Use of ARCON Methodology for Calculation of Accident-Related Offsite Atmospheric Dispersion Factors
| Citation | 86 FR 46024 |
| Record Number | 2021-17596 |
| Published date | 17 August 2021 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 156 (Tuesday, August 17, 2021)
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46024-46025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17596]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2021-0133]
Use of ARCON Methodology for Calculation of Accident-Related
Offsite Atmospheric Dispersion Factors
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft regulatory guide; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for
public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-4030, ``Use of ARCON
Methodology for Calculation of Accident-Related Offsite Atmospheric
Dispersion Factors.'' This proposed new regulatory guide (RG) describes
an approach for reactor applicants and licensees for determining
atmospheric relative concentration ([chi]/Q) values in support of
modeling onsite releases to offsite boundaries from a design-basis
accident. Also, this proposed guidance implements the methodology in RG
1.194, ``Atmospheric Relative Concentrations for Control Room
Radiological Habitability Assessments at Nuclear Power Plants,'' for
offsite dose locations at boundaries.
DATES: Submit comments by September 16, 2021. Comments received after
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC
is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before
this date. Although a time limit is given, comments and suggestions in
connection with items for inclusion in guides currently being developed
or improvements in all published guides are encouraged at any time.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods;
however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the
Federal Rulemaking website:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0133. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann;
telephone: 301-415-0624; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop:
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
For additional direction on accessing information and submitting
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason White, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, telephone: 301-415-3212, email: [email protected], Kevin
Quinlan, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-6809,
email: [email protected], or Harriet Karagiannis, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research, telephone: 301-415-2493, email:
[email protected]. All are staff of the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0133 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information regarding this action. You may
obtain publicly available information related to this action by any of
the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0133.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or
by email to [email protected].
Attention: The PDR, where you may examine, and order
copies of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your
request to the PDR via email at [email protected] or call 1-800-397-
4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (ET), Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
B. Submitting Comments
The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the
Federal Rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please
include Docket ID NRC-2021-0133 in your comment submission.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the
[[Page 46025]]
comment submissions into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment
submissions to remove identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment submissions into ADAMS.
II. Additional Information
The NRC is issuing for public comment a DG in the NRC's
``Regulatory Guide'' series. This series was developed to describe
methods that are acceptable to the NRC staff for implementing specific
parts of the agency's regulations, to explain techniques that the staff
uses in evaluating specific issues or postulated events, and to
describe information that the staff needs in its review of applications
for permits and licenses.
This DG, identified by its task number, DG-4030, titled, ``Use of
ARCON Methodology for Calculation of Accident-Related Offsite
Atmospheric Dispersion Factors,'' is a proposed new RG 4.28 (ADAMS
Accession No. ML21165A005). This proposed new RG 4.28 provides guidance
to industry for complying with and implementing the NRC requirements by
endorsing the use of the ARCON computer code to calculate offsite
dispersion values out to distances of 1,200 m (3,937 ft) that could
include the exclusion area boundary and/or low-population zone.
RG 1.194 (ADAMS Accession No. ML031530505) endorses the use of the
ARCON96 computer code for calculating accident-related onsite (control
room and technical support center) atmospheric dispersion values which
are direct inputs to habitability dose assessments. In addition, RG
1.145, ``Atmospheric Dispersion Models for Potential Accident
Consequence Assessments at Nuclear Power Plants'' (ADAMS Accession No.
ML12216A014), provides the present methodology incorporated into the
PAVAN computer code, as reviewed by the staff using NUREG-0800 at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr0800/index.html (ADAMS Accession No. ML070810350), SRP Section 2.3.4 for
calculating accident-related related, offsite atmospheric dispersion
values.
RG 4.28 will provide new guidance for applicants and licensees
subject to Part 50 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), ``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities'';
10 CFR part 52, ``Licenses, Certifications, and Approvals for Nuclear
Power Plants''; and 10 CFR part 100, ``Reactor site criteria.''
The staff is also issuing for public comment a draft regulatory
analysis (ADAMS Accession No. ML21165A007). The staff develops a
regulatory analysis to assess the value of issuing or revising a
regulatory guide as well as alternative courses of action.
III. Backfitting, Forward Fitting, and Issue Finality
Issuance of DG-4030, if finalized, would not constitute backfitting
as that term is defined in 10 CFR 50.109, ``Backfitting'' and as
described in NRC Management Directive (MD) 8.4, ``Management of
Backfitting, Forward Fitting, Issue Finality, and Information
Requests''; constitute forward fitting as that term is defined and
described in MD 8.4; or affect issue finality of any approval issued
under 10 CFR part 52. As explained in DG-4030, applicants and licensees
are not required to comply with the positions set forth in DG-4030.
Dated: August 10, 2021.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Ronaldo V. Jenkins,
Acting Chief, Regulatory Guidance and Programs Management Branch,
Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 2021-17596 Filed 8-16-21; 8:45 am]
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