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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Risk based NDI (nondestructive inspection) guidelines

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5960350

Risk-based methods incorporating the consequences of failure of system components are a modern analytic approach being utilized to develop and set priorities for nondestructive inspection (NDI) plans such as location, extent, frequency, and required effectiveness of the periodic inservice inspections. This methodology relies on evaluating the probability of component failure based on flaw detection and characterization capabilities, service conditions, and historical failure experience. From this, an optimized NDI plan can be designed to help ensure that the failure (loss of function) probability for a given component is within an acceptable level. Applying this concept to an entire system or structure will result in a NDI plan that will maximize safety and readiness, while reducing costs by eliminating unnecessary examination of less critical components. After noting examples of existing applications, a discussion is given of how the methodology could be applied to the inservice inspection of an orbiting space station.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
5960350
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-16923; CONF-8905178-1; ON: DE89014458
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English