80 FR 51614 - Design of Structures, Components, Equipment, and Systems, and Reactor Coolant System and Connected Systems

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 164 (August 25, 2015)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is soliciting public comment on the following sections in Chapter 3, ``Design of Structures, Components, Equipment, and Systems Reactor Coolant System and Connected Systems,'' and Chapter 5, ``Reactor Coolant System and Connected Systems,'' of NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition,'' Section 3.2.1, ``Seismic Classification,'' Section 3.2.2, ``System Quality Group Classification,'' Section 3.6.2, ``Determination of Rupture Locations and Dynamic Effects Associated with the Postulated Rupture of Piping,'' Section 3.9.1, ``Special Topics for Mechanical Components,'' Section 3.10, ``Seismic and Dynamic Qualification of Mechanical and Electrical Equipment,'' Section 5.2.1.1, ``Compliance with the Codes and Standards Rule,'' Section 5.2.1.2, ``Applicable Code Cases,'' and Branch Technical Position (BTP) 3-4, ``Applicable Code Cases.''

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 164 (Tuesday, August 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51614-51615]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21074]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2015-0198]


Design of Structures, Components, Equipment, and Systems, and 
Reactor Coolant System and Connected Systems

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Standard review plan-draft section revision; request for 
comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is soliciting 
public comment on the following sections in Chapter 3, ``Design of 
Structures, Components, Equipment, and Systems Reactor Coolant System 
and Connected Systems,'' and Chapter 5, ``Reactor Coolant System and 
Connected Systems,'' of NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan for the 
Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR 
Edition,'' Section 3.2.1, ``Seismic Classification,'' Section 3.2.2, 
``System Quality Group Classification,'' Section 3.6.2, ``Determination 
of Rupture Locations and Dynamic Effects Associated with the Postulated 
Rupture of Piping,'' Section 3.9.1, ``Special Topics for Mechanical 
Components,'' Section 3.10, ``Seismic and Dynamic Qualification of 
Mechanical and Electrical Equipment,'' Section 5.2.1.1, ``Compliance 
with the Codes and Standards Rule,'' Section 5.2.1.2, ``Applicable Code 
Cases,'' and Branch Technical Position (BTP) 3-4, ``Applicable Code 
Cases.''

DATES: Comments must be filed no later than October 26, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 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-2015-0198. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual(s) listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 
of this document.
     Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop: O12-H08, 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: Mark Notich, telephone: 301-415-3053; 
email: [email protected] or Nishka Devaser, telephone: 301-415-5196; 
email: [email protected], both are staff of the Office of New 
Reactors, 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-2015-0198 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-2015-0198.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection 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 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it available in 
ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced. In 
addition, for the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS accession 
numbers are provided in a table in the section of this notice entitled, 
Availability of Documents.
     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-2015-0198 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. Further Information

    The NRC seeks public comment on the proposed draft revisions of 
Standard Review Plan (SRP) Sections 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.6.2, 3.9.1, 3.10, 
5.2.1.1, 5.2.1.2, and BTP 3-4. These sections have been developed to 
assist NRC staff's review the design of structures, components, 
equipment, and systems, as well as assess compliance with codes, 
standards, and code cases for the reactor coolant system and connected 
systems under parts 50 and 52 of Title 10 of the

[[Page 51615]]

Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). The revisions to these SRP 
sections reflect no changes in staff position; rather they clarify the 
original intent of these SRP sections using plain language throughout 
in accordance with the NRC's Plain Writing Action Plan. Additionally, 
these revisions reflect operating experience, lessons learned, and 
updated guidance since the last revision, and address the applicability 
of regulatory treatment of non-safety systems where appropriate.
    Following NRC staff's evaluation of submitted comments, the NRC 
intends to finalize the proposed revisions of SRP Sections 3.2.1, 
3.2.2, 3.6.2, 3.9.1, 3.10, 5.2.1.1, 5.2.1.2, and BTP 3-4 in ADAMS and 
post them on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr0800/.

III. Availability of Documents

    The ADAMS accession numbers for the current revisions, proposed 
draft revisions, and redline strikeouts comparing current revisions and 
the proposed revisions of individual sections are available in ADAMS 
under the following accession numbers:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Current revision ADAMS     Proposed revision
            SRP Section                   accession No.        ADAMS accession No.   Redline ADAMS accession No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 3.2.1, ``Seismic             Revision 2              Revision 3              ML14198A162
 Classification''.                    (ML063190002).          (ML14227A643).
Section 3.2.2, ``System Quality      Revision 2              Revision 3              ML14198A145
 Group Classification''.              (ML063190003).          (ML14227A641).
Section 3.6.2, ``Determination of    Revision 2              Revision 3              ML14198A166
 Rupture Locations and Dynamic        (ML070660494).          (ML14230A035).
 Effects Associated with the
 Postulated Rupture of Piping''.
Section 3.9.1, ``Special Topics for  Revision 3              Revision 4              ML14198A150
 Mechanical Components''.             (ML070430402).          (ML14227A637).
Section 3.10, ``Seismic and Dynamic  Revision 3              Revision 4              ML14198A171
 Qualification of Mechanical and      (ML070720037).          (ML14227A631).
 Electrical Equipment''.
Section 5.2.1.1, ``Compliance with   Revision 3              Revision 4              ML14198A155
 the Codes and Standards Rule, 10     (ML070040003).          (ML14227A623).
 CFR 50.55a''.
Section 5.2.1.2 , ``Applicable Code  Revision 3              Revision 4              ML14198A172
 Cases''.                             (ML070040004).          (ML14227A659).
Branch Technical Position 3-4,       Revision 2              Revision 3              ML14198A126
 ``Applicable Code Cases''.           (ML070800008).          (ML14227A646).
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IV. Backfitting and Issue Finality

    Issuance of these draft SRP sections does not constitute 
backfitting as defined in 10 CFR 50.109, nor is it inconsistent with 
any of the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52. These draft SRP 
sections do not contain any new requirements for COL applicants or 
holders under 10 CFR part 52, or for licensees of existing operating 
units licensed under 10 CFR part 50. Rather, it contains additional 
draft guidance and clarification on staff review of Preliminary 
Amendment Requests.
    The NRC staff does not intend to impose or apply the positions 
described in the draft SRP to existing licenses and regulatory 
approvals. Hence, the issuance of a final SRP--even if considered 
guidance within the purview of the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR 
part 52--would not need to be evaluated as if it were a backfit or as 
being inconsistent with issue finality provisions. If, in the future, 
the NRC staff seeks to impose a position in the SRP on holders of 
already issued licenses in a manner that does not provide issue 
finality as described in the applicable issue finality provision, then 
the staff must make the showing as set forth in the Backfit Rule or 
address the criteria for avoiding issue finality as described in the 
applicable issue finality provision.
    The NRC staff does not, at this time, intend to impose the 
positions represented in the draft SRP sections in a manner that is 
inconsistent with any issue finality provisions. If, in the future, the 
staff seeks to impose a position in the draft SRP in a manner that does 
not provide issue finality as described in the applicable issue 
finality provision, then the staff must address the criteria for 
avoiding issue finality as described in the applicable issue finality 
provision.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14th day of August, 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Joseph Colaccino,
Chief, New Reactor Rulemaking and Guidance Branch, Division of Advanced 
Reactors and Rulemaking, Office of New Reactors.
[FR Doc. 2015-21074 Filed 8-24-15; 8:45 am]
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