Implementation of NUREG-0313,Technical Report on Material Selection & Processing GL For BWR Coolant Press Boundary Piping (Generic Letter 81-03)

                                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. 
.

                                    - 2 -

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