, Division 1 of the ASME Code. These addenda and edition have been reviewed by the staff and, with one exception, found to be acceptable. The exception relates to the acceptance criteria for flawed austenitic piping. A limitation is placed on the use of the acceptance criteria for flawed austenitic piping that are contained in the Winter 1983 Addenda and Winter 1984 Addenda to Section XI, Division 1. The limitation requires that for certain types of welds, the acceptance criteria be used as improved by the Winter 1985 Addenda. In addition, this final rule ,

recognizes the improvements made in the Winter 1983 addenda to Section XI regarding the examination of pressure retaining welds in ASME Code Class 2 piping by limiting the need to implement the existing modification pertaining to Class 2 piping examinations tc ASME Code editions and addenda up to the 1983 Edition with addenda up through the Summer 1983 addenda.

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. Comments were received from three individuals during the public comment period.

Two of the individuals supported the rule as proposed and provided helpful suggestions for clarifying the amendment. The third individual had a general concern with NRC's policy of endorsing national standards and would prefer that NRC develop its own requirements. It is explained in the Supplementary Informa-tion to the final rule that the NRC staff participates in the development of national standards to help define acceptable ways of implementing the NRC's basic safety regulations, and to ensure that NRC experience and data is part of the information base used to support development of the standards. This is consistent with OMB Circular No. A-119 (Revised), which provides policy and administrative guidance to federal agencies regarding paticipation in the development and use of voluntary standards.

In view of the routine nature of the amendment, we do not consider that a public announcement is warranted.

Sincerely, Eric S. Beckford, Director Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Enclosures:

As stated cc: The Honorable Manuel Lujan i

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Enclosure 4 WEEKLY INFORMATION rep 0RT Final Rule to be Signed by EDO On final rule which amends 10 CFR 9 50.55a, Codes andThis Standards.,1988, rule updates the Ex the references incorporating the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code) to include the Winter 1984 Addenda, Sumer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition of Section III. -

Division 1, and the Winter 1983 Addenda, Summer 1984 Addenda, Winter 1984 ,

Addenda, Summer 1985 Addenda, Winter 1985 Addenda, and 1986 Edition of Section XI, Division 1, of the ASME Code.

This final rule places a limitation on the use of the acceptance criteria for flawed austentic piping that are contained in the Winter 1983 Addenda and Winter 1984 Addenda to Section XI. The limitation requires that for certain types of Addenda. welds, the acceptance criteria be used as improved by the Winter 1985 In addition, the final rule recognizes the improvements made in the Winter 1983 Addenda to Section XI regarding the examination of pressure retaining welds in ASME Code Class 2 piping by limiting the need to implement the existing modification pertaining to Class 2 piping examinations to ASME Code 1983 Sumer editions and Addenda Addenda. up to the 1983 Edition with Addenda up through the l

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