Status of the Qualification Testing Evaluation (QTE) Program

The objectives of the Qualification Testing Evaluation (QTE) Program, under the sponsorship of the Office of Water Reactor Safety Research, USNRC, are to obtain data needed for confirmation of the suitability of current standards and Regulatory Guides for Class 1E safety-related equipment and to obtain data that will provide an improved technical basis for modifications of these standards and guides where appropriate. The specific major tasks of the research are: (1) Provide assessments of LOCA testing methodologies including qualitative assessment of the synergistic effects resulting from the combined environments testing of representative Class 1E equipment, (2) Determine the nuclear source term signature for the design-basis LOCA and evaluate the adequacy of radiation simulators, and (3) Provide a model that can be used to simulate the natural aging process of representative Class 1E materials by accelerated aging methods. Each of these tasks has the potential for significant impact on the nuclear power industry. Progress in each is reported