RIS 2009-02, Use of Containment Atmosphere Gaseous Radioactivity Monitors As Reactor Coolant System Leakage Detection Equipment at Nuclear Power Reactors

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Use of Containment Atmosphere Gaseous Radioactivity Monitors As Reactor Coolant System Leakage Detection Equipment at Nuclear Power Reactors
ML090120669
Person / Time
Issue date: 01/29/2009
Revision: 0
From: McGinty T J
Division of Policy and Rulemaking
To:
Hawes C, NRR/DPR/PGCB, 415-1316
References
RIS-09-002
Download: ML090120669 (6)


Rev 1, Use of Containment Atmosphere Gaseous Radioactivity Monitors As Reactor Coolant System Leakage Detection Equipment at Nuclear Power Reactors
ML090850574
Person / Time
Issue date: 05/08/2009
Revision: 1
From: McGinty T J
Division of Policy and Rulemaking
To:
References
RIS-09-002, Rev 1
Download: ML090850574 (6)


04/14/2009 Public Meeting Announcement Re Revision to RIS 2009-02
ML090890824
Person / Time
Issue date: 03/31/2009
Revision: 1
From: Hamm M E
NRC/NRR/DIRS/ITSB
To: Elliott R B
NRC/NRR/DIRS/ITSB
Hamm, Matthew DIRS/ITSB 415-1472
References
RIS-09-002, Rev 1
Download: ML090890824 (9)


ML090850574 May 8, 2009 NRC REGULATORY ISSUE SUMMARY 2009-02, REV. 1, USE OF CONTAINMENT ATMOSPHERE GASEOUS RADIOACTIVITY MONITORS AS REACTOR COOLANT SYSTEM LEAKAGE DETECTION EQUIPMENT AT NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS

ADDRESSEES

All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors under the provisions of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, "Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities," except those who have permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vesse All current and potential applicants for a combined license, manufacturing license, standard design certification, or standard design approval for a nuclear power plant under the provisions of 10 CFR Part 52, "Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants". All holders of and applicants for nuclear power plant construction permits and operating licenses under the provisions of 10 CFR Part 50, "Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities."

INTENT

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this revised regulatory issue summary (RIS) to clarify expectations regarding licensee operability determinations and communicate the NRC plan to address the situation created when some containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors are unable to meet technical specification (TS) requirement The plan consists of integrating a streamlined license amendment process with the use of enforcement discretion, where appropriat This RIS requires no action or written response on the part of an addresse RIS 2009-02 was originally issued on January 29, 200

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In order to meet General Design Criterion 30, "Quality of reactor coolant pressure boundary," of Appendix A to 10 CFR Part 50, licensees typically include RCS leakage detection equipment in their plant designs because the equipment can be used to detect reactor coolant pressure boundary (RCPB) leakag A typical RCS leakage detection system consists of a combination of the following:

  • a containment atmosphere particulate radioactivity monitoring system
  • a containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring system
  • containment sump-level and sump-pump instrumentation RIS 2009-02, Rev. 1
  • containment cooler condensate monitoring instrumentation Containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems measure RCS leakage indirectly by detecting airborne radioactivity released from RCS leakag Response time is the length of time required for these monitoring systems to detect a given volume of RCS leakag Response time is dependant on RCS radioactivity concentration, as well as other variable For a given volume of leakage, with all other variables held constant, a higher RCS radioactivity concentration will yield a shorter response time for these monitoring system The design analyses for the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems used in the licensing bases for most plants typically assume a RCS radioactivity concentration approximately equivalent to 0.1 percent failed fuel in the cor Improvements in fuel cladding integrity and RCS chemistry controls have significantly reduced RCS radioactivity concentration at most plant As a result, the monitors for operating units may have longer response times than they would with 0.1 percent failed fuel in the core because the actual RCS radioactivity concentration is less than it would be with 0.1 percent failed fuel in the cor Most plants have TS Limiting Conditions for Operation requirements for containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems used as part of RCS leakage detection equipmen The TS requirements for the monitoring systems' response times are based on the design analysis that is part of a plant's licensing basi Whether the monitors are operable depends on the licensing basis and TS requirement When the monitors are inoperable the licensee is required to take remedial actions as permitted by their TS or to shut down the reacto Information Notice (IN) 2005-24, "Nonconservatism in Leakage Detection Sensitivity" (ADAMS Accession No. ML051780073), communicated the issue created by differences between actual and assumed RCS radioactivity concentrations to all licensee The purpose of IN 2005-24 was to have licensees review information related to problems with containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors used as part of RCS leakage detection equipment and consider appropriate actions as applicable to their plant Information Notices do not require any action by licensee In September 2008, NRC inspectors at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant identified a non-cited violation for not complying with TS requirements for RCS leakage detection equipmen In November 2008, the licensee for the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant and the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant requested exigent license amendments from the NRC after taking remedial actions as permitted by their TS because of a concern that the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitor channels of the RCS leakage detection system were inoperabl To address the issue, licensees working through the industry-sponsored Technical Specifications Task Force (TSTF) have attempted to create generic TS changes, model License Amendment Requests (LARs), model safety evaluations, and model proposed no-significant-hazards consideration determinations using the NRC TS Consolidated Line Item Improvement Process (CLIIP). See RIS 2000-06, "Consolidated Line Item Improvement Process For Adopting Standard Technical Specifications Changes for Power Reactors" (ADAMS Accession No. ML003693442) for more information on the NRC CLII RIS 2009-02 was originally issued on January 29, 200 NRC received several responses and RIS 2009-02, Rev. 1 inquiries regarding NRC's expectations with respect to operability determinations for the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitor Some responders incorrectly interpreted the original RIS to mean that NRC was declaring their site specific containment atmosphere gaseous radiation monitors to be inoperabl The NRC does not make generic operability determination As stated in NRC Inspection Manual Part 9900: Technical Guidance, "Operability Determinations And Functionality Assessments For Resolution Of Degraded Or Nonconforming Conditions Adverse To Quality Or Safety" (ADAMS Accession No. ML081360529), licensees determine operability of equipment based on their plant-specific licensing basi

SUMMARY OF ISSUE

Improvements in fuel cladding integrity and RCS chemistry controls result in lower RCS radioactivity concentrations during operational activities, including situations where there is RCS leakag Thus, containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems which are designed on the basis of higher assumed RCS radioactivity concentrations may not provide accurate indication of RCS leakage in the required length of time due to the longer response time of the monitoring syste If this occurs each licensee must determine the operability of their gaseous radioactivity monitoring system based on their plant-specific licensing basi The NRC considers the longer response times of the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors to be of very low safety significanc The monitors would still be able to detect degradation in the RCPB long before components fail in a manner that would affect plant safet Additionally, plants also have multiple diverse and redundant methods available to detect RCS leakage and to provide licensees with a means to detect significant RCPB degradation and to take appropriate action to ensure the continued protection of public health and safet Finally, nuclear power plants are designed to provide adequate core cooling following postulated loss-of-coolant accidents up to and including a break equivalent in size to the double-ended rupture of the largest pipe in the RC This design feature, coupled with the extremely low likelihood of unstable crack growth resulting in a loss-of-coolant accident, leads the NRC to conclude that the risk significance of this issue is very lo The NRC plans to address the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring system issue in an integrated fashion by: (i) working with the TSTF to develop revised generic TS for the monitoring system, and facilitating licensee implementation of the revised generic TS through a streamlined license amendment process; and (ii) using guidance on NRC's exercise of enforcement discretion involving inoperable containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems issued in EGM-09-001 (ADAMS Accession No. ML090300467). The NRC will review the generic TS changes that the TSTF proposes for pressurized-water reactors (PWRs) and boiling-water reactors (BWRs). If the generic TS changes are found to be acceptable, the NRC will make the generic model LARs, model safety evaluations, and model no-significant-hazards consideration determinations available to licensees using the NRC CLIIP. The revised TS would clarify the licensing basis for the leakage detection system in order to prevent further confusion in the futur Licensees are free to submit LARs for TS changes to address the issu If licensees make a determination that their containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors are operable after examining their plant-specific licensing basis, they can choose to take no actio RIS 2009-02, Rev. 1 On February 18, 2009, the TSTF submitted TSTF-513, Revision 1 "Revise PWR Operability Requirements and Actions for RCS Leakage Instrumentation" and TSTF-514, Revision 0

"Revise BWR Operability Requirements and Actions for RCS Leakage Instrumentation" to the NRC for revie Licensees are free to submit LARs to address the issue using TSTF-513 or TSTF-514; or they can propose alternative solution In certain circumstances involving inoperable containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems, enforcement discretion is availabl Specific guidance for this enforcement discretion is described in EGM-09-001 (ADAMS Accession No. ML090300467) and is available on the NRC's web site at www.nrc.go

BACKFIT DISCUSSION

The intent of this revised RIS is to inform addressees of the NRC's plan to address the failure of containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors used as RCS leakage detection equipment to meet TS requirements and clarify expectations regarding licensee operability determination The staff is not imposing any new positions on licensee This revised RIS is not providing any new regulatory position This revised RIS only conveys the NRC's plan to address the issue of RCS leakage detection equipment failing to meet TS requirements because of the difference between actual and assumed RCS radioactivity concentration This revised RIS requires no action or written response and, therefore, is not a backfit under 10 CFR 50.109, "Backfitting." Consequently, the staff did not perform a backfit analysi

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTIFICATION

A notice of opportunity for public comment on this RIS was not published in the Federal Register because it is informational and pertains to a staff position that does not represent a departure from current regulatory requirements and practic However, a public meeting to discuss this RIS was held on April 14, 200 The meeting summary is available under ADAMS Accession No. ML09105066 The NRC also posted the RIS on the "Draft Generic Communications for Comment" portion of its website, which is publicly accessibl No comments were received from the postin The NRC intends to work with industry representatives, members of the public, and other stakeholders in developing final guidance and in modifying related guidance document

CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT

This RIS is not a rule as designated by the Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 801-808) and, therefore, is not subject to the Ac

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

This RIS does not contain any information collections and, therefore, is not subject to the RIS 2009-02, Rev. 1 requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.).

PUBLIC PROTECTION NOTIFICATION

The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a request for information or an information collection requirement unless the requesting document displays a currently valid OMB control numbe

CONTACT

Please direct any questions about this matter to the technical contact listed below or to the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manage /RA/

Timothy J. McGinty, Director Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical Contact:

Matthew Hamm, NRR 301-415-1472 e-mail: matthew.hamm@nrc.gov Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collection RIS 2009-02, Rev. 1 OFFICE ITSB:DIRS BC:ITSBDIRS D:DIRS D:DORL OE OGC (NLO)

NAME MHamm RElliott FBrown JGiitter NHilton GMizuno DATE 3/26/2009 3/26/2009 3/27/2009 4/20/2009 4/1/2009 4/10/2009 OFFICE OGC (CRA) PMDA OIS LA:PGCB PGCB BC: PGCB NAME SCroston LHill DBurnette for GTrussell CHawes SStuchell via email MMurphy DATE 4/08/2009 4/01/2009 4/17/2009 4/29/2009 4/29/2009 05/07/2009 OFFICE D:DPR NAME TMcGinty DATE 05/08/2009

DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION CHANGE March 31, 2009 MEMORANDUM TO: Robert B. Elliott, Chief Technical Specifications Branch Division of Inspection and Regional Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM: Matthew Hamm, Reactor Engineer /RA/ Technical Specifications Branch Division of Inspection and Regional Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation DATES & TIMES: April 14, 2009; 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm LOCATION: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission One White Flint North Room O3B6 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20852-2738 PURPOSE: The purpose of the meeting is to discuss changes to RIS 2009-0 PARTICIPANTS: NRC Industry R. Elliott, NRR M. Hamm, NRR Others, NRC TBD CATEGORY 2: This is a category 2 meeting*. The public is invited to participate in this meeting by discussing regulatory issues with the NRC at designated points identified on the agend

CONTACT

Matthew Hamm, NRR 301-415-1472 MEH1@nrc.gov

Enclosures:

Agenda Draft RIS 2009-02, Revision 1

  • *Commission's Policy Statement on "Enhancing Public Participation in NRC Meetings," 67 Federal Register 36920, May 28, 200 For information regarding participating via teleconference, please contact Matthew Hamm at 301-415-1472 or MEH1@nrc.go March 31, 2009 MEMORANDUM TO: Robert B. Elliott, Chief Technical Specifications Branch Division of Inspection and Regional Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

FROM: Matthew Hamm, Reactor Engineer /RA/ Technical Specifications Branch Division of Inspection and Regional Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation DATES & TIMES: April 14, 2009; 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm LOCATION: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission One White Flint North Room O3B6 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20852-2738 PURPOSE: The purpose of the meeting is to discuss changes to RIS 2009-0 PARTICIPANTS: NRC Industry R. Elliott, NRR M. Hamm, NRR Others, NRC TBD CATEGORY 2: This is a category 2 meeting*. The public is invited to participate in this meeting by discussing regulatory issues with the NRC at designated points identified on the agend

CONTACT

Matthew Hamm, NRR 301-415-1472 MEH1@nrc.gov

Enclosures:

Agenda Draft RIS 2009-02, Revision 1

  • *Commission's Policy Statement on "Enhancing Public Participation in NRC Meetings," 67 Federal Register 36920, May 28, 200 For information regarding participating via teleconference, please contact Matthew Hamm at 301-415-1472 or MEH1@nrc.go DISTRIBUITON: See next page ADAMS ACCESSION NUMBER: ML090890824 OFFICE ITSB:DIRS BC:ITSB:DIRS NAME MHamm RElliott DATE 03/31/2009 03/31/2009 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY Memorandum to R. Elliott, from M. Hamm dated: March 31, 2008 PURPOSE: The purpose of the meeting is to discuss changes to RIS 2009-0 DISTRIBUTION: PUBLIC PMNS ITSB R/F RidsNrrAdro RidsNrrDirs RidsOpaMail Nrr_Dirs_Itsb Distribution RidsOgcMailCenter RidsAcrsAcnwMailCenter RidsNrrDirsItsb

Enclosure PLANNED AGENDA Participants at the April 10, 2009 meeting will discuss changes to RIS 2009-0 Administrative A. Introductions B. Review Purpose and format of the Meeting Review Need for Changes to RIS 2009-02 2. History of RIS 2009-02 3. Public Comment Discussion Changes to RIS 2009-02 4. Presentation of Draft RIS 5. Public Comment Adjourn UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION WASHINGTON, DC 20555-0001 NRC REGULATORY ISSUE SUMMARY 2009-02, REV. 1, USE OF CONTAINMENT ATMOSPHERE GASEOUS RADIOACTIVITY MONITORS AS REACTOR COOLANT SYSTEM LEAKAGE DETECTION EQUIPMENT AT NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS

ADDRESSEES

All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors except those who have permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently removed from the reactor vesse All current and potential applicants for a combined license, manufacturing license, standard design certification, or standard design approval for a nuclear power plant under the provisions of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 52 (10 CFR), "Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants".

All applicants for nuclear power plant construction permits and operating licenses under the provisions of 10 CFR Part 50, "Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities."

INTENT

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this revised regulatory issue summary (RIS) to clarify expectations regarding licensee operability determinations and communicate the NRC plan to address the situation created when some containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors are unable to meet technical specification (TS)

requirement The plan consists of integrating a streamlined license amendment process with the use of enforcement discretion, where appropriat This RIS requires no action or written response on the part of an addresse RIS 2009-02 was originally issued on January 29, 200

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In order to meet General Design Criterion 30, "Quality of reactor coolant pressure boundary," of Appendix A to 10 CFR Part 50, licensees typically include RCS leakage detection equipment in their plant designs because the equipment can be used to detect reactor coolant pressure boundary (RCPB) leakag A typical RCS leakage detection system consists of a combination of the following:

  • a containment atmosphere particulate radioactivity monitoring system
  • a containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring system
  • containment sump-level and sump-pump instrumentation
  • containment cooler condensate monitoring instrumentation Containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems measure RCS leakage indirectly by detecting airborne radioactivity released from RCS leakag Response time is the length of time required for these monitoring systems to detect a given volume of RCS leakag Response time is dependant on RCS radioactivity concentration, as well as other variable For a given volume of leakage, with all other variables held constant, a higher RCS radioactivity concentration will yield a shorter response time for these monitoring system The design analyses for the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems used in the licensing bases for most plants typically assume a RCS radioactivity concentration approximately equivalent to 0.1 percent failed fuel in the cor Improvements in fuel cladding integrity and RCS chemistry controls have significantly reduced RCS radioactivity concentration at most plant As a result, the monitors for operating units may have longer response times than they would with 0.1 percent failed fuel in the core because the actual RCS radioactivity concentration is less than it would be with 0.1 percent failed fuel in the cor Most plants have TS Limiting Conditions for Operation requirements for containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems used as part of RCS leakage detection equipmen The TS requirements for the monitoring systems' response times are based on the design analysis that is part of a plant's licensing basi If the monitors are not capable of meeting their licensing basis, the monitors could be inoperabl When the monitors are inoperable the licensee is required to take remedial actions as permitted by their TS or to shut down the reacto Information Notice (IN) 2005-24, "Nonconservatism in Leakage Detection Sensitivity" (ADAMS Accession No. ML051780073), communicated the issue created by differences between actual and assumed RCS radioactivity concentrations to all licensee The purpose of IN 2005-24 was to have licensees review information related to problems with containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors used as part of RCS leakage detection equipment and consider appropriate actions as applicable to their plant Information Notices do not require any action by licensee In September 2008, NRC inspectors at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant identified a non-cited violation for not complying with TS requirements for RCS leakage detection equipmen In November 2008, the licensee for the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant and the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant requested exigent license amendments from the NRC after taking remedial actions as permitted by their TS because of a concern that the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitor channels of the RCS leakage detection system were inoperabl To address the issue, licensees working through the industry-sponsored Technical Specifications Task Force (TSTF) have attempted to create generic TS changes, model License Amendment Requests (LARs), model safety evaluations, and model proposed no-significant-hazards consideration determinations using the NRC TS Consolidated Line Item Improvement Process (CLIIP). See RIS 2000-10, "Consolidated Line Item Improvement Process For Adopting Standard Technical Specifications Changes for Power Reactors" (ADAMS Accession No. ML003693442) for more information on the NRC CLII RIS 2009-02 was originally issued on January 29, 200 NRC received several responses and inquiries regarding NRC's expectations with respect to operability determinations for the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitor Some responders incorrectly interpreted the original RIS to mean that NRC was declaring their site specific containment atmosphere gaseous radiation monitors to be inoperabl NRC does not make generic operability determination Per NRC Inspection Manual Part 9900: Technical Guidance,

"OPERABILITY DETERMINATIONS AND FUNCTIONALITY ASSESSMENTS FOR RESOLUTION OF DEGRADED OR NONCONFORMING CONDITIONS ADVERSE TO QUALITY OR SAFETY" (ADAMS Accession No. ML081360529), licensees make operability determinations utilizing their plant-specific licensing basi

SUMMARY OF ISSUE

Improvements in fuel cladding integrity and RCS chemistry controls result in lower RCS radioactivity concentrations during operational activities, including situations where there is RCS leakag Thus, containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems which are designed on the basis of higher assumed RCS radioactivity concentrations may not provide accurate indication of RCS leakage in the required length of time due to the longer response time of the monitoring syste If this occurs, the staff believes the monitors could be considered inoperable, since they may not be able to meet their specified safety functio However, the staff notes that licensees may not agree with the staff position, and that each licensee must determine the operability their gaseous radioactivity monitoring system based on their plant-specific licensing basi The NRC considers the longer response times of the containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors to be of very low safety significanc The monitors would still be able to detect degradation in the RCPB long before components fail in a manner that would affect plant safet Additionally, plants also have multiple diverse and redundant methods available to detect RCS leakage and to provide licensees with a means to detect significant RCPB degradation and to take appropriate action to ensure the continued protection of public health and safet Finally, nuclear power plants are designed to provide adequate core cooling following postulated loss-of-coolant accidents up to and including a break equivalent in size to the double-ended rupture of the largest pipe in the RC This design feature, coupled with the extremely low likelihood of unstable crack growth resulting in a loss-of-coolant accident, leads the NRC to conclude that the risk significance of this issue is very lo The NRC plans to address the issue of inoperable containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems in an integrated fashion by: (i) working with the TSTF to develop revised generic TS for the monitoring system, and facilitating licensee implementation of the revised generic TS through a streamlined license amendment process; and (ii) using guidance on NRC's exercise of enforcement discretion involving inoperable containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems issued in EGM-09-001 (ADAMS Accession No. ML090300467).

The NRC will review the generic TS changes that the TSTF proposes for pressurized-water reactors (PWRs) and boiling-water reactors (BWRs). If the generic TS changes are found to be acceptable, the NRC will make the generic model LARs, model safety evaluations, and model no-significant-hazards consideration determinations available to licensees using the NRC CLII The revised TS would clarify the licensing basis for the leakage detection system in order to prevent further confusion in the futur Licensees are free to submit LARs for TS changes to address the issu If licensees deem further action regarding the issue is unwarranted, they can choose to take no actio On February 18, 2009, the TSTF submitted TSTF-513, Revision 1 "Revise PWR Operability Requirements and Actions for RCS Leakage Instrumentation" and TSTF-514, Revision 0 "Revise BWR Operability Requirements and Actions for RCS Leakage Instrumentation" to the NRC for revie Licensees are free to submit LARs to address the issue using TSTF-513 or TSTF-514; or they can propose alternative solution In certain circumstances involving inoperable containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitoring systems, enforcement discretion is availabl Specific guidance for this enforcement discretion is described in EGM-09-001 (ADAMS Accession No. ML090300467) and is available on the NRC's web site at www.nrc.go

BACKFIT DISCUSSION

The intent of this revised RIS is to inform addressees of the NRC's plan to address the failure of containment atmosphere gaseous radioactivity monitors used as RCS leakage detection equipment to meet TS requirements and clarify expectations regarding licensee operability determination The staff is not imposing any new positions on licensee This revised RIS is not providing any new regulatory position This revised RIS only conveys the NRC's plan to address the issue of RCS leakage detection equipment failing to meet TS requirements because of the difference between actual and assumed RCS radioactivity concentration This revised RIS requires no action or written response and, therefore, is not a backfit under 10 CFR 50.109, "Backfitting."

Consequently, the staff did not perform a backfit analysi

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTIFICATION

A notice of opportunity for public comment on this RIS was not published in the Federal Register because it is informational and pertains to a staff position that does not represent a departure from current regulatory requirements and practic However, a public meeting to discuss this RIS and other subjects was held on January 8, 200 The meeting summary is available under ADAMS Accession No. ML09013058 The NRC intends to work with industry representatives, members of the public, and other stakeholders in developing final guidance and in modifying related guidance document

CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT

This RIS is not a rule as designated by the Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 801-808)

and, therefore, is not subject to the Ac

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

This RIS does not contain any information collections and, therefore, is not subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.).

PUBLIC PROTECTION NOTIFICATION

The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a request for information or an information collection requirement unless the requesting document displays a currently valid OMB control numbe

CONTACT

Please direct any questions about this matter to the technical contact listed below or to the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project manage Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical Contact:

Matthew Hamm, NRR 301-415-1472 e-mail: matthew.hamm@nrc.gov Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collection