[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 15, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 68335-68336]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24750]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Chapter 1

[NRC-2021-0173]


Operational Leakage

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Regulatory issue summary; issuance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing 
Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2022-02, ``Operational Leakage.'' This 
RIS clarifies the NRC staff's position on the NRC requirements for 
evaluation, control, and treatment of operational leakage in systems 
required to be operable by plant technical specifications (TS). This 
RIS is intended for all holders of operating licenses and combined 
licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those who have permanently 
ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently 
removed from the reactor vessel. This RIS emphasizes that operational 
leakage must be addressed in the same manner as leakage detected during 
an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure 
Vessel (BPV) Code, Section XI, pressure test. That is, when operational 
leakage is found in a system that is within the scope of ASME BPV Code, 
Section XI, and is required to be operable by plant TS, the component 
must be evaluated by the licensee for operability. Structural integrity 
determinations must be conducted in accordance with the applicable 
provisions of the original construction code, the ASME BPVC, Section 
XI, or otherwise addressed through authorized methods.

DATES: The RIS is available as of November 15, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0173 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0173. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 
telephone: 301-415-0624; email: [email protected]. For technical 
questions, contact the individual 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 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, 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 ADAMS accession number for each 
document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first 
time that it is mentioned in this document.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR,

[[Page 68336]]

Room P1 B35, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852. To make an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an 
email to [email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
     This RIS is also available on the NRC's public website at 
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/gen-comm/reg-issues/ 
(select ``2022'' and then select ``2022-02'').

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay Collins, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, telephone: 301-415-4038, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC published a notice of opportunity 
for public comment on this RIS in the Federal Register on January 14, 
2022 (87 FR 2361). The agency received comments from seven commenters. 
The staff considered all comments, which resulted in the addition of a 
paragraph to directly address the commentor's example of operational 
leakage from drains or instrument lines. The evaluation of these 
comments and the resulting changes to the RIS are discussed in a 
publicly available memorandum which is available in ADAMS under 
Accession No. ML22167A003.
    RIS 2022-02, ``Operational Leakage'' is available in ADAMS under 
Accession No. ML22167A002.
    As noted in the Federal Register on May 8, 2018 (83 FR 20858), this 
document is being published in the Rules section of the Federal 
Register to comply with publication requirements under 1 CFR chapter I.

    Dated: November 8, 2022.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Lisa M. Regner,
Chief, Generic Communications and Operating Experience Branch, Division 
of Reactor Oversight, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2022-24750 Filed 11-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P