Applicability of quantitative safety goals in the NRC's regulatory process

Nuclear Safety Analysis Center (NSAC) has conducted an initial study of the concept and applicability of alternative numerical safety goals, including the goals now under evaluation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and other performance criteria formats. The basic approach was to address two fundamental questions: 1) Under what conditions, in what forms, and for what purposes are numerical goals or criteria most likely to be useful. 2) given that numerical goals appear to be useful, what is an appropriate method for setting them. The objective of this study was not to provide definitive answers to these questions, to recommend any specific numerical goals or criteria, or to propose any particular uses of such goals. Rather, it was to shed enough light on the concept and applicability of numerical goals, through developing some insights regarding the above questions and the issues they raise, to determine whether a more detailed, in-depth addressing of the questions is appropriate. This paper briefly summarizes why the EPRI/NSAC study was initiated, how it was carried out, and what its results were