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:
ected values. Shutdown margin verifications should be performed at appropriate loading intervals (for BWRs), including full core shutdown margin tests. In addition, licensees should establish that the required shutdown margin exists, without achieving criticality. To provide further assurance of safe loading, licensees should establish requirements for the operability of plant systems and components, including reactivity control systems and other systems and components necessary to ensure the safety of plant personnel and the public in the event of errors or malfunctions. The initial core loading should be directly supervised by a senior licensed operator having no other concurrent duties, and the loading operation should be conducted in strict accordance with detailed approved procedures. Appendix C to this regulatory guide describes typical prerequisites, precautions, and details that should be included in the initial fuel loading and pre-critical check procedures. After the core is fully loaded, sufficient tests and checks should be performed to ensure that the facility is in a final state of readiness to achieve initial criticality and perform low power tests. The following list illustrates the types of tests and verifications that should be conducted during or following initial fuel loading: a. shutdown margin verification for partially and fully loaded core; Appendix A to DG-1259, Page A-21 b. testing of the control rod withdrawal and insert speeds and sequencers, control rod position indication, protective interlocks, control functions, alarms, and scram timing, and friction tests of control rods after the core is fully loaded; c. final functional testing of the reactor protection system to demonstrate proper trip points, logic, and operability of scram breakers and valves, as well as demonstration of the operability of manual scram functions; d. final test of the reactor coolant system to verify that system leak rates are within specified limits; e.