Technical Basis for Regulatory Guidance on Design-Basis Hurricane-Borne Missile Speeds for Nuclear Power Plants

Published

March 16, 2011

Author(s)

Emil Simiu, Florian A. Potra

Abstract

This report provides the technical basis for a potential new regulatory guide that would provide licensees and applicants with guidance that the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) considers acceptable for use in selecting the design-basis hurricane-borne missile speeds for the design of nuclear power plants. The design must prevent undue risk to the health and safety of the public in accordance with General Design Criterion 2, Design Bases for Protection Against Natural Phenomena, and General Design Criterion 4, Environmental and Dynamic Effects Design Bases, of Appendix A, General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants, to Title 10, Part 50, of the Code of Federal Regulations, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities. This report documents the approach to and results of the calculation of hurricane-borne missile speeds that may be considered in the design of nuclear power plants. The missile spectrum, the assumptions on which the analyses are based -- which are similar to assumptions used for the development of Revision 1 to Regulatory Guide 1.76, Design-Basis Tornado and Tornado Missiles for Nuclear Power Plants, -- and the range of wind speeds being considered, were based on consultations between the authors and NRC staff. Calculated missile speeds based on assumptions on the initial missile height above ground that differ from the assumption used in Revision 1 to Regulatory Guide 1.76 are included in Appendixes. The staff initiated this study because Revision 1 to Regulatory Guide 1.76 was based on the new Enhanced Fujita scale, in which tornado design-basis wind speeds are lower than in the earlier Fujita scale. The design-basis tornado wind speeds presented in Regulatory Guide 1.76 correspond to an exceedance probability of 10-7 per year. Missile speeds are covered that could occur in hurricanes with 10^-7 per year probability of exceedance wind speeds.

Citation

NUREG/CR-7004

Pub Type

Others

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Keywords

Hurricane-borne missiles, missile speeds, nuclear power plants, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, regulatory guidance, wind engineering.

Citation

Simiu, E. and Potra, F. (2011), Technical Basis for Regulatory Guidance on Design-Basis Hurricane-Borne Missile Speeds for Nuclear Power Plants, NUREG/CR-7004, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=907911 (Accessed April 25, 2024)