Recent advances in automated ultrasonic inspection of Magnox power stations

This paper describes recent advances in automated ultrasonic techniques which have enabled fully effective and qualified inspections to be introduced for nuclear power stations. In the first example, ultrasonic phased arrays have been introduced for inspection of fillet welded structures where physical access for the operator is very awkward and the surfaces available for probe scanning are very restricted. The system has optimised the depth of field by varying the number of phased array elements fired at a given time and the inspections are substantially faster and more reliable than conventional manual inspection. In the second example, NDT Workbench significantly improves data analysis for complex geometries and defects by using 3D data displays of multiple beams and automated logging of measurements. Both examples have been formally qualified using the ENIQ (European Network for Inspection Qualification) Methodology. This was achieved more easily because of the rigorous in-house training programmes and because the Technical Justifications referred to evidence from previous related qualifications whenever appropriate.