[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 198 (Monday, October 15, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58338-58339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20301]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


NUREG/CR-XXXX, ``Approaches for Using Traditional Probabilistic 
Risk Assessment Methods for Digital Systems''; Draft Report for Comment

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is conducting research 
to support development of regulatory guidance for using risk 
information related to digital systems in the licensing actions of 
nuclear power plants (NPPs). The objective of this research is to 
identify and develop methods, analytical tools, and regulatory guidance 
to support (1) Using information on the risks of digital systems in NPP 
licensing decisions, and (2) including models of digital systems into 
NPP probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs).
    In support of this research, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) 
is working on the use of traditional

[[Page 58339]]

methods to develop and quantitatively assess reliability models of 
digital systems. As part of this work, BNL will apply two selected 
traditional methods to two benchmark digital systems. The initial tasks 
in the BNL project, including preparatory work for developing the 
reliability models of the first benchmark system, are addressed in 
draft NUREG/CR-XXXX, ``Approaches for Using Traditional Probabilistic 
Risk Assessment Methods for Digital Systems.'' This notice announces 
the availability of the draft NUREG/CR for public comment.

DATES: Please submit comments on NUREG/CR-XXXX, ``Approaches for Using 
Traditional Probabilistic Risk Assessment Methods for Digital 
Systems,'' by November 14, 2007. Comments received after this date will 
be considered if practical to do so, but the NRC staff is able to 
ensure consideration only for those comments received on or before this 
date.

ADDRESSES: NUREG/CR-XXXX, ``Approaches for Using Traditional 
Probabilistic Risk Assessment Methods for Digital Systems,'' is 
available for inspection and copying for a fee at the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR), Public File Area O-1F21, One White Flint North, 
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available documents 
created or received at the NRC after November 1, 1999, are available 
electronically at the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. From this site, the public can gain 
entry into the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System 
(ADAMS), which provides text and image files of the NRC's public 
documents. The ADAMS Accession Numbers for NUREG/CR-XXXX, ``Approaches 
for Using Traditional Probabilistic Risk Assessment Methods for Digital 
Systems,'' are ML072690235 (main report) and ML072690238 (appendices). 
If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in 
accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC PDR Reference 
staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to [email protected].
    This document will also be posted on the NRC's public Web site at: 
http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/research/digital/tech-reference.html#one.
    Please submit comments to Chief, Rulemaking, Directives and Editing 
Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. You may 
also deliver comments to 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, between 
7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Federal workdays, or by e-mail to: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Kuritzky, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-6255, e-mail: [email protected].

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of October, 2007.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Christiana Lui,
Director, Division of Risk Analysis, Office of Nuclear Regulatory 
Research.
[FR Doc. E7-20301 Filed 10-12-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P