NUREG-0784, 04-05-82 Comments on NRC Long-Range Research Plan, Fy 1984-1988 (Draft NUREG-0784)
| ML25168A229 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/05/1982 |
| From: | Shewmon P Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | Palladino N NRC/Chairman |
| References | |
| NUREG-0784 | |
| Download: ML25168A229 (1) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 Apri 1 5, 1982 The Honorable Nunzio J. Palladino Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.
20555
SUBJECT:
COMMENTS ON NRC LONG-RANGE RESEARCH PLAN, FY 1984 - FY 1988 (DRAFT NUREG-0784)
Dear Dr. Palladino:
As requested by the Commission, the ACRS has reviewed the draft of the Long-Range Research Plan, FY 1984-1988 (NUREG-0784) dated March 15, 1982.
This draft was discussed with the Safety Research Program Subcommittee on March 31, 1982 and with the full ACRS during its 264th meeting on April 1, 1982.
Our review has been limited in scope, for the following reasons:
(a) The draft Plan was not received by the Committee in time for detailed review by the several cognizant subcommittees.
(b) The user-office comments from NRR, dated March 25, 1982, have not yet been responded to by RES or incorporated into the Plan.
The same is true for the NRR comments on the Nuclear Plant Severe Accident Research Plan (Draft NUREG-0900), dated February 4, 1982.
(c)
We have not yet seen comments from other user offices.
For these reasons, we are not able at this time to provide detailed comments on the nature and scope of the numerous program elements and subel ements.
We wi 11 continue to review the proposed Long-Range Research Pl an, and the final Plan when it becomes available, as the basis for our review of the NRC research program and budget for FY 1984 and FY 1985.
These reviews by the several cognizant subcommittees, and eventually by the full ACRS, will provide the basis for our report to the Commission in connection with its action on the RES budget request for FY 1984 and FY 1985 in July of this year.
That report. will include comments on the programs proposed for the out-years FY 1986 through FY 1988, as appropriate.
At this time, we offer the following general comments on the Long-Range Research Pl an.
The current Pl an format represents a si gni fi cant improve-ment as compared to the initial effort last year.
In this respect, it 1s 3504
Honorable Nunzio responsive to several of the suggestions in the ACRS letter dated April 14, 1981.
For example, although the format is still by Decision Units, numerous cross-cuts by problem areas are included.
The Plan also reflects a consid-erable effort to identify research being done by others and its rel at1on to the NRC' s needs.
A 1 though progress has been made in better defining the objectives of the various research programs in terms of questions to be answered, much still remains to be done in identifying and assigning priori-ties to those problems that represent the greatest potential contributors to risk.
We repeat our previous comment that the Pl an is not a true 1 ong-range pl an but only a projection of current programs and programs planned to answer current questions.
There has been little or no effort to anticipate future questions.
For example, the Pl an does not address research on LMFBRs or other advanced-reactor types beyond the CRBR.
Al though the scope of the Plan may be consistent with the Commission's desires and directives, it seems inappropriate to call it a Long-Range Research Plan.
We hope to continue discussions with the RES Staff, and perhaps also with the Commission, regarding the purpose, philosophy, scope, and effectiveness of a Long-Range Research Plan, and its usefulness to the Commission, to RES and the user offices, and to the ACRS.
In addition, we would be happy to discuss further with you how the timing and content of our review and re-ports on the research program might be conducted in the future if the Long-Range Research Plan were to be made available to the ACRS in final or near final form in December of forthcoming years.
3505 Sincerely, P. Shewmon Chairman