Information Notice 1998-44, Ten-Year Inservice Inspection (ISI) Program Update for Licensees That Intend to Implement Risk-Informed ISI of Piping
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 December 10, 1998 NRC INFORMATION
NOTICE 98-44: TEN-YEAR INSERVICE
INSPECTION (ISI) PROGRAM UPDATE FOR LICENSEES
THAT INTEND TO IMPLEMENT
RISK-INFORMED
ISI OF PIPING
Addressees
All holders of operating
licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those that have permanently
ceased operations
and have certified
that fuel has been permanently
removed from the reactor.
Purpose
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is issuing this information
notice to inform addressees
that for those licensees
that intend to implement
a risk-informed
inservice inspection (RI-ISI) program for piping and do not have a pilot plant application
currently
being reviewed by the staff, the staff will consider authorizing
a delay of up to 2 years in implementing
the next 1 0-year ISI program for piping only in order for the licensee to develop and obtain approval for the RI-ISI program for piping.It is expected that recipients
will review this information
for applicability
to their facilities
and consider actions, as appropriate.
However, suggestions
contained
in this information
notice are not NRC requirements;
therefore, no specific action or written response is required.Description
of Circumstances
On August 16, 1995, the NRC published
a policy statement
(60 FR 42622) on the use of probabilistic
risk assessment (PRA) methods in nuclear regulatory
activities.
In the statement, the Commission
stated its belief that the use of PRA technology
in NRC regulatory
activities
should be increased
to the extent supported
by the state of the art in PRA methods and data and in a manner that complements
the NRC's deterministic
approach.
To implement
this policy, the staff developed
a PRA implementation
plan, together with a timetable
for developing
regulatory
guides (RGs) and standard review plans (SRPs), which describes
an acceptable
approach for assessing
the nature and impact of changes by considering
engineering
issues and applying risk insights.
A part of this effort involves developing
an RG and the corresponding
SRP to provide guidance to power reactor licensees
and the NRC staff on an table approach for utilizing
risk information
to support requests for changes in the plant's 9812100046
4 'o q(OO qwOlo 9A
98-44 December 10, 1998 ISI program for piping. The draft documents
were available
for public comment through January 13, 1998, and the staff revised the draft documents
to incorporate
public comments.The RG and the SRP were issued for trial use on October 13, 1998.The nuclear industry has submitted
two topical reports describing
methodologies
for implementing
RI-ISI. One methodology
has been jointly developed
by the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME) and the Westinghouse
Owners Group (WOG). The other methodology
is being sponsored
by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).In addition, ASME is working on three ASME Code cases for alternate
examination
requirements
to ASME Section Xl, Division 1, for piping welds. ASME Code Case N-577 is based on the WOG methodology
and ASME Code Case N-578 is based on the EPRI methodology.
ASME Code Case N-560 is based on the EPRI methodology
for Class 1 B-J welds and is being revised to encompass
both methodologies.
The NRC has encouraged
licensees
to submit pilot plant applications
for demonstrating
risk-informed methodologies
to be used for piping segment and piping structural
element selection in systems scheduled
for ISI. The NRC has completed
its review of the pilot plant submittal
for Vermont Yankee and is currently
reviewing
the submittals
for Surry Unit 1 and Arkansas Nuclear One, Units I and 2, focusing on the licensees'
characterization
of the proposed changes, including
identification
of the particular
piping systems and welds that are affected by the changes, the performance
of engineering
evaluations, the performance
of PRAs to provide risk insight to support the selection
of welds for inspection, the performance
of traditional
engineering
analyses to verify that the proposed changes do not compromise
the existing regulations
and the licensing
basis of the plant, the development
of implementation
and monitoring
programs to ensure that the reliability
of piping can be maintained, and the documentation
of the analyses for NRC's review and approval.
The staff will use the alternative
provision
of 10 CFR 50.55a (a)(3)(1)
to approve technically
acceptable
pilot plant applications.
Discussion
For non-pilot
plant licensees
that intend to implement
RI-ISI beginning
with their next 10-year interval, the staff will consider authorizing
a delay of up to 2 years in the implementation
of the next 1 0-year ISI program for piping only to allow licensees
to develop and obtain approval for their RI-ISI program at the next available
opportunity
using the staff-approved
topical reports.For those licensees
that are authorized
such a delay, the approved RI-ISI program would have to be completed
within the remaining
part of the 10-year interval, for example, programs would be shortened
to 8 years for a 2-year delay. The duration of the delay needed may vary according
to individual
cases. Therefore, the request for delay must provide adequate justification, along with a clear indication
of the inspection
that will continue before the implementation
of the RI-ISI program. During the delay period, licensees
would be required to continue augmented
inspection
programs, such as inspections
for intergranular
stress-corrosion
cracking and erosion-corrosion, inspections
required for flaws dispositioned
by analysis, system pressure tests, and inspection
of components
other than piping.
',_98-44 December 10, 1998 The staff plans to perform in-depth reviews of pilot plant submittals
during 1998 and 1999 to ensure that the RI-ISI programs are consistent
with the staff RG and SRP. For RI-ISI programs submitted
after the approval of the pilot plant programs and topical reports, but before the endorsement
of ASME Code cases, it Is expected that licensees
will utilize the approved WOG or EPRI topical report as guidance for developing
RI-ISI programs.
The review and approval process is expected to be minimal when the submittal
follows the guidelines
in the approved topical report, NRC Regulatory
Guide 1.178, wAn Approach for Plant-Specific
Risk-informed
Decisionmaking
Inservice
Inspection
of Piping"; Standard Review Plan 3.9.8, Standard Review Plan for the Review of Risk-Informed
Inservice
Inspection
of Piping"; and the safety evaluation
reports for the applicable
topical report.It is anticipated
that subsequent
to the issuance of safety evaluation
reports (SERs) for the pilot plants and the topical reports, the ASME Code cases will be revised to incorporate
lessons learned from pilot plants and topical report reviews. The ASME Code cases will be reviewed in accordance
with RG 1.147, Oinservice
Inspection
Code Case Acceptability
-ASME Section Xi, Division 1," for possible incorporation
into the ASME Code. In the long term, the staff will proceed with rulemaking
so that other licensees
can voluntarily
adopt risk-informed
ISI programs without specific review and approval by NRC. For the RI-ISI programs developed after the an RI-ISI methodology
has been endorsed in RG 1.147, the staff anticipates
that the licensee will develop an RI-ISI program using the approved ASME Code cases and will submit the program to NRC for information
with no formal NRC approval.If you have any questions
about the information
in this notice, please contact one of the technical
contacts listed below or the appropriate
NRR project manager.( d/Jack W. Roe, Acting Director Division of Reactor Program Management
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical
Contacts:
S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR 301-415-2776
301-415-2853 E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov
E-mail: wfb@nrc.gov
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information
Notices 4aF4S 4 JA4OT,
\, Attachment
IN 98-44 December 10, 1998 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED NRC INFORMATION
NOTICES Information
Date of Notice No. Subject Issuance Issued to 98-43 Leaks in the Emergency
Diesel Generator
Lubricating
Oil and Jacket Cooling Water Piping 12/04/98 All holder of operating
licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those licensees
that have permanently
ceased operations
and have certified
that fuel has been permanently
removed from the reactor vessel 98-42 Implementation
of 10 CFR 50.55a 12/01/98 (g) Inservice
Inspection
Requirements
Spurious Shutdown of Emergency
11/20/98 Diesel Generators
from Design Oversight 98-41 98-40 Design Deficiencies
Can Lead Reduced ECCS Pump Net Positive Suction Head During Design-Basis
Accidents Summary of Fitness-for-Duty
Program Performance
Reports for Calendar Years 1996 and 1997 Metal-Clad
Circuit Breaker Maintenance
Issued Identified
By NRC Inspections
10/26/98 10/24/98 10/15/98 All holders of operating
licenses for nuclear power reactors All holders of operating
licenses for nuclear power reactors, except for those who have ceased operations
and have certified
that fuel has been permanently
removed from the reactor vessel All holders of operating
licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those licensees
who have permanently
ceased operations
and have certified
that fuel has bee permanently
removed from the vessel All holders of operating
licenses for nuclear power reactors All holders of operating
licenses for nuclear power reactors.98-39 98-38 OL = Operating
License CP = Construction
Permit
`n4 98-44 December 10, 1998 The staff plans to perform in-depth reviews of pilot plant submittals
during 1998 and 1999 to ensure that the RI-ISI programs are consistent
with the staff RG and SRP. For RI-ISI programs submitted
after the approval of the pilot plant programs and topical reports, but before the endorsement
of ASME Code cases, it is expected that licensees
will utilize the approved WOG or EPRI topical report as guidance for developing
RI-ISI programs.
The review and approval process is expected to be minimal when the submittal
follows the guidelines
in the approved topical report, NRC Regulatory
Guide 1.178, "An Approach for Plant-Specific
Risk-informed
Decisionmaking
Inservice
Inspection
of Piping"; Standard Review Plan 3.9.8, "Standard
Review Plan for the Review of Risk-Informed
Inservice
Inspection
of Piping"; and the safety evaluation
reports for the applicable
topical report.It is anticipated
that subsequent
to the issuance of safety evaluation
reports (SERs) for the pilot plants and the topical reports, the ASME Code cases will be revised to incorporate
lessons learned from pilot plants and topical report reviews. The ASME Code cases will be reviewed in accordance
with RG 1.147, "Inservice
Inspection
Code case Acceptability
-ASME Section Xl, Division 11," for possible incorporation
into the ASME Code. In the long term, the staff will proceed with rulemaking
so that other licensees
can voluntarily
adopt risk-informed
ISI programs without specific review and approval by NRC. For the RI-ISI programs developed after the RI-ISI methodology
has been endorsed in RG 1.147, the staff anticipates
that the licensee will develop an RI-ISI program using the approved ASME Code cases and will submit the program to NRC for information
with no formal NRC approval.If you have any questions
about the information
in this notice, please contact one of the technical
contacts listed below or the appropriate
NRR project manager.[original
signed by D.B. Matthews]f or Jack W. Roe, Acting Director Division of Reactor Program Management
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical
Contacts:
S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR 301-415-2776
301-415-2853 E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov
E-mail: wfb~nrc.gov
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information
Notices DOCUMENT NAME: G:\ALI\INISI.WPD
- See Previous Concurrence
To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy w/o attachment/enclosure
E=Copy with attachment/enclosure
N-1 Nl lopy OFFICE PECB I (A)D:DE I C:ECG I [ l C:PECB (A NAME WBurton* .SAIi* GLainas* GBagchi* JMoore* JStolz* J VJ DATE j 9/17/98 9/17/98 j 9/29/98 9/17/98 11/26/98 12/04/98 1XI /198 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
T'N 98-xx December xx, 1998 The staff plans to perform in-depth reviews of pilot plant submittals
during 1998 and 1999 to ensure that the RI-ISI programs are consistent
with the staff RG and SRP. For RI-ISI programs submitted
after the approval of the pilot plant programs and topical reports, but before the endorsement
of ASME Code cases, it is expected that licensees
will utilize the approved WOG or EPRI topical report as guidance for developing
RI-ISI programs.
The review and aX val process is expected to be minimal when the submittal
follows the guidelines
in th pproved topical report, NRC Regulatory
Guide 1.178, "An Approach for Plant-Specificgsk-lnformed
Decisionmaking
Inservice
Inspection
of Piping"; Standard Review Plan 3.., "Standard
Review Plan for the Review of Risk-informed
Inservice
Inspection
of Piping"; d the safety evaluation
reports for the applicable
topical report.It is anticipated
that subsequent
to the issuance of safety eva tion reports (SERs) for the pilot plants and the topical reports, the ASME Code cases will bI revised to incorporate
lessons learned from pilot plants and topical report reviews. The SME Code cases will be reviewed in accordance
with RG 1.147, "Inservice
Inspection
Cod case Acceptability
-ASME Section Xl, Division 1," for possible incorporation
into the ASM Code. In the long term, the staff will proceed with rulemaking
so that other licensees
voluntarily
adopt risk-informed
ISI programs without specific review and approval NRC. For the RI-ISI programs developed after the RI-ISI methodology
has been endord in RG 1.147, the staff anticipates
that the licensee will develop an RI-ISI program usi the approved ASME Code cases and will submit the program to NRC for information
with formal NRC approval.If you have any questions
about the i ormation in this notice, please contact one of the technical
contacts listed below or t appropriate
NRR project manager.Jack W. Roe, Acting Director Division of Reactor Program Management
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical
Contacts:
S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR 301-415-2776
301-415-2853 E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov
E-mail: wfb~nrc.gov
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information
Notices DOCUMW T NAME: G:\ALI\IN
ISI.WPD* See P vious Concurrence
To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy wlo attachment/enclosure
E=Copy with attachmentlenclosure
N = No copy OFFICE PECB I E (A)D:DE lIC:ECGB LT C:PECB I (A)D:DRPM NAME WBurton* SAli* GLainas* GBagchi* JMoore* JfpI JRoe 11DATE 19/17198 19/17/98 19/29/98 19/17/98 111/26/98
/\ '/Ii~ / /98l OFFICIAL RECORD COPY V DATE /17/9 9/1798 9/9/98 /17/9 11/2/98 / 9 IN 98-xx October xx 1998 The staff plans to perform in-depth reviews of pilot plant submittals
during 1998 and 1999 to ensure that the RI-ISI programs are consistent
with the staff RG and SRP. For RI-ISI programs submitted
after the approval of the pilot plant programs and topical reports, but bWore the endorsement
of ASME Code Cases, it is expected that licensees
will utilize approved WOG or EPRI Topical Report as guidance for developing
RI-ISI programs.
TW review and approval process is expected to be minimal when the submittal
follows the gu lines in the approved Topical Report, NRC Regulatory
Guide 1.178, 'An Approach for P nt-Specific
Risk-Informed
Decision making Inservice
Inspection
of Piping", Standard Rev idw Plan 3.9.8, 'Standard
Review Plan for the Review of Risk-Informed
Inservice
Inspection
o 5iping", and the safety evaluation
reports for the applicable
topical report.It is anticipated
that subsequent
to the issuance of s ety evaluation
reports (SER) for the pilot plants and the topical reports, the industry will rev' e the ASME Code Cases to incorporate
lessons learned from pilot plants and topical re rt reviews. The ASME Code Cases will be endorsed by RG 1.147, "Inservice
Inspectio
ode Case Acceptability
-ASME Section Xl Division 1," and subsequently
incorporate
into the ASME Code. In the long term, the staff will proceed with rulemaking
so that other Ii nsees can voluntarily
adopt risk-informed
ISI programs without specific NRC review and app val. For the RI-ISI programs developed
after the RI-ISI methodology
has been endorsed i G 1.147, the staff anticipates
that the licensee will develop RH-ISI program using the approv ASME Code Cases and submit the program to NRC for information
with no formal NR approval.If you have any questions
bout the information
in this notice, please contact one of the technical
contacts liste elow or the appropriate
NRR project manager..Jack W. Roe, Acting Director Division of Reactor Program Management
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technical
ontacts: S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR 301-415-2776
301-415-2853 E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov
E-mail: wfb@nrc.gov
Attac ment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information
Notices DOCUMENT NAME: G:\ALl\in
isi-2.wpd
k cr)V To receive a coDy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy w/o attachr/eni/enclosure
E=Copy with attachment/enclosure
N = No copy OFFICE PECB I l (4 l l DE _ lL °R l l (A)D:DRPM
I lNAME WBurton* SAi* G as 1'GBagshi*
.o JStolz JRoe DATE 9/17/98 9/17/98 1i98 9/17/98 I/ l2M I /98 1 /98 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY 1* See Previous Concurrence
O RC ao JCr
IN 98-xx September
xx 1998 approved WOG or EPRI Topical Report as guidance for developing
RI-ISI programs.
The review and approval process is expected to be minimal when the submittal
follows the guidelines
in the approved Topical Report, NRC Regulatory
Guide 1.178, "An Appro;Kfor
Plant-Specific
Risk-informed
Decision making Inservice
Inspection
of Piping" a tandard Review Plan 3.9.8, "Standard
Review Plan for the Review of Risk-informed
ervice Inspection
of Piping".It is anticipated
that subsequent
to the issuance of safety evaluati reports (SER) for the pilot plants and the topical reports, the industry will revise the ASM ode Cases to incorporate
lessons learned from pilot plants and topical report reviews. e ASME Code Cases will be endorsed by RG 1.147, 'Inservice
Inspection
Code Case ceptability
-ASME Section Xi Division 1V, and subsequently
incorporated
into the AS E Code. In the long term, the staff will proceed with rulemaking
so that other licensees
can oluntarily
adopt risk-informed
ISI programs without specific NRC review and approv .For the RI-ISI programs developed
after the RI-ISI methodology
has been endorsed in 1.147, the staff anticipates
that the licensee will develop RI-ISI program using the approv ASME Code Cases and submit the program to NRC for information
with no formal NRC a roval.This information
notice requires no s cific action or written response.
However, recipients
are reminded that they are required b 0 CFR 50.65 to take industry-wide
operating
experience (including
information
presente NRC information
notices) into consideration
when setting goals and performing
periodi valuations.
If you have any questions
about the information
in this notice, please contact e of the technical
contacts listed below or the appropriate
NRR project manager.Jack W. Roe, Acting Director Division of Reactor Program Management
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Technica Contacts:
S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR 301-415-2776
301-415-2853 E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov
E-mail: wfb~nrc.gov
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information
Notices DOCUMENT NAME: G:\wfb\on-isi.wpd
To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy w/o attachmer(enclosure
E=Copy with attachmentlenclosure
N = No copy OFFICE PECB I E l (A)D:DEIQEl
OGC C:PECB I (A)D:DRPM
I NAME WBurtonA/4 SAIi W GLainas G g si JMoore JStolz JRoe 1 DATE 1117198 11198 _9/__98 / /98 / /98 I /98_ OFFICIAL REC RD COPy bA\WS'