TÜV Rheinland Sonovation BV

Advantages of applying Phased Array in

lieu of Radiography for the inspection of
small bore austenitic piping
Content presentation

 Business case description

 Project approach steps
- Selection of codes and standards to be used
- Comparison test of RT and PA inspection methods
- Procedure validation
- Field inspection
 Production and rejection levels
 Advantages of UT in lieu of RT
 Cost / Savings and Conclusions

(Sitech Services C.V. provided part of the information for the project)

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Business case description

 Piping contractor requested TRSonovation to develop a weld inspection to

replace radiography to be able to weld continuously in 2 shifts to meet the TA
deadline.
 Project (17641):
- Ultimate end client: OCI AFA Ammonia plant Geleen the Netherlands
- TA 2018: 800 field butt welds on new inlet header of NH3 reformer
 Scope:
- Full penetration pipe to pipe butt welds
- Material stainless steel 347
- Nominal wall thickness 4.85mm
- Diameter 1.5” (42.2mm)
 Proposed Technique by TRSonovation: Phased Array

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Project approach

 Selection of codes and standards to be used

 Comparison test of RT and PA inspection methods
 Procedure validation
 Field inspection

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Codes and standards selection

 ISO-DIS-20601 Non-destructive testing of welds – Ultrasonic testing – Use of

automated phased array technology for thin-walled steel components. With
specific acceptance criteria
 ISO-22825 Non-destructive testing of welds – Ultrasonic testing – Testing of
welds in austenitic steels and nickel-based alloys used for: welded samples,
reference reflectors, calibration and inspection sensitivity

 Scope could NOT be covered by (minimum wall thickness 6mm):

- EN-ISO-22825 for UT testing of Austenitic and Nickel based alloys
- EN-ISO-13588 for PA on simple geometry butt welds
- Acceptance criteria ISO-19285 for PA
- Acceptance criteria ISO 11666 for ultrasonic inspection

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Comparison test PAUT - RT

 To verify that the inspection approach will deliver the same weld quality as
with the original planned NDT Technique (RT), a comparison of both PAUT
and RT was executed on:
- 3 welded samples (samples numbered; 1, 4, 5)
 Techniques used:
- PAUT (3.5Mhz 16 element, double sided, sectorial scan 45-70 graden)
(under skip, distance wedge to weld 10mm and 4mm)
- RT (double wall image)
- Computer Tomography (CT) as non-destructive alternative for macro
sectioning

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Results sample 1

 Welded sample with no intentional discontinuities

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Results sample 4

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Results sample 5

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Acceptance criteria / conclusions

 Indications >20% reference level further evaluated.

 Lack of fusion, incomplete penetration or cracks are unacceptable if >20%
reference level.
 All volumetric indications >25% reference level are unacceptable.

 Findings:
- PAUT and RT results were very similar.
- Computer Tomography results have proven that no major indications have
been missed by either RT and PAUT.
 Conclusion:
- This means that PAUT inspection technique offers the same level of weld
quality as radiography and therefore a suitable replacement for RT

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Procedure validation

 Reference blocks (without weld) (A&B) as per EN-ISO-22825 (EDM notches,

needed for piping C-steel inspections)
 Demonstration blocks (with weld) (A & B) as per EN-ISO-22825 (Flat bottom
holes for stainless steel welds)
 V2 calibration block curved, 316L stainless steel

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Setups

 3.5Mhz, 16 element PA probe, sectorial scan between 45-70 degree, under

full skip and 1.5 skip.
 Double sided, 4mm and 10mm from weld centre line
 V2 calibration block curved, 316L stainless steel, 1.5mm SDH. 80% FSH +
6dB (primary reference level as scan sensitivity)

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Production and rejection levels

 Inspection of max 50 welds shift of 9.5 hours (06.00-15.30—15.30-00.00).

Inspection speed was limited by welding capacity.
 Total 923 welds inspected of which 125 rejections = 13.5%
100 100%
90 90%
80 80%
70 70%
60 60%
50 50%
40 Acc. 40% N.Acc.

30 N.Acc.
30% Acc.

20 20%
10 10%
0 0%

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Advantages of UT in lieu of RT

 Continuous welding in 2 shifts from 06.00 in the morning till 00.00 hours
 Safety & environment: no radiation, no chemical waste
 Safety & production: no evacuation off areas, continuous work in the
surrounding production area’s which were still online
 Partly repair of welds possible = not total cut outs = time saving
 Real time analysis for instant feedback to the welders
 Setup and inspection reports in electronic format

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Costs / Savings and conclusions

 Cost per weld < 100 Euro per weld, including all costs for the validation,
comparison testing with RT and CT.

 Calculated savings: turn around time reduced with 5 days!!

 Conclusion: Making the selection of the NDT technique subject to the total
cost approach can generate large savings. UT in lieu of Radiography can
reduce your turnaround time significantly is safer and better for the
environment.

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Thank you for your attention

TÜV Rheinland Sonovation

Elschot 30
4905 AZ Oosterhout
The Netherlands
Tel: +31162425588
E-mail: info@sonovation.com

Managing Director
Fred Gabriëls
E-mail: fred.gabriels@nl.tuv.com

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