Technical Specification for Snubbers (Generic Letter No. 84-13)

                                UNITED STATES
                        NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
                           WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555

                                May 3, 1984 

To All Power Reactor Licensees (Except SEP Licensees) And All Applicants For
Licenses To Operate Power Reactors  

Subject: Technical Specification For Snubbers (Generic Letter 84-13) 

For several years a technical specification for snubbers has been included 
in the technical specifications for new facility operating licenses. A model
specification was transmitted to power reactor licensees as Revision 1 of 
the Surveillance Requirements for snubbers by an enclosure to my Generic 
Letter of November 20, 1980. 

During the last several years, a large number of license amendments have 
been required to add, delete or modify the snubber listing within the 
technical specifications. We have reassessed the inclusion of snubber 
listings within the technical specifications and conclude that such listings 
are not necessary provided the snubber technical specification is modified 
to specify which snubbers are required to be operable. You should also note 
that the recordkeeping requirements of paragraph 4.9.7.f. of the snubber 
technical specification are not altered by this revision.  Paragraph 
4.9.7.f. requires that the plant records contain a record of the service 
life, installation date, etc. of each snubber. Since any changes in snubber 
quantities, types, or locations would be a chance to the facility, such 
changes would be subject to the provisions of 10 CFR Part 50.59 and, of 
course, these changes would have to be reflected in the records required by 
paragraph 4.7.9.f.  

Enclosed is a revision to Revision 1 of the Surveillance Requirements which 
was attached to my Generic Letter of November 20, 1980. This revision is 
limited to a modification to Specification 3.7.9 to specify which snubbers 
are subject to the requirements of this technical specification and to the 
elimination of Tables 3.7-4a and 3.7-4b. Specification 3.7.9 now includes as
part of the Limiting Condition for Operation the same criterion as was in 
the bases section of rr,y November 20, 1980 Generic Letter. This criterion 
states that all snubbers other than specified exceptions are required to be 
operable. The requirement in Specification 3.7.9 of Revision 1, that 
snubbers be listed in Tables 3.7-4a and 3.7-4b is no longer necessary and is
eliminated by this revision. 






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No change in existing technical specifications that include a list of 
snubbers is required. However, a licensee may choose to request a license 
amendment to delete the tabular listing of snubbers from its technical 
specifications. Unless and until deleted, the list of snubbers shall be 
maintained in accordance with the requirements of Revision 1 of the 
Surveillance Requirements for snubbers that was enclosed with my Generic 
Letter of November 20, 1980. 

A few recently issued licenses have included technical specifications 
without tabular listings of snubbers. This revision will be applied to 
future operating licenses and the technical specifications will not include 
lists of snubbers. 

                              Sincerely, 


                              Darrell G. Eisenhut, Director 
                              Division of Licensing 

Enclosure: 
  Revised Model Technical 
   Specification for 
   Snubbers 

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