[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 241 (Thursday, December 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75359-75360]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-27493]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Draft Regulatory Guide; Issuance, Availability
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued for public
comment a draft revision to an existing guide in the agency's
Regulatory Guide Series. This series has been developed to describe and
make available to the public such information as methods that are
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the
NRC's regulations, techniques that the staff uses in evaluating
specific problems or postulated accidents, and data that the staff
needs in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
The draft Revision 2 of Regulatory Guide 1.152, entitled ``Criteria
for Use of Computers in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants,'' is
temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1130, which should be
mentioned in all related correspondence. The regulatory guide describes
a method that is acceptable to the NRC staff for complying with the
NRC's regulations for promoting high functional reliability and design
quality for the use of computers in safety systems of nuclear plants.
For the purposes of DG-1130, the term ``computer'' means a system that
includes computer hardware, software, firmware, and interfaces.
The guidance provided in DG-1130 is consistent with General Design
Criterion (GDC) 21, ``Protection System Reliability and Testability,''
of appendix A, ``General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants,'' to
title 10, part 50, ``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization
Facilities,'' of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR part 50).
Among other things, GDC 21 requires that protection systems (or safety
systems) must be designed for high functional reliability, commensurate
with the safety functions to be performed. In addition, Criterion III,
``Design Control,'' of appendix B, ``Quality Assurance Criteria for
Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,'' to 10 CFR part 50
requires, among other things, that quality standards must be specified,
and design control measures must be provided, for verifying or checking
the adequacy of design.
The new draft regulatory guide DG-1130 also contains the staff's
regulatory position on the ``Standard Criteria for Digital Computers in
Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Generating Stations,'' \1\ which the
Nuclear Power Engineering Committee of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has promulgated as IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003.
The NRC staff has collaborated in the development of IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-
2003 to ensure that the guidance provided by the consensus standard is
consistent with the NRC's regulations. This standard evolved from IEEE
Std 7-4.3.2-1993 and reflects advances in digital technology. It also
represents a continued effort by IEEE to support the specification,
design, and implementation of computers in safety systems of nuclear
power plants. In addition, IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003 specifies computer-
specific requirements to supplement the criteria and requirements of
IEEE Std 603-1998, ``Standard Criteria for Safety Systems for Nuclear
Power Generating Stations.''
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\1\ IEEE publications may be purchased from the IEEE Service
Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
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It is the staff's intent to endorse IEEE Std 7-4.3.2-2003, with
certain exceptions, in the final regulatory guide as an acceptable
method for satisfying the NRC's regulations with respect to (1) high
functional reliability and design requirements for computers used in
safety systems of nuclear power plants,
[[Page 75360]]
and (2) independence between safety software and nonsafety software
residing on the same computer.
The NRC staff is soliciting comments on draft regulatory guide DG-
1130, and comments may be accompanied by relevant information or
supporting data. Please mention DG-1130 in the subject line of your
comments. Comments on this draft regulatory guide submitted in writing
or in electronic form will be made available to the public in their
entirety on the NRC's rulemaking Web site. Personal information will
not be removed from your comments. You may submit comments by any of
the following methods.
Mail comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001.
E-mail comments to: [email protected]. You may also submit comments
via the NRC's rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. Address
questions about our rulemaking Web site to Carol A. Gallagher (301)
415-5905; email [email protected].
Hand-deliver comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on
Federal workdays.
Fax comments to: Rules and Directives Branch, Office of
Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 415-5144.
Requests for technical information about draft regulatory guide DG-
1130 may be directed to Satish Aggarwal, Senior Program Manager, at
(301) 415-6005 or via email to [email protected].
Comments would be most helpful if received by February 11, 2005.
Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical
to do so, but the NRC is able to ensure consideration only for comments
received on or before this date. Although a time limit is given,
comments and suggestions in connection with items for inclusion in
guides currently being developed or improvements in all published
guides are encouraged at any time.
Electronic copies of the draft regulatory guide are available
through the NRC's public Web site under Draft Regulatory Guides in the
Regulatory Guides document collection of the NRC's Electronic Reading
Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/. Electronic
copies are also available in the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS) at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html,
under Accession No. ML043170314. Note, however, that the NRC has
temporarily suspended public access to ADAMS so that the agency can
complete security reviews of publicly available documents and remove
potentially sensitive information. Please check the NRC's Web site for
updates concerning the resumption of public access to ADAMS.
In addition, regulatory guides are available for inspection at the
NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), which is located at 11555 Rockville
Pike, Rockville, Maryland; the PDR's mailing address is USNRC PDR,
Washington, DC 20555-0001. The PDR can also be reached by telephone at
(301) 415-4737 or (800) 397-4205, by fax at (301) 415-3548; and by
email to [email protected]. Requests for single copies of draft or final
guides (which may be reproduced) or for placement on an automatic
distribution list for single copies of future draft guides in specific
divisions should be made in writing to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Reproduction and
Distribution Services Section; by email to [email protected]; or by
fax to (301) 415-2289. Telephone requests cannot be accommodated.
Regulatory guides are not copyrighted, and Commission approval is not
required to reproduce them.
(5 U.S.C. 552(a)).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of December, 2004.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michael E. Mayfield,
Director, Division of Engineering Technology, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 04-27493 Filed 12-15-04; 8:45 am]
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