Regulatory Guide 1.118
| ML12216A012 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 06/30/1978 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, NRC/OSD |
| To: | |
| References | |
| RG-1.118, Rev. 2 | |
| Download: ML12216A012 (3) | |
Revision 2 June 1978 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
REGULATORY GUIDE
OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT
REGULATORY GUIDE 1.118 PERIODIC TESTING OF ELECTRIC POWER AND PROTECTION SYSTEMS
A. INTRODUCTION
Section 50.55a, "Codes and Standards," of 10 CFR Part 50, "Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities," requires in paragraph (h) that protection systems meet the requirements set forth in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers'
Standard, "Criteria for Protection Systems for Nu- clear Power Generating Stations" (IEEE ý79).' Sec- tion 4.9 of IEEE Std 279-1971 (also designated ANSI N42.7-1972) requires, in part, that means be provided for checking the operational availability of each protection system input sensor during reactor operation and includes examples of how this can be accomplished. Section 4.10 of IEEE Std 279-1971 requires, in part, that capability be provided for test- ing and calibrating protection system equipment other than sensors and indicates when such equip- ment must be tested during reactor operation. Gen- eral Design Criterion 21, "Protection System Relia- bility and Testability," of Appendix A, "General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants," to 10 CFR Part 50 requires, in part, that the protection system be designed to permit its periodic testing during reactor, operation, including a capability to test channels independently to determine failures and losses of redundancy that may have occurred.
General Design Criterion 18, "Inspection and Test- ing of Electric Power Systems," requires, in part, that electric power systems important to safety be designed to permit periodic testing, including per- formance of the components of the system and the system as a whole. The testing should be carried out under conditions as close to design as practical and should involve the full operational sequence, includ- ing operation of portions of the protection system, Copies may be obtained from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, United Engineering Center, 345 East
47th Street, New York, New York 10017.
as well as transfer of power among the nuclear power unit, the offsite power system, and the onsite power system. Criterion XI, -Test Control,"
of Appendix B, "Quality Assurance Criteria for Nu- clear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,"
to 10 CFR Part 50 requires, in part, that a test pro- gram be established to ensure that all testing, in- cluding operational testing required to demonstrate that systems and components will perform satisfac- torily in service, is identified and performed.
This guide describes a method acceptable to the NRC staff of complying with the Commission's reg- ulations with respect to the periodic testing of the protection system and electric power systems for systems important to safety. 2 It also provides supplementary guidance to that included in Regula- tory Guide 1.32, "Criteria for Safety-Related Elec- tric Power Systems for Nuclear Power Plants,"
regarding the periodic testing of electric power systems.
This revision of Regulatory Guide I. 118 has been prepared to account for changes made between the
1975 version of the standard, IEEE Std 338-1975,
"Criteria for the Periodic Testing of Class IE Power and Protection Systems," and the 1977 version, IEEE Std 338-1977, "Criteria for the Periodic Test- ing of Nuclear Power Generating Station Safety Sys- tems.'"
The scope and technical content of this revision of Regulatory Guide 1. 118 are the same as those of Revision I of Regulatory Guide 1.118, dated November 1977. The guide has been changed to ac- count for the changes in IEEE Std 338 between the
1975 and 1977 versions.
2 Systems important to safety are defined in Regulatory Guide
1. 105, "Instrument Setpoints."
USNRC REGULATORY GUIDES
Comments should be sent to the Secretary of the Commission. US. Nuclear Regu- Regulatory Guidesre issued to describe and make available to the public latory Commission. Washington, D.C.
20555. Attention. Docketing and Service at methods Branch.
acceptable to the NRC staff of implementing specific parts of the Commislion's regulations. to delineate techniques used by the staff in evaluating specific problems The guides are issued in the following ten broad divisions or postulated accidents, or to provide guidance to applicants. Regulatory Guides are not substitutes for regulations, and compliance with them is not required.
1. Power Reactors
6. Products Methods and solutions different from those set out in the guides will be accept-
2. Research and Test Reactors
7. Transportation able if they provide a basis for the findings requisite to the issuance or continuance
3. Fuels and Materials Facilities B. Occupational Health of a permit or license by the Commission.
4. Environmental and Siting
9. Antitrust Review
5. Materials and Plant Protection
10. General Comments and suggestions for improvements in these guides ae encouraged at all Requests for single copies of issued guides lwhich may be reproduced) or for place times, and guides will be revised. as appropriate. to accommodate comments and ment on an automatic distribution list for single copies of future guides in specific to reflect new information or experience.
This guide was revised as a result of divisions should be made in writing to the US. Nuclear Regulatory Commrssion.
subetantive comments received from the public end additional staff review.
Washington. D.C.
20555, Attention:
Director. Division of Document Control.
The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards was consulted concerning Revision 1 of this guide and concurred in the regulatory positions thereof.
These editorial changes have not been reviewed by that committee.
B. DISCUSSION
IEEE Std 338-1977, "Criteria for the Periodic Testing of Nuclear Power Generating Station Safety Systems," was prepared by Subcommittee 3, Opera- tions, Surveillance and Testing, of the IEEE Nuclear Power Engineering Committee (NPEC). IEEE Std 338-1977 was subsequently approved by NPEC on March 30, 1977, and by the IEEE Standards Com- mittee on June 2, 1977.
IEEE Std 338-1977 is ancillary to IEEE Std 279-
1971 and IEEE Std 308-1974 with regard to the criteria, requirements, and recommendations for the development of periodic testing programs for elec- tric power and protection systems in commercial nu- clear power plants. The requirements are indicated by the verbs "shall"
and "must"
and the recom- mendations are indicated by the verb "should."
C. REGULATORY POSITION
The requirements and recommendations contained in IEEE Std 338-1977 are considered acceptable methods for the periodic testing of electric power and protection systems, subject to the following:
1. The term "safety system" is used in IEEE Std 338-1977 in many places. For the purposes of this guide, "safety system" should be understood to mean, collectively, the electric, instrumentation, and .controls portions of the protection system; the protective action system; and auxiliary or supporting features that must be operable for the protection sys- tem and protective action system to perform their safety-related functions.
2. Item (6) of Section 5 of IEEE Std 338-1977 lists alternative means of including the actuated equipment in the periodic testing of protection sys- tem equipment. The method in which actuated equipment is simultaneously tested with the as- sociated protection system equipment is preferred by the NRC staff; however, overlap testing is accept- able. In addition to the requirements of item (2) in Section 6.1, complete systems tests should be per- formed at suitable intervals.
3. Item (1.1) of Section 5 of IEEE Std 338-1977 should be supplemented by the following:
"Where perturbing the monitored variable is not practical, the proposed substitute tests shall be shown to be adequate."
4. Section 5 of IEEE Std 338-1977 should be supplemented by the following:
"(13) Means shall be included in the design to prevent the expansion of any bypass condition to redundant channels or load groups during testing operations. Where simulated signals are used to test protective channels or load groups or in other cases where such equipment can be effectively bypassed during a test, care shall be exercised to ensure that more channels are not bypassed than are necessary to perform the test. The remaining channels (those not bypassed) shall provide that safety function consistent with the provisions of item (4) in Section 5 of IEEE Std 338-1977."
"(14) Where redundant components are used within a single channel or load group, the design shall permit each to be tested independently."
5. Section 6.3.4 of IEEE Std 338-1977 should be supplemented by the following:
"For neutron detectors (1) tests of detector-cable assemblies for increased capacitance, (2) monitor- ing of noise characteristics of neutron detector signals, or (3) some other test that does not re- quire removal of detectors from their installed lo- cation should be used to confirm neutron detector response time characteristics to avoid undue radia- tion exposure of plant personnel unless such tests are not capable of detecting response time changes beyond acceptable limits."
6. Section 6.4(5) of IEEE Std 338-1977 should be supplemented by the following:
makeshift test setups except as follows:
"a. Temporary jumper wires may be used with portable test equipment where the safety system equipment to be tested is provided with facilities specifically designed for connection of .this test equipment. These facilities shall be considered part of the safety system and shall meet all the requirements of this standard, whether the porta- ble test equipment is disconnected or remains connected to these facilities.
"b. Removal of fuses or opening a breaker is permitted only if such action causes (1) the trip of the associated protection system channel, or (2)
the actuation (startup and operation) of the as- sociated Class IE load group."
7. In addition to items (I) through (7) of Section
6.5.1 of IEEE Std 338-1977, the ability to detect significant changes in failure rates should be con- sidered in the selection of initial test intervals.
8. The following provisions of IEEE Std 338-
1977 have been added in the 1977 version of this standard. These provisions will be considered by the NRC staff and endorsed or supplemented in a future revision of this regulatory guide.
a. Section 4, eighth paragraph, now excludes the process to sensor coupling and the actuated equipment to process coupling from response time testing required by the standard.
b. Section 5, first paragraph, items (2) and (3)
0
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now allow tripping of the channel being tested, or bypass of the equipment consistent with availability requirements, during test of redundant channels or load groups.
c. Section 6.6.2, item (8) pow only requires listing of anticipated responses in test procedures
"when required as a precautionary measure."
D. IMPLEMENTATION
The purpose of this section is to provide informa- tion to applicants regarding the NRC staff's plans for using this regulatory guide.
This guide reflects current NRC staff practice.
Therefore, except in those cases in which the appli- cant proposes an acceptable alternative method for complying with specified portions of the Commis- sion's regulations, the method described herein is being and will continue to be used in the evaluation of submittals in connection with construction permit applications until this guide is revised as a result of suggestions from the public or additional staff re- view.
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