Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 4a45938b-46f4-4b26-9191-2914fcf357f1
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Inservice Inspection of Pressurized Water Reactor Steam Generator Tubes (Rev. 1)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0037/ML003740256.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.83
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
Revision 1 July 1975 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGULATORY GUIDE OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT' REGULATORY GUIDE 1.83 INSERVICE INSPECTION OF PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR STEAM GENERATOR TUBES A. INTRODUCTION General Design Criteria 14, "Reactor Coolant Pressure Boundary" and 31, "Fracture Prevention of Reactor Coolant Pressure Boundary," of Appendix A, "General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants," to 10 CFR Part 50, "Ucensing of Production and Utilization Facilities,' require that the reactor coolant pressure boundary have an extremely low probability of abnormal leakage, of rapidly propagating failure, and of gross rupture. General Design Criterion 15, "Reactor Coolani System Design," requires that the reactor coolant system and associated auxiliary, control, and protection systems be designed with sufficient margin to ensure that the design conditions of the reactor coolant pressure boundary are not exceeded during any condi tion of normal operation, including anticipated opera tional occurrences. Furthermore, General Design Criter ion 32, "Inspection of Reactor Coolant Pressure Boundary," requires that components that are part of the reactor coolant pressure boundary be designed to permit periodic inspection and testing of critical areas to assess their structural and leaktight integrity. Failure' of steam generator tubes, which can be caused by cracking, wastage, and fretting, will release radioactive materials to the secondary coolant system. Furthermore, serious weakening of these tubes from similar causes could, in the event of a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA), result in tube failures that would release the energy of the secondary system into the t Failure is defined as full penetration of the pressure boundary with subsequent leakage. containment. This guide describes a method acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing these General Design Criteria by reducing the probability and consequences of steam generator tube failures through periodic