NDTsi 2001 Session: RPV and Primary Circuit Inspection I-III
Development of Free-Roaming Scanner for ISI of Circumferential and Longitudinal Welds in RPVs
J. Dagen, A. Rodgers, Mitsui Babcock, UK; P. Hansen, Force Institute, Denmark
ABSTRACT
Ultrasonic inspection of nuclear RPVs from the internal surface is a routine procedure. However, it is sometimes necessary or desirable to perform an inspection from the outer surface. Advantages of inspecting from the outer surface can include:
·
Reducing or eliminating the effects of cladding; ·
Diverse and redundant inspection of critical components; ·
Access to regions which cannot be inspected from the internal surface; ·
Avoiding the need to open the vessel and remove internal components; ·
Minimising interference with in reactor operations;
In general, access to the outer surface of RPVs is restricted. This paper describes a general-purpose magnetic wheeled scanner designed to be deployed and operate in restricted areas. The paper will also describe an application of this scanner for the inspection of a thick section vessel using a dual wave mode technique to reduce the scanning extent required for defect detection scans.
Publication Source: 3nd International Conference on NDE in Relation to Structural Integrity for Nuclear and Pressurized Components, November 14-16, 2001, Seville Spain. Publisher: Tecnatom s.a. - [Homepage]
