PNNL

Abstract

Studies conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington have focused on developing and evaluating the reliability of nondestructive testing (NDT) approaches for coarse-grained stainless steel reactor components. The objective of this work is to provide information to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the utility, effectiveness and limitation of NDT techniques as related to inservice testing of primary system piping components in pressurized water reactors. We examined cast stainless steel pipe specimens containing thermal and mechanical fatigue cracks located close to the weld roots and having inner and outer diameter surface geometrical conditions that simulate several water reactor primary piping configurations. In addition, segments of vintage centrifugally cast piping were examined to characterize the inherent acoustic noise and scattering caused by grain structures and to determine the consistency of ultrasonic responses when propagating through differing microstructures. Advanced ultrasonic phased array techniques were applied from the outside surface of these specimens using automated scanning devices and water coupling. The phased array approach was implemented with a modified instrument operating at low frequencies, and composite volumetric images of the specimens were generated. Results from laboratory studies for assessing crack detection effectiveness in cast stainless steel as a function of frequency are discussed in this paper.