ASME Code Section XI Cases N-577 and N-578, for application of risk-informed technology to examination of piping systems in nuclear power plants, are proceeding, with review and acceptance by ASME Board on Nuclear Codes and Standards and by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission remaining before implementation. Sources of support for a favorable reaction by NRC will be reviewed, starting with developmental research sponsored by NRC in the late 1980s. Extensive discussion in the engineering community as exemplified by forums presented by ASME PVP in 1994 and 1995 will be cited. Recent academic and NRC managerial support for risk-informed performance-based regulation will also be cited. The expressed need for risk neutrality will then be addressed.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Topics:
ASME Standards, Risk-informed in-service inspection, Risk, Engineering standards, Nuclear power stations, Piping systems
1.
ASME, 1995, “Risk and Safety Assessments: Where is the Balance?,” ASME PVP-Vol. 296/SERA Vol. 3.
2.
Golay, M. W., 1996, “Performance-Based Nuclear Safety Regulation,” American Nuclear Society, Nuclear News, Nov., pp. 24–26.
3.
Murley, T. E., 1995, “Toward a New Safety Contract,” American Nuclear Society, Nuclear News, July, pp. 22–23.
4.
Research Task Force on Risk-Based Inspection-Development of Guidelines, 1992, “Risk-Based Inspection—Development of Guidelines, Vol. 2, Part 1, Light Water Reactor (LWR) Nuclear Power Plant Components,” ASME CRTD-Vol. 20-2, pp. 43–53.
5.
Vo
T. V.
,
Gore
B. F.
,
Eschbach
E. J.
, and
Simonen
F. A.
,
1989
, “
Probabilistic Risk Assessment Based Guidance for Piping Inservice Inspection
,”
ANS Nuclear Technology
, Vol.
88
, pp.
13
–
20
.
6.
Vo, T. V., Simonen, F. A., Gore, B. F., Doctor, S. R., and Smith, B. W., 1990, “Risk-Based Priorities for Inspection of Nuclear Pressure Boundary Components at Selected LWRs,” ASME PVP-Vol. 193/NDE-Vol. 8, pp. 65–71.
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