Doc. No.

965121-1-GG-N-PP-003
Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
Rev. 04 Date 17/08/2016
Penetrant Testing Procedure
Page 1 of 12

Saipem S.p.A. GENERAL NDT PROCEDURE

PT PROCEDURE

965121-1-GG-N-PP-003

17/08/2016 04 Re-Issued for construction D. Juresic I. Petcu F. Bragotto

01/04/2016 03 Re-Issued for construction D. Juresic I. Petcu F. Bragotto

16/06/2015 02 Issued for construction R. Gheorghiciuc I. Petcu F. Bragotto

25/05/2015 01 Issued for approval R. Gheorghiciuc I. Petcu F. Bragotto

Date Revision Description of Revision Prepared Checked Approved

This document is property of Saipem, who will safeguard its rights according to the civil and penal provisions of the law.
 Doc. No. 965121-1-GG-N-PP-003
Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
Rev. 04 Date 17/08/2016
Penetrant Testing Procedure
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SUMMARY OF REVISIONS

Date Revision Description of Revision Prepared Checked Approved

25/05/2015 01 Check version R. Gheorghiciuc I. Petcu F. Bragotto

16/06/2015 02 First Issue R. Gheorghiciuc I. Petcu F. Bragotto

01/04/2016 03 Re-Issued for construction D. Juresic I. Petcu F. Bragotto

17/08/2016 04 Re-Issued for construction D. Juresic I. Petcu F. Bragotto

 Doc. No. 965121-1-GG-N-PP-003
Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
Rev. 04 Date 17/08/2016
Penetrant Testing Procedure
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CONTENTS

1. PURPOSE & SCOPE ..................................................................................................................................4

2. DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................4
2.1 DEFINITIONS 4
2.2 ABBREVIATIONS 4
3. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................5
3.1 INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS 5
3.2 COMPANY SPECIFICATIONS 5
4. RESPONSIBILITIES ...................................................................................................................................5
4.1 NDT SUPERVISOR 5
4.2 NDT ENGINEER 5
4.3 NDT INTERPRETER 5
5. QUALIFICATION OF PERSONNEL ...........................................................................................................5
6. PT PROCEDURE ........................................................................................................................................6
6.1 TEST METHOD 6
6.2 CONSUMABLES 6
6.3 LIGHTING CONDITIONS 6
6.4 SURFACE CONDITION 6
6.5 LIQUID PENETRANT APPLICATION 6
6.6 METHOD OF REMOVING THE EXCESS PENETRANT 7
6.7 DEVELOPER APPLICATION 7
6.8 EVALUATION ON INDICATIONS 7
6.9 POST-INSPECTION CLEANING 7
7. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA ..........................................................................................................................8
8. REPORTING ...............................................................................................................................................8
9. APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................................8
APPENDIX 1 – EXAMPLE OF PT REPORT FORM 9
APPENDIX 2 – ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA ACCORDING TO LEVEL 2X OF EN ISO 23277 10
APPENDIX 3 – TECHNIQUE SHEET FOR PENETRANT TESTING ACCORDING TO AWS D1.1 11
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Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
Rev. 04 Date 17/08/2016
Penetrant Testing Procedure
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1. PURPOSE & SCOPE

The purpose of this document is to describe the equipment, methods, techniques, acceptance standards,
qualification and certification of personnel and other details needed to carry out Penetrant Testing (PT) on CS
and CRA clad / lined welds.

The scope of the work will be specifically detailed to the NDT interpreter for each project / activity.

This procedure is applicable for carrying out PT for:

 Lamination checks on bevels (if necessary);

 Verification of defects removal on excavated areas prior to repair welding;
 Inspection for detection of surface discontinuities on finished welds (as welded or flushed).

2. DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS

2.1 DEFINITIONS
COMPANY Saipem S.p.A.

2.2 ABBREVIATIONS
CS Carbon Steel
CRA Corrosion-Resistant Alloy
NDT Non-Destructive Testing
OD Outer Diameter
PT Penetrant Testing
WQT Welder Qualification Test
WPQ Welding Procedure Qualification
WT Wall Thickness
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Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
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Penetrant Testing Procedure
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3. REFERENCES
3.1 INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

Reference Document Number Document Title

[1] EN ISO 17635 Non-Destructive Testing of Welds. General Rules for Metallic Materials

[2] EN ISO 3452-1 Non-Destructive Testing. Penetrant Testing. General Principles

[3] EN ISO 3452-2 Non-Destructive Testing. Penetrant Testing. Testing of penetrant materials

[4] EN ISO 3452-3 Non-Destructive Testing. Penetrant Testing. Reference test blocks

[5] EN ISO 3452-4 Non-Destructive Testing. Penetrant Testing. Equipment

Non-Destructive Testing of Steel Tubes. Liquid Penetrant Inspection of
[6] EN ISO 10893-4
Seamless and Welded Steel Tubes for Detection of Surface Imperfections
[7] EN ISO 3059 Non-Destructive Testing. PT and MT. Viewing Conditions
[8] EN ISO 9712 Non-Destructive Testing. Qualification and Certification of NDT Personnel
[9] EN ISO 23277 Non-Destructive Testing of Welds. Penetrant Testing. Acceptance Levels
Welding. Fusion-welded Joints in Steel, Nickel, Titanium and Their Alloys
[10] EN ISO 5817
(Beam Welding Excluded). Quality Levels for Imperfections
[11] AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code - Steel
[12] ASTM E 165 Standard Practice for Liquid Penetrant Examination for General Industry
[13] DNV CN7 DNV Classification Notes No. 7

3.2 COMPANY SPECIFICATIONS

Reference Document Number Document Title

[14] WI-SPA-WELD-001-E Qualification and Certification of NDT Personnel

[15] WI-SPA-ENG-WELD-024-E Calibration of Non-Destructive Testing Equipment

4. RESPONSIBILITIES
4.1 NDT SUPERVISOR
It shall be the responsibility of the NDT Supervisor to check that only NDT personnel on the approved NDT list
are employed on the project. He shall also be responsible for compiling the necessary registers and verifying
the NDT reports. The NDT Supervisor shall ensure that NDT procedures are being applied correctly.
In case there is no NDT Supervisor on site these tasks shall be accomplished by the NDT Interpreter directly.
4.2 NDT ENGINEER
Responsible for the provision of technical and commercial expertise. Specifically responsible for evaluations,
calculations and issuing procedures regarding all NDT activities.
4.3 NDT INTERPRETER
The NDT interpreter shall carry out the examination in accordance with the requirements of this procedure, and
prepare the respective inspection report.

5. QUALIFICATION OF PERSONNEL
Penetrant Testing will be performed and evaluated by NDT Interpreters qualified and certified as Level II for PT
in accordance with ISO 9712 or with Saipem Work Instruction WI-SPA-WELD-001-E.
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Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
Rev. 04 Date 17/08/2016
Penetrant Testing Procedure
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6. PT PROCEDURE
6.1 TEST METHOD
The liquid penetrant method is an effective mean for detecting discontinuities which are open to the surface.
Typical discontinuities detectable by this method are cracks, seams, laps, cold shuts, laminations and porosity.
The liquid penetrant is applied to the surface to be examined and enough time is allowed for dwelling. All excess
penetrant is then removed. The part is dried using a lint free cloth and then the developer is applied. The
developer functions both as a blotter to penetrant that has entered the discontinuities and as a contrasting
background to enhance the visibility of revealed indications.
6.2 CONSUMABLES
All consumables shall comply with the requirements of ISO 3452 standards or ASTM E165 or E1417.
Solvent or water removable colour contrast type dye penetrant will be used (Technique Type II or III, Method A,
C or E of Table 1 of ISO 3452-1).
The certificates of conformity (related to batch numbers stamped on the cans) are to be provided on site
together with the consumable itself to prove validity, quality and suitability for the job. Consumables used shall
be suitable for the inspection of stainless steel. The consumable series (penetrant, developer, cleaner) used in
the same inspection shall be compatible and shall be used within the temperature range as per ISO 3452-1 and
as per Manufacturer’s recommendation.
6.3 LIGHTING CONDITIONS
When conducting an examination under white lighting conditions, the inspector shall ensure that the level of
lighting is adequate at the surface of the part. The recommended minimum light intensity shall be of 500 lux,
and whenever necessary, depending on ambient lighting conditions and surface properties, increased to 1000
lux.
If the examiner wears glasses or lenses, they shall not be photosensitive.
6.4 SURFACE CONDITION
Prior to each penetrant inspection, the surface to be examined and all adjacent areas shall be clean, dry and
free of soils, oil, grease, paint and other coating, corrosion products, scale, smeared products, welding flux,
chemical residues or any extraneous matter that could prevent the penetrant from entering discontinuities, or
otherwise interfere with the examination.
The weld area to be inspected and at least one inch either side of the weld shall be free from any features that
may inhibit the test or mask unacceptable discontinuities. These include but are not limited to, rust, slag, scales,
weld spatter, oil, rough surface and protective coatings.
6.5 LIQUID PENETRANT APPLICATION
After the part has been cleaned and dried the penetrant will be sprayed directly on the surface to be inspected
following manufacturers recommendations so as the entire part or area under inspection is completely covered
with penetrant. The inspected area with the penetrant shall be in the temperature range from 10°C to 50°C. For
temperatures below 10°C or above 50°C only specific penetrant product families are allowed and the procedure
shall be qualified at these temperatures by means of reference test blocks as per ISO 3452-3, Ref. [4].
The appropriate penetration time depends on the penetrant manufacturer recommendations and is typically 5 to
20 minutes, depending on ambient and testing conditions, however not less than the manufacturer’s
recommended time for the required sensitivity.
The penetration time shall be recorded in the written test report.
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Penetrant Testing Procedure
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6.6 METHOD OF REMOVING THE EXCESS PENETRANT

After the specified and recommended penetration dwell time has elapsed, any penetrant remaining on the
surface will be removed by wiping with a dry cloth or absorbent paper, repeating the operation until most traces
of penetrant have been removed. The remaining traces shall be removed by lightly wiping the surface with cloth
or absorbent paper moistened with solvent. To minimize removal of penetrant from discontinuities, care shall be
taken to avoid the use of excess solvent. It is not allowed to spray the solvent directly to the inspected surface.
6.7 DEVELOPER APPLICATION
The developer is applied directly to the part by spraying. Previously, all excess penetrant has been removed
and the part to be inspected dried. Parts shall be sprayed in such manner as to ensure complete part coverage
with a thin, even film of developer.
The development time should be between 10 min and 30 min; longer times may be agreed between the
contracting parties.
The development time begins:
— immediately after application, when dry or solvent-based developer is applied, or
— immediately after drying, when wet developer is applied.
6.8 EVALUATION ON INDICATIONS
Development time depends on ambient conditions and on manufacturer recommendations but should not be
less than 10 minutes. Interpretation shall be done immediately after the minimum development time has
elapsed. While the developer is applied and during penetrant is bleed-out, the surface should be observed, as
an aid in the interpretation and evaluation of the indications.
Discontinuities and defects are indicated by the penetrant in clear contrast with the background developer. Not
all such indications are necessarily defects, since excessive surface roughness, machining or grinding marks,
scratches or any surface contamination, may produce similar indications. Such indications are considered non-
relevant.
Any larger indication believed to be non-relevant shall be regarded as relevant until re-examined by penetrant
testing or another NDT method to determine whether or not an actual discontinuity exists. The surface may be
ground or otherwise conditioned before re-examination. After an indication is determined to be non-relevant,
other non-relevant indications of the same type need not be re-examined.
For an indication to be considered linear, it must have the length at least three times greater than its width.
Indications with the length of less than or equal with three times the width shall be classified as rounded.
Unacceptable indications shall be removed by approved means and shall be re-tested by the same method
provided the repaired surface is free of sharp corners / grinding marks.
6.9 POST-INSPECTION CLEANING
Post-inspection cleaning will be carried out by water spray washing or wiping the surface with wet clothes or
absorbent paper, if necessary. Cleaning by solvent remover is only necessary in those cases where residual
test material could interfere with subsequent operations, such as corrosion protection painting. Cleaning will be
carried out with solvent remover (unless otherwise specified) to remove any excess residues from the inspection
process.
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Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
Rev. 04 Date 17/08/2016
Penetrant Testing Procedure
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7. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA
The acceptance criteria applied to the Liquid Penetrant Inspection of welds shall be as indicated in the Appendix
2, according to the acceptance level 2X of EN ISO 23277 (level B of EN ISO 5817). If different acceptance
criteria is indicated by project specific agreement or documentation, Appendix 2 of this document shall be
amended as needed, with no revision to procedure required.

8. REPORTING
Reporting shall be done using formats as shown in Attachment 1 or equivalent.

9. APPENDICES

 Appendix 1 – Example of PT Report Form;

 Appendix 2 – Acceptance Criteria According to Level 2X of EN ISO 23277.
 Appendix 3 – Technique Sheet for Penetrant Testing According to AWS D1.1
 Doc. No. 965121-1-GG-N-PP-003
Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
Rev. 04 Date 17/08/2016
Penetrant Testing Procedure
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APPENDIX 1 – EXAMPLE OF PT REPORT FORM

SAIPEM FORM FORM-COR-WELD-037-E Rev.03

PT REPORT Date: 07/04/2014

Date: Shift : 12-00 00-12 daily Report n°:

Client: Project: Location: Activity/Phase:
Procedure: Specification:
Material: Grade: O.D.: W.T.:

Application Developing
Manufacturer Type: Dwell Time
Method Time

Cleaning Agent - -
Penetrant Agent -
Remover Agent - -
Developer Agent -
Notes Temperature:
Surface Condition:
Weld n° Remarks Def.Position RESULT (*)

Notes/Sketch: (*) Legend

A = Acceptable
NR = Not acceptable, repair
NC = Not acceptable, cut-out

Distribution
SAIPEM CLIENT

NAME NAME NAME

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE SIGNATURE

DATE DATE DATE
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Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
Rev. 04 Date 17/08/2016
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APPENDIX 2 – ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA ACCORDING TO LEVEL 2X OF EN ISO 23277

Type of indication Acceptance level – 2X

Linear indication
l ≤ 2 mm
l = length of indication
Non-linear indication
d ≤ 6 mm
d = major axis dimension
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Saipem S.p.A. General NDT Procedure
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Penetrant Testing Procedure
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APPENDIX 3 – TECHNIQUE SHEET FOR PENETRANT TESTING ACCORDING TO AWS D1.1

This Appendix is intended to be followed for the inspection of welds in accordance with AWS D1.1 (as per Ref
[11]). For this purpose, the requirements of present procedure shall be fullfiled except the requirements for PT
consumables and acceptance criteria which shall be amended by the specific requirements presented in this
Appendix as per below.

PT Consumables

All consumables (penetrant, solvent cleaner and developer) shall comply with the requirements of ASTM E165,
Ref. [12].
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PT Acceptance Criteria as per Table 6.1 of AWS D1.1