Protecting People and the EnvironmentUNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
February 26, 1981
HOLDERS OF CONSTRUCTION PERMITS AND APPLICANTS FOR OPERATING LICENSES (BWRs)
RE: IMPLEMENTATION OF NUREG-0313, REV. 1, "TECHNICAL REPORT ON MATERIAL
SELECTION AND PROCESSING GUIDELINES FOR BWR COOLANT PRESSURE BOUNDARY
PIPING (GENERIC TASK A-42)
(Generic Letter 81-03)
Enclosed for your action is the final NUREG-0313, REv. 1, "Tehcnical Report
on Material Selection and processing Guideleines for Bwr Coolant Pressure
BOundary Piping," dated July 1980, which incorporates the public comments on
the "For Comment" edition of the same subject report published in October
1979. This final report constitues the staff's resolution of the NRC's
Generic Technical Activity A-42, "Pipe Cracks in Boiling Water Reactors,"
which was an "Unresolved Safety Issue" pursuant to Section 210 of the Energy
Reorganization Act of 1974.
This report, NUREG-0313, Rev. 1, identifies NRC requirements resulting from
the recent publication, NUREG-0531, "Investigation and Evaluation of Stress-
Corrosion Cracking in Piping of Light Water Reactor Plants," by the NRE Pipe
Crack Study Group (PCSG). This Study Group was specifically chartered to
reexamine our previous conclusions and recommendations on this subject in
view of cracks recently discovered in large diameter pipes, to evaluate the
significance of safe end cracking at Duane Arnold relative to similar
material and design aspects at other facilities, and to examine detection
capabilities.
NUREG-0313, Rev. 1 sets forth the NRC staff's revised acceptable methods to
reduce the intergranular stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of BWR
ASME Code Class 1, 2, and 3 pressure boundary piping and safe ends. For
plants that cannot fully comply with the material selection, testing, and
processing guidelines of this report, varying degrees of augmented inservice
inspection and leak detection requirements are presented.
We request that you review all the ASME Code Class 1, 2, and 3 pressure
boundary piping, safe ends, and fitting material, including weld metal, at
your facility to determine if it meets the material selection, testing, and
processing guideleines set forth in the enclosed report. You should identify
to us any materials that so not meet these guidelines and provide us your
plans and schedules for the replacement of the nonconforming materials.
Alternatively, you should start immediately to prepare a submittal to the
staff to demonstrate that implementing the staff's guidelines specified in
Section III of the enclosed report would result in undue hardship. Hardship
requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will be considered
only for plants that have been issued a CP and are in the later stages of
construction.
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In addition, we request that if it is needed, you propose appropriate
changes to your Technical Specifications to bring them into conformance with
the enclosed report and the affected portion of the model Technical
Specifications denoted with an asterick in the margin of the text.
You should respond to this letter by July 1, 1981. In your response, you
should propose a schedule to accomplish the above requested actions or a
description, schedule and justification for alternative actions to
accomplish the objectives of this program.
This request for information was approved by GAO under a blanket lcearance
number R0072 which expires November 30, 1983. Comments on burden and
duplication may be directed to the U.S. General Accounting Office,
Regulatory Reports Review, Room 5106, 441 G Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
20548.
The response to this request should reference this letter by title and
number.
Sincerely,
Darrell G. Eisenhut, Director
Division of Licensing
Enclosures:
1. NUREG-0313, Rev. 1
2. Model Technical Specifications
