NRC Generic Letter 79-12, ATWS – Enclosing Letter to GE, with NUREG-0460, Vol. 3

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GL79012

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555

MARCH 12 1979

ALL POWER REACTOR LICENSEES

Gentlemen:

The NRC staff finds it necessary to request additional information regarding the capability of your NSSS(s) to respond to postulated ATWS transients. We have chosen, for reasons of resource conservation and efficiency, to send our request for this information directly to the NSSS vendors and to initiate discussions regarding the nature, extent and schedule of the responses directly with your vendor(s).

Enclosed for your information is a copy of a letter which was sent to General Electric Company, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Combustion Engineering, Inc., and Babcock and Wilcox Company, transmitting a request for information needed to perform generic analyses related to ATWS.

The analyses requested are to confirm that the proposed modifications for various classes of Light Water Reactor (LWR) designs accomplish the degree of ATWS prevention and mitigation described by the staff in Volume 3 of NUREG-0460 (enclosed).

We expect that the vendors will find it necessary to obtain some of this information from you. We are asking that you provide this information in order to base ATWS rulemaking on generic confirmation, and thereby avoid costly and unnecessary repetitive analysis. Although you will not receive this letter prior to the March 1, 1979 meeting referred to, we understand that you were contacted by the AIF or the respective vendor concerning the meeting. Should you desire an additional meeting on the generic analyses requested or have additional questions, please contact Mr. Ashok Thadani, (301) 492-7341.

Sincerely,

Richard H. Vollmer, Assistant Director for Systems and Projects Division of Operating Reactors

Enclosures:

1. Letter to General Electric Company dtd. 2/15/79

2. NUREG-0460, Volume 3

cc w/enclosure 1: Service List