Open AccessMulti-Canister overpack ultrasonic examination of closure weld
Author(s) -
K. E. Smith
Publication year - 1998
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/11248
Subject(s) - welding , structural integrity , quality assurance , penetrant (biochemical) , ultrasonic testing , closure (psychology) , hydrostatic test , nuclear engineering , ultrasonic sensor , forensic engineering , structural engineering , engineering , mechanical engineering , acoustics , operations management , physics , external quality assessment , microbiology and biotechnology , economics , market economy , biology
The method used for non-destructive examination of the closure weld must provide adequate assurance that the weld is structurally sound for the pressure and lifting loads to be imposed, and must be consistent with NRC equivalency requirements established for the SNF Project. Given the large flaw size that would need to exist before the structural integrity of the weld is challenged, liquid penetrant testing of the root and final passes provides adequate assurance of weld quality to meet structural loads. In addition, the helium leak test provides confirmation that the containment boundary is intact and leaktight. While UT examination does provide additional evidence of weld integrity, the value of that additional evidence for this particular application does not justify performing UT examination, given the additional financial and ALARA costs associated with performing the examination