US Nuclear Regulatory Commission research for primary system integrity regulations Original Research Article

Research at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Nrc) on the integrity and inspection of light water reactor (LWR) primary system materials and components, and on structural analysis, grew out of programs under way in the Atomic Energy Commission from the 1950s to the early 1970s. The research program was focused to provide a confirmatory and independent technical basis for rules, regulatory guidance and industry codes and standards that applied to the fabrication, inspection, analysis and safe operation of the materials and components of the primary systems in US LWRs. This paper provides an overview of the technical and regulatory issues dealt with over the 20 years of the Nrcʹs existence, with references to the detailed research which formed the technical underpinnings for the resulting regulations and regulatory guidance, and its impact on US codes and standards.