New Guidelines for Evaluating Seam-Welded Piping

摘要

Recently EPRI issued new guidelines for evaluating the integrity of seam-welded high-energy piping in fossil plants, expanding on guidelines produced in 1987. The original guidelines, developed in response to two catastrophic weld ruptures in 1985 and 1986, had heightened industry awareness of the problem and alerted utilities to several potential failures. During the early 1990s, however, some incidents of leaking and cracking in previously inspected pipes prompted a comprehensive reexamination of damage detection in seam-welded piping. The review indicated that these incidents might have been prevented had EPRI evaluation procedures been strictly followed, and it confirmed the procedures' effectiveness in minimizing the risk of pipe failure and avoiding premature pipe replacement. The new guidelines incorporate these results and the additional understanding acquired since 1987.