ML24298A246

2024 Standards Forum - September 25 2024 Meeting Summary

ML24298A246
Person / Time
Issue date:	10/25/2024
From:	Meraj Rahimi NRC/RES/DE/RGDB
To:	Christian Araguas NRC/RES/DE
References
Download: ML24298A246 (15)

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 October 25, 2024 MEMORANDUM TO: Christian Araguas, Director Division of Engineering Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research FROM:

Meraj Rahimi, Branch Chief /RA/

Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch Division of Engineering Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

SUMMARY

OF THE 2024 NRC STANDARDS FORUM On September 25, 2024, staff from the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) held the 2024 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Standards Forum.1 The purpose of the Standards Forum is to facilitate strategic discussions on priorities for codes and standards development, discussions on codes and standards needs within the nuclear industry, and explore how to collaborate in accelerating the development of codes and standards and the NRC's endorsement of these codes and standards in its regulations and regulatory guides.

contains the Agenda for the Forum. This years forum was held as a hybrid event, in person at the NRC Headquarters location and online via Microsoft Teams. Approximately 195 attendees joined the event (164 online and 31 in person), including participants from NRC staff, representatives from Idaho National Laboratories (INL), American Nuclear Society (ANS),

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), academia, and industry representatives, among others (see Enclosure 2 for the full list of attendees). The presentations and additional information from the meeting can be found at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/standards-dev/standards-forum/2024.html.

The presentations are also available in NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System under accession numbers: ML24267A243, ML24267A244, ML24267A245, and ML24267A246.

Summary The Standards Forum opened with remarks by the Honorable Christopher T. Hanson, Chair of the NRC. Chair Hanson welcomed the participants and attendees to the NRC Standards Forum, and highlighted the changing advanced reactor landscape and the increasing interest and demand for new nuclear both in the U.S. and internationally, including the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference declaration to triple nuclear energy by 2050. Further, Chair Hanson highlighted the key role that codes and standards play in supporting the successful deployment of advanced reactors, and the importance of the NRC Standards Forum regarding achieving a common understanding and alignment on the development, update, and endorsement of the priority codes and standards.

CONTACT:

Robert Roche-Rivera 301-415-8113 1 Public Meeting Notice: https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg?do=details&Code=20240927; ML24257A143

The event included four sessions. These sessions covered codes & standards initiatives for new

& advanced reactors; overview of activities being pursued by standards development organizations (SDOs); a discission and stakeholder engagement session related to Section 401 of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (ADVANCE Act of 2024); and discussion on advanced materials, manufacturing, and construction. The event was facilitated in person by Larniece McKoy Moore and online by Lynn Ronewicz. The following is a summary of the discussions in the event sessions.

Session 1: Codes & Standards Initiatives for New & Advanced Reactors Session 1 was chaired by Mr. Christian Araguas, Director of the Division of Engineering (DE) in RES, and NRC Standards Executive. The session included four presentations.

The session opened with remarks by Mr. Araguas, during which he highlighted initiatives toward the enhancement of the NRC codes and standards program for advanced reactors, and associate collaboration with INL. Further, Mr. Araguas provided an overview of the event agenda, and highlighted the importance of the NRC staff and external stakeholders participation in codes and standards activities, and how they contribute to ensuring safety throughout the nuclear industry.

Mr. Araguas opening remarks were followed by the presentation by Mr. Jason Christensen, Senior Regulatory Engineer at INL. In his presentation, Mr. Christensen provide an overview of the collaborative project between the NRC and INL aimed at assessing the effectiveness and timeliness of standards relevant to advanced reactors. The collaborative projects draws from valuable stakeholder engagement at the hybrid workshop held in April 2024 (ML24123A019).

The workshop identified key themes concerning the need for timely development and endorsement of codes and standards, addressing the complexities faced by volunteers on consensus committees, and exploring innovative regulatory tools to support advanced reactor licensing. Mr. Christensen presentation also discussed expectations associated with the collaborative project, including enabling the access to INL resources as well as access to the national laboratory complex as a whole, to support the development, update, and endorsement of priority codes and standards.

Following Mr. Christensens presentation, Mr. Christian Araguas detailed the NRC's action plan designed to enhance the NRCs Codes and Standards Program for new and advanced reactors.

This plan emerged from the collaborative efforts between the NRC and INL, notably focusing on ways to improve the development process for consensus standards while also expediting the endorsement process. Mr. Araguas outlined the action plans structure, emphasizing the need for an adaptable plan leveraging risk-based approaches and facilitating timely consideration of critical consensus standards to effectively support the deployment of new reactor technologies.

The action plan encompasses three main areas of improvement: (1) enhancing the standards development process, (2) optimizing the endorsement procedures, and (3) leveraging commercial non-nuclear standards for better integration in advanced reactor applications. Under process improvements, the NRC will publish prioritized committees for staff engagement and promote risk-based insights in consensus standards, among others. To enhance endorsement strategies, the NRC aims to expedite reviews of specific codes/standards for advanced reactors and explore innovative endorsement efficiencies such as interim staff guidance and trial regulatory approaches, among others. Furthermore, the action plan highlights the potential for artificial intelligence applications to streamline updates to existing regulatory guides. The final area of the plan calls for the NRC to engage more broadly with commercial standards relevant

to advanced reactors. This includes soliciting public input regarding existing commercial standards, fostering collaboration across research organizations, and exploring how non-nuclear consensus standards can be adapted for nuclear applications, among others.

Mr. Araguas presentation was followed by a presentation from Ms. Kathryn Hyam, Director of ASME Nuclear, Clean Energy, and Standardization Codes and Standards, and Co-Chair of the Advanced Reactor Codes & Standards Collaborative (ARCSC). Ms. Hyam provided an overview of the history of ARCSC, the North American Advanced Reactor Roadmap and respective ARCSC support to the roadmap, ARCSC goals and accomplishments. A key accomplishment was the development and implementation of a codes and standards needs assessment survey, during Fall 2023. The survey results were shared with individual SDOs for their review and feedback in support of the identification of gaps in codes and standards for advanced reactors, their prioritization, and associated actions. ARCSC in collaboration with the SDOs, developed the prioritization, consistent with NEI 19-03, Advanced Reactors Codes and Standards Needs Assessment, which is in the process of being shared with advanced reactors vendors for their review and feedback.

The last presentation for this session was provided by Mr. John Richards, Senior Technical Executive for Risk & Safety Management at EPRI. Mr. Richards discussed an EPRI research project exploring the use of risk insights in selecting code or standards for advanced reactor structures, systems, and components (SSCs). The project used the licensing modernization project (LMP) criteria in NEI 18-04, Risk-Informed Performance-Based Technology Inclusive Guidance for Non-Light Water Reactor Licensing Basis Development, and implemented it for an external hazards case, specifically seismic hazards. Further, the project used different codes and standards to establish the seismic performance bases in terms of fragilities for the SSCs included in the project model. Initial design assumptions were established for each SSC, including the use of safety-related codes and standards and associated factors of safety for safety-related SSCs, use of commercial standards with modification for non-safety-related with special treatment (NSRST) SSCs, and use of commercial standards (without modifications) for non-safety-related (NSR) SSCs. The risk quantification based on the initial design assumptions was evaluated against the LMP frequency-consequence curve. The evaluation highlighted SSCs in need of design optimizations, which after the optimization, achieved compliance with the frequency-consequence curve. A key takeaway from the project was that the LMP allows optimizing design for safety and cost-benefit purposes as the design progresses. Also Mr.

Richards highlighted that the project results suggest that both NSR and NSRST SSCs should be able to apply commercial standards, and that nuclear standards can continue to be used for safety-related SSCs, maintaining their use focused on the safety function(s) that drive the safety-related categorization for a given SSC.

Following the presentations, several participants participated in a feedback exchanged with the session presenters. The topics addressed in these discussion included:

Use of risk-informed viewpoints in the review and endorsement of ASME Code Cases.

Use of the commercial standards ASCE 41, Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Buildings and ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures, to inform the update/consolidation of ASCE 4 and 43 standards.

Alternatives for funding the participation of individuals in standards development process.

A recommendation for the NRCs Action Plan - To consider IEEE 497, IEEE Standard Criteria for Accident Monitoring Instrumentation for Nuclear Power Generating Stations, which has incorporated risk-informed and performance-based language.

Session 2: Standards Development Organizations Activities Session 2 was chaired by Mr. Meraj Rahimi, Chief of the Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch in RES/DE.

The first presentation for this session was provided by Dr. Andrew Sowder, Senior Technical Executive at EPRI and Chair of ANS Standards Board. Mr. Sowder provided an overview of standards activities in support of advanced reactors. Among those activities is ANS prioritization of standards needs based on the input from the ARCSC gap assessment survey. The survey identified 36 standards in used by the advanced reactors community out of which 26 standards were identified as having gaps. Out these 26 standards, the ones with the highest priority include:

ANS-2.26-202x, Categorization of Nuclear Facility Structures, Systems, and Components for Seismic Design [revision of ANSI/ANS-2.26-2004 (R2021)]

ANS-6.4-202x, Specification for Radiation Shielding Material [revision of ANSI/ANS-6.4-2006 (R2021)]

ANS-15.8-202x, The Quality Assurance Program Requirements for Research Reactors

[revision of ANSI/ANS-15.8-1995 (R2023)]

ANS-53.1-202x, Nuclear Safety Design Process for Modular Helium-Cooled Reactor Plants [revision of ANSI/ANS-53.1-2011 (R2021)]

ANS-54.8, Liquid Metal Fire Protection [proposed new standard/supersedes ANS-54.8-1988 (W1998)]

ANS-X, generic standard on risk-informed, performance-based design process (proposed new standard)

Following Dr. Sowders presentation, Mr. Thomas Vogan, Senior Vice President for ASME Council on Standards and Certification, highlighted standards activities were ASME is collaborating with NRC, the Department of Energy (DOE), and National Laboratories. For example ASME is working with DOE on an air cleaning standards where ASME is looking at related DOE standards, orders, and handbooks to streamline and update the guidance in this area. Mr. Vogan, also detailed ASME activities that are underway to fulfill some of the need of the advanced reactors designs including, work on ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel (BPV)

Code Section III, Division 1, focused on a new seismic analysis for pressure vessels, BPV Section III, Division 5, focused on high temperature materials (e.g., Alloy 709, and expanded support for of more materials at 60 years), and work on BPV Section III, Division 5, related to graphite materials. In this area Mr. Vogan highlighted the need for support for research and development to expand material property data for nonmetallic materials and to clarify the concepts of crack initiation, damage tolerance, structural failure, and loss of functionality.

Further, Mr. Vogan emphasized the need for research and development to establish likely degradation mechanisms of graphite in molten salt and liquid metal coolant systems.

Mr. Vogans presentation was followed by a presentation from Dr. Richard Wood, professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Chair of Subcommittee 45A of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and IEEE representative at ARCSC. Dr. Wood discussion focused on instrumentation and controls and human factors engineering standards that apply to nuclear power plants. With respect to support for advanced reactors design, Dr.

Wood highlighted ongoing work by both IEC and IEEE toward the development of joint logo standards, thereby eliminating duplicative standards provisions. There have been 11 dual logo

standards published to date and five joint projects are underway. Additionally, Dr. Wood discussed an assessment of guidance needs and gaps for small modular reactors which was published in technical report IEC TR 63335:2021, Nuclear power plants - Instrumentation and control systems, control rooms and electrical power systems - Specific features of small modular reactors and needs regarding standards. Areas that emerged from the assessment in need of enhancement include, sensing and measurement technologies, instrumentation and control architectures, controls and plant operation, and classification and graded approach to guidance for advanced reactors. The latter, was a theme that also was commonly highlighted in the results from the ARCSC survey. A join IEC/IEEE project is underway with the intent of harmonizing the classification schemes between IEC and IEEE and incorporating consideration of risk insights, performance-based enhancements, and graded approach criteria.

The last presentation for this section, was provided by Dr. Brian McDonald, Vice President and Principal Engineer at Exponent, Inc., and Chair of ASCE Dynamic Analysis of Nuclear Structures Committee. Dr. McDonald highlighted proposed plans to merge ASCE Standards 4 and 43, related to seismic analysis and seismic design, respectively. The effort aims at scrutinizing the provisions in both standards, eliminate duplicative provisions, and carefully differentiate between best practices and necessary standards provisions. Also, the effort aims to identify provisions that may be included in the standards but may be better suited to for other standards for example standards for pressure vessels, piping, and electrical equipment, among other. Further, this initiative intends to take advantage of advancements made in commercial standards such as ASCE 7 and ASCE 41 and identify opportunities to incorporate those advancements into the ASCE 4 and 43 consolidated standard. Dr. McDonald further detailed the key considerations for the consolidation the ASCE 4 and 43 standards including limiting the scope to seismic design categories 3, 4, and 5 as defined in ANS Standard 2.26, point to other standards wherever appropriate, allow seismic hazards calculations per the United Staes Geological Survey, and rethink the need for performing soil structure interaction analysis by default.

Session 3: Stakeholder Engagement Session on Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (ADVANCE Act of 2024, Section 401)

Session 3 was chaired by Ms. Michele Sampson, Director of the Division of New and Renewed Licenses in the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR).

Ms. Sampson opened the session with an overview of Section 401 of the ADVANCE Act of 2024, titled Report on Advanced Methods of Manufacturing and Construction for Nuclear Energy Projects. The Act requires the NRC to develop a report to Congress on advanced methods of manufacturing and construction for nuclear energy projects. The report is due in January 2025. The report needs to identify a pathway for determining what aspects of commercial codes are applicable to nuclear components, what additional information is needed to use commercial codes, look at any licensing issues or requirements for the use of advanced manufacturing processes and advanced construction techniques, focus on reactor designs that meet the definition of advanced nuclear reactor in the in the Nuclear Energy and Innovation Modernization Act, and look at work that would be related to factory production of reactor modules including, the utilization of manufacturing licenses, licensing considerations for initial fuel loading, and transfer of fueled reactor modules between licensees. Further, for the purpose of developing the report, Section 401 of the Act directs the NRC to seek input from the Secretary of Energy; the nuclear energy industry; National Laboratories; institutions of higher education; nuclear and manufacturing technology developers; the manufacturing and construction industries, including manufacturing and construction companies with operating

facilities in the United States; SDOs; labor unions; nongovernmental organizations; and other public stakeholders. Ms. Sampson highlighted that this stakeholder engagement session supports the gathering of input as required by the Act and also announced the opportunity to provide input during a public meeting scheduled for September 30, 2024 (https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg?do=details&Code=20241151; ML24271A1782).

The following is a summary of the feedback exchange:

Mr. James Roll from X-energy asked whether the report would consider areas from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), for example, 10 CFR 50.150, Aircraft impact assessment. Mr. Roll highlighted that in this context the existing light water reactors rely on a physical containment structure but that some advanced reactors do not necessarily plan to use a physical containment structure, but rather a functional containment structure. Mr. Roll asked if the report would consider existing language in the CFR that may be built around a light water reactor concept but may not necessarily apply to advanced reactors. Ms. Sampson responded that the NRC will be adding this consideration within the list of items being looked at as part of the reponse to the Act. Further Ms. Sampson highlighted that some of the collected input and or ideas may better fit into other agency initiatives and in those cases, input and ideas may be transferred to the respective applicable initiatives.

Mr. Edward Pleins from Westinghouse, asked if the final report would go to the public for review and comment prior to being finalized. Ms. Sampson shared that the NRC plans on gathering additional input during the public meeting on September 30, 2024 and that the report would become publicly available upon its issuance in January 2025.

Mr. Thomas Basso from NEI recommended consideration of endorsing every section and division of the ASME code, some of which are incorporated by reference in 10 CFR 50.55a, via a Regulatory Guide, similar to the endorsement of ASME Section XI, Division 2 which is endorsed in a Regulatory Guide. Mr. Basso suggested that such approach may accelerate the endorsement process. Further, Mr. Basso recommended consideration of a risk-informed approach to the requirements related to quality assurance, commensurate with the safety and risk of the component or construction. Mr. Basso highlighted an ASME Section III Code Case related to these concepts and suggested that a broader application of the concepts particularly for the construction of structures. Mr. Basso indicated that there seems to be significant cost associated with the quality assurance requirements for the construction of structures versus the actual construction itself. Additionally, Mr. Basso made reference to two types of ASME code interpretations, one type that eventually is converted into a code requirement or code change, and the other type which are viewed as longstanding practices. Mr. Basso suggested the development of a process that would better recognize the interpretations associated with longstanding practices, within the NRC regulatory framework, so as to preclude unnecessary use of resources as a result of staff positions that may be different than the longstanding practices type of interpretations.

Related to Mr. Bassos input, Mr. Scott Ferrara from INL mentioned studies associated with ASME NQA-1 requirements for structures and components, that are underway through the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC). Specifically the studies are looking at concrete and associated risk analysis, and aim to explore ways for lessening quality assurance requirements.

Mr. James August, recommended reviewing and updating or clarifying NRC definitions that may be impacting the requirements for the procurement and dedication of safety-related equipment.

As an example, Mr. August suggested the review and clarification of the term special

treatment. Related to Mr. Augusts recommendation, Mr. Jon Facemire shared that NEI 18-04 (endorsed by Regulatory Guide 1.233) describes special treatments as being above and beyond commercial practice and suggested to the NRC to consider establishing criteria on the use of commercial practice for safety-related SSCs.

Mr. Basso referenced ongoing efforts being undertaken by ASME Section III and Section XI committees to look at pre-service inspection and whether this inspection has shifted from serving as a baseline inspection to becoming an additional inspection on top of the construction inspection. The ongoing ASME committees efforts are aimed at ensuring that the pre-service inspection functions as a baseline to the inservice inspection and not a duplicative construction inspection which could introduce inefficiencies into the construction process. Additionally, Mr.

Basso alluded to activities looking into the use of ultrasonic testing (UT) in lieu of radiographic testing (RT), which has been performed in the repair and replacement space but not in the original construction space. Further, Mr. Basso mentioned that there are a number of ASME code cases that have built in the use of UT or RT, but such code cases are either not approved or have conditions on them. Mr. Basso suggested that this is an area where efficiencies could be gained for both the construction and or repair and replacement spaces.

Mr. Pleins, suggested looking into and exploring process enhancements under 10 CFR Part 52, in the context of the transition from ASME Section III to Section XI and associated ASME certification. Further, Mr. Pleins suggested the NRC to consider the requirements associated with the ASME certification process, to inform the process of developing criteria for use commercial codes.

Mr. Facemire, in the context of the use of commercial codes and standards, highlighted Standard 9001 by the International Organization for Standardization, and the ASCE 7 standard as high priority standards that could be used in place of nuclear standards.

Session 4: Advanced Materials, Manufacturing, and Construction Session 4 was chaired by Mr. Greg Oberson, Chief of the Advanced Reactor Technical Branch 1 in the Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-power Production and Utilization Facilities, in NRR.

The first presentation for this session was provided by Mr. Todd Anselmi, Program Manager, for Advanced Test Reactor Recapitalization at INL and Vice Chair of ANS Standards Board. Mr.

Anselmi presented on accelerating material deployment, emphasizing the need to expedite material usage in new reactor technologies beyond existing qualification ranges. He discussed the INLs report INL/RPT-23-74258, A Regulatory Approach to Accelerated Deployment for New Materials or Applications in Advanced Reactors, indicating the importance of deploying novel materials with understanding of their degradation mechanisms and failure modes to ensure their safe incorporation in designs. The case for INLs research activity and program in this area considers that efficiencies and savings could be realized through baseline materials testing, performance modeling, and in situ risk-informed performance-based reliability and integrity management program. Mr. Anselmi detailed potential next steps for this effort including establishing suggested minimum baseline data and information guidance for a material; determining a recommended reporting mechanism to the regulator; developing risk management goal recommendations based on material impact to SSC performance; development of guidance for integration of condition monitoring into design.

Following Mr. Anselmis presentation, Mr. Luke Voss, Program Manager of NRICs Advanced Construction Technology Initiative (ACTI), discussed the ACTI that aims at demonstrating technologies, approaches, methods, ideas that could help improve schedules and decrease costs for new nuclear construction or for new nuclear projects. The program targets bridging the gap between development and commercialization, reducing risks, and developing the supply chain for imminent nuclear projects. The initial demonstrations within phase 1 of the program focused, in part, on building and testing Steel Bricks' specimens. The program achieved the successful fabrication of these specimens. However, in preparation for phase 2 of the program, it was determined that use of Diaphragm Plate Steel Composite (DPSC) specimens in place of Steel Bricks' specimens would yield greater benefits. These benefits include reduction in weld volume and associated inspection; faster fabrication timeframe; elimination of post-forming heat treatment; simplified fit-up; and greater cost-effectiveness. Based on this change, the project schedules was updated to extend phase 1 to January 2025 to enable the completion of phase 1 using the DPSC specimens. The potential phase 2 scope may include building and testing a structure using the DPSC technology and subsequent disassembly and decommission. Pending the award of phase 2, these activities could be executed during calendar year 2025.

Mr. Vosss presentation was followed by a presentation from Dr. Amit Varma, Kettelhut Professor of Civil & Construction Engineering, Purdue University. Dr. Varma discussed advances and improvements to U.S. codes for steel-plate composite (SC) construction.

Dr. Varma highlighted the SC standards for structures in safety-related nuclear facilities which include Appendix N9 to the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) N690-18 standard (endorsed by Regulatory Guide 1.243) and AISC Design Guide 32. Further Dr. Varma detailed several research and development activities that have informed the update of the AISC N690 standard. The 2024 version of the AISC N690 standard has been completed and it is the process of being published. Dr. Varma provided an overview of the changes in the standard including clarifications of existing requirements (e.g., inclusion of SC walls, slabs, and basemats in Appendix N9), simplifications or relaxations of requirements deemed overly conservative; changes based on the findings from recent research; and changes to address emergent needs associated with advanced reactors and small modular reactors (e.g., potential for high temperature exposure). Additionally, AISC N690-24 include a new appendix, namely Appendix N10 for impulsive and impactive load provisions. In addition to the AISC N690 standard, which is focused on non-containment applications, an ASME Code Case is being developed to enable the use of SC structure in containment vessels. Dr. Varma highlighted the advantages of an SC containment vessel including that steel liners are already present in the in the internal and external faces of the SC structure, which provides a redundancy in the leak barrier and pressure boundary, and also that the SC structure provides significant resistance, strength, and resilience to impactive and impulsive loadings, among others.

Following Dr. Varmas presentation, Ms. Teresa Melfi, Technical Fellow for Research and Development at Lincoln Electric, discussed the state of additive manufacturing standards in boiler and pressure vessel applications. Ms. Melfi emphasized the context for the discussion was the use of additive manufacturing for creating very large parts (e.g., parts weighing half a ton to ten tons), specifically created using weld metal, usually requiring machining and heat treatment. Further, Ms. Melfi detailed the process associated with provided an ASME Code Case on additive manufacturing under ASME Section III which is currently at the ASME Section III main committee review level. This process includes selection of material specification by the Designer/Certificate Holder; qualification of the deposition procedure per ASME Section IX bracketed qualification; pre-production statistical analysis; material build with witness specimen; and material delivery with material test report and data package. Additionally, Ms. Melfi highlighted additional code cases and code updates associated with additive manufacturing and

discussed the status of the overall ASME additive manufacturing codification effort as shown in the table below.

ASME Status of Additive Manufacturing Codification ASME Code Section StatusSection I The Direct Energy Deposition Additive Manufacturing Code Case ballot has been circulated for review and comment, and will be balloted to subgroups.

Section III A ballot is currently open to the Section III Standards Committee. Comments thus far are in regard to Conformity Assessment of the Material Producer.

Section VIII Making its way through the subgroup approval process.

B31 Planning for a mandatory appendix for Additive Manufacturing in the 2026 Edition.

B16 The first meeting of the Additive Manufacturing Task Group was held on July 2, 2024. B16 will implement Powder Bed Fusion for their first Additive Manufacturing Code Case.

The last presentation for this section, was provided by Mr. Ralph Hill, Chair of the ASME Plant Systems Design Standards Committee. Mr. Hill, provided an overview of the Plant Systems Design Standard (PSD-1). Mr. Hill highlighted that the PSD-1 Standard currently is in draft form and is targeted for publication in quarter three or quarter 4 of 2025. While the focus of the standards is on new plant design, it can be used for major modifications or reverse engineering design. Further, Mr. Hill shared that the standard is focused on increasing efficiencies and implementing the NEI 18-04 guidance for risk-informed performance-based design. Mr. Hill also detailed the objectives of the PSD-1 Standard including, optimizing the integration of health, safety, and environmental risk evaluations with design; reducing new plant design, construction, commissioning, and life cycle costs; reducing licensing and construction uncertainty; and optimizing operating plant availability. Mr. Hill, further described the structure of the PSD-1 Standards and emphasized the role of the PSD-1 Standard in serving as a center for alignment of risk-informed performance-based design standards.

The 2024 Standards Forum ended with closing remarks by Mr. Christian Araguas. Overall, the forum provided insights into how the NRC, INL, SDOs, the nuclear industry, and other stakeholders are collaborating to address challenges, implement innovation, and enhance safety in the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies. The discussions were valuable to understanding areas for further collaboration across SDOs and how the NRC and stakeholder groups can be more effective in developing, updating, and meeting the codes and standards needs. The discussions during the Forum are expected to lead to standards with wide ranging support that are more easily utilized by the NRC, applicants, and licensees. It is anticipated that the next NRC Standards Forum will be scheduled for Fall 2025.

ML24298A246

• via e-mail OFFICE RES/DE/RGPMB RES/DE/RGPMB NAME R. Roche-Rivera M. Rahimi (S. Gardocki for)

DATE 10/25/2024*

10/25/2024*

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 2024 NRC Standards Forum Wednesday, September 25, 2024 Agenda Time Topic Speaker 9:00 am - 9:20 am Welcome, logistics, and opening remarks and special welcome by Chair Hanson NRC 9:20 am - 10:40 am Codes & Standards Initiatives for New & Advanced Reactors Session Chair: Christian Araguas, Director, Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research; NRC Standards Executive, NRC Session Topics and Speakers:

1. NRC-INL Collaboration on Codes & Standards o Jason Christensen, Senior Regulatory Engineer, INL

2. Codes & Standards Initiatives for New & Advanced Reactors o Christian Araguas, Director, Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research; NRC Standards Executive, NRC

3. Current Progress, Future Actions Advanced Reactor Codes and Standards Collaborative (ARCSC) o Kate Hyam, Director of Nuclear, Clean Energy, and Standardization Codes and Standards, ASME; ARCSC Co-Chair

4. Use of Risk Insights in selecting Code or Standards for Advanced Reactor SSCs, Application of the Licensing Modernization Project Criteria o John Richards, Senior Technical Executive for Risk & Safety Management, EPRI Q&A after completion of all presentations ARCSC, EPRI, INL, NRC 10:40 am - 12:00 pm Standards Development Organizations Activities Session Chair: Meraj Rahimi, Chief, Regulatory Guide and Programs Management Branch, Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Session Topics and Speakers:

ANS, ASCE, ASME, IEEE

Time Topic Speaker

1. American Nuclear Society Activities o Andrew Sowder, Chair, ANS Standards Board

2. ASME Advanced Reactor Standards Development o Thomas Vogan, Senior Vice President, ASME Standards and Certification

3. Addressing New and Advanced Reactors in Standards for Instrumentation, Control, Electrical and Control Room Systems o Richard Wood, Nuclear Engineering Professor, University of Tennessee; IEEE Representative to ARCSC

4. Updates to ASCE/SEI Standards 4 and 43 o Brian McDonald, VP and Principal Engineer, Exponent; Chair, ASCE Committee on Dynamic Analysis of Nuclear Structures o Andrew Whittaker, SUNY Distinguished Professor, University at Buffalo; Chair, ASCE Nuclear Standards Committee Q&A after completion of all presentations 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm Lunch Break 1:15 pm - 2:40 pm Stakeholder Engagement - Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (ADVANCE Act of 2024, Section 401)

(Overview of SEC. 401. REPORT ON ADVANCED METHODS OF MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY PROJECTS)

Session Chair: Michele Sampson, Director, Division of New and Renewed Licenses, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, NRC Seeking stakeholder input and engagement 2:40 pm - 2:55 pm Break 2:55 pm - 4:50 pm Advanced Materials, Manufacturing, And Construction Session Chair: Greg Oberson, Chief, Advanced Reactor Technical Branch 1, Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-power Production and Utilization Facilities, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Session Topics and Speakers:

1. Accelerated Materials Deployment ASME, INL, NRIC, Purdue University

Time Topic Speaker o Todd Anselmi, Program Manager, ATR Recapitalization; Vice Chair, ANS Standards Board

2. Advanced Construction Technology Initiative Program o Luke Voss, Program Manager, NRIC/ACTI

3. Advances & Improvements to U.S. Codes for SC Construction o Amit H. Varma, Kettelhut Professor of Civil & Construction Engineering, Purdue University;

4. The State of Additive Manufacturing Standards in Boiler and Pressure Vessel Applications o Teresa Melfi, Technical Fellow, R&D, Lincoln Electric; ASME

5. PSD-1: A Hub for Alignment of RI-PB Design Standards o Ralph Hill, Chair, ASME Plant Systems Design Standards Committee Q&A after completion of all presentations 4:50 pm - 5:00 pm Summary of key takeaways and closing remarks 5:00 pm Adjourn

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NRC Standards Forum List of Attendees September 25, 2024 Name Name Christian Araguas Amir Mobasheran Meg Audrain JS Nie Joseph Bass Greg Oberson Ryann Bass Edward O'Donnell Laurel Bauer Benjamin Parks Michael Benson Leah Parks John Bozga Vance Petrela Angie Buford Meraj Rahimi Maggie Chauhan Sheila Ray Yi-Lun Chu Stephanie Roche Rivera Francheska Colón González Robert Roche Rivera Christopher Cook Lynn Ronewicz Kaitlyn Cottrell Michele Sampson David Dijamco Thomas Scarbrough Timothy Drzewiecki Madhumita Sircar Carolyn Fairbanks Janine Smith Ismael Garcia Frederick Sock Ramon Gascot Lozada Clair Song Brian Green James Steckel Christopher Hanson Jeremy Tapp Matthew Hiser George Thomas Matthew Humberstone Robert Tregoning Raj Iyengar Vince Voltaggio Ian Jung George Wang Anya Kim Weijun Wang Patrick Koch Sunil Weerakkody Steven Levitus Dan Widrevitz Bruce Lin John Wise Mike Mazaika Mark Yoo Kevin McCormick John McKirgan Larniece McKoy Moore Jack Minzer Bryant

List of Participants from the Public Name Name Name Name Ahmed Abdelnabi Nidia Gallego Toru Nakatsuka Chris Wax Lisa Anderson Nilesh Gaonkar Janis Ossmann Richard Weinacht Todd Anselmi Nicole E. Gaussa Vinnie Paglioni Andrew Whittaker Drew Appelbaum Dave Grabaskas Ben Pellereau Theresa M Willson James August Fred F. Grant Edward L. Pleins Joe Wishard Sven Bader Brian Grimes Maury Pressburger Richard Wood Ken Balkey Vincent Grosso Pekka Tapani PYY Eugene Yang Thomas Basso Eric Hanson Paul Ragan Robert Youngblood III Jana Bergman Kenneth Hartsock Gurunathan Ramaraj Zefeng Yu Scott Blackwelder Sidney Hicks Rhonda Redding Kadoya Yutaka Chandu Bolisetti Ralpoh Hill Florencia Renteria Sai Zhang Michael Bosley Kiminobu Hojo John Richards Kai Zhang Jesse S. Brown Frank Hope Mark RICHTER Gil Brueckner Thomas Houston Donna Riggs Rob Burg Kathryn Hyam Lynn Moring Riley Memarie Burke Ronald Janowiak Tom Roberts Brendan Burns Boris Jeremic Jacob Robertson Dirk Cairns-Gallimore Joy Jiang James Roll Riccardo Cappa Pickelmann Johannes Thomas Ruggiero Augi Cardillo Scott M. Jones Joschak Ryan Charles Carpenter Narasimha Prasad Kadambi Jolana Rydlova Jason Christensen Bob Kalantari Taunia Jean Sandquist Yeon-Ki Chung Shaji Krishnan Pat Schroeder James Cirilli Daniel Lamond Mariah Sinan Keith A. Consani Matt Laney Garrett Smith Carl Costantino Yuko Maehashi Andrew Sowder Osvaldo Cruz Sanchez Kyle T. Mann Richard Stattel Thomas Davis Brian McDonald Alan Stevenson Mory Diané James W. McIntyre Chris Stocker Caren Dieglio John B. McLean Spencer Toohill Siavash Dorvash Bob McReynolds Amit H. Varma Mario Dumaine Teresa Melfi Kelli Voelsing Don Eggett Mark Moenssens Thomas J. Vogan Jon Facemire Mike Montecalvo Luke M. Voss Scott E. Ferrara Michael Muhlheim Yanli Wang George Flanagan Patrick Murray Bogdan Wasiluk