ML19031B946

Requests to Confirm Waiving of Subparagraph IX-3451.1(c)(3) of Appendix IX of ASME Section III, 1091 Edition, Has Been Approved by NRC

ML19031B946
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	11/14/1975
From:	Rippe R Public Service Electric & Gas Co
To:	Rusche B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
Download: ML19031B946 (1)

Text

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Public Service Electric_ and Gas Company 80 Park Place Nawark, N.J. 07101 Phone 201/622-7000 INSERVICE INSPECTION PROGRAM NO. l AND 2 UNITS SALEM NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION AUTHORIZATION A-6267 ~ ~

Preoperational baseline examination of Salem No. l is presently being conducted in accordance with Section XI of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, 1971 edition to Winter 1972 addenda, to the extent practicable. This edition of the Code references Appendix IX of Section III of the Code for non-destructive examination procedures. Paragraph IX-345l.l(c)(3) of Appendix IX of the 1971 edition of Section III states that 11 transfer mechanisms shall be used to correlate the responses from the basic dalibration block and. from the production material", in ultrasonic examination.

Southwest Research Institute, who is under contract to Public Service Electric and Gas Company to perform the major portion of the preservice examination, contends that the use of transfer method to adjust ultrasonic equipment sensitivity level has been found to be accompanied by inherent' inaccuracies and they have waived the requirement in their UT procedures. They advise us that verbal permission has been granted by the NRC to waive the requirement and in recent revisions of their UT procedures cite ASME Code Case 1698 to further support their position. However, Code Case 1698 is too recent to have been included in the latest revisions of Regulatory Guides l.84 and l.85 (June 1975) and we have no written evidence in our posession of the NRC's acceptance of this position.

We request that you confirm to us that the waiving of sub-subparagraph IX-3451.1(c)(3) of Appendix IX of ASME Section III~ 1971 edition, has been ~pproved by the NRC.

,.I, Very truly yours,

/fJ./t!!/(

R. D. Rippe 1 ~?/~,9 JER,RFB:pac- Chief Mechanical Engi'Ite~s:-1:.IJ!,-,..~

Engineering Department

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