ASME nuclear codes and standards: Recent technical initiatives

Although nuclear power construction is currently in a hiatus in the US, ASME and its volunteer committees remain committed to continual improvements in the technical requirements in its nuclear codes. This paper provides an overview of several significant recent revisions to ASME' s nuclear codes. Additionally, other important initiatives currently being addressed by ASME committees will be described. With the largest population of operating light water nuclear plants in the world and worldwide use of its nuclear codes, ASME continues to support technical advancements in its nuclear codes and standards. While revisions of various magnitude are an ongoing process, several recent revisions embody significant changes based on state of the art design philosophy and substantial industry experience. In the design area, a significant revisions has recently been approved which will significantly reduce conservatisms in seismic piping design as well as provide simplified design rules. Major revisions have also been made to the requirements for nuclear material manufacturers and suppliers, which should result in clearer understanding of this difficult administrative area of the code. In the area of Section XI inservice rules, substantial studies are underway to investigate the application of probabilistic, risked based inspection in lieu of the current deterministic inspection philosophy. While much work still is required in this area, it is an important potential application of the emerging field of risk based inspection