Information Notice 1998-44, Ten-Year Inservice Inspection (ISI) Program Update for Licensees That Intend to Implement Risk-Informed ISI of Piping
December 10, 1998
NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 98-44: TEN-YEAR INSERVICE INSPECTION (ISI) PROGRAMUPDATE FOR LICENSEES THAT INTEND TOIMPLEMENT RISK-INFORMED ISI OF PIPING
Addressees
All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those that havepermanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently removedfrom the reactor.
Purpose
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this information notice to informaddressees that for those licensees that intend to implement a risk-informed inserviceinspection (RI-ISI) program for piping and do not have a pilot plant application currently beingreviewed by the staff, the staff will consider authorizing a delay of up to 2 years in implementingthe next 1 0-year ISI program for piping only in order for the licensee to develop and obtainapproval for the RI-ISI program for piping.It is expected that recipients will review this information for applicability to their facilities andconsider actions, as appropriate. However, suggestions contained in this information notice arenot 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 ofprobabilistic 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 activitiesshould be increased to the extent supported by the state of the art in PRA methods and dataand in a manner that complements the NRC's deterministic approach. To implement thispolicy, the staff developed a PRA implementation plan, together with a timetable for developingregulatory guides (RGs) and standard review plans (SRPs), which describes an acceptableapproach for assessing the nature and impact of changes by considering engineering issuesand applying risk insights. A part of this effort involves developing an RG and thecorresponding SRP to provide guidance to power reactor licensees and the NRC staff on antable approach for utilizing risk information to support requests for changes in the plant's9812100046 4 'o q(OO qwOlo9A 98-44December 10, 1998 ISI program for piping. The draft documents were available for public comment throughJanuary 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 forimplementing RI-ISI. One methodology has been jointly developed by the American Society ofMechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Westinghouse Owners Group (WOG). The othermethodology is being sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).In addition, ASME is working on three ASME Code cases for alternate examinationrequirements to ASME Section Xl, Division 1, for piping welds. ASME Code Case N-577 isbased on the WOG methodology and ASME Code Case N-578 is based on the EPRImethodology. ASME Code Case N-560 is based on the EPRI methodology for Class 1 B-Jwelds 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 selectionin systems scheduled for ISI. The NRC has completed its review of the pilot plant submittal forVermont Yankee and is currently reviewing the submittals for Surry Unit 1 and ArkansasNuclear One, Units I and 2, focusing on the licensees' characterization of the proposedchanges, including identification of the particular piping systems and welds that are affected bythe changes, the performance of engineering evaluations, the performance of PRAs to providerisk insight to support the selection of welds for inspection, the performance of traditionalengineering analyses to verify that the proposed changes do not compromise the existingregulations and the licensing basis of the plant, the development of implementation andmonitoring programs to ensure that the reliability of piping can be maintained, and thedocumentation of the analyses for NRC's review and approval. The staff will use the alternativeprovision of 10 CFR 50.55a (a)(3)(1) to approve technically acceptable pilot plant applications.DiscussionFor non-pilot plant licensees that intend to implement RI-ISI beginning with their next 10-yearinterval, the staff will consider authorizing a delay of up to 2 years in the implementation of thenext 1 0-year ISI program for piping only to allow licensees to develop and obtain approval fortheir 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 haveto be completed within the remaining part of the 10-year interval, for example, programs wouldbe shortened to 8 years for a 2-year delay. The duration of the delay needed may varyaccording to individual cases. Therefore, the request for delay must provide adequatejustification, along with a clear indication of the inspection that will continue before theimplementation of the RI-ISI program. During the delay period, licensees would be required tocontinue augmented inspection programs, such as inspections for intergranular stress-corrosioncracking and erosion-corrosion, inspections required for flaws dispositioned by analysis, systempressure tests, and inspection of components other than pipin ',_98-44December 10, 1998 The staff plans to perform in-depth reviews of pilot plant submittals during 1998 and 1999 toensure that the RI-ISI programs are consistent with the staff RG and SRP. For RI-ISI programssubmitted after the approval of the pilot plant programs and topical reports, but before theendorsement of ASME Code cases, it Is expected that licensees will utilize the approved WOGor EPRI topical report as guidance for developing RI-ISI programs. The review and approvalprocess is expected to be minimal when the submittal follows the guidelines in the approvedtopical report, NRC Regulatory Guide 1.178, wAn Approach for Plant-Specific Risk-informedDecisionmaking Inservice Inspection of Piping"; Standard Review Plan 3.9.8, Standard ReviewPlan for the Review of Risk-Informed Inservice Inspection of Piping"; and the safety evaluationreports for the applicable topical report.It is anticipated that subsequent to the issuance of safety evaluation reports (SERs) for the pilotplants and the topical reports, the ASME Code cases will be revised to incorporate lessonslearned from pilot plants and topical report reviews. The ASME Code cases will be reviewed inaccordance 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 willproceed with rulemaking so that other licensees can voluntarily adopt risk-informed ISIprograms without specific review and approval by NRC. For the RI-ISI programs developedafter the an RI-ISI methodology has been endorsed in RG 1.147, the staff anticipates that thelicensee will develop an RI-ISI program using the approved ASME Code cases and will submitthe 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 thetechnical contacts listed below or the appropriate NRR project manager.( d/Jack W. Roe, Acting DirectorDivision of Reactor Program ManagementOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnical Contacts: S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR301-415-2776 301-415-2853E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov E-mail: wfb@nrc.gov
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information Notices4aF4S 4 JA4OT,
\, AttachmentIN 98-44December 10, 1998 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUEDNRC INFORMATION NOTICESInformation Date ofNotice No. Subject Issuance Issued to98-43Leaks in the Emergency DieselGenerator Lubricating Oil andJacket Cooling Water Piping12/04/98All holder of operating licensesfor nuclear power reactors, exceptthose licensees that havepermanently ceased operationsand have certified that fuel hasbeen permanently removed fromthe reactor vessel98-42Implementation of 10 CFR 50.55a 12/01/98(g) Inservice Inspection RequirementsSpurious Shutdown of Emergency 11/20/98Diesel Generators from DesignOversight98-4198-40Design Deficiencies Can LeadReduced ECCS Pump Net PositiveSuction Head During Design-BasisAccidentsSummary of Fitness-for-DutyProgram Performance Reports forCalendar Years 1996 and 1997Metal-Clad Circuit BreakerMaintenance Issued IdentifiedBy NRC Inspections10/26/9810/24/9810/15/98All holders of operating licensesfor nuclear power reactorsAll holders of operating licensesfor nuclear power reactors, exceptfor those who have ceasedoperations and have certified thatfuel has been permanentlyremoved from the reactor vesselAll holders of operating licensesfor nuclear power reactors, exceptthose licensees who havepermanently ceased operationsand have certified that fuel hasbee permanently removed fromthe vesselAll holders of operating licensesfor nuclear power reactorsAll holders of operating licensesfor nuclear power reactors.98-3998-38OL = Operating LicenseCP = Construction Permit
`n4 98-44December 10, 1998 The staff plans to perform in-depth reviews of pilot plant submittals during 1998 and 1999 toensure that the RI-ISI programs are consistent with the staff RG and SRP. For RI-ISI programssubmitted after the approval of the pilot plant programs and topical reports, but before theendorsement of ASME Code cases, it is expected that licensees will utilize the approved WOGor EPRI topical report as guidance for developing RI-ISI programs. The review and approvalprocess is expected to be minimal when the submittal follows the guidelines in the approvedtopical report, NRC Regulatory Guide 1.178, "An Approach for Plant-Specific Risk-informedDecisionmaking Inservice Inspection of Piping"; Standard Review Plan 3.9.8, "Standard ReviewPlan for the Review of Risk-Informed Inservice Inspection of Piping"; and the safety evaluationreports for the applicable topical report.It is anticipated that subsequent to the issuance of safety evaluation reports (SERs) for the pilotplants and the topical reports, the ASME Code cases will be revised to incorporate lessonslearned from pilot plants and topical report reviews. The ASME Code cases will be reviewed inaccordance 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 willproceed with rulemaking so that other licensees can voluntarily adopt risk-informed ISIprograms without specific review and approval by NRC. For the RI-ISI programs developedafter the RI-ISI methodology has been endorsed in RG 1.147, the staff anticipates that thelicensee will develop an RI-ISI program using the approved ASME Code cases and will submitthe 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 thetechnical contacts listed below or the appropriate NRR project manager.[original signed by D.B. Matthews]f or Jack W. Roe, Acting DirectorDivision of Reactor Program ManagementOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnical Contacts: S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR301-415-2776 301-415-2853E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov E-mail: wfb~nrc.gov
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information NoticesDOCUMENT NAME: G:\ALI\INISI.WPD* See Previous ConcurrenceTo receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy w/o attachment/enclosure E=Copy with attachment/enclosure N-1Nl lopyOFFICE PECB I (A)D:DE I C:ECG I [ l C:PECB (ANAME WBurton* .SAIi* GLainas* GBagchi* JMoore* JStolz* J VJDATE j 9/17/98 9/17/98 j 9/29/98 9/17/98 11/26/98 12/04/98 1XI /198OFFICIAL RECORD COPY T'N 98-xxDecember xx, 1998 The staff plans to perform in-depth reviews of pilot plant submittals during 1998 and 1999 toensure that the RI-ISI programs are consistent with the staff RG and SRP. For RI-ISI programssubmitted after the approval of the pilot plant programs and topical reports, but before theendorsement of ASME Code cases, it is expected that licensees will utilize the approved WOGor EPRI topical report as guidance for developing RI-ISI programs. The review and aX valprocess is expected to be minimal when the submittal follows the guidelines in th pprovedtopical report, NRC Regulatory Guide 1.178, "An Approach for Plant-Specificgsk-lnformedDecisionmaking Inservice Inspection of Piping"; Standard Review Plan 3.., "Standard ReviewPlan for the Review of Risk-informed Inservice Inspection of Piping"; d the safety evaluationreports for the applicable topical report.It is anticipated that subsequent to the issuance of safety eva tion reports (SERs) for the pilotplants and the topical reports, the ASME Code cases will bI revised to incorporate lessonslearned from pilot plants and topical report reviews. The SME Code cases will be reviewed inaccordance 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 willproceed with rulemaking so that other licensees voluntarily adopt risk-informed ISIprograms without specific review and approval NRC. For the RI-ISI programs developedafter the RI-ISI methodology has been endord in RG 1.147, the staff anticipates that thelicensee will develop an RI-ISI program usi the approved ASME Code cases and will submitthe 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 thetechnical contacts listed below or t appropriate NRR project manager.Jack W. Roe, Acting DirectorDivision of Reactor Program ManagementOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnical Contacts: S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR301-415-2776 301-415-2853E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov E-mail: wfb~nrc.gov
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information NoticesDOCUMW T NAME: G:\ALI\IN ISI.WPD* See P vious ConcurrenceTo receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy wlo attachment/enclosure E=Copy with attachmentlenclosure N = No copyOFFICE PECB I E (A)D:DE lIC:ECGB LT C:PECB I (A)D:DRPMNAME WBurton* SAli* GLainas* GBagchi* JMoore* JfpI JRoe11DATE 19/17198 19/17/98 19/29/98 19/17/98 111/26/98 /\ '/Ii~ / /98lOFFICIAL RECORD COPY VDATE /17/9 9/1798 9/9/98 /17/9 11/2/98 / 9 IN 98-xxOctober xx 1998 The staff plans to perform in-depth reviews of pilot plant submittals during 1998 and 1999 toensure that the RI-ISI programs are consistent with the staff RG and SRP. For RI-ISI programssubmitted after the approval of the pilot plant programs and topical reports, but bWore theendorsement of ASME Code Cases, it is expected that licensees will utilize approved WOGor EPRI Topical Report as guidance for developing RI-ISI programs. TW review and approvalprocess is expected to be minimal when the submittal follows the gu lines in the approvedTopical Report, NRC Regulatory Guide 1.178, 'An Approach for P nt-Specific Risk-InformedDecision making Inservice Inspection of Piping", Standard Rev idw Plan 3.9.8, 'Standard ReviewPlan for the Review of Risk-Informed Inservice Inspection o 5iping", and the safety evaluationreports for the applicable topical report.It is anticipated that subsequent to the issuance of s ety evaluation reports (SER) for the pilotplants and the topical reports, the industry will rev' e the ASME Code Cases to incorporatelessons learned from pilot plants and topical re rt reviews. The ASME Code Cases will beendorsed by RG 1.147, "Inservice Inspectio ode Case Acceptability -ASME Section XlDivision 1," and subsequently incorporate into the ASME Code. In the long term, the staff willproceed with rulemaking so that other Ii nsees can voluntarily adopt risk-informed ISI programswithout specific NRC review and app val. For the RI-ISI programs developed after the RI-ISImethodology has been endorsed i G 1.147, the staff anticipates that the licensee will developRH-ISI program using the approv ASME Code Cases and submit the program to NRC forinformation with no formal NR approval.If you have any questions bout the information in this notice, please contact one of thetechnical contacts liste elow or the appropriate NRR project manager..Jack W. Roe, Acting DirectorDivision of Reactor Program ManagementOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnical ontacts: S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR301-415-2776 301-415-2853E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov E-mail: wfb@nrc.govAttac ment: List of Recently Issued NRC Information NoticesDOCUMENT NAME: G:\ALl\in isi-2.wpd k cr)VTo receive a coDy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy w/o attachr/eni/enclosure E=Copy with attachment/enclosure N = No copyOFFICE PECB I l (4 l l DE _ lL °R l l (A)D:DRPM I lNAME WBurton* SAi* G as 1'GBagshi* .o JStolz JRoeDATE 9/17/98 9/17/98 1i98 9/17/98 I/ l2M I /98 1 /98OFFICIAL RECORD COPY 1* See Previous Concurrence O RCao JCr IN 98-xxSeptember xx 1998 approved WOG or EPRI Topical Report as guidance for developing RI-ISI programs. Thereview and approval process is expected to be minimal when the submittal follows theguidelines in the approved Topical Report, NRC Regulatory Guide 1.178, "An Appro;KforPlant-Specific Risk-informed Decision making Inservice Inspection of Piping" a tandardReview Plan 3.9.8, "Standard Review Plan for the Review of Risk-informed ervice Inspectionof Piping".It is anticipated that subsequent to the issuance of safety evaluati reports (SER) for the pilotplants and the topical reports, the industry will revise the ASM ode Cases to incorporatelessons learned from pilot plants and topical report reviews. e ASME Code Cases will beendorsed by RG 1.147, 'Inservice Inspection Code Case ceptability -ASME Section XiDivision 1V, and subsequently incorporated into the AS E Code. In the long term, the staff willproceed with rulemaking so that other licensees can oluntarily adopt risk-informed ISIprograms without specific NRC review and approv .For the RI-ISI programs developed afterthe RI-ISI methodology has been endorsed in 1.147, the staff anticipates that the licenseewill develop RI-ISI program using the approv ASME Code Cases and submit the program toNRC for information with no formal NRC a roval.This information notice requires no s cific action or written response. However, recipients arereminded that they are required b 0 CFR 50.65 to take industry-wide operating experience(including information presente NRC information notices) into consideration when settinggoals and performing periodi valuations. If you have any questions about the information inthis notice, please contact e of the technical contacts listed below or the appropriate NRRproject manager.Jack W. Roe, Acting DirectorDivision of Reactor Program ManagementOffice of Nuclear Reactor RegulationTechnica Contacts: S. Ali, NRR W. Burton, NRR301-415-2776 301-415-2853E-mail: saa3@nrc.gov E-mail: wfb~nrc.gov
Attachment:
List of Recently Issued NRC Information NoticesDOCUMENT NAME: G:\wfb\on-isi.wpdTo receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box C=Copy w/o attachmer(enclosure E=Copy with attachmentlenclosure N = No copyOFFICE PECB I E l (A)D:DEIQEl OGC C:PECB I (A)D:DRPM INAME WBurtonA/4 SAIi W GLainas G g si JMoore JStolz JRoe 1DATE 1117198 11198 _9/__98 / /98 / /98 I /98_ OFFICIAL REC RD COPybA\WS'