[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 226 (Monday, November 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69884-69886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27712]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2014-0244]


Guidelines for Evaluating the Effects of Light-Water Reactor 
Coolant Environments in Fatigue Analyses of Metal Components

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for 
public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1309, ``Guidelines for 
Evaluating the Effects of Light-Water Reactor Coolant Environments in 
Fatigue Analyses of Metal Components.'' This guide, Revision 1 of 
Regulatory Guide 1.207 has been revised to consolidate, update, and 
replace previous NRC staff guidance on the effects of light-water 
reactor coolant environments on the fatigue lives of nuclear power 
plant components. This proposed revision provides an alternative to 
previous guidance provided for new reactors in Revision 0 of this 
guide, as well as to previous guidance provided for license renewal of 
operating reactors in the Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report 
and the Standard Review Plan for License Renewal (SRP-LR). This guide 
supports reviews of applications for new nuclear reactor construction 
that are licensed under the NRC's regulations.

DATES: Submit comments by January 23, 2015. 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.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comment by any of the following methods 
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting 
comments on a specific subject):
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2014-0244. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
of this document.
     Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop: 3WFN 06A-A44M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001.
    For additional direction on accessing information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary L. Stevens; telephone: 301-251-
7569, email: [email protected]; and Steve Burton; telephone: 301-
415-7000 email: [email protected]. Both are staff of the Office of 
Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2014-0244 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information regarding this document. You may 
obtain publicly-available information related to this action by the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2014-0244. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the

[[Page 69885]]

individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the NRC 
Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the 
search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and then select ``Begin Web-
based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's 
Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected]. The DG is available 
electronically in ADAMS under Accession No. ML14171A584.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

B. Submitting Comments

    Please include Docket ID NRC-2014-0244 in the subject line of your 
comment submission, in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make 
your comment submission available to the public in this docket.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC posts all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as entering the comment submissions into 
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove 
identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.

II. Additional Information

    The NRC is issuing for public comment a DG in the NRC's 
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was 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 DG, entitled, ``Guidelines for Evaluating the Effects of Light-
Water Reactor Coolant Environments in Fatigue Analyses of Metal 
Components'' is temporarily identified by its task number, DG-1309. 
This DG-1309 is proposed Revision 1 of Regulatory Guide 1.207. The DG 
describes methods and procedures that the NRC staff considers 
acceptable for use in determining the acceptable fatigue lives of 
components evaluated by a cumulative usage factor (CUF) calculation in 
accordance with the fatigue design rules in Section III, ``Rules for 
Construction of Nuclear Power Plant Components,'' of the American 
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code 
(hereinafter Code) with consideration of the effects of light-water 
reactor coolant environments. This DG supports reviews of applications 
for new nuclear reactor construction permits or operating licenses 
under part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR); 
design certifications under 10 CFR part 52 and combined licenses under 
10 CFR part 52 that do not cite a standard design; and renewed 
operating licenses under 10 CFR part 54.
    This revision consolidates, updates, and replaces previous NRC 
staff's guidance on the effects of light-water reactor coolant 
environments on the fatigue lives of nuclear power plant components. 
This revision provides an alternative to previous guidance for new 
reactors provided in Revision 0 of this guide, as well as previous 
guidance provided for pursuing license renewal of operating reactors in 
the GALL Report and the SRP-LR.

III. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    This DG describes methods and procedures that the NRC staff 
considers acceptable for use in determining the acceptable fatigue 
lives of components evaluated by a cumulative usage factor (CUF) 
calculation in accordance with the fatigue design rules in Section III, 
``Rules for Construction of Nuclear Power Plant Components,'' of the 
ASME Code. This DG supports reviews of applications for new nuclear 
reactor construction permits or operating licenses under 10 CFR part 
50; design certifications under 10 CFR part 52 and combined licenses 
under 10 CFR part 52 that do not cite a standard design; and renewed 
operating licenses under 10 CFR part 54. This DG may also be used by 
existing holders of combined licenses and operating licenses, in 
accordance with their existing licensing basis and applicable 
regulatory requirements.
    This DG, if finalized, would not constitute backfitting as defined 
in 10 CFR 50.109 (the Backfit Rule) and is not otherwise inconsistent 
with the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52, ``Licenses, 
Certifications and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.'' Applicants and 
potential applicants are not, with certain exceptions, protected by 
either the Backfit Rule or any issue finality provisions under part 52. 
Neither the Backfit Rule nor the issue finality provisions under part 
52--with certain exclusions discussed below--were intended to apply to 
every NRC action which substantially changes the expectations of 
current and future applicants.
    The exceptions to the general principle are applicable whenever a 
combined license applicant references a part 52 license (i.e., an early 
site permit or a manufacturing license) and/or part 52 regulatory 
approval (i.e., a design certification rule or design approval). The 
NRC staff does not, at this time, intend to impose the positions 
represented in the DG in a manner that is inconsistent with any issue 
finality provisions in these part 52 licenses and regulatory approvals. 
If, in the future, the NRC staff seeks to impose a position in this DG 
in a manner which does not provide issue finality as described in the 
applicable issue finality provision, then the NRC staff must address 
the criteria for avoiding issue finality as described in the applicable 
issue finality provision.
    Existing licensees and applicants of final design certification 
rules will not be required to comply with the positions set forth in 
this draft regulatory guide, unless the licensee or design 
certification rule applicant seeks a voluntary change to its licensing 
basis with respect to the effects of light-water reactor coolant 
environments on the fatigue lives of nuclear power plant components by 
means of a cumulative usage factor, and where the NRC determines that 
the safety review of the licensee's request must include consideration 
of the effects of light-water reactor coolant environments on the 
fatigue lives of nuclear power plant components. Further information on 
the staff's use of the DG, if finalized, is contained in the DG under 
Section D. Implementation.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of November 2014.

[[Page 69886]]

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guide and Generic Issues Branch, Division of 
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2014-27712 Filed 11-21-14; 8:45 am]
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