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Title: Assessment of NDE Methods to Detect Lack of Fusion in HDPE Butt Fusion Joints

Abstract

Studies at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, were conducted to evaluate nondestructive examinations (NDE) coupled with mechanical testing of butt fusion joints in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe for assessing lack of fusion. The work provided information to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the effectiveness of volumetric inspection techniques of HDPE butt fusion joints in Section III, Division 1, Class 3, buried piping systems in nuclear power plants. This paper describes results from assessments using ultrasonic and microwave nondestructive techniques and mechanical testing with the high-speed tensile impact test and the side-bend test for determining joint integrity. A series of butt joints were fabricated in 3408, 12-inch (30.5-cm) IPS DR-11 HDPE material by varying the fusion parameters to create good joints and joints containing a range of lack-of-fusion conditions. Six of these butt joints were volumetrically examined with time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD), phased-array (PA) ultrasound, and the Evisive microwave system. The outer diameter (OD) weld beads were removed for microwave evaluation and the pipes ultrasonically re-evaluated. In two of the six pipes, both the outer and inner diameter (ID) weld beads were removed and the pipe joints re-evaluated. Some of the pipes were sectioned andmore » the joints destructively evaluated with the high-speed tensile test and the side-bend test. The fusion parameters, nondestructive and destructive evaluation results have been correlated to validate the effectiveness of what each NDE technology detects and what each does not detect. There was no single NDE method that detected all of the lack-of-fusion flaws but a combination of NDE methods did detect most of the flaws.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1038394
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-78590
401001060; TRN: US1201850
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Proceedings of the ASME 2011 Pressure Vessels & Piping Division, July 17-21, 2011, Baltimore, Maryland, Paper No. PVP2011-57908
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; DEFECTS; DIFFRACTION; EVALUATION; IMPACT TESTS; NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING; NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; PIPE JOINTS; POLYETHYLENES; PRESSURE VESSELS; TESTING; ULTRASONIC WAVES; ultrasonic; NDE; HDPE; butt fusion joint; side bend test

Citation Formats

Crawford, Susan L, Doctor, Steven R, Cinson, Anthony D, Watts, Michael W, Moran, Traci L, and Anderson, Michael T. Assessment of NDE Methods to Detect Lack of Fusion in HDPE Butt Fusion Joints. United States: N. p., 2011. Web.
Crawford, Susan L, Doctor, Steven R, Cinson, Anthony D, Watts, Michael W, Moran, Traci L, & Anderson, Michael T. Assessment of NDE Methods to Detect Lack of Fusion in HDPE Butt Fusion Joints. United States.
Crawford, Susan L, Doctor, Steven R, Cinson, Anthony D, Watts, Michael W, Moran, Traci L, and Anderson, Michael T. 2011. "Assessment of NDE Methods to Detect Lack of Fusion in HDPE Butt Fusion Joints". United States.
@article{osti_1038394,
title = {Assessment of NDE Methods to Detect Lack of Fusion in HDPE Butt Fusion Joints},
author = {Crawford, Susan L and Doctor, Steven R and Cinson, Anthony D and Watts, Michael W and Moran, Traci L and Anderson, Michael T},
abstractNote = {Studies at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, were conducted to evaluate nondestructive examinations (NDE) coupled with mechanical testing of butt fusion joints in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe for assessing lack of fusion. The work provided information to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the effectiveness of volumetric inspection techniques of HDPE butt fusion joints in Section III, Division 1, Class 3, buried piping systems in nuclear power plants. This paper describes results from assessments using ultrasonic and microwave nondestructive techniques and mechanical testing with the high-speed tensile impact test and the side-bend test for determining joint integrity. A series of butt joints were fabricated in 3408, 12-inch (30.5-cm) IPS DR-11 HDPE material by varying the fusion parameters to create good joints and joints containing a range of lack-of-fusion conditions. Six of these butt joints were volumetrically examined with time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD), phased-array (PA) ultrasound, and the Evisive microwave system. The outer diameter (OD) weld beads were removed for microwave evaluation and the pipes ultrasonically re-evaluated. In two of the six pipes, both the outer and inner diameter (ID) weld beads were removed and the pipe joints re-evaluated. Some of the pipes were sectioned and the joints destructively evaluated with the high-speed tensile test and the side-bend test. The fusion parameters, nondestructive and destructive evaluation results have been correlated to validate the effectiveness of what each NDE technology detects and what each does not detect. There was no single NDE method that detected all of the lack-of-fusion flaws but a combination of NDE methods did detect most of the flaws.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1038394}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Sun Jul 31 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}

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