Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 5b36f49a-1e5b-4d3c-b352-91bfde8ef8cc
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Acceptance of Commercial-Grade Design and Analysis Computer Programs Used in Safety-Related Applications for Nuclear Power Plants + HISTORY - HISTORY 04/2015 – DG-1305 , Proposed Revision 0
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1411/ML14119A286.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.231
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
cs of computer programs, nor the evaluation and testing challenges of off-the-shelf commercial computer programs. In the 1990s, the nuclear industry and the NRC supported digital upgrades to operating nuclear power plants issuing guidance on the acceptance of commercial-grade computer programs that supported digital upgrades or on improving high-level quality assurance programmatic guidance relating to control of computer programs. More recently, standards organizations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) have issued improved guidance related to control and use of computer programs and worked with the NRC to DG-1305, Page 4 ensure regulatory compliance, but this guidance was generally either programmatic or developed for other specific applications. The EPRI 1025243 standard was specifically developed to guide the technical evaluation and acceptance of commercial-grade design and analysis computer programs1. It incorporates knowledge of other existing industry standards and operational experience in the formulation of QA guidance supporting both operating nuclear plant operations and upgrades, and new nuclear plant design and construction. Harmonization with International Standards The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has established a series of safety guides and standards constituting a high level of safety for protecting people and the environment. IAEA safety guides present international good practices and increasingly reflect best practices to help users striving to achieve high levels of safety. Pertinent to this regulatory guide, the IAEA Safety Standards, and its Safety Guide No. NS-G-1.1, “Software for Computer Based Systems Important to Safety in Nuclear Power Plants,” (Ref. 14), provide computer program guidance for systems that are important to safety in nuclear power plants. Although the Safety Guide relates primarily to computer programs used in