TheU.S.NuclearRegulatoryCommission(NRC)issuesregulatoryguidestodescribeandmakeavailabletothepublicmethodsthattheNRCstaffconsidersacceptableforuseinimplementingspecificpartsoftheagency’sregulations,techniquesthatthestaffusesinevaluatingspecificproblemsorpostulatedaccidents,anddatathatthestaffneedinreviewingapplicationsforpermitsandlicenses.Regulatoryguidesarenotsubstitutesforregulations,andcompliancewiththemisnotrequired.MethodsandsolutionsthatdifferfromthosesetforthinregulatoryguideswillbedeemedacceptableiftheyprovideabasisforthefindingsrequiredfortheissuanceorcontinuanceofapermitorlicensebytheCommission.Thisguidewasissuedafterconsiderationofcommentsreceivedfromthepublic.TheNRCstaffencouragesandwelcomescommentsandsuggestionsinconnectionwithimprovementstopublishedregulatoryguides,aswellasitemsforinclusioninregulatoryguidesthatarecurrentlybeingdeveloped.TheNRCstaffwillreviseexistingguides,asappropriate,toaccommodatecommentsandtoreflectnewinformationorexperience.WrittencommentsmaybesubmittedtotheRulesandDirectivesBranch,OfficeofAdministration,U.S.NuclearRegulatoryCommission,Washington,DC20555-0001.Regulatoryguidesareissuedin10broaddivisions:1,PowerReactors;2,ResearchandTestReactors;3,FuelsandMaterialsFacilities;4,EnvironmentalandSiting;5,MaterialsandPlantProtection;6,Products;7,Transportation;8,OccupationalHealth;9,AntitrustandFinancialReview;and10,General.Requestsforsinglecopiesofdraftoractiveregulatoryguides(whichmaybereproduced)shouldbemadetotheU.S.NuclearRegulatoryCommission,Washington,DC20555,Attention:ReproductionandDistributionServicesSection,orbyfaxto(301)415-2289;orbyemailtoDistribution@nrc.gov.ElectroniccopiesofthisguideandotherrecentlyissuedguidesareavailablethroughtheNRC’spublicWebsiteundertheRegulatoryGuidesdocumentcollectionoftheNRC’sElectronicReadingRoomat’sAgencywideDocumentsAccessandManagementSystem(ADAMS)at(DraftwasissuedasDG-1172,datedNovember2006)APPLICATIONANDTESTINGOFSAFETY-RELATEDDIESELGENERATORSINNUCLEARPOWERPLANTSA.INTRODUCTIONGeneralDesignCriterion17,“ElectricPowerSystems,”ofAppendixA,“GeneralDesignCriteriaforNuclearPowerPlants,”toTitle10,Part50,oftheCodeofFederalRegulations(10CFRPart50),“DomesticLicensingofProductionandUtilizationFacilities”(Ref.1),requiresthatonsiteelectricpowersystemshavesufficientindependence,capacity,capability,redundancy,andtestabilitytoensurethat(1)specifiedacceptablenuclearfueldesignlimitsanddesignconditionsofthereactorcoolantpressureboundaryarenotexceededasaresultofanticipatedoperationaloccurrences,and(2)thecoreiscooledandcontainmentintegrityandothervitalfunctionsaremaintainedintheeventofpostulatedaccidents,assumingasinglefailure.GeneralDesignCriterion18,“InspectionandTestingofElectricPowerSystems,”ofAppendixAto10CFRPart50requiresthatelectricpowersystemsimportanttosafetybedesignedtopermitappropriateperiodicinspectionandtestingtoassessthecontinuityofthesystemsandtheconditionoftheircomponents.CriterionIII,“DesignControl,”andCriterionXI,“TestControl,”ofAppendixB,“QualityAssuranceCriteriaforNuclearPowerPlantsandFuelReprocessingPlants,”to10CFRPart50requirethat(1)measuresbeprovidedforverifyingorcheckingtheadequacyofdesignthroughdesignreviews,theuseofalternativeorsimplifiedcalculationalmethods,ortheperformanceofasuitabletestingprogramand(2)atestprogrambeestablishedtoensurethatsystemsandcomponentsperformsatisfactorilyandthatthetestprogramincludeoperationaltestsduringnuclearpowerplantoperation.Rev.4ofRG1.9,Page210CFR50.63,“LossofAllAlternatingCurrentPower,”requiresthateachlight-water-coolednuclearpowerplantmustbeabletowithstandandrecoverfromastationblackout[i.e.,lossofoffsiteandonsiteemergencyalternatingcurrent(ac)powersystems]foraspecifiedduration.Thereliabilityofonsiteacpowersourcesisoneofthemainfactorscontributingtotheriskofcoremeltasaresultofastationblackout.Mostonsiteelectricpowersystemsusedieselgeneratorsasthechosenonsiteemergencypowersource.ThisregulatoryguideprovidesguidancethatthestaffoftheU.S.NuclearRegulatoryCommission(NRC)considersacceptabletocomplywiththeCommission’sregulationsforsafety-relateddieselgeneratorsintendedforuseasonsiteemergencypowersourcesinnuclearpowerplants—specifically,thattheemergencydieselgeneratorsbeselectedwithsufficientcapacity,bequalified,andhavethenecessaryreliabilityandavailabilityfordesign-basisevents.Thisregulatoryguiderelatestoinformationcollectionsthatarecoveredbytherequirementsof10CFRPart50and10CFRPart21,“ReportingofDefectsandNoncompliance”(Ref.2),whichtheOfficeofManagementandBudget(OMB)approvedunderOMBcontrolnumber3150-0011and3150-0035,respectively.TheNRCmayneitherconductnorsponsor,andapersonisnotrequiredtorespondto,aninformationcollectionrequestorrequirementunlesstherequestingdocumentdisplaysacurrentlyvalidOMBcontrolnumber.B.DISCUSSIONAnemergencydieselgeneratorselectedforuseinanonsi