skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: AN ULTRASONIC PHASED ARRAY EVALUATION OF CAST AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL PRESSURIZER SURGE LINE PIPING WELDS

Conference ·
OSTI ID:1013942

A set of circumferentially oriented thermal fatigue cracks (TFCs) were implanted into three cast austenitic stainless steel (CASS) pressurizer (PZR) surge-line specimens (pipe-to-elbow welds) that were fabricated using vintage CASS materials formed in the 1970s, and flaw responses from these cracks were used to evaluate detection and sizing performance of the phased-array (PA) ultrasonic testing (UT) methods applied. Four different custom-made PA probes were employed in this study, operating nominally at 800 kHz, 1.0 MHz, 1.5 MHz, and 2.0 MHz center frequencies. The CASS PZR surge-line specimens were polished and chemically etched to bring out the microstructures of both pipe and elbow segments. Additional studies were conducted and documented to address baseline CASS material noise and observe possible ultrasonic beam redirection phenomena.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1013942
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-71595; 401001060; TRN: US201110%%836
Resource Relation:
Conference: ASME 2010 Pressure Vessels & Piping Division (PVP) Conference, July 18-22, 2010, Bellevue, WA, 5:255-264, PVP2010-25799
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English