ASME B31.3 Visual Inspection Qualifications 2

[SEP87]

I am trying to find some clarification about the VT required for piping to ASME B31.3

ASME B31.3 - P 344.3.3 States that Visual examination shall be performed in accordance with ASME V Article 9.

ASME V - T-922 Knowledgeable and trained personnel having limited qualifications may be used to perform specific examinations... personnel performing examinations shall be qualified in accordance with requirements of the referencing Code section.

Am i right in my interpretation that T-922 says examiners need to be qualified in accordance with B31.3, and B31.3 doesn't list any required qualifications for the visual examinations.

From this can a welder qualified to ASME IX Visually Inspect his own work for B31.3 piping (Normal Fluid Service)? Further Radiographic Examination will also be carried out.

Any comments or directions to useful paragraphs would be appreciated.

 

[XL83NL]

Am i right in my interpretation that T-922 says examiners need to be qualified in accordance with B31.3, and B31.3 doesn't list any required qualifications for the visual examinations.

No, see para 342.1:

342 EXAMINATION PERSONNEL

342.1 Personnel Qualification and Certification
Personnel performing nondestructive examination to
the requirements of this Code shall be qualified and
certified for the method to be utilized following a procedure
as described in BPV Code, Section V, Article 1,
T-120(e) or (f).

(e) For those documents that directly reference this
Article for the qualification of NDE personnel, the qualification
shall be in accordance with their employer’s written
practice which shall be in accordance with one of the
following documents:

(1) SNT-TC-1A (2006 Edition),3 Personnel Qualification
and Certification in Nondestructive Testing; or
(2) ANSI/ASNT CP-189 (2006 Edition),3 ASNT Standard
for Qualification and Certification of Nondestructive
Testing Personnel​

(f) National or international central certification programs,
such as the ASNT Central Certification Program
(ACCP) or ISO 9712:2012-based programs, may be alternatively
used to fulfill the training, experience, and examination
requirements of the documents listed in (e) as
specified in the employer’s written practice.

Further:

From this can a welder qualified to ASME IX Visually Inspect his own work for B31.3 piping (Normal Fluid Service)?

No. Obviously not. Of course a (good) welder will not 'release' his work for further processing if he aint satisfied with the end result. Most welders I know visually verify their work, but never for Code acceptance. They dont understand how, nor are they allowed to do so.

 

[SEP87]

Thank you for these points, very useful.

Does this mean that for Code acceptance the fabricator needs a visual inspector qualified in accordance with SNT-TC-1A etc... or for smaller operations is it usual to get external inspectors for this?

 

[weldstan]

The Employer (Certifier) of Examiners must have a written procedure specifying how he certifies (education, experience, training, testing requirements etc.) the examiners and should include, as a minimum, the VT requirements of 31.3. As the VT Level III Examiner for my construction firm, I was responsible for developing and implementing the Company's procedure.

 

[SEP87]

Thank you for the additional information.

 

[SEP87]

I think i may be coming at this question from the wrong perspective. I usually deal with European standards and our piping supplier performs visual inspection on all welding in house and then sends a proportion as required off for X-Ray.

ASME B31.3 P 344.1.1 States "examination required by this code...shall be performed in accordance with ONE of the methods specified herein" then it lists Visual, Magnetic Particle, X-ray etc.

So if we have chosen for Normal Pipe Service to have at least 5% of welds X-Rayed does that then replace the requirements of Visual Inspection (P 344.2) as only one method of inspection is required.

All welders visually inspect their own work of course, but for Code acceptance is 5% X-ray all that is required, or am i misinterpreting P 344.1.1 and actually Visual inspection is required in addition to X-Ray?

Thanks for the input.

 

[XL83NL]

So if we have chosen for Normal Pipe Service

The owner is responsible for Fluid Service assignment, see para. 300(b)(1).

So if we have chosen for Normal Pipe Service

It's called Normal Fluid Service.

So if we have chosen for Normal Pipe Service to have at least 5% of welds X-Rayed does that then replace the requirements of Visual Inspection (P 344.2) as only one method of inspection is required.

No, you need to do both RT and VT. See para 341.4.1(a) and (b).

 

[SEP87]

Thanks again for the input, i will try to use correct terminology.

On a practical level how is this sort of examination done for pipework constructed in-situ. If a welder turns up to fabricate some piping to this Code, is an examiner with the correct certifications (to ASME V-2015 Article 1, T-120 (e) or (f) also required to turn up?

I don't work to these Codes but having read them in depth i'm trying to understand them better and see how it would work on a practical level and how best to apply them, thanks for your patience.

 

[KevinNZ]

Around here we have to contract a 3rd party inspector for high hazard level piping. (hazard level is a local regulation).
These inspectors then carry out the VT. It is not done in house.

 

[XL83NL]

If a welder turns up to fabricate some piping to this Code, is an examiner with the correct certifications (to ASME V-2015 Article 1, T-120 (e) or (f) also required to turn up?

Yes. See my previous reply. Apart from the fact that (I think) a welder shouldnt *⁾ verify his own work for Code compliance on visual testing, the examination should be done by qualified personnel.

Practically, Id hire a copany who normally does the NDE, like RT and PT, and have them come to site. Make sure they have personnel qualification to 342.1, and procedures to 344.2.2, using B31.3 accpetance criteria as per table 341.3.2. Records are not required, however, since VT is a fairly simple method, I'd let the NDE company make up VT records. For the other visual tests that need be done (see 341.4.1(4) and further), you can do this yourself. No records required.

The above is my personal point of view, based on our scope of work. Other companies may have a different approach, which can still be Code compliant. See below.

*⁾ Literally, how I read it, the Code doesnt prohibit that a manufacturer examines his work for Code compliance, see 342.2:

342.2 Specific Requirement
For in-process examination, the examinations shall be
performed by personnel other than those performing
the production work.

Hope this makes sense.
That being said, a lot of companies, esp. larger ones, may do the RT examinations on their work, using their own personnel, as long as theyre qualified to 342.1.

 

[SEP87]

That makes sense, thanks for your time all.

 

[DekDee]

SEP87,
XL83NL has given you all the technical information.
I will try to add to it from a practical perspective.
The code gives minimum requirements - you, as a contractor or a client need to decide if you require more stringent requirements.
5% minimum VT / Volumetric is based on a "designated lot" of piping that must be agreed between parties prior to commencement.
If your designated lot is 500 x shop welds and 100 x site welds and you perform 5% VT and 5% RT or UT and cover all your welders on the shop welds there is no code requirement to perform any more inspections on the site welds.
Is this a good idea - most definitely not.
Most clients stipulate what they require as their minimum requirements and it is always more than the code minimum requirements.
If your client has not then they deserve what they get.
If you intend to do regular pipework you should hire a Welding Inspector or work out rates with a third party.
If you intend to stay in business you should ensure 100% of your welds are inspected by a qualified person.
Regards,
Shane