innovators
W I T H E P R I T E C H N O L O G Y
N ew Yo r k Powe r A u t h o r i t y S ave s W i t h I N C OT E S T
T h ro u g h - I n s u l a t i o n I n s p e c t i o n f o r F l ow - A c c e l e r a t e d
C o r ro s i o n D a m age
Boiler Life and Availability Improvement Target
Benefits
• Using the INCOTEST system to
inspect for flow-accelerated corro-
sion damage in large-bore piping
and feedwater heater shells with-
out removing insulation, New
York Power Authority estimates a
saving of over $450,000 biannu-
ally at one site.
• The through-insulation inspection
technique allows greater flexibility
in checking piping independent
of planned maintenance outages.
Challenge
Flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) affects
the feedwater systems of many power
plants and results in loss of pipe wall
thickness. If the FAC damage goes
undetected, pipe rupture may occur,
with significant consequences for safety
JUNE 2000 13469978
and operations. Conventional inspection
is based on removal of pipe insulation
to measure pipe wall thickness with ultra-
sonic testing (UT). This requires a
maintenance outage and involves the
significant cost of removing and replac-
ing the pipe insulation along with costs
due to piping surface preparation.
Radiographic testing can be performed
through insulation, but it requires sig-
nificant personnel safety measures and
may interfere with normal plant opera-
tions. Consulting with EPRI, the New
York Power Authority (NYPA) imple-
mented a program to find cost-effective
methods of assessing the risk of FAC
damage at its IP3 Power Project.
Response
FAC damage has been an area of sig-
nificant EPRI research since a 1986
“This advanced technology
has applications at electric
utilities offering significant
cost savings for on-line
piping inspection.”
• Bob Penny
Director, Engineering Programs
New York Power Authority
• Phil Winegar
Senior Engineer, R&TD
New York Power Authority
• Jim Sherman
FAC Program Engineer
New York Power Authority
pipe failure at a nuclear power plant.
More recent failures and detected
damage in fossil power plants have
also highlighted the need for addi-
tional steps to control the FAC risk at
fossil plants. Accordingly, in 1997
EPRI developed and published guide-
lines that recommend a combination
of short-term actions based on inspect-
ing for existing damage and long-term
actions based on maintaining feedwater
chemistry parameters to reduce the
susceptibility of piping to FAC damage.
Guidelines were developed to provide
additional options for performing piping
inspections. An innovative pulsed eddy-
current technique by Rontgen
Technische Dienst (RTD) in the
Netherlands to detect corrosion under
insulation for the petrochemical indus-
IN-114576
try was identified. EPRI contracted with
RTD to assess and refine the technique
for application to inspecting feedwater
piping for FAC. The results demon-
strated that the RTD system, called
INCOTEST for Insulated Component
Test, could be successfully used for
FAC inspection.
The INCOTEST system measures
the diffusion of an eddy-current pulse
as it penetrates the pipe wall. When
the eddy current reaches the back wall
of the pipe, the signature of the signal
suddenly changes. The time of arrival
at the back wall is dependent on mag-
netic permeability, conductivity, and
material thickness.
In 1998, RTD licensed INCOTEST
for application to power plant piping
in the United States. NYPA and EPRI
entered into a cofunding agreement
to assess the performance of the
INCOTEST system at both the fossil
steam plant Poletti Power Station Unit
1 and the pressurized water reactor IP3
Power Project. Following the initial,
Calculated Value of NYPA's Application
Estimated Saving ($000)
Investment Fixed
Year Saving Charges
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Present value of total estimated saving
Levelized annual saving
Basis for Benefits
1.O&M saving is based on the cost
of conventional pipe inspection,
including insulation removal and
replacement, scaffolding, and the
handling of lead-containing coated
surfaces, less the cost of INCOTEST
through-insulation pipe inspection.
successful testing at Poletti, through-
insulation testing was performed at IP3
in September 1998. Results were con-
sistent with previous data taken with
insulation removed and verified that
FAC damage was not occurring.
Based on this work, more testing
was conducted at IP3 in August 1999.
Initially the INCOTEST system was
used as a screening tool on systems such
as the feedwater system, which has
parallel trains of identical components.
The INCOTEST system would allow
NYPA to economically screen multiple
components, and if required, perform
confirmatory UT on suspect areas.
The INCOTEST system proved
extremely economical when used to
measure the thickness of the feedwater
shells. Seven feedwater heaters were
selected for inspection, based on recent
industry events of feedwater heater shell
failures. An area approximately 8 feet
wide by an arc of approximately 300
degrees was easily examined without
the removal of insulation (calcium
Present
O&M(1) Total Value(2)
0 0 0 (650) 855-2084
450.0 450.0 450.0
0 0 0
482.1 932.1 404.3
0 0 0
516.4 1448.5 363.2
$1,218,000
$241,000
No credit is taken for the benefit of
performing inspections during plant
operation. The calculation applies a
3.5% escalation factor to O&M
savings.
2.The 1998 present-value calculations
assume a 5.5% discount rate.
silicate) or surface preparation. An
added benefit is that the INCOTEST
data files are compatible with EPRI's
ChecWorks Software Program.
References
• Guidelines for Controlling Flow-
Accelerated Corrosion in Fossil Plants.
EPRI Report TR-108859, 1997.
• Assessment of the Pulsed Eddy-Current
Technique: Detecting Flow-Accelerated
Corrosion in Feedwater Piping. EPRI
Report TR-109146, 1997.
EPRI publications are available from
the EPRI Distribution Center,
(925) 934-4212.
For further information, contact:
EPRI
P.O. Box 10412
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(800) 313-3774
(650) 855-2121 (International)
Rich Tilley, Manager
Boiler Life and Availability
Improvement
Science & Technology Development
(704) 547-6097
rtilley@epri.com
Norris Hirota, Target Manager
Steam & Hydro Turbine-Generator and
Balance of Plant
Science & Technology Development
nhirota@epri.com
Kenji Krzywosz
Program Manager
NDE Technology & Training
Science & Technology Development
(704) 547-6096
kkrzywos@epri.com
Interest Categories
• Boiler life and availability improvement
• Fossil NDE technology and training
program

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