[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 49 (Friday, March 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13449-13451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05754]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
RIN 3150-AI01
[NRC-2014-0137]
Draft Guidance Regarding the Alternate Pressurized Thermal Shock
Rule
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; draft NUREG; 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-1299, ``Regulatory
Guidance on the Alternate Pressurized Thermal Shock Rule'' and
accompanying draft NUREG-2163, ``Technical Basis for Regulatory
Guidance on the Alternate Pressurized Thermal Shock Rule.'' The DG
provides new guidance for a method that the NRC considers acceptable to
permit use of the alternate fracture toughness requirements for
protection against pressurized thermal shock (PTS) events for
pressurized water reactor (PWR) reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). The
draft NUREG provides the technical basis for DG-1299.
DATES: Submit comments by May 12, 2015. Comments received after this
date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC is
able to ensure
[[Page 13450]]
consideration only for comments received on or before this date.
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-2014-0137. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; 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: OWFN-12-H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Stevens, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-3608; email:
[email protected]; Mark Kirk, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research,
telephone: 301-251-7631; email: [email protected]; or Steve Burton,
telephone: 301-415-7000; email: [email protected]; 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-2014-0137 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information for this action. 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-2014-0137.
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 in this document
(if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time
that a document is referenced. Draft Guide-1299, ``Regulatory Guidance
on the Alternate Pressurized Thermal Shock Rule,'' is available in
ADAMS under Accession No. ML14056A011. Draft NUREG-2163, ``Technical
Basis for Regulatory Guidance on the Alternate Pressurized Thermal
Shock Rule,'' is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML15058A677.
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-2014-0137 in the subject line of your
comment submission.
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 will post all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enter 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 into ADAMS.
II. Discussion
The NRC is issuing for public comment a draft guide (DG) in the
NRC's ``Regulatory Guide'' series. The DG, titled ``Regulatory Guidance
on the Alternate Pressurized Thermal Shock Rule,'' is temporarily
identified by its task number, DG-1299. This DG provides new guidance
for a method that the NRC considers acceptable to permit use of the
alternate fracture toughness requirements for protection against PTS
events for PWR RPVs in part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Domestic Licensing of Production and
Utilization Facilities,'' 10 CFR 50.61a, ``Alternate Fracture Toughness
Requirements for Protection against Pressurized Thermal Shock Events''
(RIN 3150-AI01). DG-1299 is accompanied by draft NUREG-2163,
``Technical Basis for Regulatory Guidance on the Alternate Pressurized
Thermal Shock Rule.'' This NUREG provides the technical basis for the
guidance recommended in DG-1299. The NRC is issuing the draft NUREG for
public comment at the same time as the DG to allow for common review of
both documents.
The alternate PTS requirements are based on updated analysis
methods, and are desirable because the requirements in 10 CFR 50.61a
are based on overly conservative probabilistic fracture mechanics
analyses.
III. Backfitting and Issue Finality
The DG, if finalized, would provide guidance on the methods
acceptable to the NRC for complying with the NRC's regulations
associated with alternate fracture toughness requirements for
protection against PTS events for PWR RPVs. The NUREG, if finalized,
would provide technical bases that support the DG. The DG would apply
to certain current holders of power reactor licenses and construction
permits under 10 CFR part 50. The alternate PTS requirements of 10 CFR
50.61a apply to certain holders of operating licenses for a PWR whose
construction permit was issued before February 3, 2010; however, this
DG also provides guidance for licensees whose construction permits were
issued after February 3, 2010, but wish to utilize the alternate PTS
criteria via exemption. Therefore this guidance may also apply to
future applicants for operating licenses and construction permits under
10 CFR part 50, as well as certain current holders of and future
applicants for power reactor licenses under 10 CFR part 52.
Issuance of this DG and NUREG, if finalized, would not constitute
backfitting under 10 CFR part 50 and would not otherwise be
inconsistent with the issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52. As
discussed in the ``Implementation'' section of DG-1299, the NRC has no
current intention to impose the DG, if finalized, on current holders of
10 CFR part 50 operating licenses or 10 CFR part 52 combined licenses.
This DG, if finalized, could be applied to applications for certain 10
CFR part 50 operating licenses or construction permits and 10 CFR part
52 combined licenses. Such action would not constitute backfitting as
defined in 10 CFR 50.109 or be otherwise inconsistent with the issue
finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52, inasmuch as such applicants are
not within the scope of entities protected by 10 CFR 50.109 or the
issue finality provisions in 10 CFR part 52.
[[Page 13451]]
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of March 2015.
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. 2015-05754 Filed 3-12-15; 8:45 am]
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