Guidelines for Evaluating the Effects of Light-Water Reactor Water Environments in Fatigue Analyses of Metal Components, 26110-26111 [2018-11995]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 5, 2018 / Notices
Dated: May 23, 2018.
Mark L. Banks,
Chief, Technical Support Branch, Advisory
Committee on Reactor Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2018–12024 Filed 6–4–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2014–0244]
Guidelines for Evaluating the Effects of
Light-Water Reactor Water
Environments in Fatigue Analyses of
Metal Components
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 1
to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.207,
‘‘Guidelines for Evaluating the Effects of
Light-Water Reactor Water
Environments in Fatigue Analyses of
Metal Components.’’ This RG describes
methods and procedures that the staff of
the NRC considers acceptable for use in
determining the acceptable fatigue lives
of components evaluated by a
cumulative usage factor calculation in
accordance with the fatigue design
provisions in Section III, ‘‘Rules for
Construction of Nuclear Power Plant
Components,’’ of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Code to account for the
effects of light-water reactor water
environments.
SUMMARY:
Revision 1 to RG 1.207 is
available on June 5, 2018.
ADDRESSES: 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 document
using any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRC–2014–0244. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer
Borges; telephone: 301–287–9127;
email: Jennifer.Borges@nrc.gov. For
technical questions, contact the
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
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. To begin the search, select
‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
DATES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:19 Jun 04, 2018
Jkt 241001
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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. RG
1.207, ‘‘Guidelines for Evaluating the
Effects of Light-Water Reactor Water
Environments in Fatigue Analyses of
Metal Components,’’ is available in
ADAMS under Accession No.
ML16315A130.
• 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.
RGs are not copyrighted, and NRC
approval is not required to reproduce
them.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Tregoning, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301–
415–2324, email: Robert.Tregoning@
nrc.gov and Stephen Burton, Office of
Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone:
301–415–7000, Stephen.Burton@
nrc.gov. Both are staff of the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555–0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Discussion
The NRC is issuing a revision to an
existing guide in the NRC’s ‘‘Regulatory
Guide’’ series. This series was
developed to describe and make
available to the public information
regarding methods that are acceptable to
the NRC staff for implementing specific
parts of the agency’s regulations,
techniques that the NRC staff uses in
evaluating specific issues or postulated
events, and data that the NRC staff
needs in its review of applications for
permits and licenses.
Revision 1 of RG 1.207 was issued
with a temporary identification of Draft
Regulatory Guide, DG–1309. This RG
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 calculation
in accordance with the fatigue design
provisions in Section III, ‘‘Rules for
Construction of Nuclear Power Plant
Components,’’ of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers’ Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Code to account for the
effects of light-water reactor water
environments.
II. Additional Information
The NRC published a notice of the
availability of DG–1309 in the Federal
Register on November 24, 2014 (79 FR
69884), for a 60-day public comment
PO 00000
Frm 00116
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
period. The public comment period
closed on January 24, 2015. Public
comments on DG–1309 and the NRC
staff’s responses to the public comments
are available in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML16315A127.
III. Congressional Review Act
This RG is a rule as defined in the
Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C.
801–808). However, the Office of
Management and Budget has not found
it to be a major rule as defined in the
Congressional Review Act.
IV. Backfitting and Issue Finality
This RG describes methods and
procedures that the NRC staff considers
acceptable for use in applications for
license renewal and subsequent license
renewal in determining the acceptable
fatigue lives of components evaluated
by a cumulative usage factor calculation
in accordance with the fatigue design
provisions in Section III, ‘‘Rules for
Construction of Nuclear Power Plant
Components,’’ of the ASME Code. This
RG also 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, which do not cite a
standard design, in addition to renewed
operating licenses under 10 CFR part 54.
This RG 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 RG does 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.
Applicants and potential applicants are
not, with certain exceptions, protected
by either the Backfit Rule or any issue
finality provisions under 10 CFR part
52. Neither the Backfit Rule nor the
issue finality provisions under 10 CFR
part 52, with certain exclusions
discussed below, were intended to
apply to every NRC action that
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 RG in a manner that
is inconsistent with any issue finality
E:\FR\FM\05JNN1.SGM
05JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 5, 2018 / Notices
provisions in these part 52 licenses and
regulatory approvals. If, in the future,
the NRC staff seeks to impose a position
in this RG in a manner that 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 RG 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 RG is contained in the RG under
Section D, ‘‘Implementation.’’
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day
of May 2018.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Generic
Issues Branch, Division of Engineering, Office
of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2018–11995 Filed 6–4–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2014–0023]
Effect of LWR Water Environments on
the Fatigue Life of Reactor Materials
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: NUREG; issuance.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is issuing NUREG/
CR–6909, Revision 1, ‘‘Effect of LWR
Water Environments on the Fatigue Life
of Reactor Materials.’’ This report
summarizes the results of NRC research
efforts and work performed at Argonne
National Laboratory on the fatigue of
piping and pressure vessel steels in
light-water reactor (LWR) environments.
Revision 1 of this report provides
updates and improvements to the
environmental fatigue correction factor
approach based on an extensive update
to available laboratory fatigue data from
testing and results available since this
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:19 Jun 04, 2018
Jkt 241001
report was first published in 2007. This
final document also incorporates
changes to address public comments
provided on the draft of Revision 1 of
NUREG/CR–6909.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID
NRC–2014–0023 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–2014–0023. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer
Borges; telephone: 301–287–9127;
email: Jennifer.Borges@nrc.gov. For
technical questions, contact the
individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
document.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at
https://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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. 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.
Revision 1 of NUREG/CR–6909 is
available in ADAMS under Accession
No. ML16319A004.
• 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Tregoning, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301–
415–2324, email: Robert.Tregoning@
nrc.gov; or Appajosula Rao, Office of
Nuclear Regulatory Research, telephone:
301–415–2381, email: Appajosula.Rao@
nrc.gov, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington DC 20555–
0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The American Society of Mechanical
Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel
Code (Code) provides rules for the
design of Class 1 components of nuclear
power plants. Appendix I to Section III
of the Code contains fatigue design
curves for applicable structural
materials. However, the effects of LWR
water environments are not explicitly
PO 00000
Frm 00117
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
26111
addressed by the Code design curves.
The existing fatigue strain–vs.–life
(e¥N) data illustrate potentially
significant effects of LWR water
environments on the fatigue resistance
of pressure vessel and piping steels.
Under certain environmental and
loading conditions, fatigue lives in
water relative to those in air can be
significantly lower for austenitic
stainless steels, nickel alloy materials,
carbon steels, and low-alloy steels. In
March 2007, Revision 0 of NUREG/CR–
6909 (ADAMS Accession No.
ML070660620) was issued. That report
was the technical basis document for
NRC Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.207,
Revision 0, ‘‘Guidelines for Evaluating
Fatigue Analyses Incorporating the Life
Reduction of Metal Components Due to
the Effects of the Light-Water Reactor
Environment for New Reactors’’
(ADAMS Accession No. ML070380586).
Revision 0 of NUREG/CR–6909
summarized the work performed at
Argonne National Laboratory on the
fatigue of piping and pressure vessel
steels in LWR coolant environments.
That report evaluated the existing
laboratory fatigue data to identify the
various materials, environmental, and
loading parameters that influence
fatigue crack initiation and summarized
the effects of key parameters on the
fatigue lives of pressure vessel and
piping steels. The report presented
models for estimating fatigue lives as a
function of material, loading, and
environmental conditions, and
described the environmental fatigue
correction factor for incorporating the
effects of LWR coolant environments
into Code fatigue evaluations.
Revision 1 of NUREG/CR–6909
provides updates and improvements to
the environmental fatigue correction
factor approach based on additional
laboratory fatigue data and other results
available since 2007. On April 17, 2014
(79 FR 21811), a draft of Revision 1 was
noticed in the Federal Register for
public comment under Docket ID NRC–
2014–0023. The public comment period
ended on June 2, 2014. The final version
of Revision 1 of NUREG/CR–6909
reflects changes made to address the
public comments. Appendix F of the
document provides responses to the
public comments received.
Revision 1 of NUREG/CR–6909 is the
technical basis document for Revision 1
of RG 1.207, ‘‘Guidelines for Evaluating
the Effects of Light-Water Reactor Water
Environments in Fatigue Analyses of
Metal Components’’ (ADAMS Accession
No. ML16315A130). This RG describes
methods and procedures that the NRC
staff considers acceptable for use in
determining the acceptable fatigue lives
E:\FR\FM\05JNN1.SGM
05JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26110-26111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-11995]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2014-0244]
Guidelines for Evaluating the Effects of Light-Water Reactor
Water Environments in Fatigue Analyses of Metal Components
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Regulatory guide; issuance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing
Revision 1 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.207, ``Guidelines for Evaluating
the Effects of Light-Water Reactor Water Environments in Fatigue
Analyses of Metal Components.'' This RG describes methods and
procedures that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable for use in
determining the acceptable fatigue lives of components evaluated by a
cumulative usage factor calculation in accordance with the fatigue
design provisions in Section III, ``Rules for Construction of Nuclear
Power Plant Components,'' of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code to account for the effects of
light-water reactor water environments.
DATES: Revision 1 to RG 1.207 is available on June 5, 2018.
ADDRESSES: 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 document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2014-0244. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301-287-
9127; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the 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
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://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]. RG
1.207, ``Guidelines for Evaluating the Effects of Light-Water Reactor
Water Environments in Fatigue Analyses of Metal Components,'' is
available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML16315A130.
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.
RGs are not copyrighted, and NRC approval is not required to
reproduce them.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Tregoning, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-2324, email:
[email protected] and Stephen Burton, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-7000, [email protected].
Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,
DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Discussion
The NRC is issuing a revision to an existing guide in the NRC's
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe and
make available to the public information regarding methods that are
acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific parts of the
agency's regulations, techniques that the NRC staff uses in evaluating
specific issues or postulated events, and data that the NRC staff needs
in its review of applications for permits and licenses.
Revision 1 of RG 1.207 was issued with a temporary identification
of Draft Regulatory Guide, DG-1309. This RG 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 calculation in accordance with the fatigue
design provisions in Section III, ``Rules for Construction of Nuclear
Power Plant Components,'' of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers' Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code to account for the effects
of light-water reactor water environments.
II. Additional Information
The NRC published a notice of the availability of DG-1309 in the
Federal Register on November 24, 2014 (79 FR 69884), for a 60-day
public comment period. The public comment period closed on January 24,
2015. Public comments on DG-1309 and the NRC staff's responses to the
public comments are available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML16315A127.
III. Congressional Review Act
This RG is a rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act (5
U.S.C. 801-808). However, the Office of Management and Budget has not
found it to be a major rule as defined in the Congressional Review Act.
IV. Backfitting and Issue Finality
This RG describes methods and procedures that the NRC staff
considers acceptable for use in applications for license renewal and
subsequent license renewal in determining the acceptable fatigue lives
of components evaluated by a cumulative usage factor calculation in
accordance with the fatigue design provisions in Section III, ``Rules
for Construction of Nuclear Power Plant Components,'' of the ASME Code.
This RG also 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, which do
not cite a standard design, in addition to renewed operating licenses
under 10 CFR part 54. This RG 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 RG does 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. Applicants and potential
applicants are not, with certain exceptions, protected by either the
Backfit Rule or any issue finality provisions under 10 CFR part 52.
Neither the Backfit Rule nor the issue finality provisions under 10 CFR
part 52, with certain exclusions discussed below, were intended to
apply to every NRC action that 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 RG in a manner that is inconsistent with any issue
finality
[[Page 26111]]
provisions in these part 52 licenses and regulatory approvals. If, in
the future, the NRC staff seeks to impose a position in this RG in a
manner that 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 RG 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
RG is contained in the RG under Section D, ``Implementation.''
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of May 2018.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Thomas H. Boyce,
Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Generic Issues Branch, Division of
Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2018-11995 Filed 6-4-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
