Transmittal of Information on NRC "Nuclear Data Link Specifications" (Generic Letter 80-24)
GL80024
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
March 12, 1980
TO ALL OPERATING NUCLEAR PLANTS
Gentlemen:
SUBJECT: NRC NUCLEAR DATA LINK (NDL)
In response to the Kemeny Report, established to investigate the accident at
the Three Mile Island Unit 2 nuclear plant, on December 7, 1979, the
President issued a number of actions to improve the safety of nuclear power
plants. Included in these actions was for "the NRC to evaluate the need for
a federal presence in the control room of operating reactors, such as by
observers or continued computer monitoring of vital plant parameters." The
staff believes that the most effective and timely response to the announced
initiative would be to continue in its evaluation of a computerized
monitoring system of vital plant parameters.
The staff is currently engaged in improving the capabilities of its NRC
Operations Center (OC) at Bethesda, Maryland, in order to provide the
Commission and senior staff members with vital plant parameters and
information from licensed nuclear plants in the event of incidents or
accidents. Improved capabilities which are under consideration for the OC
will include automatic data processing, data storage, data display and data
recall capability to be achieved through the use of digital computer. The
overall objective for obtaining such information is to enable the NRC, in
the event of a nuclear accident at a licensed reactor facility: (1) to
monitor and evaluate the situation and potential hazards; (2) to advise the
licensee's operating staff as needed; and (3) in an extreme case, to be able
to issue orders governing such operations.
A system study of a digital computer based Nuclear Data Link (NDL) to bring
this type of information from nuclear plants to the OC has been instituted
with Sandia Laboratories. The system study has been directed toward digital
communication systems because of the proven availability of the technology
and the successful, reliable, operating experience, and the operating costs
of well designed systems in the business community. The goal is to achieve
an initial operating capability to receive, process, display, evaluate and
record essential, but limited, data at the new OC installation by January 1,
1982. A subsequent program will delineate improvement and refinements to
the system.
.
The data which are being considered for acquisition, transmission, receipt
and display will consist of those plant parameters required to evaluate the
status of the core cooling process. Furthermore, event data, status of
safety-related systems and radiological data would also be transmitted for
purposes of evaluating licensee's actions, safety of the plant, and
radiological releases. In our opinion, the quantity of data to be
transmitted by the link is a small fraction of the total data required to
operate and control the plant.
The purpose of this letter is to advise you of the foregoing and to
encourage your cooperation and participation to ensure timely completion of
the evaluation of the NDL. It is also recognized that several related
programs are also being implemented based upon the results of the NRC
Lessons Learned Task Force Reports (NUREG-0578 and -0585); e.g., the Onsite
Technical Support Center (OSTSC) and Control Room Evaluation. These actions
will interface with the NDL and the OC. It is apparent that close
coordination is needed between the requirements being established for the
NDL and those of the OSTSC and therefore improved control rooms at
individual plants.
To fully understand the plant parameter data systems presently in use at
each nuclear plant, the staff through the Office of Nuclear Regulatory
Research and the Sandia Laboratories will conduct a survey over the next six
months. The results of this survey will then be used to finalize the
specifications for an NDL such as digitized data access protocol and
transmission link design requirements. The immediate objective will be to
select lead plants and data to ensure early and meaningful operation of the
NDL. A copy of the initial NDL specifications is enclosed for your
information. The data protocol will be a fixed format data matrix that
would be transmitted by all plants. Initially, blanks would be transmitted
where data access is not available at a given plant. Subsequent actions by
licensees would be to upgrade their capability to complete the data protocol
and ensure uniform digitized computer data capability from each nuclear
plant to the OC.
.
We will keep you advised of our progress in the NDL program. We are
presently in contact with members of INPO who are helping in establishing
basic requirements.
We appreciate your help and cooperation and your personal assistance in our
deliberations to date and solicit your continued support in this important
matter.
Darrell G. Eisenhut, Acting Director
Division of Operating Reactors
Enclosure:
Nuclear Data Link Specifications
February 21, 1980
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