Closeout of IE Bulletin 80-13: Cracking in Core Spray Spargers.

摘要

Between late 1978 and early 1980, the licensees of Oyster Creek and Pilgrim nuclear power stations notified the NRC that cracks had been found in core spray spargers. In early 1979, General Electric (GE) requested licensees of boiling water reactors (BWRs) to inspect spargers for visual indications of cracking. In March 1980, representatives of GE and the NRC met to discuss sparger cracking. IE Bulletin 80-13 was issued May 12, 1980, to require more intensive inspection of these safety-related systems. Core spray spargers are provided as engineered safety features, for emergency core cooling. Licensees of operating BWRs were required to take four specific actions. Evaluation of licensees' responses and inservice inspection reports, NRC/IE inspection reports and NRC correspondence shows that the bulletin can be closed out for all of the 23 BWR operating facilities which were issued the bulletin for action. Examination of spargers at 22 operating BWRs is required every refueling outage. The licensees have incorporated this examination into their inservice inspection programs.