[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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