Qualification of NDT inspection personnel in the naval nuclear propulsion program.

摘要

As the U.S. Navy entered the age of nuclear propulsion it realized that the safety requirements necessary to protect the lives of naval personnel on board nuclear powered vessels, as well as protecting the civilian Population, required a higher quality of (nondestructive testing) NDT inspection than was currently available in industry. As a result, the Naval Reactors (NR) office established an NDT qualification program under the jurisdiction of the Naval Sea Systems Command Technical Representative (NSTR) located in Pittsburgh, PA. The Bettis Laboratory (a prime contractor laboratory operated for the government by Westinghouse Electric Corporation) was given the lead in developing and administering the resulting qualification program. Each facility, whether military or civilian, that is engaged in applicable NDT inspections in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) is required to send representatives to the Bettis Laboratory where they take qualification examinations, the passing of which certifies them as NDT Examiners. They are then responsible for qualifying and monitoring those inspection personnel at their facility who are performing NDT inspections. This paper discusses the mechanics and philosophy of this program.