Deterministic Technical Basis for Re-Examination Interval of Every Second Refueling Outage for PWR Reactor Vessel Heads Operating at T_cold With Previously Detected PWSCC

Plant operating experience with Alloy 600 reactor pressure vessel top head penetration nozzles in U.S. PWRs shows that the inspection intervals prescribed by ASME Code Case N-729-1 have been successful in managing the PWSCC concern. No through-wall cracking has been observed in the U.S. after the first in-service volumetric or surface examination was performed on all CRDM or CEDM nozzles in a given head. The current inspection intervals have facilitated identification of any PWSCC in its early stages, with small numbers of nozzles affected and substantial margins to leakage at the five affected heads operating at T_cold. MRP-395 demonstrated through both deterministic and probabilistic analyses that the inspection intervals of Code Case N-729-1 remain valid to conservatively address the PWSCC concern.

This paper supplements MRP-395 with additional deterministic crack growth analyses coupled with assessments of the PWSCC indications detected in heads operating at T_cold. The supplemental deterministic assessments presented in this paper demonstrate the acceptability of a 36-month volumetric or surface inspection interval for heads with previously detected PWSCC and that operate at T_cold. Until Code Case N-729-5 is approved by U.S. NRC, use of the 36-month interval in the U.S. for such heads would require review and approval by U.S. NRC of a relief request submitted by the licensee.