Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 74c49394-8dbf-46e7-b62a-b85de93b47d8
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Initial Test Programs for Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Plants + HISTORY - HISTORY 11/2012 – DG-1259 , Proposed Revision 4 11/2006 – DG-1166 , Proposed Revision 3 (Rev. 4)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1229/ML12298A071.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.68
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
sion test phase of the ITP should be completed in an orderly and expeditious manner. Failure to complete the power ascension test phase within a reasonable time period may indicate inadequacies in the licensee’s operating and maintenance capabilities or may result from basic design problems. Also, design- or construction-related problems disclosed during power ascension testing can be more readily rectified if the reactor power production and, consequently, the accumulation of radioactive fission products, have been kept to a minimum during this testing phase. Baseline data on the performance of plant systems obtained and documented early in the plant’s life will permit early identification of degradation or undesirable trends. The ITP should be designed to demonstrate the performance of SSCs and design features that will be used during normal facility operations, as well as the performance of standby systems and features that must function to maintain the plant in a safe condition in the event of malfunctions or accidents. The DG-1259, Page 5 startup tests should be sequenced so that plant safety is never entirely dependent on the performance of untested SSCs. As mentioned in the introduction to this regulatory guide, the ITP is required to include suitable testing of all SSCs important to safety. Both Appendices A and B to 10 CFR Part 50 recognize that some SSCs are more important to safety than others. For example, SSCs designated as Seismic Category I by RG 1.29, “Seismic Design Classification,” (Ref. 8) are considered to be more important to safety than other SSCs identified as important to safety in the functional design criteria of Appendix A to 10 CFR Part 50. Thus, the NRC does not intend that the same test requirements be established for all SSCs important to safety. Rather, applicants should implement a graded approach to testing in order to provide reasonable assurance, considering the importance to safety of the item, that the item will perform