Reactor coolant pump seal failures

Failures of reactor coolant pump (RCP) seals that could result in a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) are of current concern to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This could occur either where leakage through the seals exceeded the capacity of the normal makeup systems, as has occurred in operating plants, or under station blackout conditions where loss of seal cooling represents a common mode failure for all RCPs. The purpose of Generic Issue 23 Reactor Coolant Pump Seal Failures is to evaluate the adequacy of current licensing requirements relating to RCP seal integrity and to determine if further NRC action is necessary to assure that RCP failures and seal auxiliary system failures do not pose an unacceptable risk. The status of the resolution of the issue, the major sources of information for resolving Generic Issue 23, and the three alternative resolutions being evaluated are discussed in this paper