Qualification of Non-Destructive Testing in Finland

1
Qualification of Non-Destructive Testing in
Finland

• CURRENT STATUS
• NERS Meeting
• Vienna 23.9.2004
• STUK

2
Progress made since September 2002 in NDT
qualification in Finland

• Top management of both licensees now understand
  the issue and are committed to work on it
  national strategy document, presenting the
  involved organisations and their tasks, has in
  principle been agreed between the licensees
• Management and planning of NDT qualification
  process has been contracted to an expert
  organisation rather than doing it within the
  licensee organizations as second priority work
• Regulatory guide YVL 3.8 on In-Service
  Inspections has been issued (http//www.stuk.fi/en
  glish/publications)
• Technical level guidance for implementation of
  qualification projects is ready
• First qualification has been approved by STUK
  internal inspections of Loviisa NPP reactor
  pressure vessel wall

3
European NDT qualification model is followed

• European Network for Inspection Qualification
  (ENIQ) report "European methodology for
  qualification of non-destructive tests, EUR
  17299 EN in 1997
• Since then ENIQ has also published several
  recommended practices based on pilot studies

4
Finnish requirements for the NDT qualification

• Qualification of NDT procedures, equipment and
  personnel has to be done as required in the
  regulatory guide YVL 3.8
• area of application pre- and in-service
  inspections for equipment and structures in
  safety classes 1 and 2
• NDT qualification practices required in the YVL
  3.8 are generally based on ENIQ methodology

5
Players in NDT qualification (1)

• Licencees (utilities)
• appoint the national Steering Group for the
  qualification activities
• contract expert organizations to manage the
  qualification process (annual fee) and to provide
  planning and guidance
• specify the inspections to be qualified and for
  each inspection
• contract a Qualification Body which is dedicated
  to this inspection only
• provide input data and materials
• Inspecta SFS Certification - independent
  (privately owned) expert organization for
  conducting certification and verification tasks
  in different areas of commerce and technology
• manages qualification process on behalf of the
  licensees
• provides a responsible leader and a second
  permanent member for Qualification Bodies (same
  individuals in all Qualification Bodies)

6
Players in NDT qualification (2)

• VTT - independent expert and research
  organization
• provides written guidance on compilation of
  qualification documentation
• provides experts to Steering Group and to
  Qualification Bodies
• Testing companies
• provide experts to Steering Group and to
  Qualification Bodies when not involved in the
  respective inspection
• prepare NDT procedure and technical justification
  (in case the company implements inspection and
  its qualification)
• STUK - regulatory body
• gives final approval of each qualification on the
  basis of assessment report prepared by the
  Qualification Body

7
Players in NDT qualification (3)

• Steering Group (to be appointed by the end of
  year 2004, will meet 2-3 times per year)
• membership
• all members are from management level
• members from Inspecta, VTT, Polartest they are
  alternating as chairman of the group
• other members from licensees and STUK
• the responsible leader of all Qualification
  Bodies serves as secretary
• tasks
• agrees on resources and provides guidance and
  follow-up for the national qualification approach
• appoints the Qualification Bodies

8
Players in NDT qualification (4)

• Qualification Bodies
• appointed and contracted separately for each
  qualification task (i.e., each inspection to be
  qualified)
• continuity and consistency is provided by
  permanent members in all Qualification Bodies
  the leader and the second member appointed from
  Inspecta SFS Certification
• 1-3 other members from testing companies
• members are inspectors with high level
  certificate and they bring technical hands-on
  experience to the process
• not from the company whos procedures, equipment
  and personnel is being qualified

9
Qualification of inspections for the new NPP

• The main contract between TVO and Framatome ANP
  includes qualification of pre-service inspections
• responsibility is with the FANP
• However, there is a need to have a Finnish
  qualification framework and practice in place
  before the work starts
• possibility of getting foreign expert support is
  being considered (SQC-Sweden, IVC-UK, ?)

10
Lessons learned

• Licensees first underestimated the resources
  needed for qualification qualification according
  to ENIQ requires a lot of work
• Leaving the qualification process to technical
  level persons within the licensee and the
  regulatory body did not lead to progress
• Key role given to independent expert
  organizations turned out to be necessary roles
  and costs are now defined in a clear and
  transparent manner
• Optimum use of existing expert knowledge and
  organizations is necessary in a small country,
  but adequate independence needs to be maintained