Implementing Nondestructive Evaluation Technologies to Evaluate Buried Pipe in Nuclear Power Plants

This standard is intended for those managing, planning, selecting, implementing, or evaluating buried pipe inspections using Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) at nuclear power plant sites. It provides direction for planning and implementing a buried pipe inspection at a nuclear power plant. It provides guidance on: Pre-assessment activities for nuclear power plants; Factors to consider when selecting NDE for buried pipe inspections, and; Post-assessment of NDE results. Guidance specific to owners of nuclear power plant buried piping has been included to improve inspection success by addressing a number of complicating conditions that could exist at a site. This includes: License requirements and regulations that are unique to nuclear power plants and must be considered and adhered to, as they require unique processes and procedures for planning and implementing inspections; Piping layouts with multiple components such as elbows, reducers, tees, etc. that require the use of special inline tools and/or experienced analysis; Piping systems at nuclear power plants are generally commonly grounded, which impacts the effectiveness of some indirect examination techniques; and The excavations for inspection purposes may be very deep and below layers of other buried piping systems, cables and other structures.