Issue Date: 1/17/02
NRC Inspection Manual IIPB
INSPECTABLE AREA: | Surveillance Testing |
CORNERSTONE: | Mitigating Systems (95%) Barrier Integrity (5%) |
INSPECTION BASIS: | Inspection of this area ensures that safety systems are capable of performing their safety function and would support the Mitigating Systems and Barrier Integrity Cornerstones. The failure to identify and resolve performance degradation of structures, systems and components, could result in long periods of unknown equipment unavailability. This inspectable area verifies aspects of the associated cornerstones not measured by performance indicators. |
LEVEL OF EFFORT: | Review 18 to 26 surveillance tests per year regardless of the number of reactor units at the site. Although the number of required samples is an annual goal, available risk-significant surveillance test samples should be inspected each quarter to ensure a reasonable distribution throughout the year. |
This inspection will focus on verifying that surveillance testing (including inservice testing) of risk-significant structures, systems, and components (SSCs) are capable of performing their intended safety functions and assessing their operational readiness.
02.01 | Inspection Planning. Select
risk-significant surveillance activities
each calender quarter based on risk
information, and the guidance contained
in the inspection guidance, Section 03.
Every quarter select one inservice testing (IST) activity for a risk-significant pump or valve as one of the surveillance activities. Consider selection of the IST activity based on the component performance history (known deficiencies), or if the component had recently undergone corrective or preventive maintenance. Include one or two containment isolation valves each refueling cycle as part of the surveillance testing samples. Also, for ice condenser containment design sites, select one or two ice condenser system surveillances to observe during each refueling outage as part of the surveillance testing samples. |
02.02 | Inspection Activity |
a.Verify by witnessing surveillance tests and/or reviewing the test data, that SSCs selected meet the Technical Specifications, Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR), and licensee procedure requirements, and demonstrate that the SSCs are capable of performing their intended safety functions (under conditions as close as practical to accident conditions or as required by Technical Specifications) and their operational readiness. | |
b. Significant surveillance test attributes for consideration include the following: | |
|
02.03 | Identification and Resolution of Problems. Verify that the licensee is identifying surveillance testing problems at an appropriate threshold and entering them in the corrective action program. For a sample of significant surveillance testing problems documented in the corrective action program, verify that the licensee has identified and implemented appropriate corrective actions. See Inspection Procedure 71152, "Identification and Resolution of Problems," for additional guidance. |
The following table outlines the general inspection guidance.
Cornerstone | Inspection Objective | Risk Priority | Example |
Mitigating Systems | Identify any mitigating system, credited by the licensee as operable when assessing risk, which is adversely impacted by surveillance testing related failures such as failure to adequately test, failure to meet test criteria or, failure to realign equipment after the surveillance. | Focus in areas with
potential for
common mode
failures.
Select surveillance tests which cross technical disciplines (electrical, mechanical, I&C) IST of pumps and valves that perform important functions in mitigating systems.(1) |
Integrated
safeguards testing
Emergency diesel start/load testing Battery performance testing Reactor protection and safety injection instrumentation testing Safety bus loss of voltage and degraded voltage relay testing Pumps that provide injection water flow and valves that change position to provide injection water flow to the reactor coolant system. |
Barrier Integrity | Identify any containment integrity supporting system, credited by the licensee as operable when assessing risk, which is adversely impacted by surveillance test failures such as failure to adequately test, failure to meet test criteria or failure to realign equipment after the test. | Containment iso-lation valve testing, ventilation/filtration system testing |
The annual resource expenditure for this inspection procedure is estimated to be 112 to 152 hours to review surveillance testing activities at a site regardless of the number of reactor units at that site.
The annual resource expenditure for this inspection procedure is estimated to be 112 to 152 hours to review surveillance testing activities at a site regardless of the number of reactor units at that site.
Inspection of the minimum sample size will constitute completion of this procedure in the Reactor Programs Systems (RPS). That minimum sample size will consist of 18 surveillance testing activities in a year regardless of the number of reactor units at the site.
Inspection Procedure 73756, "Inservice Testing of Pumps and Valves"
Inspection procedure 61720, "Containment Local Leak Rate Testing"
Inspection Procedure 71152, "Identification and Resolution of Problems"
Bulletin 88-04, "Potential Safety-Related Pump Loss," May 5, 1988.
Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 50, Section 50.55a, "Codes and Standards."
Generic Letter 89-04, "Guidance on Developing Acceptable Inservice Testing Programs," April 3, 1989.
Information Notice 97-90, "Use of Nonconservative Acceptance Criteria in Safety-Related Pump Surveillance Tests," December 30, 1997
10CFR50, Appendix J including Option B.
NUREG-1482, "Guidelines for Inservice Testing at Nuclear Power Plants"
ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section XI, "Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components"
Inspection Manual Part 9900, Technical guidance, "Maintenance - Preconditioning of Structures, Systems, and Components Before Determining Operability"
1. For additional guidance on IST inspection refer to IP 73756, "Inservice Testing of Pumps and Valves" and NUREG-1482, "Guidelines for Inservice Testing at Nuclear Power Plants."