ML21350A162
| ML21350A162 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/17/2022 |
| From: | Rivera R NRC/NRR/DANU/UARL |
| To: | William Kennedy Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Rivera R | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML21327A076 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML21350A162 (4) | |
Text
B. Beasley UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 March 17, 2022 MEMORANDUM TO: William Kennedy, Acting Chief Advanced Reactor Licensing Branch Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM: Richard Rivera, Project Manager Signed by Rivera, Richard Advanced Reactor Licensing Branch on 03/17/22 Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF THE NOVEMBER 16, 2021, PUBLIC MEETING BETWEEN THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STAFF AND SC SOLUTIONS PERTAINING TO A PRESENTATION REGARDING IDENTIFYING AN EFFICIENT LICENSING PATHWAY FOR THE USE OF NONLINEAR SEISMIC ANALYSIS On November 16, 2021, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff held a virtual observation public meeting with representatives from SC Solutions. The purpose of the meeting was to provide SC Solutions an opportunity to present to the NRC staff, information and examples regarding the potential use of nonlinear seismic analysis in licensing applications.
The meeting notice is in NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML21302A219. SC Solutions presentation slides are in ADAMS under Accession No. ML21327A076. The enclosure to this document provides the list of meeting attendees.
The meeting began with SC Solutions providing an overview of the seismic design and potential locations where nonlinear behavior can benefit the structures, systems, and components (SSCs) response. The presentation continued with examples of how nonlinearity in the response of SSCs has been addressed since the 1980s. SC Solutions proceeded with the identification of potential areas of application in advanced reactors where the SSC response is based on its nonlinear behavior. SC Solutions also discussed the results of a brief survey that gathered feedback from reactor developers, which indicated that the majority of developers:
(1) intend to incorporate design features that exhibit nonlinear behavior, (2) identified benefits to the use of nonlinear seismic analysis, and (3) identified perceived regulatory risk with implementing this type of analysis as an area that should be further addressed with the NRC staff.
CONTACT: Richard Rivera, NRR/DANU/UARL (301) 415-7190
W. Kennedy The presentation continued with information regarding potential reactor developer applications of nonlinear seismic analysis, including risk-informed performance-based designs and inherently nonlinear feature considerations (e.g. liquid fuels, base isolation systems, and deeply embedded structures). SC Solutions also provided an overview of its assessment of the regulatory environment, including how current the NRC staffs guidance, such as NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants:
LWR Edition, addresses the review of seismic analysis in applications, and how this environment may present a potential regulatory risk for the developers.
The open discussion session with the NRC staff centered on the lack of specific NRC guidance for the use of nonlinear seismic analysis, and the NRC staffs approach to review nonlinear analysis in license applications using a case-by-case basis. SC Solutions expressed interest in future engagement with the NRC staff that would facilitate the development of industry-proposed guidance endorsed by the agency.
The NRC staff offered perspectives regarding the current review process for applications that include nonlinear seismic analysis, considering the guidance in the Standard Review Plan of reliance on a case-by-case basis. The NRC staff explained the use of regulatory tools, such as requests for additional information, sensitivity studies, and confirmatory analysis, used to address the complexities of nonlinear behavior. The NRC staff also stressed the importance of receiving quality applications that provide detailed information commensurate with the complexity of the analysis presented for a licensing action.
Prior to the meeting conclusion, SC Solutions stated that it would like to continue discussions with the NRC staff related to this topic and will further engage with the NRC staff regarding the appropriate regulatory process to obtain agency endorsement or collaborate on the development of guidance regarding the use of nonlinear seismic analysis in facility licensing.
Enclosure:
List of Attendees
ML21350A162 NRR-001 OFFICE NRR/DANU/UARL:PM NRR/DANU/UARL:LA NRR/DANU/UARL:BC (A) NRR/DANU/UARL:PM NAME RRivera CSmith WKennedy RRivera DATE 12/17/2021 03/14/2022 03/16/2022 03/17/2022 Public Meeting between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff and SC Solutions Pertaining to a Presentation Regarding Identifying an Efficient Licensing Pathway for the Use of Nonlinear Seismic Analysis List of Attendees November 16, 2021 Name Organization Richard Rivera Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Jose Pires NRC Sujit Samaddar NRC John Segala NRC Kamal Manoly NRC Weijun Wang NRC Thomas Weiver NRC Jinsuo Nie NRC William Kennedy NRC Sunwoo Park NRC Dogan Seber NRC Clifford Munson NRC Joseph Colaccino NRC Natalie Doulgerakis SC Solutions Bret Tegeler SC Solutions Michael Cohen SC Solutions Brian Song SC Solutions Andrew Whittaker SC Solutions Benjamin Kosbab SC Solutions Payman Tehrani SC Solutions Iman Talebinejad SC Solutions Jordan Hagaman SC Solutions Enclosure