Studies at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, are being conducted to evaluate nondestructive examination (NDE) approaches for inspecting coarse-grained, austenitic stainless steel reactor components. The work provides information to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the utility, effectiveness, limitations, and reliability of advanced...

Buried or inaccessible piping systems within Nuclear Power plants present a challenge in terms of overall inspection. Limited access and complex piping configurations restrict the type of indirect or direct NDE methodologies which can be applied by inspectors. Due to the complexity of buried and above-grade piping systems routed in and around these facilities, many plants have been forced to lo...

Topside piping is the single largest source of the hydrocarbon releases (HCRs) on the offshore oil and gas (OOG) platforms in the North Sea region. Consequently, if the leaked hydrocarbons from the process pipework are ignited, it may lead to a catastrophic event, thereby causing significant economic losses, environmental damage, and posing serious threat to the safety of the onboard personnel....