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Operability GuidanceOn this page:
Outline of Operability GuidanceThe NRC issued Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2005-20 to inform licensees that it has revised the guidance contained in two sections of NRC Inspection Manual Part 9900, Technical Guidance, “Operable/Operability: Ensuring the Functional Capability of a System or Component” and “Resolution of Degraded and Nonconforming Conditions,” and has combined these two documents into a single document. The revised inspection guidance reflects relevant changes that have been made to NRC regulations, policies, and practices, and clarifies selected issues based on operating experience. This guidance supercedes the guidance previously provided in GL 91-18 and Revision 1 to GL 91-18. What is the Purpose of the Revised ODP? The RIS informs all holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors that the guidance is provided to NRC inspectors to assist their review of licensee determinations of operability and resolution of degraded or nonconforming conditions. In addition, many licensees have found this guidance useful in developing their plant-specific operability determination process. Users of the guidance should be aware that, although it generally reflects existing practice, it may not be directly applicable in every case at every plant. Therefore, inspectors should discuss significant differences among licensee practices with NRC management to ensure that the guidance is applied in a reasonable and consistent manner.NRC inspectors are cautioned that if, during an inspection, an NRC inspector obtains information reasonably indicating a degraded or nonconforming condition affecting any of the structures, systems, and components (SSCs) described in Section 2.0 (Scope and Applicability), the inspector should promptly inform the appropriate level of licensee management so that the licensee can evaluate the operability or functionality of the SSCs. NRC regulations and the plant-specific operating license, including technical specifications (TSs), establish requirements for SSCs to ensure that plant operation does not pose an undue risk to public health and safety. Although these requirements limit the risk of plant operation, it is not possible to address all conceivable events or plant conditions. What is the Scope and Applicability of the ODP? Licensees assess operability and functionality when degraded or nonconforming conditions affecting SSCs are identified. The operability determination process is used to assess operability of SSCs described in TSs. Functionality assessments should be performed for SSCs not described in TSs, but which warrant programmatic controls to ensure that SSC availability and reliability are maintained.The licensee's immediate and primary concern should be safe operation of the plant. When a degraded or nonconforming condition is identified that may pose a threat to public health and safety, whether or not explicitly discussed in regulatory or licensee documents, the plant should be placed in a safe condition. The TSs require that an SSC be operable given the plant condition (operational mode); thus there should be a reasonable expectation that the SSC in question is operable while an operability determination is being made, or an appropriate TS action requirement should be entered. Development of the ODP
Some links on this page are to documents in our Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), and others are to documents in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). ADAMS documents are provided in either PDF or Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). To obtain free viewers for displaying these formats, see our Plugins, Viewers, and Other Tools page. If you have questions about search techniques or problems with viewing or printing documents from ADAMS, please contact the Public Document Room staff. Issuance of Inspector Guidance on the Operability Determination Process (ODP)
Presentations at Training Workshops
Operability WorkshopsOn November 7, 1991, NRC issued GL 91-18 to give licensees these two inspection manual sections. On October 8, 1997, NRC issued Revision 1 to this generic letter to describe the role of the 10 CFR 50.59 evaluation process in the resolution of degraded and nonconforming conditions. Rather than totally revising GL 91-18, NRC is attempting to clarify and update the GL by possibly:
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