Scaled multisensor inspection of extended surfaces for industrial quality control

Science.gov (United States)

Kayser, Daniel; Bothe, Thorsten; Osten, Wolfgang

2002-06-01

Reliable real-time surface inspection of extended surfaces with high resolution is needed in several industrial applications. With respect to an efficient application to extended technical components such as aircraft or automotive parts, the inspection system has to perform a robust measurement with a ratio of less then 10-6 between depth resolution and lateral extension. This ratio is at least one order beyond the solutions that are offered by existing technologies. The concept of scaled topometry consists of arranging different optical measurement techniques with overlapping ranges of resolution systematically in order to receive characteristic surface information with the required accuracy. In such a surface inspection system, an active algorithm combines measurements on several scales of resolution and distinguishes between local fault indicating structures with different extensions and global geometric properties. The first part of this active algorithm finds indications of critical surface areas in the data of every measurement and separates them into different categories. The second part analyses the detected structures in the data with respect to their resolution and decides whether a further local measurement with a higher resolution has to be performed. The third part positions the sensors and starts the refined measurements. The fourth part finally integrates the measured local data set into the overall data mesh. We have constructed a laboratory setup capable of measuring surfaces with extensions up to 1500mm x 1000mm x 500mm (in x-, y- and z-direction respectively). Using this measurement system we will be able to separate the fault indicating structures on the surface from the global shape and to classify the detected structures according to their extensions and characteristic shapes simultaneously. The level of fault detection probability will be applicable by input parameter control.

Verification of surface contamination density standard using clearance automatic laser inspection system for objects from a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Michiya; Ogino, Haruyuki; Ichiji, Takeshi; Hattori, Takatoshi

2008-01-01

In the clearance level inspection in Japan, it is necessary to indicate that the activity level of the target object must be less than not only the clearance levels, but also the surface contamination density standards. The classification measurements for these two standards have been performed separately, and the GM survey meters based on beta-ray measurement have mainly been used for surface contamination density measurement so far. Recently the Clearance Automatic Laser Inspection System, named CLALIS, has been developed to estimate the low-level activity concentration. This system consists of 3-dimensional laser scanner for shape measurement and eight large NE102A plastic scintillation detectors for gamma-ray measurement, and it has been clarified that the CLALIS has adequate detection ability for clearance measurement of both metal scraps and concrete debris. In this study, we compared the surface contamination densities for a number of actual contaminated and non-contaminated objects generated inside from the radiation controlled area at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station by using the CLALIS and the GM survey meter. As a result, since CLALIS could detect the surface contamination as well as the GM survey meter for all measurement targets, it was revealed that CLALIS can rationally achieve clearance level inspection in a single radiation measurement. The practicality of CLALIS in view of the detection limit and processing time was discussed by comparison with the usual radiation monitors for surface contamination measurement. (author)

Inspection of defects of composite materials in inner cylindrical surfaces using endoscopic shearography

Science.gov (United States)

Macedo, Fabiano Jorge; Benedet, Mauro Eduardo; Fantin, Analucia Vieira; Willemann, Daniel Pedro; da Silva, Fábio Aparecido Alves; Albertazzi, Armando

2018-05-01

This work presents the development of a special shearography system with radial sensitivity and explores its applicability for detecting adhesion flaws on internal surfaces of flanged joints of composite material pipes. The inspection is performed from the inner surface of the tube where the flange is adhered. The system uses two conical mirrors to achieve radial sensitivity. A primary 45° conical mirror is responsible for promoting the inspection of the internal tubular surface on its 360° A special Michelson interferometer is formed replacing one of the plane mirrors by a conical mirror. The image reflected by this conical mirror is shifted away from the image center in a radial way and a radial shear is produced on the images. The concept was developed and a prototype built and tested. First, two tubular steel specimens internally coated with composite material and having known artificial defects were analyzed to test the ability of the system to detect the flaws. After the principle validation, two flanged joints were then analyzed: (a) a reference one, without any artificial defects and (b) a test one with known artificial defects, simulating adhesion failures with different dimensions and locations. In all cases, thermal loading was applied through a hot air blower on the outer surface of the joint. The system presented very good results on all inspected specimens, being able to detect adhesion flaws present in the flanged joints. The experimental results obtained in this work are promising and open a new front for inspections of inner surfaces of pipes with shearography.

Simulation of Specular Surface Imaging Based on Computer Graphics: Application on a Vision Inspection System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seulin Ralph

2002-01-01

Full Text Available This work aims at detecting surface defects on reflecting industrial parts. A machine vision system, performing the detection of geometric aspect surface defects, is completely described. The revealing of defects is realized by a particular lighting device. It has been carefully designed to ensure the imaging of defects. The lighting system simplifies a lot the image processing for defect segmentation and so a real-time inspection of reflective products is possible. To bring help in the conception of imaging conditions, a complete simulation is proposed. The simulation, based on computer graphics, enables the rendering of realistic images. Simulation provides here a very efficient way to perform tests compared to the numerous attempts of manual experiments.

A novel visual pipework inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Summan, Rahul; Jackson, William; Dobie, Gordon; MacLeod, Charles; Mineo, Carmelo; West, Graeme; Offin, Douglas; Bolton, Gary; Marshall, Stephen; Lille, Alexandre

2018-04-01

The interior visual inspection of pipelines in the nuclear industry is a safety critical activity conducted during outages to ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of plant. Typically, the video output by a manually deployed probe is viewed by an operator looking to identify and localize surface defects such as corrosion, erosion and pitting. However, it is very challenging to estimate the nature and extent of defects by viewing a large structure through a relatively small field of view. This work describes a new visual inspection system employing photogrammetry using a fisheye camera and a structured light system to map the internal geometry of pipelines by generating a photorealistic, geometrically accurate surface model. The error of the system output was evaluated through comparison to a ground truth laser scan (ATOS GOM Triple Scan) of a nuclear grade split pipe sample (stainless steel 304L, 80mm internal diameter) containing defects representative of the application - the error was found to be submillimeter across the sample.

Scanning moiré and spatial-offset phase-stepping for surface inspection of structures

Science.gov (United States)

Yoneyama, S.; Morimoto, Y.; Fujigaki, M.; Ikeda, Y.

2005-06-01

In order to develop a high-speed and accurate surface inspection system of structures such as tunnels, a new surface profile measurement method using linear array sensors is studied. The sinusoidal grating is projected on a structure surface. Then, the deformed grating is scanned by linear array sensors that move together with the grating projector. The phase of the grating is analyzed by a spatial offset phase-stepping method to perform accurate measurement. The surface profile measurements of the wall with bricks and the concrete surface of a structure are demonstrated using the proposed method. The change of geometry or fabric of structures and the defects on structure surfaces can be detected by the proposed method. It is expected that the surface profile inspection system of tunnels measuring from a running train can be constructed based on the proposed method.

DESIGN OF A WELDING AND INSPECTION SYSTEM FOR WASTE STORAGE CLOSURE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

H.B. Smartt; A.D. Watkins; D.P. Pace; R.J. Bitsoi; E.D. Larsen T.R. McJunkin; C.R. Tolle

2005-01-01

This work reported here was done to provide a conceptual design for a robotic welding and inspection system for the Yucca Mountain Repository waste package closure system. The welding and inspection system is intended to make the various closure welds that seal and/or structurally join the lids to the waste package vessels. The welding and inspection system will also perform surface and volumetric inspections of the various closure welds and has the means to repair closure welds, if required. The system is designed to perform these various activities remotely, without the necessity of having personnel in the closure cell

Surface inspection technique with an eddy current testing array probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishimizu, Akira; Endo, Hisashi; Tooma, Masahiro; Otani, Kenichi; Ouchi, Hirofumi; Yoshida, Isao; Nonaka, Yoshio

2010-01-01

An eddy current testing (ECT) system has been developed for inspecting weld surfaces of components in the reactor pressure vessel of nuclear plants. The system can be applied to curved surfaces with an ECT array probe, it can discriminate flaws from other signal factors by using a combination of arrayed coils signal-phase. The system is applied to a mock-up of core internal components and the signal discrimination using the signal-phase clearly separated flaw and noise signals. (author)

Inspection and verification of waste packages for near surface disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

Extensive experience has been gained with various disposal options for low and intermediate level waste at or near surface disposal facilities. Near surface disposal is based on proven and well demonstrated technologies. To ensure the safety of near surface disposal facilities when available technologies are applied, it is necessary to control and assure the quality of the repository system's performance, which includes waste packages, engineered features and natural barriers, as well as siting, design, construction, operation, closure and institutional controls. Recognizing the importance of repository performance, the IAEA is producing a set of technical publications on quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) for waste disposal to provide Member States with technical guidance and current information. These publications cover issues on the application of QA/QC programmes to waste disposal, long term record management, and specific QA/QC aspects of waste packaging, repository design and R and D. Waste package QA/QC is especially important because the package is the primary barrier to radionuclide release from a disposal facility. Waste packaging also involves interface issues between the waste generator and the disposal facility operator. Waste should be packaged by generators to meet waste acceptance requirements set for a repository or disposal system. However, it is essential that the disposal facility operator ensure that waste packages conform with disposal facility acceptance requirements. Demonstration of conformance with disposal facility acceptance requirements can be achieved through the systematic inspection and verification of waste packages at both the waste generator's site and at the disposal facility, based on a waste package QA/QC programme established by the waste generator and approved by the disposal operator. However, strategies, approaches and the scope of inspection and verification will be somewhat different from country to country

Defect inspection in hot slab surface: multi-source CCD imaging based fuzzy-rough sets method

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Liming; Zhang, Yi; Xu, Xiaodong; Xiao, Hong; Huang, Chao

2016-09-01

To provide an accurate surface defects inspection method and make the automation of robust image region of interests(ROI) delineation strategy a reality in production line, a multi-source CCD imaging based fuzzy-rough sets method is proposed for hot slab surface quality assessment. The applicability of the presented method and the devised system are mainly tied to the surface quality inspection for strip, billet and slab surface etcetera. In this work we take into account the complementary advantages in two common machine vision (MV) systems(line array CCD traditional scanning imaging (LS-imaging) and area array CCD laser three-dimensional (3D) scanning imaging (AL-imaging)), and through establishing the model of fuzzy-rough sets in the detection system the seeds for relative fuzzy connectedness(RFC) delineation for ROI can placed adaptively, which introduces the upper and lower approximation sets for RIO definition, and by which the boundary region can be delineated by RFC region competitive classification mechanism. For the first time, a Multi-source CCD imaging based fuzzy-rough sets strategy is attempted for CC-slab surface defects inspection that allows an automatic way of AI algorithms and powerful ROI delineation strategies to be applied to the MV inspection field.

Eddy current system for inspection of train hollow axles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chady, Tomasz; Psuj, Grzegorz; Sikora, Ryszard; Kowalczyk, Jacek; Spychalski, Ireneusz [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin (Poland)

2014-02-18

The structural integrity of wheelsets used in rolling stock is of great importance to the safety. In this paper, electromagnetic system with an eddy current transducer suitable for the inspection of hollow axles have been presented. The transducer was developed to detect surface braking defects having depth not smaller than 0.5 mm. Ultrasound technique can be utilized to inspect the whole axle, but it is not sufficiently sensitive to shallow defects located close to the surface. Therefore, the electromagnetic technique is proposed to detect surface breaking cracks that cannot be detected by ultrasonic technique.

Image formation simulation for computer-aided inspection planning of machine vision systems

Science.gov (United States)

Irgenfried, Stephan; Bergmann, Stephan; Mohammadikaji, Mahsa; Beyerer, Jürgen; Dachsbacher, Carsten; Wörn, Heinz

2017-06-01

In this work, a simulation toolset for Computer Aided Inspection Planning (CAIP) of systems for automated optical inspection (AOI) is presented along with a versatile two-robot-setup for verification of simulation and system planning results. The toolset helps to narrow down the large design space of optical inspection systems in interaction with a system expert. The image formation taking place in optical inspection systems is simulated using GPU-based real time graphics and high quality off-line-rendering. The simulation pipeline allows a stepwise optimization of the system, from fast evaluation of surface patch visibility based on real time graphics up to evaluation of image processing results based on off-line global illumination calculation. A focus of this work is on the dependency of simulation quality on measuring, modeling and parameterizing the optical surface properties of the object to be inspected. The applicability to real world problems is demonstrated by taking the example of planning a 3D laser scanner application. Qualitative and quantitative comparison results of synthetic and real images are presented.

ARCHER-Advanced System for RPVH Inspection and Repair

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomasic, Tomislav; Vukovic, Igor; Bakic, Ante

2014-01-01

The reactor pressure vessel head (RPVH) is an integral part of the reactor coolant pressure boundary. Its integrity is important for the safe and reliable operation of the nuclear power plant (NPP). After detection of the leakage and cracks in French NPP, followed by another that occurred in NPP in USA, methods and frequency of inspection were defined, and are strictly regulated by the US NRC Order EA-03-009 (substituted lately by ASME Code Case N-791-1) since 2003. Usual scope of inspection from inner side of RPVH comprises of visual inspection of the surface, ultrasonic testing (UT) and eddy current testing (ET) of the penetration nozzle and ET of the J-groove weld and nozzle outside surface below the weld. ARCHER, new INETEC's manipulator, is designed to provide full scope inspection of the RPVH, by use of various test modules and by performing the surface repair action on J-groove weld. It is adjustable to work with different types of penetration nozzles and thermal sleeves on both VVER and PWR type of NPP. Due to complex geometry each module is specially designed for particular type of examination. Modules are exchanged through the docking system without need for personnel to enter under the head region, thus reducing the personnel's exposure to the ionizing radiation. The end effectors are used to determine the surface flaws or cracks on inner diameter surface of penetration nozzle gap. It guides a slim sword-like probe which carries a pair of TOFD transducers for detection and sizing of circumferential and axial cracks, an eddy current cross-wounded coil, and a zero-degree UT probe through a gap between the penetration nozzle and thermal sleeve. In case of a non-sleeved penetration nozzle, an open housing module is used. J-groove module is designed to fit geometry of the J-groove weld of penetration nozzle, vent pipe and funnel guide. The whole weld area (2' mm on shell side and 1/2' on nozzle side) is covered by two specially designed

A Collaborative Approach for Surface Inspection Using Aerial Robots and Computer Vision

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Molina

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Aerial robots with cameras on board can be used in surface inspection to observe areas that are difficult to reach by other means. In this type of problem, it is desirable for aerial robots to have a high degree of autonomy. A way to provide more autonomy would be to use computer vision techniques to automatically detect anomalies on the surface. However, the performance of automated visual recognition methods is limited in uncontrolled environments, so that in practice it is not possible to perform a fully automatic inspection. This paper presents a solution for visual inspection that increases the degree of autonomy of aerial robots following a semi-automatic approach. The solution is based on human-robot collaboration in which the operator delegates tasks to the drone for exploration and visual recognition and the drone requests assistance in the presence of uncertainty. We validate this proposal with the development of an experimental robotic system using the software framework Aerostack. The paper describes technical challenges that we had to solve to develop such a system and the impact on this solution on the degree of autonomy to detect anomalies on the surface.

Analysis and 3D inspection system of drill holes in aeronautical surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Rubio, R.; Granero, L.; Sanz, M.; García, J.; Micó, V.

2017-06-01

In aerospace industry, the structure of the aircraft is assembled using small parts or a combination of them that are made with different materials, such as for instance aluminium, titanium, composites or even 3D printed parts. The union between these small parts is a critical point for the integrity of the aircraft. The quality of this union will decide the fatigue of adjacent components and therefore the useful life of them. For the union process the most extended method is the rivets, mainly because their low cost and easy manufacturing. For this purpose it is necessary to made drill holes in the aeronautical surface to insert the rivets. In this contribution, we present the preliminary results of a 3D inspection system [1] for drill holes analysis in aeronautical surfaces. The system, based in optical triangulation, was developed by the Group of Optoelectronic Image Processing from the University of Valencia in the framework of the Airbus Defence and Space (AD&S), MINERVA project (Manufacturing industrial - means emerging from validated automation). The capabilities of the system permits to generate a point cloud with 3D information and GD&T (geometrical dimensions and tolerances) characteristics of the drill hole. For the inner surface defects detection, the system can generate an inner image of the drill hole with a scaled axis to obtain the defect position. In addition, we present the analysis performed for the drills in the wing station of the A-400 M. In this analysis the system was tested for diameters in the range of [10 - 15.96] mm, and for Carbon Fibre.

An application of ultrasonic inspection system (INER-SCAN) inspecting generator retaining rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, L.C.; Hwang, S.C.

1994-01-01

The performances of the automatic ultrasonic inspecting and imaging system (INER-SCAN) developed by the NDT laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research have been enhanced and much more improved to commercial level. With appropriate rearrangements of software libraries, it is used to inspect generator retaining rings which are critical structural rotor components that support the end-turn regions of the rotor wingings against centrifugal forces. The use of the INER-SCAN provides distinct advantages over other systems in terms of the reliability of inspection and the flexibility of system performance modifications. The INER-SCAN system assists users to select and modify ultrasonic parameters under computer-aided environment. In addition, the INER-SCAN system contains the necessary software functions to image the ultrasonic data (A-SCAN, B-SCAN, B'-SCAN, C-SCAN). The use of the imaging system makes it quite easy to evaluate various test parameters and their effects on the discrimination between geometric and IGSCC reflectors. Through experimental test, it is recognized that the system has powerful detectable capability which can find 0.2mm-depth slight scratch on the inner surface of retaining rings. This system can also be used on different generator retaining rings (different in terms of hidden design features) without the need for access to the dimension of retaining ring

Optical fiber inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Francis W.

1987-01-01

A remote optical inspection system including an inspection head. The inspection head has a passageway through which pellets or other objects are passed. A window is provided along the passageway through which light is beamed against the objects being inspected. A plurality of lens assemblies are arranged about the window so that reflected light can be gathered and transferred to a plurality of coherent optical fiber light guides. The light guides transfer the light images to a television or other image transducer which converts the optical images into a representative electronic signal. The electronic signal can then be displayed on a signal viewer such as a television monitor for inspection by a person. A staging means can be used to support the objects for viewing through the window. Routing means can be used to direct inspected objects into appropriate exit passages for accepted or rejected objects. The inspected objects are advantageously fed in a singular manner to the staging means and routing means. The inspection system is advantageously used in an enclosure when toxic or hazardous materials are being inspected.

Full surface inspection methods regarding reinforcement corrosion of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reichling, K.; Raupach, M.; Broomfield, J.; Gulikers, J.; L'Hostis, Valerie

2013-01-01

For reinforced concrete structures a localisation of all significant critical areas can only be done by a full surface inspection. The economic advantages are obvious: uncritical areas have not to be repaired expensively.The first step of the assessment should always be a visual inspection. The range of deterioration causes can be limited and the degree of deterioration may be estimated roughly. The inspection program can be adjusted to the requirements. By means of a full surface potential mapping areas with a high risk for chloride induced reinforcement corrosion can be localised, although no deteriorations are visually detectable at the concrete surface. In combination with concrete cover depth and resistivity measurements areas with corrosion promoting exposure conditions can be localised even if the reinforcement is not yet de-passivated. The following publication gives an overview about the essential full surface investigation methods to localise critical areas regarding corrosion of steel in concrete. The selection of methods is based on the inspection procedure given in reference 2. (authors)

Automated PCB Inspection System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Usama BUKHARI

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Development of an automated PCB inspection system as per the need of industry is a challenging task. In this paper a case study is presented, to exhibit, a proposed system for an immigration process of a manual PCB inspection system to an automated PCB inspection system, with a minimal intervention on the existing production flow, for a leading automotive manufacturing company. A detailed design of the system, based on computer vision followed by testing and analysis was proposed, in order to aid the manufacturer in the process of automation.

An automated miniature robotic vehicle inspection system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dobie, Gordon; Summan, Rahul; MacLeod, Charles; Pierce, Gareth; Galbraith, Walter [Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 204 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1XW (United Kingdom)

2014-02-18

A novel, autonomous reconfigurable robotic inspection system for quantitative NDE mapping is presented. The system consists of a fleet of wireless (802.11g) miniature robotic vehicles, each approximately 175 × 125 × 85 mm with magnetic wheels that enable them to inspect industrial structures such as storage tanks, chimneys and large diameter pipe work. The robots carry one of a number of payloads including a two channel MFL sensor, a 5 MHz dry coupled UT thickness wheel probe and a machine vision camera that images the surface. The system creates an NDE map of the structure overlaying results onto a 3D model in real time. The authors provide an overview of the robot design, data fusion algorithms (positioning and NDE) and visualization software.

An automated miniature robotic vehicle inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobie, Gordon; Summan, Rahul; MacLeod, Charles; Pierce, Gareth; Galbraith, Walter

2014-01-01

A novel, autonomous reconfigurable robotic inspection system for quantitative NDE mapping is presented. The system consists of a fleet of wireless (802.11g) miniature robotic vehicles, each approximately 175 × 125 × 85 mm with magnetic wheels that enable them to inspect industrial structures such as storage tanks, chimneys and large diameter pipe work. The robots carry one of a number of payloads including a two channel MFL sensor, a 5 MHz dry coupled UT thickness wheel probe and a machine vision camera that images the surface. The system creates an NDE map of the structure overlaying results onto a 3D model in real time. The authors provide an overview of the robot design, data fusion algorithms (positioning and NDE) and visualization software

Inspection system performance test procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, C.E.

1995-01-01

This procedure establishes requirements to administer a performance demonstration test. The test is to demonstrate that the double-shell tank inspection system (DSTIS) supplied by the contractor performs in accordance with the WHC-S-4108, Double-Shell Tank Ultrasonic Inspection Performance Specification, Rev. 2-A, January, 1995. The inspection system is intended to provide ultrasonic (UT) and visual data to determine integrity of the Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) site underground waste tanks. The robotic inspection system consists of the following major sub-systems (modules) and components: Mobile control center; Deployment module; Cable management assembly; Robot mechanism; Ultrasonic testing system; Visual testing system; Pneumatic system; Electrical system; and Control system

A survey on inspecting structures using robotic systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Randa Almadhoun

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Advancements in robotics and autonomous systems are being deployed nowadays in many application domains such as search and rescue, industrial automation, domestic services and healthcare. These systems are developed to tackle tasks in some of the most challenging, labour intensive and dangerous environments. Inspecting structures (e.g. bridges, buildings, ships, wind turbines and aircrafts is considered a hard task for humans to perform and of critical importance since missing any details could affect the structure’s performance and integrity. Additionally, structure inspection is time and resource intensive and should be performed as efficiently and accurately as possible. Inspecting various structures has been reported in the literature using different robotic platforms to: inspect difficult to reach areas and detect various types of faults and anomalies. Typically, inspection missions involve performing three main tasks: coverage path planning, shape, model or surface reconstruction and the actual inspection of the structure. Coverage path planning ensures the generation of an optimized path that guarantees the complete coverage of the structure of interest in order to gather highly accurate information to be used for shape/model reconstruction. This article aims to provide an overview of the recent work and breakthroughs in the field of coverage path planning and model reconstruction, with focus on 3D reconstruction, for the purpose of robotic inspection.

Inspection of surface defects for cladding tube with laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senoo, Shigeo; Igarashi, Miyuki; Satoh, Masakazu; Miura, Makoto

1978-01-01

This paper presents the results of experiment on mechanizing the visual inspection of surface defects of cladding tubes and improving the reliability of surface defect inspection. Laser spot inspection method was adopted for this purpose. Since laser speckle pattern includes many informations about surface aspects, the method can be utilized as an effective means for detection or classification of the surface defects. Laser beam is focussed on cladding tube surfaces, and the reflected laser beam forms typical stellar speckle patterns on a screen. Sample cladding tubes are driven in longitudinal direction, and a photo-detector is placed at a position where secondary reflection will fall on the detector. Reflected laser beam from defect-free surfaces shows uniform distribution on the detector. When the incident focussed laser beam is directed to defects, the intensity of the reflected light is reduced. In the second method, laser beam is scanned by a rotating cube mirror. As the results of experiment, the typical patterns caused by defects were observed. It is clear that reflection patterns change with the kinds of defects. The sensitivity of defect detection decreases with the increase in laser beam diameter. Surface defect detection by intensity change was also tested. (Kato, T.)

Reliability of surface inspection techniques for pressurized components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kauppinen, P.; Sillanpaeae, J.

1991-01-01

In the Nordtest NDT-programme (1984 - 1988) the detection of flaws by surface inspection methods has been studied. In the round-robin exercise, 133 test pieces have been inspected by 32 inspectors in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. From the results, the detectability of defects by magnetic particle and liquid-penetrant testing and the influence of materials and techniques used are evaluated. (author)

Remote surface testing and inspection vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyde, E.A.; Goldsmith, H.A.; Proudlove, M.J.

1981-01-01

A remotely controlled vehicle capable of roving over the outer surface of a nuclear reactor primary vessel carrying inspection instrumentation. The vehicle comprises an elongate bridge having a pair of suction support pads. Each pad carries gas thrusters for acting in opposition to the suction effort thereby to reduce adherence of the pads and enable displacement of the vehicle over the surface. The vehicle is supported by a services conducting umbilical. (author)

A Novel Active Imaging Model to Design Visual Systems: A Case of Inspection System for Specular Surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Azorin-Lopez

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The use of visual information is a very well known input from different kinds of sensors. However, most of the perception problems are individually modeled and tackled. It is necessary to provide a general imaging model that allows us to parametrize different input systems as well as their problems and possible solutions. In this paper, we present an active vision model considering the imaging system as a whole (including camera, lighting system, object to be perceived in order to propose solutions to automated visual systems that present problems that we perceive. As a concrete case study, we instantiate the model in a real application and still challenging problem: automated visual inspection. It is one of the most used quality control systems to detect defects on manufactured objects. However, it presents problems for specular products. We model these perception problems taking into account environmental conditions and camera parameters that allow a system to properly perceive the specific object characteristics to determine defects on surfaces. The validation of the model has been carried out using simulations providing an efficient way to perform a large set of tests (different environment conditions and camera parameters as a previous step of experimentation in real manufacturing environments, which more complex in terms of instrumentation and more expensive. Results prove the success of the model application adjusting scale, viewpoint and lighting conditions to detect structural and color defects on specular surfaces.

Nuclear fuel pellet inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, H.J.; Beatty, J.M.; Kugler, R.W.

1992-01-01

At least one axially extending linear portion of the peripheral surface of the pellet is optically sensed, a set of digital values representative of the pellet surface is generated, and the set is compared to a predetermined standard. Groups of adjacent locations on the surface of the pellet having values greater or less than the predetermined standard are identified, and the pellet is rejected, when a flawed area exceeds a predetermined size. During inspection, the pellet is moved axially through an inspection station by parallel support rolls, spaced by a distance less than the pellet diameter. The rolls are rotated upward and outward from each other, rotating the pellet, and chain dogs are positioned between the spaced rolls for engaging a pellet and moving it along the rolls. The pellet is rejected if its peripheral surface area is too great, and a reference pellet may be used. (author)

FPGA based image processing for optical surface inspection with real time constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Hasani, Ylber; Bodenstorfer, Ernst; Brodersen, Jörg; Mayer, Konrad J.

2015-02-01

Today, high-quality printing products like banknotes, stamps, or vouchers, are automatically checked by optical surface inspection systems. In a typical optical surface inspection system, several digital cameras acquire the printing products with fine resolution from different viewing angles and at multiple wavelengths of the visible and also near infrared spectrum of light. The cameras deliver data streams with a huge amount of image data that have to be processed by an image processing system in real time. Due to the printing industry's demand for higher throughput together with the necessity to check finer details of the print and its security features, the data rates to be processed tend to explode. In this contribution, a solution is proposed, where the image processing load is distributed between FPGAs and digital signal processors (DSPs) in such a way that the strengths of both technologies can be exploited. The focus lies upon the implementation of image processing algorithms in an FPGA and its advantages. In the presented application, FPGAbased image-preprocessing enables real-time implementation of an optical color surface inspection system with a spatial resolution of 100 μm and for object speeds over 10 m/s. For the implementation of image processing algorithms in the FPGA, pipeline parallelism with clock frequencies up to 150 MHz together with spatial parallelism based on multiple instantiations of modules for parallel processing of multiple data streams are exploited for the processing of image data of two cameras and three color channels. Due to their flexibility and their fast response times, it is shown that FPGAs are ideally suited for realizing a configurable all-digital PLL for the processing of camera line-trigger signals with frequencies about 100 kHz, using pure synchronous digital circuit design.

System Enhancements for Mechanical Inspection Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Myers IV

2011-01-01

Quality inspection of parts is a major component to any project that requires hardware implementation. Keeping track of all of the inspection jobs is essential to having a smooth running process. By using HTML, the programming language ColdFusion, and the MySQL database, I created a web-based job management system for the 170 Mechanical Inspection Group that will replace the Microsoft Access based management system. This will improve the ways inspectors and the people awaiting inspection view and keep track of hardware as it is in the inspection process. In the end, the management system should be able to insert jobs into a queue, place jobs in and out of a bonded state, pre-release bonded jobs, and close out inspection jobs.

Computerized automated remote inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The automated inspection system utilizes a computer to control the location of the ultrasonic transducer, the actual inspection process, the display of the data, and the storage of the data on IBM magnetic tape. This automated inspection equipment provides two major advantages. First, it provides a cost savings, because of the reduced inspection time, made possible by the automation of the data acquisition, processing, and storage equipment. This reduced inspection time is also made possible by a computerized data evaluation aid which speeds data interpretation. In addition, the computer control of the transducer location drive allows the exact duplication of a previously located position or flaw. The second major advantage is that the use of automated inspection equipment also allows a higher-quality inspection, because of the automated data acquisition, processing, and storage. This storage of data, in accurate digital form on IBM magnetic tape, for example, facilitates retrieval for comparison with previous inspection data. The equipment provides a multiplicity of scan data which will provide statistical information on any questionable volume or flaw. An automatic alarm for location of all reportable flaws reduces the probability of operator error. This system has the ability to present data on a cathode ray tube as numerical information, a three-dimensional picture, or ''hard-copy'' sheet. One important advantage of this system is the ability to store large amounts of data in compact magnetic tape reels

Automated Visual Inspection of Ship Hull Surfaces Using the Wavelet Transform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Fernández-Isla

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A new online visual inspection technique is proposed, based on a wavelet reconstruction scheme over images obtained from the hull. This type of visual inspection to detect defects in hull surfaces is commonly carried out at shipyards by human inspectors before the hull repair task starts. We propose the use of Shannon entropy for automatic selection of the band for image reconstruction which provides a low decomposition level, thus avoiding excessive degradation of the image, allowing more precise defect segmentation. The proposed method here is capable of on-line assisting to a robotic system to perform grit blasting operations over damage areas of ship hulls. This solution allows a reliable and cost-effective operation for hull grit spot blasting. A prototype of the automated blasting system has been developed and tested in the Spanish NAVANTIA shipyards.

The interactive on-site inspection system: An information management system to support arms control inspections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DeLand, S.M.; Widney, T.W.; Horak, K.E.; Caudell, R.B.; Grose, E.M.

1996-12-01

The increasing use of on-site inspection (OSI) to meet the nation`s obligations with recently signed treaties requires the nation to manage a variety of inspection requirements. This document describes a prototype automated system to assist in the preparation and management of these inspections.

Inspecting a research reactor's control rod surface for pitting using a machine vision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokuhiro, Akira T.; Vadakattu, Shreekanth

2005-01-01

Inspection for pits on the control rod is performed to study the degradation of the control rod material which helps estimating the service life of the control rod at UMR nuclear reactor (UMRR). This inspection task is visually inspected and recorded subjectively. The conventional visual inspection to identify pits on the control rod surface can be automated using machine vision technique. Since the in-service control rods were not available to capture images and measure number of pits and size of the pits, the applicability of machine vision method was applied on SAE 1018 steel coupons immersed in oxygen saturated de-ionized water at 30deg, 50deg and 70deg. Images were captured after each test cycle at different light intensity to reveal surface topography of the coupon surface and analyzed for number of pits and pit size using EPIX XCAP-Std software. The captured and analyzed images provided quantitative results for the steel coupons and demonstrated that the method can be applied for identifying pits on control rod surface in place of conventional visual inspection. (author)

High throughput web inspection system using time-stretch real-time imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chanju

Photonic time-stretch is a novel technology that enables capturing of fast, rare and non-repetitive events. Therefore, it operates in real-time with ability to record over long period of time while having fine temporal resolution. The powerful property of photonic time-stretch has already been employed in various fields of application such as analog-to-digital conversion, spectroscopy, laser scanner and microscopy. Further expanding the scope, we fully exploit the time-stretch technology to demonstrate a high throughput web inspection system. Web inspection, namely surface inspection is a nondestructive evaluation method which is crucial for semiconductor wafer and thin film production. We successfully report a dark-field web inspection system with line scan speed of 90.9 MHz which is up to 1000 times faster than conventional inspection instruments. The manufacturing of high quality semiconductor wafer and thin film may directly benefit from this technology as it can easily locate defects with area of less than 10 microm x 10 microm where it allows maximum web flow speed of 1.8 km/s. The thesis provides an overview of our web inspection technique, followed by description of the photonic time-stretch technique which is the keystone in our system. A detailed explanation of each component is covered to provide quantitative understanding of the system. Finally, imaging results from a hard-disk sample and flexible films are presented along with performance analysis of the system. This project was the first application of time-stretch to industrial inspection, and was conducted under financial support and with close involvement by Hitachi, Ltd.

Development of an automatic reactor inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jae Hee; Eom, Heung Seop; Lee, Jae Cheol; Choi, Yoo Raek; Moon, Soon Seung

2002-02-01

Using recent technologies on a mobile robot computer science, we developed an automatic inspection system for weld lines of the reactor vessel. The ultrasonic inspection of the reactor pressure vessel is currently performed by commercialized robot manipulators. Since, however, the conventional fixed type robot manipulator is very huge, heavy and expensive, it needs long inspection time and is hard to handle and maintain. In order to resolve these problems, we developed a new automatic inspection system using a small mobile robot crawling on the vertical wall of the reactor vessel. According to our conceptual design, we developed the reactor inspection system including an underwater inspection robot, a laser position control subsystem, an ultrasonic data acquisition/analysis subsystem and a main control subsystem. We successfully carried out underwater experiments on the reactor vessel mockup, and real reactor ready for Ulchine nuclear power plant unit 6 at Dusan Heavy Industry in Korea. After this project, we have a plan to commercialize our inspection system. Using this system, we can expect much reduction of the inspection time, performance enhancement, automatic management of inspection history, etc. In the economic point of view, we can also expect import substitution more than 4 million dollars. The established essential technologies for intelligent control and automation are expected to be synthetically applied to the automation of similar systems in nuclear power plants

Development of radioactive materials inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Lu; Wang Guobao; Chen Yuhua; Li Latu; Zhang Sujing

2005-01-01

Radioactive materials inspection system which is applied to inspect the horror activities of radioactive materials and its illegal transfer. The detector sections are made of highly stable and credible material. It has high sensitivity to radioactive materials. The inspect lowest limit of inspection is the 2-3 times to the background, the energy range is 30 keV-2.5 MeV and the response time is 0.5 s. Inspection message can be transmitted through wired or wireless web to implement remote control. The structure of the system is small, light and convenient. It is ideal for protecting society and public from the harm of the radiation. (authors)

Operation of inspection data acquisition and evaluation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Yoichi; Harada, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Masayuki; Sakaguchi, Makoto; Ishikawa, Masayuki

2016-01-01

Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) is a large scale plant to treat a huge amount of Plutonium significant for safeguards. The LArge SCAle Reprocessing plant safeguards (LASCAR) Forum recommended an effective utilization of unattended verification systems and automated data acquisition system etc. Based on LASCAR recommendation, Nuclear Material Control Center (NMCC) has developed the inspection data acquisition system as the automated data acquisition system from the unattended verification systems (including non-destructive assay equipment, solution monitoring system and surveillance camera). The data gathered from the unattended verification system are provided to the inspection data evaluation system for the State and the IAEA. In this development, redundancy concepts for data transfer line, in order to prevent inspection data missing, were introduced, and the timely confirmation of solution behaver such as material flows and inventories by the solution monitoring can be achieved. Furthermore, for purpose of efficiency of evaluation of inspection activity for the State, NMCC has developed the inspection data evaluation system which operates automated partition of inspection data coming from each verification equipment. Additionally, the inspection data system evaluation can manage the inspection activities and their efforts. These development and operation have been funded by JSGO (Japan Safeguards Office). This paper describes development history and operation of the inspection data acquisition and evaluation system. (author)

Inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems : what you need to know; L'inspection et l'entretien des systemes de CVCA : ce qu'il faut savoir

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tapp, D. [Groupe Gesfor Poirier, Pinchin Inc., Montreal, PQ (Canada)

2010-01-01

This article described an inspection and maintenance program (IMP) that ensures the cleanliness of building's heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Air quality can be compromised over time as dust accumulates in filters and on internal surfaces of an HVAC. Since mould spores and bacteria are significant components of dust, an excessive accumulation of dust in an HVAC system can lead to microbiological growth issues, particularly in humid conditions. Damaged dampers, missing screens and clogged or inefficient drains can generate indoor air quality issues. As such, preventive inspection of ventilation systems can identify deficiencies as well as future problems. This article also highlighted the integrated services provided by the Gesfor Poirier, Pinchin Group regarding industrial hygiene, health and safety inspection and remediation of HVAC systems and management of asbestos and other hazardous materials in buildings. 4 figs.

Enhanced InService Inspection system for BWR plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shouji, Hajime; Kobayashi, Teruo; Nagao, Tetsuya

1993-01-01

An enhanced InService Inspection system (ISI) has been developed, consisting of newly designed automated scanners, automated pipe inspection system and a high speed data acquisition/analysis station. This system uses a trackless magnetic crawler type nozzle inspection scanner attached to the nozzle shoulder by magnetic wheels. The automated pipe inspection system consists of an automated scanner, controller and high speed data acquisition station. These advanced automatic inspection systems are very useful for ISI, especially in reducing the radiation exposure and time required. (author)

Research and development on in-service inspection system for reactor vessel of FBR's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rindo, Hiroshi; Mitabe, Noriaki; Ara, Kuniaki; Nagai, Keiichi; Otaka, Masahiko

1993-01-01

In-Service Inspection (ISI) is required for main components and piping of FBRs. Visual test and volumetric examination of the reactor vessel (RV) from the outer surface are to be performed under severe conditions such as limited space, high temperature and high gamma dose rate during the reactor shutdown. Therefore, ISI should be performed by using a remote operation system, and the ISI system should be very compact. PNC has been developing the ISI system to apply to the RV inspection. Verification and performance tests of ISI system were carried out by use of the RV test model. This paper describes the system structure, system verification tests including operation and controlling the inspection robot, the functions of the visual test and the volumetric examination under the high temperature

Developing the information management system for safeguards national inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, S. J.; Jeon, I.; Park, W. S.; Min, K. S.

2003-01-01

The inspection information management system for safeguards national inspection is aimed to do the national safeguards inspection with efficiency, and to decrease the inspector's load to write inspection report by systematizing the inspection jobs and sharing the inspection data. National safeguards inspection is consisted two large jobs. The first is the national safeguards supporting job of managing to support the national inspection mission. The other is the writing a national inspection report after completing the national inspection. Before the developing of inspection information management system, the official tools(spread sheet, word processor) are usually used. But there is problem to share the data, to produce the statistics data. To solve the these problem, we developed the inspection information management system that process the job from initial to final inspection work, and opened user education. This paper explain the procedure of developing the inspection information management system for safeguards national inspection

Remote inspection system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inagaki, K.; Fujii, M.; Doi, A.; Harima, T.

1977-01-01

A remote inspection system for nuclear power plants was constructed based on an analysis of inspections performed by an operator on patrol. This system consists of an operator's console and a remote station. The remote station, equipped with five kinds of sensors, is steered along the inspection route by a photoelectric guiding system or may be manually controlled from an operator's console in a main control room. Signals for control and inspection data are multiplexed and transmitted through a coaxial cable

Developing the information management system for safeguards national inspection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, S. J.; Jeon, I.; Park, W. S.; Min, K. S. [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2003-10-01

The inspection information management system for safeguards national inspection is aimed to do the national safeguards inspection with efficiency, and to decrease the inspector's load to write inspection report by systematizing the inspection jobs and sharing the inspection data. National safeguards inspection is consisted two large jobs. The first is the national safeguards supporting job of managing to support the national inspection mission. The other is the writing a national inspection report after completing the national inspection. Before the developing of inspection information management system, the official tools(spread sheet, word processor) are usually used. But there is problem to share the data, to produce the statistics data. To solve the these problem, we developed the inspection information management system that process the job from initial to final inspection work, and opened user education. This paper explain the procedure of developing the inspection information management system for safeguards national inspection.

Intelligent Automated Nuclear Fuel Pellet Inspection System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keyvan, S.

1999-01-01

At the present time, nuclear pellet inspection is performed manually using naked eyes for judgment and decisionmaking on accepting or rejecting pellets. This current practice of pellet inspection is tedious and subject to inconsistencies and error. Furthermore, unnecessary re-fabrication of pellets is costly and the presence of low quality pellets in a fuel assembly is unacceptable. To improve the quality control in nuclear fuel fabrication plants, an automated pellet inspection system based on advanced techniques is needed. Such a system addresses the following concerns of the current manual inspection method: (1) the reliability of inspection due to typical human errors, (2) radiation exposure to the workers, and (3) speed of inspection and its economical impact. The goal of this research is to develop an automated nuclear fuel pellet inspection system which is based on pellet video (photographic) images and uses artificial intelligence techniques

Ultrafast dark-field surface inspection with hybrid-dispersion laser scanning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yazaki, Akio; Kim, Chanju; Chan, Jacky; Mahjoubfar, Ata; Goda, Keisuke; Watanabe, Masahiro; Jalali, Bahram

2014-01-01

High-speed surface inspection plays an important role in industrial manufacturing, safety monitoring, and quality control. It is desirable to go beyond the speed limitation of current technologies for reducing manufacturing costs and opening a new window onto a class of applications that require high-throughput sensing. Here, we report a high-speed dark-field surface inspector for detection of micrometer-sized surface defects that can travel at a record high speed as high as a few kilometers per second. This method is based on a modified time-stretch microscope that illuminates temporally and spatially dispersed laser pulses on the surface of a fast-moving object and detects scattered light from defects on the surface with a sensitive photodetector in a dark-field configuration. The inspector's ability to perform ultrafast dark-field surface inspection enables real-time identification of difficult-to-detect features on weakly reflecting surfaces and hence renders the method much more practical than in the previously demonstrated bright-field configuration. Consequently, our inspector provides nearly 1000 times higher scanning speed than conventional inspectors. To show our method's broad utility, we demonstrate real-time inspection of the surface of various objects (a non-reflective black film, transparent flexible film, and reflective hard disk) for detection of 10 μm or smaller defects on a moving target at 20 m/s within a scan width of 25 mm at a scan rate of 90.9 MHz. Our method holds promise for improving the cost and performance of organic light-emitting diode displays for next-generation smart phones, lithium-ion batteries for green electronics, and high-efficiency solar cells.

Ultrafast dark-field surface inspection with hybrid-dispersion laser scanning

Science.gov (United States)

Yazaki, Akio; Kim, Chanju; Chan, Jacky; Mahjoubfar, Ata; Goda, Keisuke; Watanabe, Masahiro; Jalali, Bahram

2014-06-01

High-speed surface inspection plays an important role in industrial manufacturing, safety monitoring, and quality control. It is desirable to go beyond the speed limitation of current technologies for reducing manufacturing costs and opening a new window onto a class of applications that require high-throughput sensing. Here, we report a high-speed dark-field surface inspector for detection of micrometer-sized surface defects that can travel at a record high speed as high as a few kilometers per second. This method is based on a modified time-stretch microscope that illuminates temporally and spatially dispersed laser pulses on the surface of a fast-moving object and detects scattered light from defects on the surface with a sensitive photodetector in a dark-field configuration. The inspector's ability to perform ultrafast dark-field surface inspection enables real-time identification of difficult-to-detect features on weakly reflecting surfaces and hence renders the method much more practical than in the previously demonstrated bright-field configuration. Consequently, our inspector provides nearly 1000 times higher scanning speed than conventional inspectors. To show our method's broad utility, we demonstrate real-time inspection of the surface of various objects (a non-reflective black film, transparent flexible film, and reflective hard disk) for detection of 10 μm or smaller defects on a moving target at 20 m/s within a scan width of 25 mm at a scan rate of 90.9 MHz. Our method holds promise for improving the cost and performance of organic light-emitting diode displays for next-generation smart phones, lithium-ion batteries for green electronics, and high-efficiency solar cells.

Rail inspection system based on iGPS

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Mulan; Wen, Xiuping

2018-05-01

Track parameters include gauge, super elevation, cross level and so on, which could be calculated through the three-dimensional coordinates of the track. The rail inspection system based on iGPS (indoor/infrared GPS) was composed of base station, receiver, rail inspection frame, wireless communication unit, display and control unit and data processing unit. With the continuous movement of the inspection frame, the system could accurately inspect the coordinates of rail; realize the intelligent detection and precision measurement. According to principle of angle intersection measurement, the inspection model was structured, and detection process was given.

Optimizing the design of international safeguards inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markin, J.T.; Coulter, C.A.; Gutmacher, R.G.; Whitty, W.J.

1983-01-01

Efficient implementation of international inspections for verifying the operation of a nuclear facility requires that available resources be allocated among inspection activities to maximize detection of misoperation. This report describes a design and evaluation method for selecting an inspection system that is optimal for accomplishing inspection objectives. The discussion includes methods for identifying system objectives, defining performance measures, and choosing between candidate systems. Optimization theory is applied in selecting the most preferred inspection design for a single nuclear facility, and an extension to optimal allocation of inspection resources among States containing multiple facilities is outlined. 3 figures, 5 tables

Nuclear reactor vessel surface inspecting technique applying electric resistance probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, T.; Enami, K.; Yoshioka, M.

1975-01-01

A new technique for inspecting the inner surface of the PWR type nuclear reactor vessel by use of an electric resistance probe is introduced, centering on a data processing system. This system is composed of a mini-computer, a system typewriter, an interface unit, a D-A converter and controller, and X-Y recorder and others. Its functions are judging flaws and making flaw detection maps. In order to judge flaws by flaw detection signals, three kinds of flaw judging methods have been developed. In case there is a flaw, its position and depth are calculated and listed on the system typewriter. The flaw detection maps are expressed in four kinds of modes and they are displayed on the X-Y recorder. (auth.)

Machine vision systems using machine learning for industrial product inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Yi; Chen, Tie Q.; Chen, Jie; Zhang, Jian; Tisler, Anthony

2002-02-01

Machine vision inspection requires efficient processing time and accurate results. In this paper, we present a machine vision inspection architecture, SMV (Smart Machine Vision). SMV decomposes a machine vision inspection problem into two stages, Learning Inspection Features (LIF), and On-Line Inspection (OLI). The LIF is designed to learn visual inspection features from design data and/or from inspection products. During the OLI stage, the inspection system uses the knowledge learnt by the LIF component to inspect the visual features of products. In this paper we will present two machine vision inspection systems developed under the SMV architecture for two different types of products, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and Vacuum Florescent Displaying (VFD) boards. In the VFD board inspection system, the LIF component learns inspection features from a VFD board and its displaying patterns. In the PCB board inspection system, the LIF learns the inspection features from the CAD file of a PCB board. In both systems, the LIF component also incorporates interactive learning to make the inspection system more powerful and efficient. The VFD system has been deployed successfully in three different manufacturing companies and the PCB inspection system is the process of being deployed in a manufacturing plant.

Noncontacting Optical Measurement And Inspection Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Asher, Jeffrey A.; Jackson, Robert L.

1986-10-01

Product inspection continues to play a growing role in the improvement of quality and reduction of scrap. Recent emphasis on precision measurements and in-process inspection have been a driving force for the development of noncontacting sensors. Noncontacting sensors can provide long term, unattended use due to the lack of sensor wear. Further, in applications where, sensor contact can damage or geometrically change the part to be measured or inspected, noncontacting sensors are the only technical approach available. MTI is involved in the development and sale of noncontacting sensors and custom inspection systems. This paper will review the recent advances in noncontacting sensor development. Machine vision and fiber optics sensor systems are finding a wide variety of industrial inspection applications. This paper will provide detailed examples of several state-of-the-art applications for these noncontacting sensors.

Remote inspection system for hazardous sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Redd, J.; Borst, C.; Volz, R.A.; Everett, L.J.

1999-04-01

Long term storage of special nuclear materials poses a number of problems. One of these is a need to inspect the items being stored from time to time. Yet the environment is hostile to man, with significant radiation exposure resulting from prolonged presence in the storage facility. This paper describes research to provide a remote inspection capability, which could lead to eliminating the need for humans to enter a nuclear storage facility. While there are many ways in which an RI system might be created, this paper describes the development of a prototype remote inspection system, which utilizes virtual reality technology along with robotics. The purpose of this system is to allow the operator to establish a safe and realistic telepresence in a remote environment. In addition, it was desired that the user interface for the system be as intuitive to use as possible, thus eliminating the need for extensive training. The goal of this system is to provide a robotic platform with two cameras, which are capable of providing accurate and reliable stereographic images of the remote environment. One application for the system is that it might be driven down the corridors of a nuclear storage facility and utilized to inspect the drums inside, all without the need for physical human presence. Thus, it is not a true virtual reality system providing simulated graphics, but rather an augmented reality system, which performs remote inspection of an existing, real environment

Development of high sensitivity and high speed large size blank inspection system LBIS

Science.gov (United States)

Ohara, Shinobu; Yoshida, Akinori; Hirai, Mitsuo; Kato, Takenori; Moriizumi, Koichi; Kusunose, Haruhiko

2017-07-01

The production of high-resolution flat panel displays (FPDs) for mobile phones today requires the use of high-quality large-size photomasks (LSPMs). Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays use several transistors on each pixel for precise current control and, as such, the mask patterns for OLED displays are denser and finer than the patterns for the previous generation displays throughout the entire mask surface. It is therefore strongly demanded that mask patterns be produced with high fidelity and free of defect. To enable the production of a high quality LSPM in a short lead time, the manufacturers need a high-sensitivity high-speed mask blank inspection system that meets the requirement of advanced LSPMs. Lasertec has developed a large-size blank inspection system called LBIS, which achieves high sensitivity based on a laser-scattering technique. LBIS employs a high power laser as its inspection light source. LBIS's delivery optics, including a scanner and F-Theta scan lens, focus the light from the source linearly on the surface of the blank. Its specially-designed optics collect the light scattered by particles and defects generated during the manufacturing process, such as scratches, on the surface and guide it to photo multiplier tubes (PMTs) with high efficiency. Multiple PMTs are used on LBIS for the stable detection of scattered light, which may be distributed at various angles due to irregular shapes of defects. LBIS captures 0.3mμ PSL at a detection rate of over 99.5% with uniform sensitivity. Its inspection time is 20 minutes for a G8 blank and 35 minutes for G10. The differential interference contrast (DIC) microscope on the inspection head of LBIS captures high-contrast review images after inspection. The images are classified automatically.

SICOM: On-site inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serna, J.J.; Quecedo, M.; Fernandez, J.R.

2002-01-01

As the irradiation conditions become more demanding for the fuel than in the past, there is a need for surveillance programs to gather in-reactor operating experience. The data obtained in these programs can be used to assess the performance of current fuel designs and the improvements incorporated to the fuel assembly design, the performance of the advanced cladding alloys, etc. In these regards, valuable data is obtained from on-site fuel inspections. These on-site data comprise fuel assembly dimensional data such as length and distortion (tilt, twist and bow) and fuel rod data such as length and oxide thickness. These data have to be reliable and accurate to be useful thus, demanding a high precision inspection equipment. However, the inspection equipment has to be also robust and flexible enough to operate in the plant spent fuel pool and, sometimes, without interfering in the works carried out during a plant outage. To meet these requirements, during the past years ENUSA and TECNATOM have developed two on-site inspection systems. While the first system can perform most of the typical measurements in a stand-alone manner thus, without interfering with the critical path of the reload, the second one reduces the inspection time but requires using the plant capabilities. The paper describes both equipment for fuel on-site inspection, their characteristics and main features. (author)

System for inspection of stacked cargo containers

Science.gov (United States)

Derenzo, Stephen [Pinole, CA

2011-08-16

The present invention relates to a system for inspection of stacked cargo containers. One embodiment of the invention generally comprises a plurality of stacked cargo containers arranged in rows or tiers, each container having a top, a bottom a first side, a second side, a front end, and a back end; a plurality of spacers arranged in rows or tiers; one or more mobile inspection devices for inspecting the cargo containers, wherein the one or more inspection devices are removeably disposed within the spacers, the inspection means configured to move through the spacers to detect radiation within the containers. The invented system can also be configured to inspect the cargo containers for a variety of other potentially hazardous materials including but not limited to explosive and chemical threats.

RIMACS, Reactor Inspection Main Control System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: RIMACS prepares for automatic inspection files on each inspection item for the reactor. These automatic inspection files provide the data to move RIROB (Reactor Inspection Robot) with laser by interpreting the coordinates of LASPO (Laser Positioner) and the laser detecting device of RIROB in three dimensional space. In addition, when RIROB arrives at the inspecting location, the files provide all values of the manipulator's motions to acquire the ultrasonic data. RIMACS provides various modules in order to perform these complex functions, and the functions are programmed on graphic user interface for the convenience of the user. RIMACS provides various functions, such as insertion of reactor production data, selection of the reactor for inspection, the creation of automatic inspection file, the selection of the inspection item, inspection simulation, and automatic inspection procedures. It also provides all other functions, which are necessary for the inspection, such as operating program download and manual control of LASPO and RIROB, the inspection simulation and the inspection status display by means of the graphic screen, and SODAS (ultra-Sonic Data Acquisition System) drive verification. 2 - Methods: Moving path and operation procedures for inspection robot are generated automatically with Kinematics algorithm. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: A graphics display with MS-Window capability is required

Inspecting rapidly moving surfaces for small defects using CNN cameras

Science.gov (United States)

Blug, Andreas; Carl, Daniel; Höfler, Heinrich

2013-04-01

A continuous increase in production speed and manufacturing precision raises a demand for the automated detection of small image features on rapidly moving surfaces. An example are wire drawing processes where kilometers of cylindrical metal surfaces moving with 10 m/s have to be inspected for defects such as scratches, dents, grooves, or chatter marks with a lateral size of 100 μm in real time. Up to now, complex eddy current systems are used for quality control instead of line cameras, because the ratio between lateral feature size and surface speed is limited by the data transport between camera and computer. This bottleneck is avoided by "cellular neural network" (CNN) cameras which enable image processing directly on the camera chip. This article reports results achieved with a demonstrator based on this novel analogue camera - computer system. The results show that computational speed and accuracy of the analogue computer system are sufficient to detect and discriminate the different types of defects. Area images with 176 x 144 pixels are acquired and evaluated in real time with frame rates of 4 to 10 kHz - depending on the number of defects to be detected. These frame rates correspond to equivalent line rates on line cameras between 360 and 880 kHz, a number far beyond the available features. Using the relation between lateral feature size and surface speed as a figure of merit, the CNN based system outperforms conventional image processing systems by an order of magnitude.

The Ontario hydro low pressure turbine disc inspection program automated ultrasonic inspection systems - an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huggins, J.W.; Chopcian, M.; Grabish, M.

1990-01-01

An overview of the Ontario Hydro Low Pressure Turbine Disc Inspection Program is presented. The ultrasonic inspection systems developed in-house to inspect low pressure turbine discs at Pickering and Bruce Nuclear Generating stations are described. Three aspects of the program are covered: PART I - Background to inspection program, disc cracking experience, and development of an in-house inspection capability: PART II - System development requirements; ultrasonic equipment, electromechanical subsystems and instrumentation console: PART III - Customized software for flaw detection, sizing, data acquisition/storage, advanced signal processing, reports, documentation and software based diagnostics

Compact and air-transportable ultrasonic turbine disc bore inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, R.E.; Leon-Salamanca, T.

1990-01-01

A compact, lightweight, air-transportable ultrasonic inspection system for bore and keyway regions of shrunk-on turbine discs has been developed. The system utilizes a proprietary ultrasound liquid coupling technique in conjunction with a single pair of gimballed search units to achieve rapid and thorough coverage of bores and keyways in both heavy nuclear and standard fossil discs of nearly any size and having any conceivable web surface contour. Search unit positioning and angulation parameter settings are established in near real-time through a computation algorithm based on a compact vector ray tracing protocol. Modular construction and the use of lightweight, stiff materials throughout facilitates air shipment of the system and its rapid deployment at continental and overseas field sites. Mechanical and ultrasonic features of the system are described. Development and application of the computation algorithm to the ultrasonic inspection of heavy discs at an overseas power station is discussed

An inspection demonstration program/a quality system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, L.D.

1995-01-01

Mobil relies on tubular manufacturers to consistently supply OCTG which complies with all material requirements of API Specification 5CT. This paper details the Mobil Inspection Demonstration Program; Mobil's method for qualifying ultrasonic inspection systems for use during Mobil receiving inspections. Additionally, the basic fundamentals of the Mobil quality system and acceptance sampling are presented with an emphasis on tracking short-term and long-term supplier performance

Recommendations and Requirements for Welding and Inspection of Titanium Piping for U.S. Navy Surface Ship Applications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wells, Michael

1999-01-01

The information contained in this report is intended to assist both Navy and shipyard/contractor personnel engaged in the welding and inspection of commercially pure titanium seawater piping systems for U.S. Navy surface ships...

Reliability-Based Inspection Planning for Structural Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

1993-01-01

A general model for reliability-based optimal inspection and repair strategies for structural systems is described. The total expected costs in the design lifetime is minimized with the number of inspections, the inspection times and efforts as decision variables. The equivalence of this model...... with a preposterior analysis from statistical decision theory is discussed. It is described how information obtained by an inspection can be used in a repair decision. Stochastic models for inspection, measurement and repair actions are presented. The general model is applied for inspection and repair planning...

A Steel Ball Surface Quality Inspection Method Based on a Circumferential Eddy Current Array Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Huayu; Xie, Fengqin; Cao, Maoyong; Zhong, Mingming

2017-07-01

To efficiently inspect surface defects on steel ball bearings, a new method based on a circumferential eddy current array (CECA) sensor was proposed here. The best probe configuration, in terms of the coil quality factor (Q-factor), magnetic field intensity, and induced eddy current density on the surface of a sample steel ball, was determined using 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-coil probes, for analysis and comparison. The optimal lift-off from the measured steel ball, the number of probe coils, and the frequency of excitation current suitable for steel ball inspection were obtained. Using the resulting CECA sensor to inspect 46,126 steel balls showed a miss rate of ~0.02%. The sensor was inspected for surface defects as small as 0.05 mm in width and 0.1 mm in depth.

Guided acoustic wave inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Chinn, Diane J.

2004-10-05

A system for inspecting a conduit for undesirable characteristics. A transducer system induces guided acoustic waves onto said conduit. The transducer system detects the undesirable characteristics of the conduit by receiving guided acoustic waves that contain information about the undesirable characteristics. The conduit has at least two sides and the transducer system utilizes flexural modes of propagation to provide inspection using access from only the one side of the conduit. Cracking is detected with pulse-echo testing using one transducer to both send and receive the guided acoustic waves. Thinning is detected in through-transmission testing where one transducer sends and another transducer receives the guided acoustic waves.

Pipeline coating inspection in Mexico applying surface electromagnetic technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delgado, O.; Mousatov, A.; Nakamura, E.; Villarreal, J.M. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (IMP), Mexico City (Mexico); Shevnin, V. [Moscow State University (Russian Federation); Cano, B. [Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), Mexico City (Mexico)

2009-07-01

The main problems in the pipeline systems in Mexico include: extremely aggressive soil characterized by a high clay content and low resistivity, interconnection between several pipes, including electrical contacts of active pipelines with out of service pipes, and short distances between pipes in comparison with their depths which reduce the resolution of coating inspection. The results presented in this work show the efficiency of the Surface Electromagnetic Pipeline Inspection (SEMPI) technology to determine the technical condition of pipelines in situations before mentioned. The SEMPI technology includes two stages: regional and detailed measurements. The regional stage consists of magnetic field measurements along the pipeline using large distances (10 - 100 m) between observation points to delimit zones with damaged coating. For quantitative assessing the leakage and coating resistances along pipeline, additional measurements of voltage and soil resistivity measurements are performed. The second stage includes detailed measurements of the electric field on the pipe intervals with anomalous technical conditions identified in the regional stage. Based on the distribution of the coating electric resistance and the subsoil resistivity values, the delimitation of the zones with different grade of coating quality and soil aggressiveness are performed. (author)

Development and deployment of BARC Vessel Inspection System (BARVIS) for TAPS-1 and 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Jit Pal; Ranjon, R.; Kulkarni, M.P.; Soni, N.L.; Patel, R.J.

2016-01-01

As per regulatory requirements, inspection of welds in Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) is necessary for further continuing operation of TAPS - 1 and 2. Upper shell longitudinal welds of RPV which were seen as inaccessible up till now have been inspected first time since operation of the reactors by deploying Weld Inspection Manipulator (WIM) in Unit-1 in August 2012. Subsequently Unit-2 and again Unit-1 upper shell welds were inspected with upgraded versions of WIM in Feb 2013 and March 2015 respectively. Inspection of upper shell welds paves the way for more challenging inspection of beltline region welds. These welds are accessible only from Inside Diameter (JD) surface through a narrow annular gap of 25 mm between RPV wall and thermal shield by managing obstructions due to core internals. BARC Vessel Inspection System (BARVIS) for inspection of beltline region welds from inner side of the RPV was designed, manufactured, tested and qualified for sending scanning probes in to the annular gap of 25mm as per RPV engineering drawings and also based on actual gap measured in Unit-2. Annular gap measurement was done in Units-1 before deployment of BARVIS during 25 th Refuelling Outage (RFO) in Unit-1. Contrary to the expectation, the annular gap was found less and inspection of beltline region with BARVIS in Unit-1 could not be done. Finally during RFO in January 2016 of Unit-2, BARVIS has been successfully deployed for beltline region welds inspection. BARVIS mainly consists of manipulator, its operating system and data acquisition system. Data acquisition system and data analysis are not covered in this report. (author)

Surface quality inspection of PbWO4 crystals by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mengucci, P.; Di Cristoforo, A.; Lebeau, M.; Majni, G.; Paone, N.; Pietroni, P.; Rinaldi, D.

2005-01-01

High-quality scintillating crystals are required for applications in radiographic systems and high-energy physics detectors to achieve the specified optical properties. In order to study the state of the single crystals surface we propose the use of the grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GID) technique. This technique allows performing a depth profiling of the sample by changing the incidence angle of the X-ray beam with respect to the sample surface. In this work, two samples of a large PbWO 4 (PWO) single crystal exhibiting different surface roughness values have been studied. Results have shown that GID is a suitable technique for surface quality inspection

Development of a remote inspection system for NSSS components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yoo Rark; Kim, Jae Hee; Lee, Jae Cheol

2004-03-01

Different operating systems of computerized inspection equipment cause serious problems in graphic user interface between control computers of inspection equipment and remote user computers. Management cost of interface version is very expensive even if the system has been developed. A solution for the interface problems in accessing the remote inspection system is web-based technology. But time-delay problem of web and java, a compiled type S/W that cooperates with web in control computers of inspection equipment is necessary to solve it. This report describes solutions for developing a remote inspection system based on web and java technology

9 CFR 381.76 - Post-mortem inspection, when required; extent; traditional, Streamlined Inspection System (SIS...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION AND VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION POULTRY PRODUCTS... (NELS) Inspection System, both of which shall be used only for broilers and cornish game hens; the New... Inspection. (i) The SIS shall be used only for broilers and cornish game hens if: (a) The Administrator...

A Steel Ball Surface Quality Inspection Method Based on a Circumferential Eddy Current Array Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huayu Zhang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available To efficiently inspect surface defects on steel ball bearings, a new method based on a circumferential eddy current array (CECA sensor was proposed here. The best probe configuration, in terms of the coil quality factor (Q-factor, magnetic field intensity, and induced eddy current density on the surface of a sample steel ball, was determined using 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-coil probes, for analysis and comparison. The optimal lift-off from the measured steel ball, the number of probe coils, and the frequency of excitation current suitable for steel ball inspection were obtained. Using the resulting CECA sensor to inspect 46,126 steel balls showed a miss rate of ~0.02%. The sensor was inspected for surface defects as small as 0.05 mm in width and 0.1 mm in depth.

Modeling of a remote inspection system for NSSS components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yoo Rark; Kim, Jae Hee; Lee, Jae Cheol

2003-03-01

Safety inspection for safety-critical unit of nuclear power plant has been processed using off-line technology. Thus we can not access safety inspection system and inspection data via network such as internet. We are making an on-line control and data access system based on WWW and JAVA technologies which can be used during plant operation to overcome these problems. Users can access inspection systems and inspection data only using web-browser. This report discusses about analysis of the existing remote system and essential techniques such as Web, JAVA, client/server model, and multi-tier model. This report also discusses about a system modeling that we have been developed using these techniques and provides solutions for developing an on-line control and data access system

CASTOR - Advanced System for VVER Steam Generator Inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mateljak, Petar

2014-01-01

From the safety point of view, steam generator is a very important component of a nuclear power plant. Only a thin tube wall prevents leakage of radioactive material from the primary side into the environment. Therefore, it is very important to perform inspections in order to detect pipe damage and apply appropriate corrective actions during outage. Application of the nondestructive examination (NDE) technique, that can locate degradation and measure its size and orientation, is an integral part of nuclear power plant maintenance. The steam generator inspection system is consisted of remotely controlled manipulator, testing instrument and software for data acquisition and analysis. Recently, the inspection systems have evolved to a much higher level of automation, efficiency and reliability resulting in a lower cost and shorter outage time. Electronic components have become smaller and deal with more complex algorithms. These systems are very fast, precise, reliable and easy to handle. The whole inspection, from the planning, examination, data analysis and final report, is now a highly automated process, which makes inspection much easier and more reliable. This paper presents the new generation of INETEC's VVER steam generator inspection system as ultimate solution for steam generator inspection and repair. (author)

Surface inspection of flat products by means of texture analysis: on-line implementation using neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Carlos; Platero, Carlos; Campoy, Pascual; Aracil, Rafael

1994-11-01

This paper describes some texture-based techniques that can be applied to quality assessment of flat products continuously produced (metal strips, wooden surfaces, cork, textile products, ...). Since the most difficult task is that of inspecting for product appearance, human-like inspection ability is required. A common feature to all these products is the presence of non- deterministic texture on their surfaces. Two main subjects are discussed: statistical techniques for both surface finishing determination and surface defect analysis as well as real-time implementation for on-line inspection in high-speed applications. For surface finishing determination a Gray Level Difference technique is presented to perform over low resolution images, that is, no-zoomed images. Defect analysis is performed by means of statistical texture analysis over defective portions of the surface. On-line implementation is accomplished by means of neural networks. When a defect arises, textural analysis is applied which result in a data-vector, acting as input of a neural net, previously trained in a supervised way. This approach tries to reach on-line performance in automated visual inspection applications when texture is presented in flat product surfaces.

Periodic inspections of the primary system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufour, L.B.

1978-01-01

An impression is given of the inspection techniques, preparations and background for periodic examinations of the primary system of the Dodewaard Nuclear Reactor over the past 10 years. Unfortunately reliable integral inspection techniques to enable 'listening-in' to developing faults, are not yet available. Until they are, inspections will continue to be executed from a distance using different continuous methods, often under water and with a shortage of space and in the presence of ionising radiations. (C.F.)

Inspection of CF188 composite flight control surfaces with neutron radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, W.J.; Bennett, L.G.I.; Mullin, S.K.

1996-01-01

At the Royal Military College of Canada's SLOWPOKE-2 Facility, a neutron radiography facility has been designed and installed using a small (20kWth), pool-type research reactor called the SLOWPOKE-2 (Safe Low Power c(K)ritical Experiment) as the neutron source. Since then, the research has continued along two fronts: developing applications and improving the quality of the neutron beam. The most interesting applications investigated to date has been the inspection of various metal ceramic composites and the inspection of the composite flight control surfaces of some of the CF188 Hornet aircraft. As part of the determination of the integrity of the aircraft, it was decided to inspect an aircraft with the highest flight house using both X- and neutron radiography. The neutron radiography and, to a lesser extent, X-radiography inspections completed at McClellan AFB revealed 93 anomalies. After returning to Canada, the component with the greatest structural significance, namely the right hand rudder from the vertical stabilizer, was removed from the aircraft and put through a rigorous program of numerous NDT inspections, including X-radiography (film and real-time), eddy current, ultrasonics (through transmission and pitch-catch), infrared thermography, and neutron radiography. Therefore, of all the techniques investigated, only through transmission ultrasonics and neutron radiography were able to identify large areas of hydration. However, only neutron radiography could identify the small areas of moisture and hydration. Given the structural significance of the flight control surfaces in modern fighter aircraft, even the smallest amounts of hydration could potentially lead to catastrophic results

Benefits And Humanisation Of The Working Environment By Using Laser Inspection Systems In The Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Peter; Pietzsch, Karl; Feige, Christian

1989-02-01

At a time of rapid development, introduction of new technologies, and increasing world-wide competition, the quality specifications for products and materials becoming even more demanding. This also applies with regard to the avoidance of defects in the surfaces of materials. Consequently there is a need for systems which allow 100% in-line testing of materials and surfaces during the production of, e.g. textiles, data storage media, papers, films and metals. Thanks to its optical and electronical precision, its unlimited applications - even under the most severe conditions-and its absolutely constant acuity, compared with visual inspection, the Sick-Scan-System is an excellent means for improving quality and profits in industrial manufacture, reducing rejects production and thus providing even more customer satisfaction. Here we describe briefly our laser scanner technology. It will set new standards in the area of automatic inspection, and the term laser tested will stablish itself as a mark of quality. In the last few years laser scanning inspection systems have been further developed in collaboration with a large number of materials manufacturers. These systems have been adopted in modern production lines and demonstrate their economy.

Wheel inspection system environment.

Science.gov (United States)

2008-11-18

International Electronic Machines Corporation (IEM) has developed and is now marketing a state-of-the-art Wheel Inspection System Environment (WISE). WISE provides wheel profile and dimensional measurements, i.e. rim thickness, flange height, flange ...

Mechanized ultrasonic inspection of austenitic pipe systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dressler, K.; Luecking, J.; Medenbach, S.

1999-01-01

The contribution explains the system of standard testing methods elaborated by ABB ZAQ GmbH for inspection of austenitic plant components. The inspection tasks explained in greater detail are basic materials testing (straight pipes, bends, and pipe specials), and inspection of welds and dissimilar welds. The techniques discussed in detail are those for detection and sizing of defects. (orig./CB) [de

Tire inspection system with shielded x-ray source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heisner, D.N.; Palermo, A. Jr.; Loyer, P.K.

1976-01-01

An automated tire inspection system is described which employs a penetrative radiation, such as x-radiation, to inspect the integrity of portions of tires fed sequentially along a feed path through a centering station and into a shielded enclosure where an inspection station is defined. Features of the system include a continuously operating x-ray source movable between inspection and retracted positions, and an x-ray shield for covering the source when it is retracted to permit the doors of the shielded enclosure to be opened without danger from escaping radiation. 19 Claims, 38 Drawing Figures

Inspection of austenitic welds with ultrasonic phased array technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia, A.; Fernandez, F. [Tecnatom (Spain); Dutruc, R.; Ferriere, R. [Metalscan (France)

2011-07-01

This series of slides presents the use of ultrasonic phased array technology in the inspection of austenitic welds. The inspection from outside surface (the inspection is performed in contact using wedges to couple the probe to the outer surface of the component) shows that longitudinal wave is the most adequate for perpendicular scans and transversal ultrasonic wave is the most adequate for parallel scans. Detection and length sizing are performed optimally in perpendicular scans. The inspection from inside surface shows: -) Good results in the detection of defects (Sizing has met the requirements imposed by the Authority of the Russian Federation); -) The new design of the mechanical equipment and of the numerous ultrasonic beams refracted by the array probes has increased the volume inspected. The design of the mechanical equipment has also allowed new areas to be inspected (example a piping weld that was not accessible from the outer surface; -) The ultrasonic procedure and Inspection System developed have been validated by the Authority of the Russian Federation. Phase array technique supplies solutions to solve accessibility concerns and improve the ultrasonic inspections of nuclear components

Steam Generator Inspection Planning Expert System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rzasa, P.

1987-01-01

Applying Artificial Intelligence technology to steam generator non-destructive examination (NDE) can help identify high risk locations in steam generators and can aid in preparing technical specification compliant eddy current test (ECT) programs. A steam Generator Inspection Planning Expert System has been developed which can assist NDE or utility personnel in planning ECT programs. This system represents and processes its information using an object oriented declarative knowledge base, heuristic rules, and symbolic information processing, three artificial intelligence based techniques incorporated in the design. The output of the system is an automated generation of ECT programs. Used in an outage inspection, this system significantly reduced planning time

Surface electromagnetic technology for the external inspection of oil and gas pipelines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mousatov, A.; Nakamura, E.; Delgado, O.; Flores, A. [Mexican Petroleum Institute, Mexico City (Mexico); Nakamura, E. [Moscow State University, Moscow (Russian Federation); Shevnin, V. [Moscow State University (Russian Federation)

2009-07-01

In this paper we present a surface electromagnetic technology for the non-destructive pipeline coating inspection (SEMPI). This technology allows: determination of the depth and plane position of pipelines, quantitative evaluation of the insulation resistance and delimitation of zones with coating damages, estimation of the performance of the cathodic protection system (CPS) and detection of its connections to out-of-service pipes and other grounded constructions, and assessment of the soil aggressively. The SEMPI technology is based on the approximation of pipelines by heterogeneous transmission lines with variable leakage conductance and pipe impedance to represent insulation coating and wall thickness damages. Based on the result of simulations, we have optimized the field measurements and developed the interpretation procedure of experimental data. The field operations include surface measurements of magnetic field, voltage on the control posts of the CPS and soil resistivity. In zones with coating damages the detailed measurements can be performed using magnetic or electric field to increase the resolution in localizing and evaluating the insulation damages. The SEMPI technology has been applied for inspections of pipelines with different technical characteristics in complicated environmental conditions. The examples presented in this work confirm the high efficiency of the developed technology for external integrity evaluation of pipelines. (author)

A Laser-based Ultrasonic Inspection System to Detect Micro Fatigue Cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seung Kyu; Baik, Sung Hoon; Park, Moon Cheol; Lim, Chang Hwan; Cha, Hyung Ki

2005-01-01

Laser-based ultrasonic techniques have been established as a viable non-contact alternative to piezoelectric transducers for generating and receiving ultrasound. Laser-based ultrasonic inspection system provides a number of advantages over the conventional generation by piezoelectric transducers, especially a non-contact generation and detection of ultrasonic waves, high spatial scanning resolution, controllable narrow-band and wide-band spectrum, absolute measurements of the moving distance, use of fiber optics, and an ability to operate on curved and rough surfaces and at hard-to-access locations like a nuclear power plant. Ochiai and Miura used the laser-based ultrasound to detect micro fatigue cracks for the inspection of a material degradation in nuclear power plants. This widely applicable laser-based ultrasonic inspection system is comparatively expensive and provides low signal-to-noise ratio to measure ultrasound by using the laser interferometer. Many studies have been carried out to improve the measuring efficiency of the laser interferometer. One of the widely used laser interferometer types to measure the ultrasound is the Confocal Fabry-Perot Interferometer(CFPI). The measurement gain of the CFPI is slightly and continually varied according to the small change of the cavity length and the fluctuations of the measuring laser beam frequency with time. If we continually adjust the voltage of a PZT which is fixed to one of the interferometer mirrors, the optimum working point of the CFPI can be fixed. Though a static stabilizer can fix the gain of the CFPI where the CW laser beam is targeted at one position, it can not be used when the CW laser beam is scanned like a scanning laser source(SLS) technique. A dynamic stabilizer can be used for the scanning ultrasonic inspection system. A robust dynamic stabilizer is needed for an application to the industrial inspection fields. Kromine showed that the SLS technique is effective to detect small fatigue cracks

Accuracy Analysis of a Robotic Radionuclide Inspection and Mapping System for Surface Contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mauer, Georg F.; Kawa, Chris

2008-01-01

The mapping of localized regions of radionuclide contamination in a building can be a time consuming and costly task. Humans moving hand-held radiation detectors over the target areas are subject to fatigue. A contamination map based on manual surveys can contain significant operator-induced inaccuracies. A Fanuc M16i light industrial robot has been configured for installation on a mobile aerial work platform, such as a tall forklift. When positioned in front of a wall or floor surface, the robot can map the radiation levels over a surface area of up to 3 m by 3 m. The robot's end effector is a commercial alpha-beta radiation sensor, augmented with range and collision avoidance sensors to ensure operational safety as well as to maintain a constant gap between surface and radiation sensors. The accuracy and repeatability of the robotically conducted contamination surveys is directly influenced by the sensors and other hardware employed. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of various non-contact sensors for gap measurement, and the means to compensate for predicted systematic errors that arise during the area survey scans. The range sensor should maintain a constant gap between the radiation counter and the surface being inspected. The inspection robot scans the wall surface horizontally, moving down at predefined vertical intervals after each scan in a meandering pattern. A number of non-contact range sensors can be employed for the measurement of the gap between the robot end effector and the wall. The nominal gap width was specified as 10 mm, with variations during a single scan not to exceed ± 2 mm. Unfinished masonry or concrete walls typically exhibit irregularities, such as holes, gaps, or indentations in mortar joints. These irregularities can be sufficiently large to indicate a change of the wall contour. The responses of different sensor types to the wall irregularities vary, depending on their underlying principles of operation. We explored

Low-level stored waste inspection using mobile robots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byrd, J.S.; Pettus, R.O.

1996-01-01

A mobile robot inspection system, ARIES (Autonomous Robotic Inspection Experimental System), has been developed for the U.S. Department of Energy to replace human inspectors in the routine, regulated inspection of radioactive waste stored in drums. The robot will roam the three-foot aisles of drums, stacked four high, making decisions about the surface condition of the drums and maintaining a database of information about each drum. A distributed system of onboard and offboard computers will provide versatile, friendly control of the inspection process. This mobile robot system, based on a commercial mobile platform, will improve the quality of inspection, generate required reports, and relieve human operators from low-level radioactive exposure. This paper describes and discusses primarily the computer and control processes for the system

Development of In-situation radioactivity Inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, Sujung; Lee, Sanghun; Kim, Miyoung; Kim, Myungjin; Lee, Unjang; Park, Jungkyun

2015-01-01

Many Korean people worry about radioactive contamination of Japanese and Korean marine products. Radioactive contamination of processed foodstuffs, livestock, marine products, farm products imported from Japan and fishes caught in coastal waters of Korea has become an important social issue. Radioactivity inspections of those foods are executed manually with portable measuring instruments or at labs using their samples. In consequence, there are some problem of time delay and low reliability. To protect the health of citizens from radioactivity contained in Japanese marine products imported to Korea, a system to inspect radioactivity in real time will be developed. The system is to measure the radioactivity level of farm and marine products continuously and automatically at inspection sites of an agency checking radiation of imported foodstuffs to determine radioactive contamination. Product performance assessment and tests will be conducted later. When the system develops and its commercialization begins, people's anxiety about radioactive contamination of foods after the Fukushima nuclear accident will be eased and people will be able to trust the radioactive inspection

Development of In-situation radioactivity Inspection system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Min, Sujung; Lee, Sanghun; Kim, Miyoung; Kim, Myungjin; Lee, Unjang [ORIONENC Co., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jungkyun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

Many Korean people worry about radioactive contamination of Japanese and Korean marine products. Radioactive contamination of processed foodstuffs, livestock, marine products, farm products imported from Japan and fishes caught in coastal waters of Korea has become an important social issue. Radioactivity inspections of those foods are executed manually with portable measuring instruments or at labs using their samples. In consequence, there are some problem of time delay and low reliability. To protect the health of citizens from radioactivity contained in Japanese marine products imported to Korea, a system to inspect radioactivity in real time will be developed. The system is to measure the radioactivity level of farm and marine products continuously and automatically at inspection sites of an agency checking radiation of imported foodstuffs to determine radioactive contamination. Product performance assessment and tests will be conducted later. When the system develops and its commercialization begins, people's anxiety about radioactive contamination of foods after the Fukushima nuclear accident will be eased and people will be able to trust the radioactive inspection.

14 CFR 21.125 - Production inspection system: Materials Review Board.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... § 21.125 Production inspection system: Materials Review Board. Link to an amendment published at 74 FR... Materials Review Board action for at least two years. (b) The production inspection system required in § 21... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Production inspection system: Materials...

Design and implementation for integrated UAV multi-spectral inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, X.; Li, X.; Yan, F.

2018-04-01

In order to improve the working efficiency of the transmission line inspection and reduce the labour intensity of the inspectors, this paper presents an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) inspection system architecture for the transmission line inspection. In this document, the light-duty design for different inspection equipment and processing terminals is completed. It presents the reference design for the information-processing terminal, supporting the inspection and interactive equipment accessing, and obtains all performance indicators of the inspection information processing through the tests. Practical application shows that the UAV inspection system supports access and management of different types of mainstream fault detection equipment, and can implement the independent diagnosis of the detected information to generate inspection reports in line with industry norms, which can meet the fast, timely, and efficient requirements for the power line inspection work.

System and method for online inspection of turbines using an optical tube with broadspectrum mirrors

Science.gov (United States)

Baleine, Erwan

2015-12-22

An optical inspection system for nondestructive internal visual inspection and non-contact infra-red (IR) temperature monitoring of an online, operating power generation turbine. The optical inspection system includes an optical tube having a viewing port, at least one reflective mirror or a mirror array having a reflectivity spectral range from 550 nm to 20 .mu.m, and capable of continuous operation at temperatures greater than 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius), and a transparent window with high transmission within the same spectral range mounted distal the viewing port. The same optical mirror array may be used to measure selectively surface temperature of metal turbine blades in the near IR range (approximately 1 .mu.m wavelength) and of thermal barrier coated turbine blades in the long IR range (approximately 10 .mu.m wavelength).

Study of a risk-based piping inspection guideline system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tien, Shiaw-Wen; Hwang, Wen-Tsung; Tsai, Chih-Hung

2007-02-01

A risk-based inspection system and a piping inspection guideline model were developed in this study. The research procedure consists of two parts--the building of a risk-based inspection model for piping and the construction of a risk-based piping inspection guideline model. Field visits at the plant were conducted to develop the risk-based inspection and strategic analysis system. A knowledge-based model had been built in accordance with international standards and local government regulations, and the rational unified process was applied for reducing the discrepancy in the development of the models. The models had been designed to analyze damage factors, damage models, and potential damage positions of piping in the petrochemical plants. The purpose of this study was to provide inspection-related personnel with the optimal planning tools for piping inspections, hence, to enable effective predictions of potential piping risks and to enhance the better degree of safety in plant operations that the petrochemical industries can be expected to achieve. A risk analysis was conducted on the piping system of a petrochemical plant. The outcome indicated that most of the risks resulted from a small number of pipelines.

Machine vision system for remote inspection in hazardous environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukherjee, J.K.; Krishna, K.Y.V.; Wadnerkar, A.

2011-01-01

Visual Inspection of radioactive components need remote inspection systems for human safety and equipment (CCD imagers) protection from radiation. Elaborate view transport optics is required to deliver images at safe areas while maintaining fidelity of image data. Automation of the system requires robots to operate such equipment. A robotized periscope has been developed to meet the challenge of remote safe viewing and vision based inspection. (author)

Employing innovative techniques to reduce inspection times

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heumueller, R.; Guse, G.; Dirauf, F.; Fischer, E.

1997-01-01

Shorter inspection periods mean lower revision costs and less tight revision schedules, but must not detract from the quality of inspection findings. This requirement imposes upon the company performing the inspection the need for top achievements both in quality management and in the use of innovative techniques. Flexible equipment systems and inspection techniques adapted to specific purposes are able to reduce inspection times in many inspection jobs. As part of a complete system designed to reduce inspection times, the new Saphir (Siemens Alok Phased Array Integrated Reliable UT-System) inspection equipment system is the core of most of the recent innovations. Being an integrated inspection equipment system, it is able to handle conventional US probes as well as arrays and phased arrays. It is open for further matching to specific inspection and administrative requirements and developments, and it may be incorporated in the network of an integrated system with a database. A technological leap in probe design in the past few years has allowed controllable wave fields to be generated which are in no way inferior to those of conventional probes with fixed angles of incidence. In this way, a number of inspection techniques can be implemented with a single probe. This reduces inspection times, setup and retooling times, and doses. Typical examples already used in practice are the LLT (longitudinal-longitudinal-transverse waves) technique and the integration of inspections for longitudinal and transverse defects in a single run. In the near future, surfaces with complicated curvatures will be inspected by novel modular robot systems consisting of individual modules of linear axes and rotational axes. (orig.) [de

Ultrasonic inspection of inpile tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, D.M.; Bossi, H.

1985-01-01

The in-service inspection (ISI) of inpile tubes can be performed accurately and safely with a semiautomatic ultrasonic inspection system. The ultrasonic technique uses a set of multiple transducers to detect and size cracks, voids, and laminations radially and circumferentially. Welds are also inspected for defects. The system is designed to inspect stainless steel and Inconel tubes ranging from 53.8 mm (2.12 in.) to 101.6 mm (4 in.) inner diameter with wall thickness on the order of 5 mm. The inspection head contains seven transducers mounted in a surface-following device. Six angle-beam transducers generate shear waves in the tubes. Two of the six are oriented to detect circumferential cracks, and two detect axial cracks. Although each of these four transducers is used in the pulse-echo mode, they are oriented in aligned sets so pitch-catch operation is possible if desired. The remaining angle-beam transducers are angulated to detect flaws that are off axial or circumferential orientation. The seventh transducer is used for longitudinal inspection and detects and sizes laminar-type defects

An automatic chip structure optical inspection system for electronic components

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Zhichao; Xue, Bindang; Liang, Jiyuan; Wang, Ke; Chen, Junzhang; Liu, Yunhe

2018-01-01

An automatic chip structure inspection system based on machine vision is presented to ensure the reliability of electronic components. It consists of four major modules, including a metallographic microscope, a Gigabit Ethernet high-resolution camera, a control system and a high performance computer. An auto-focusing technique is presented to solve the problem that the chip surface is not on the same focusing surface under the high magnification of the microscope. A panoramic high-resolution image stitching algorithm is adopted to deal with the contradiction between resolution and field of view, caused by different sizes of electronic components. In addition, we establish a database to storage and callback appropriate parameters to ensure the consistency of chip images of electronic components with the same model. We use image change detection technology to realize the detection of chip images of electronic components. The system can achieve high-resolution imaging for chips of electronic components with various sizes, and clearly imaging for the surface of chip with different horizontal and standardized imaging for ones with the same model, and can recognize chip defects.

An automated system for rail transit infrastructure inspection.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

This project applied commercial remote sensing and spatial information (CRS&SI) : technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), laser, GIS, and GPS to passenger rail : inspections. An integrated rail inspection system that can be mounted on hi...

Surface quality and topographic inspection of variable compliance part after precise turning

Science.gov (United States)

Nieslony, P.; Krolczyk, G. M.; Wojciechowski, S.; Chudy, R.; Zak, K.; Maruda, R. W.

2018-03-01

The paper presents the problem of precise turning of the mould parts with variable compliance and demonstrates a topographic inspection of the machined surface quality. The study was conducted for the cutting tools made of cemented carbide with coatings, in a range of variable cutting parameters. The long shaft with special axial hole, made of hardened 55NiCrMoV6 steel was selected as a workpiece. The carried out study included the stiffness measurement of the machining system, as well as the investigation of cutting force components. In this context, the surface topography parameters were evaluated using the stylus profile meter and analysed. The research revealed that the surface topography, alongside the 3D functional parameters, and PSD influences the performance of the machined surface. The lowest surface roughness parameters values, equalled to Sa = 1 μm and Sz = 4.3 μm have been obtained during turning with cutting speed vc = 90 m/min. The stable turning of variable compliance part affects the surface texture formation with a unidirectional perpendicular, anisotropic structure. Nevertheless, in case of unstable turning, the characteristic chatter marks are observed, and process dynamics has greater contribution in formation of surface finish than turning kinematics and elastic plastic deformation of workpiece.

Inspection methods for safeguards systems at nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minichino, C.; Richard, E.W.

1981-01-01

A project team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been developing inspection procedures and training materials for the NRC inspectors of safeguards systems at licensed nuclear facilities. This paper describes (1) procedures developed for inspecting for compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations, (2) training materials for safeguards inspectors on technical topics related to safeguards systems, such as computer surety, alarm systems, sampling techniques, and power supplies, and (3) an inspector-oriented methodology for evaluating the overall effectiveness of safeguards systems

Development of the pellet grinding and inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Toshihiro; Kawasaki, Takao; Inui, Toshihiko; Yamada, Hiroyuki.

1996-01-01

The pellet grinding and inspection system is the facility of producing the MOX fuel for FBRs, and it was delivered in March, 1996 to the No. 3 Development Office of the plutonium fuel shop in Tokai of Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation. This facility realized the high speed processing using the compact facility by combining the grinding of pellets, the inspection of outer density and appearance, the rationalization of the facility and the high performance automation equipment. The production processes of MOX comprise the processes of powder, sinter, finish and inspection, fabrication and assembling. The requirement for developing these facilities is shown. The features of this pellet grinding and inspection system are the compact facility by the combination of functions, high speed processing, the reduction of holdup in processes and the improvement of maintenance. These features are explained. The main components are simple sorting equipment, grinder, grinding dust recovering equipment, outside diameter and density sorting equipment and appearance inspection equipment. The constitution and the main functions of the control facility are described. The operational process is explained. (K.I.)

ROBOTIC TANK INSPECTION END EFFECTOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rachel Landry

1999-01-01

The objective of this contract between Oceaneering Space Systems (OSS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) was to provide a tool for the DOE to inspect the inside tank walls of underground radioactive waste storage tanks in their tank farms. Some of these tanks are suspected to have leaks, but the harsh nature of the environment within the tanks precludes human inspection of tank walls. As a result of these conditions only a few inspection methods can fulfill this task. Of the methods available, OSS chose to pursue Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM), because it does not require clean surfaces for inspection, nor any contact with the Surface being inspected, and introduces no extra by-products in the inspection process (no coupling fluids or residues are left behind). The tool produced by OSS is the Robotic Tank Inspection End Effector (RTIEE), which is initially deployed on the tip of the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA). The RTEE combines ACFM with a color video camera for both electromagnetic and visual inspection The complete package consists of an end effector, its corresponding electronics and software, and a user's manual to guide the operator through an inspection. The system has both coarse and fine inspection modes and allows the user to catalog defects and suspected areas of leakage in a database for further examination, which may lead to emptying the tank for repair, decommissioning, etc.. The following is an updated report to OSS document OSS-21100-7002, which was submitted in 1995. During the course of the contract, two related sub-tasks arose, the Wall and Coating Thickness Sensor and the Vacuum Scarifying and Sampling Tool Assembly. The first of these sub-tasks was intended to evaluate the corrosion and wall thinning of 55-gallon steel drums. The second was retrieved and characterized the waste material trapped inside the annulus region of the underground tanks on the DOE's tank farms. While these sub-tasks were derived from the original intent

Ultrasonic inspection experience of steam generator tubes at Ontario Hydro and the TRUSTIE inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, E.I.; Jansen, D.

1998-01-01

Ontario Hydro have been using ultrasonic test (UT) technique to inspect steam generator (SG) tubes since 1993. The UT technique has higher sensitivity in detecting flaws in SG tubes and can characterize the flaws with higher accuracy. Although an outside contractor was used initially, Ontario Hydro has been using a self-developed system since 1995. The TRUSTIE system (Tiny Rotating UltraSonic Tube Inspection Equipment) was developed by Ontario Hydro Technologies specifically for 12.7 mm outside diameter (OD) tubes, and later expanded to larger tubes. To date TRUSTIE has been used in all of Ontario Hydro's nuclear generating stations inspecting for flaws such as pitting, denting, and cracks at top-of-tubesheet to the U-bend region. (author)

Plant inspection tours with mobile data logging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roesser, U.

2006-01-01

The MDE Mobile Data Logging System has been introduced in a number of German power plants for efficient logging, evaluation, and quality-assured documentation of data recorded on plant inspection tours by means of pocket PCs instead of slips of paper. It will be installed in other nuclear power plants in the near future. The MDE system is composed of the pocket PCs for logging data during plant inspection tours, the associated docking stations installed in the respective areas of application, one PC or, if necessary, several PCs with the appropriate user software, and the associated network links. To install the software in the power plant, lists of rooms and measurement stations as well as other positions on an inspection course are transmitted to the MDE system. When the system has been commissioned, inspection tours are planned in accordance with past experience and optimized in the computer. User experience is taken into account in program updates. New functions improve user comfort and ease of evaluation. Additions to the MDE software, and applications in other areas, are tentatively planned and will be implemented as the need arises. (orig.)

Transfer system development for a remote inspection robot in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizuno, M.; Ohnuma, M.; Hamada, K.; Mizutani, T.; Shimada, A.; Segawa, M.; Kubo, K.

1984-01-01

A remote operated robot system has been developed for inspection inside the primary containment vessel (PCV) of nuclear power plants. This system consists of an inspection vehicle, a monorail driving system, a signal transmission system, a power supply system and an operator console.. The system has two main features. First is that the operator can transfer the vehicle at any time from outside the PCV to inside or vice versa through a personnel airlock. The second feature is that the vehicle can be transported from one inspection route to another route at junction points. A prototype inspection robot system was fabricated on a trial basis. Running and inspection performances were confirmed utilizing actual size test apparatus

A development methodology for a remote inspection system with JAVA and socket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yoo Rark; Lee, Jae Cheol; Kim, Jae Hee

2004-01-01

We have developed RISYS (Reactor Inspection System) which inspects reactor vessel welds by an underwater mobile robot. The system consists of a main control computer and an inspection robot which is controlled by the main control computer. Since the environments of the inspection tasks in a nuclear plant, like in other industrial fields, is very poor, serious accidents often happen. Therefore the necessity for remote inspection and control system has increased more and more. We have carried out the research for a remote inspection model for RISYS, and have adopted the world wide web, java, and socket technologies for it. Client interface to access the main control computer that controls the inspection equipment is essential for the development of a remote inspection system. It has been developed with a traditional programming language, for example, Visual C++, Visual Basic and X-Window. However, it is too expensive to vend and maintain the version of a interface program because of the different computer O/S. Nevertheless web and java technologies come to the fore to solve the problems but the java interpreting typed language could incur a performance problem in operating the remote inspection system. We suggest a methodology for developing a remote inspection system with java, a traditional programming language, and a socket programming that solves the java performance problem in this paper

The development of in-cell remote inspection system in Tokai reprocessing plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishibashi, Yuzo

1985-01-01

In the Tokai fuel reprocessing plant, the containment is triple, i.e. the vessel containing radioactive material, then the concrete cell structure and finally the housing building. The fuel reprocessing plant is now proceeding with the development of an in-cell remote inspection system. The inspection system is for inspection of the cell itself and the equipment etc. in the cell, concerning the integrity. Described are the following: the course taken and problems in development of the remote inspection system; development of the floor rambling type remote inspection equipment and the multiple armed type, both for inspection of in-cell ''drip trays''; in-cell equipment inspection devices in specifications etc.; problems in its future development. (Mori, K.)

Eddy current inspection of steam generator tubing plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullen, W.K.

1990-01-01

In response to the issues raised regarding the integrity of nuclear steam generator tubing plugs manufactured from certain heats of Inconel 600, Westinghouse engineers have developed, qualified and implemented an eddy current inspection system for the in-place assessment of these plugs. The heart of the system is a robotic and effector which delivers an eddy current sensor through the reduced diameter of the plug expander and actuates the coil to physical contact with the expanded inside bore of the plug. Once deployed, the eddy current sensor is rotated along a helical path to produce a detailed scan of the plug surface above the final position of the expander. This testing produces an isometric display of degradation due to primary water stress corrosion cracking, on the inside surface of the plug. To date, successful inspections have been conducted at two nuclear units with two different robotic delivery systems. While designed specifically for mechanical plugs with a bottle bore cavity, the inspection system can also be used for expanded straight bore plugs. Details of the inspection system along with a discussion of qualification activities and actual field results are presented in this paper

Noncontact inspection laser system for characterization of piezoelectric samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jimenez, F.J.; Frutos, J. de

2004-01-01

In this work measurements on a piezoelectric sample in dynamic behavior were taken, in particular, around the frequencies of resonance for the sample where the nonlineal effects are accentuated. Dimension changes in the sample need to be studied as that will allow a more reliable characterization of the piezoelectric samples. The goal of this research is to develop an inspection system able to obtain measurements, using a noncontact laser displacement transducer, also able to visualize, in three-dimensional graphic environment, the displacement that takes place in a piezoelectric sample surface. In resonant mode, the vibration mode of the sample is visualized

Mobile waste inspection real time radiography system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vigil, J.; Taggart, D.; Betts, S.; Rael, C.; Martinez, F.; Mendez, J.

1995-01-01

The 450-KeV Mobile Real Time Radiography System was designed and purchased to inspect containers of radioactive waste produced at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Mobile Real Time Radiography System has the capability of inspecting waste containers of various sizes from 5-gal. buckets to standard waste boxes (SWB, dimensions 54.5 in. x 71 in. x 37 in.). The fact that this unit is mobile makes it an attractive alternative to the costly road closures associated with moving waste from the waste generator to storage or disposal facilities

Automated ultrasonic inspection system for nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1976-01-01

The automated system of ultrasonic inspection which was used to conduct weld inspections of the complex primary system of the Borselle PWR station is described. It relies upon mechanically traversing purpose designed multi-crystal ultrasonic probes along the welds. A number of probes are switched sequentially to provide a continuous scan. A typical scan rate of 120 scan/sec is achieved by a multiplexer capable of switching transmitter and receiver individually. The system has wide applications in other industries. (U.K.)

To develop a flying fish egg inspection system by a digital imaging base system

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chun-Jen; Jywe, Wenyuh; Hsieh, Tung-Hsien; Chen, Chien Hung

2015-07-01

This paper develops an automatic optical inspection system for flying fish egg quality inspection. The automatic optical inspection system consists of a 2-axes stage, a digital camera, a lens, a LED light source, a vacuum generator, a tube and a tray. This system can automatically find the particle on the flying egg tray and used stage to driver the tube onto the particle. Then use straw and vacuum generator to pick up the particle. The system pick rate is about 30 particles per minute.

Optimal Inspection and Maintenance Strategies for Structural Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sommer, A. M.

The aim of this thesis is to give an overview of conventional and optimal reliability-based inspection and maintenance strategies and to examine for specific structures how the cost can be reduced and/or the safety can be improved by using optimal reliability-based inspection strategies....... For structures with several almost similar components it is suggested that individual inspection strategies should be determined for each component or a group of components based on the reliability of the actual component. The benefit of this procedure is assessed in connection with the structures considered....... Furthermore, in relation to the calculations performed the intention is to modify an existing program for determination of optimal inspection strategies. The main purpose of inspection and maintenance of structural systems is to prevent or delay damage or deterioration to protect people, environment...

Remote visual inspection of nuclear fuel pellets with fiber optics and video image processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, F.W.

1986-01-01

Westinghouse Hanford Company has designed and is constructing a nuclear fuel fabrication process line for the Department of Energy. This process line includes a pellet surface inspection system that remotely inspects the cylindrical surface of nuclear fuel pellets for surface spots, flaws, or discoloration. The pellets are inspected on a 100 percent basis after pellet sintering. A feeder will deliver the pellets directly to a fiber optic inspection head. The inspection head will view one pellet surface at a time. The surface image of the pellet will be imaged to a closed-circuit color television camera (CCTV). The output signal of the CCTV will be input to a digital imaging processor that stores approximately 25 pellet images at a time. A human operator will visually examine the images of the pellet surfaces on a high resolution monitor and accept or reject the pellets based on visual standards. The operator will use a digitizing tablet to record the location of rejected pellets, which will then be automatically removed from the product stream. The system is expandable to automated disposition of the pellet surface image

Remote visual inspection of nuclear fuel pellets with fiber optics and video image processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, F.W.

1985-01-01

Westinghouse Hanford Company has designed and is constructing a nuclear fuel fabrication process line for the Department of Energy. This process line includes a pellet surface inspection system that remotely inspects the cylindrical surface of nuclear fuel pellets for surface spots, flaws, or discoloration. The pellets are inspected on a 100% basis after pellet sintering. A feeder will deliver the pellets directly to fiber optic inspection head. The inspection head will view one pellet surface at a time. The surface image of the pellet will be imaged to a closed-circuit color television camera (CCTV). The output signal of the CCTV will be input to a digital imaging processor that stores approximately 25 pellet images at a time. A human operator will visually examine the images of the pellet surfaces on a high resolution monitor and accept or reject the pellets based on visual standards. The operator will use a digitizing tablet to record the location of rejected pellets, which will then be automatically removed from the product stream. The system is expandable to automated disposition of the pellet surface image

Development of Remote Inspection Systems with the Java Applet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yoo Rark; Lee, Jae Cheol; Kim, Jae Hee

2005-01-01

The world wide web and java are powerful networking technologies on the internet. An applet is a program written in the java programming language that can be included in an HTML page, much in the same way as an image is included. When we use a Java technology-enabled browser to view a page that contains an applet, the applet code is transferred to a client's system and executed by the browser's Java Virtual Machine (JVM). We have developed two remote inspection systems for a reactor wall inspection and guide tube spilt pin inspection based on the java and traditional programming language. The java is used on a GUI(graphic user interface) and the traditional visual C++ programming language is used to control the inspection equipments

Pulse-echo ultrasonic inspection system for in-situ nondestructive inspection of Space Shuttle RCC heat shields.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roach, Dennis Patrick; Walkington, Phillip D.; Rackow, Kirk A.

2005-06-01

The reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) heat shield components on the Space Shuttle's wings must withstand harsh atmospheric reentry environments where the wing leading edge can reach temperatures of 3,000 F. Potential damage includes impact damage, micro cracks, oxidation in the silicon carbide-to-carbon-carbon layers, and interlaminar disbonds. Since accumulated damage in the thick, carbon-carbon and silicon-carbide layers of the heat shields can lead to catastrophic failure of the Shuttle's heat protection system, it was essential for NASA to institute an accurate health monitoring program. NASA's goal was to obtain turnkey inspection systems that could certify the integrity of the Shuttle heat shields prior to each mission. Because of the possibility of damaging the heat shields during removal, the NDI devices must be deployed without removing the leading edge panels from the wing. Recently, NASA selected a multi-method approach for inspecting the wing leading edge which includes eddy current, thermography, and ultrasonics. The complementary superposition of these three inspection techniques produces a rigorous Orbiter certification process that can reliably detect the array of flaws expected in the Shuttle's heat shields. Sandia Labs produced an in-situ ultrasonic inspection method while NASA Langley developed the eddy current and thermographic techniques. An extensive validation process, including blind inspections monitored by NASA officials, demonstrated the ability of these inspection systems to meet the accuracy, sensitivity, and reliability requirements. This report presents the ultrasonic NDI development process and the final hardware configuration. The work included the use of flight hardware and scrap heat shield panels to discover and overcome the obstacles associated with damage detection in the RCC material. Optimum combinations of custom ultrasonic probes and data analyses were merged with the inspection procedures needed to

14 CFR 125.507 - Fuel tank system inspection program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fuel tank system inspection program. 125... Airworthiness and Safety Improvements § 125.507 Fuel tank system inspection program. (a) Except as provided in... fuel tank is installed under a field approval, before June 16, 2008, the certificate holder must submit...

14 CFR 91.1507 - Fuel tank system inspection program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fuel tank system inspection program. 91... Airworthiness and Safety Improvements § 91.1507 Fuel tank system inspection program. (a) Except as provided in... fuel tank is installed under a field approval, before June 16, 2008, the operator must submit to the...

Information managing in 60Co container inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Zhifang; Gu Bohua; Zhou Liye; An Jigang; Liu Yisi

1998-01-01

The design, maintenance and realization of information managing database in 60 Co container inspection system made by INET of Tsinghua University is introduced. The technique of Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is adopted to develop a general format database including text and graphic information. The database application is developed with Visual C ++ 5.0 programming language to run in 32-bit Windows operation system. It conforms to Client/Server model and supports network communication. It works very well in the laboratory emulator of 60 Co container inspection system

Development of the radiation inspection system for food materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Min, Sujung; Kim, Heeyoung; Kim, Myungjin; Lee, Unjang [ORIONENC Co., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

Radioactive contamination of processed foodstuffs, livestock, marine products, farm products imported from Japan and fishes caught in coastal waters of Korea has become an important social issue. Recently, there are also needs of inspection system for monitoring of public meals such like school feedings of kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and university. Radioactivity inspections of those foods are executed manually with portable measuring instruments or at labs using their samples. But, radioactivity inspections of those foods should execute field survey in real time. In consequence, there are some problem of time delay and low reliability. To protect the health of citizens from radioactivity contained in Japanese marine products imported to Korea, a system to inspect radioactivity in real time is developed. The system is to measure the radioactivity level of farm and marine products and public meals continuously and automatically at inspection sites of an agency checking radiation of imported foodstuffs to determine radioactive contamination. Performance was identified through the performance test (Cs-137 30, 50, 300, 900Bq/kg) at Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS). NaI(Tl) detector was satisfied the performance for measurement.

Development of the radiation inspection system for food materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, Sujung; Kim, Heeyoung; Kim, Myungjin; Lee, Unjang

2015-01-01

Radioactive contamination of processed foodstuffs, livestock, marine products, farm products imported from Japan and fishes caught in coastal waters of Korea has become an important social issue. Recently, there are also needs of inspection system for monitoring of public meals such like school feedings of kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and university. Radioactivity inspections of those foods are executed manually with portable measuring instruments or at labs using their samples. But, radioactivity inspections of those foods should execute field survey in real time. In consequence, there are some problem of time delay and low reliability. To protect the health of citizens from radioactivity contained in Japanese marine products imported to Korea, a system to inspect radioactivity in real time is developed. The system is to measure the radioactivity level of farm and marine products and public meals continuously and automatically at inspection sites of an agency checking radiation of imported foodstuffs to determine radioactive contamination. Performance was identified through the performance test (Cs-137 30, 50, 300, 900Bq/kg) at Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS). NaI(Tl) detector was satisfied the performance for measurement

Inspection systems for valves monitoring at EDF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Germain, J.L.; Granal, L.; Provost, D.; Touillez, M.

1997-01-01

Electricite de France (EDF) makes increasing use of valve inspection systems to guarantee safety in its pressurized water reactor plants, improve plant availability and facilitate condition-based maintenance. A portable system known as SAMIR has been developed for inspection of motor-operated valves, and is now used on EDF's 900-MW sites. For its 1300-MW units, EDF has chosen a more complete system which enables measuring thrust on the valve stem during a maneuver, using a sensor mounted on the yoke. To detect internal vale leaks, an on-site assessment has demonstrated the economic benefits of acoustic emission techniques. EDF has equipped its sites with analog leak detection systems which may soon be replaced by a digital model now being developed. (authors)

Incore inspection device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogisu, Tatsuki; Taguchi, Kosei.

1995-01-01

The device of the present invention can inspect surfaces of equipments in reactor water in a nuclear reactor in a state of atmospheric air. Namely, an inspection device is movable forwardly and backwardly in a water-proof vessel. An annular sucker with pleats is disposed to the outer side of a lid of the water-proof vessel. A television camera for an under water monitoring is disposed to the inner side of the lid of the water-proof vessel by way of a partitioning wall with lid. Transferring screws are disposed at the back and on the side of the water-proof vessel. In the device having such a constitution, (1) the inside of the water-proof vessel is at first made water-tight by closing the partitioning wall with lid, (2) the back and the side screws are operated by the guide of the underwater monitoring television camera, to transfer the water-proof vessel to the surface of the reactor core to be inspected, (3) the annular sucker with pleats is urged on the surface to be inspected by the back screw, to fix the water-proof vessel, (4) reactor water in a space of the annular sucker with pleats is discharged and replaced with air, and (5) the lid of the partition wall with lid is opened and the inspection device is disposed at a position of the underwater monitoring television camera, to inspect the surface to be inspected in a state of atmospheric air. (I.S.)

Development of planar CT system for multi-layer PCB inspection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seung Ho; Youn, Hanbean; Kam, Soohwa; Park, Eunpyeong; Kim, Ho Kyung [Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

X-ray defect inspection apparatus can be used in the production line to inspect the PCB. However, a simple X-ray radiography cannot discriminate defects from the multi-layer PCBs because the layers of them overlays the defects. To complement this issue, computed tomography (CT) technology is applied to the NDT system which can offer 3-dimensional information of object. However, CT requires hundreds of projection images to examine a single PCB, hence real-time inspection is nearly impossible. In this study, we develop a planar computed tomography (pCT) system appropriate for the multi-layer PCB inspection. For the image reconstruction of planar cross-section images, we use the digital tomosynthesis (DTS) concept in association with the limited angle scanning. and performance characterization of the pCT system for the PCB inspection. The 3-d Fourier characteristics and more quantitative performance, such as contrast, uniformity, depth resolution will be presented. The cross-sectional images of multi-layer PCBs will also be demonstrated.

Inspection of Pipe Inner Surface using Advanced Pipe Crawler Robot with PVDF Sensor based Rotating Probe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vimal AGARWAL

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Due to corrosive environment, pipes used for transportation of water and gas at the plants often get damaged. Defects caused by corrosion and cracking may cause serious accidents like leakage, fire and blasts. It also reduces the life of the transportation system substantially. In order to inspect such defects, a Polyvinyledene Fluoride (PVDF based cantilever smart probe is developed to scan the surface quality of the pipes. The smart probe, during rotation, touches the inner surface of the pipe and experience a broad-band excitation in the absence of surface features. On the other hand, whenever the probe comes across any surface projection, there is a change in vibration pattern of the probe, which causes a high voltage peak/pulse. Such peaks/pulses could give useful information about the location and nature of a defect. Experiments are carried out on different patterns, sizes and shapes of surface projections artificially constructed inside the pipe. The sensor system has reliably predicted the presence and distribution of projections in every case. It is envisaged that the new sensing system could be used effectively for pipe health monitoring.

Development of Remote Inspection Systems with the Java Applet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Yoo Rark; Lee, Jae Cheol; Kim, Jae Hee [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2005-07-01

The world wide web and java are powerful networking technologies on the internet. An applet is a program written in the java programming language that can be included in an HTML page, much in the same way as an image is included. When we use a Java technology-enabled browser to view a page that contains an applet, the applet code is transferred to a client's system and executed by the browser's Java Virtual Machine (JVM). We have developed two remote inspection systems for a reactor wall inspection and guide tube spilt pin inspection based on the java and traditional programming language. The java is used on a GUI(graphic user interface) and the traditional visual C++ programming language is used to control the inspection equipments.

The application of PLC in 60Co container inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Yibin; Xiang Xincheng

2001-01-01

The author discusses the interlock technique of 60 Co container inspection system, and introduces the hardware structure and program of interlock control system using PLC. Due to adopting PLC distributed control, the system works stably and reliably. The successful application of PLC in 60 Co container inspection system has some use for reference in nuclear technology field

Development of the Macro Command Editing Executive System for Factory Workers-Oriented Programless Visual Inspection System

Science.gov (United States)

Anezaki, Takashi; Wakitani, Kouichi; Nakamura, Masatoshi; Kubo, Hiroyasu

Because visual inspection systems are difficult to tune, they create many problems for the kaizen process. This results in increased development costs and time to assure that the inspection systems function properly. In order to improve inspection system development, we designed an easy-tuning system called a “Program-less” visual inspection system. The ROI macro command which consisted of eight kinds of shape recognition macro commands and decision, operation, control commands was built. Furthermore, the macro command editing executive system was developed by the operation of only the GUI without editing source program. The validity of the ROI macro command was proved by the application of 488 places.

SAFIRE - a robotic inspection system for CANDU feeders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buckingham, R. [OC Robotics, Bristol (United Kingdom)

2011-07-01

The condition of primary circuit feeder pipes in CANDU reactors is relevant to the commercial viability and plant life. One known wear mechanism is external fretting between feeder pipes and adjacent services or support structures, particularly within the Upper Feeder Cabinet (UFC). Fretting leads to wall thinning which must not exceed certain agreed limits. Chafe shields have been added to protect the feeder pipes. Regular inspections are required of the chafe shields, feeder pipes and other structures that may cause feeder damage. Historically, the dose received by inspectors conducting this work has been significant. For this reason Ontario Power Generation has invested in a remotely operated robot system to conduct visual inspections within the UFC. This system, called SAFIRE for 'Snake-Arm Feeder Inspection Robot Equipment' has been deployed at Pickering during 2010 and 2011 and has been used to inspect areas that are extremely difficult to inspect with existing manual techniques. The 2011 scope of work included inspection of a total of 660 feeder pipes in three UFC quadrants, in two reactors. The full scope was completed over a one-month period in Autumn 2011 in which SAFIRE was used during 23, twelve hour shifts. This included two periods each of 72 hours of continuous operation using multiple teams of operators. SAFIRE is remote controlled delivery system for multiple cameras to record still images and video. The main system elements include a snake-arm robot mounted on a mobile vehicle. It can be controlled from up to 500m away using a fibre/copper connection. The snake-arm is 2.2m long, 25mm wide and has 18 degrees of freedom. It is designed to snake between the rows of feeder pipes to inspect feeder/hanger interfaces, both above and below the feeder cabinet catwalks. Future upgrades offer the potential to add additional tools to increase functionality. This paper describes the SAFIRE development process from inception to operational experience

SAFIRE - a robotic inspection system for CANDU feeders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckingham, R.

2011-01-01

The condition of primary circuit feeder pipes in CANDU reactors is relevant to the commercial viability and plant life. One known wear mechanism is external fretting between feeder pipes and adjacent services or support structures, particularly within the Upper Feeder Cabinet (UFC). Fretting leads to wall thinning which must not exceed certain agreed limits. Chafe shields have been added to protect the feeder pipes. Regular inspections are required of the chafe shields, feeder pipes and other structures that may cause feeder damage. Historically, the dose received by inspectors conducting this work has been significant. For this reason Ontario Power Generation has invested in a remotely operated robot system to conduct visual inspections within the UFC. This system, called SAFIRE for 'Snake-Arm Feeder Inspection Robot Equipment' has been deployed at Pickering during 2010 and 2011 and has been used to inspect areas that are extremely difficult to inspect with existing manual techniques. The 2011 scope of work included inspection of a total of 660 feeder pipes in three UFC quadrants, in two reactors. The full scope was completed over a one-month period in Autumn 2011 in which SAFIRE was used during 23, twelve hour shifts. This included two periods each of 72 hours of continuous operation using multiple teams of operators. SAFIRE is remote controlled delivery system for multiple cameras to record still images and video. The main system elements include a snake-arm robot mounted on a mobile vehicle. It can be controlled from up to 500m away using a fibre/copper connection. The snake-arm is 2.2m long, 25mm wide and has 18 degrees of freedom. It is designed to snake between the rows of feeder pipes to inspect feeder/hanger interfaces, both above and below the feeder cabinet catwalks. Future upgrades offer the potential to add additional tools to increase functionality. This paper describes the SAFIRE development process from inception to operational experience gained

Design of database management system for 60Co container inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jinhui; Wu Zhifang

2007-01-01

The function of the database management system has been designed according to the features of cobalt-60 container inspection system. And the software related to the function has been constructed. The database querying and searching are included in the software. The database operation program is constructed based on Microsoft SQL server and Visual C ++ under Windows 2000. The software realizes database querying, image and graph displaying, statistic, report form and its printing, interface designing, etc. The software is powerful and flexible for operation and information querying. And it has been successfully used in the real database management system of cobalt-60 container inspection system. (authors)

Turnkey Optical Inspection Systems: Getting The Job Done Right

Science.gov (United States)

Figler, Burton D.

1988-05-01

A turnkey optical inspection system is one for which the vendor, not the customer, assumes the responsibility for ensuring that the system satisfies the customer's needs. This paper presents some of the pitfalls that are encountered in reaching the goal of mutual satisfaction of vendor and customer, based on experience with actual turnkey inspection and measurement systems that have been developed for industrial assembly operations. A "roadmap" is presented for achieving a turnkey system that is satisfactory to both vendor and customer.

Inspection of float glass using a novel retroreflective laser scanning system

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Jonathan D.

1997-07-01

Since 1988, Image Automation has marketed a float glass inspection system using a novel retro-reflective laser scanning system. The (patented) instrument scans a laser beam by use of a polygon through the glass onto a retro-reflective screen, and collects the retro-reflected light off the polygon, such that a stationary image of the moving spot on the screen is produced. The spot image is then analyzed for optical effects introduced by defects within the glass, which typically distort and attenuate the scanned laser beam, by use of suitable detectors. The inspection system processing provides output of defect size, shape and severity, to the factory network for use in rejection or sorting of glass plates to the end customer. This paper briefly describes the principles of operation, the system architecture, and limitations to sensitivity and measurement repeatability. New instruments based on the retro-reflective scanning method have recently been developed. The principles and implementation are described. They include: (1) Simultaneous detection of defects within the glass and defects in a mirror coating on the glass surface using polarized light. (2) A novel distortion detector for very dark glass. (3) Measurement of optical quality (flatness/refractive homogeneity) of the glass using a position sensitive detector.

Risk-based inspection and maintenance systems for steam turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujiyama, Kazunari; Nagai, Satoshi; Akikuni, Yasunari; Fujiwara, Toshihiro; Furuya, Kenichiro; Matsumoto, Shigeru; Takagi, Kentaro; Kawabata, Taro

2004-01-01

The risk-based maintenance (RBM) system has been developed for steam turbine plants coupled with the quick inspection systems. The RBM system utilizes the field failure and inspection database accumulated over 30 years. The failure modes are determined for each component of steam turbines and the failure scenarios are described as event trees. The probability of failure is expressed in the form of unreliability functions of operation hours or start-up cycles through the cumulative hazard function method. The posterior unreliability is derived from the field data analysis according to the inspection information. Quick inspection can be conducted using air-cooled borescope and heat resistant ultrasonic sensors even if the turbine is not cooled down sufficiently. Another inspection information comes from degradation and damage measurement. The probabilistic life assessment using structural analysis and statistical material properties, the latter is estimated from hardness measurement, replica observation and embrittlement measurement. The risk function is calculated as the sum product of unreliability functions and expected monetary loss as the consequence of failure along event trees. The optimum maintenance plan is determined among simulated scenarios described through component breakdown trees, life cycle event trees and risk functions. Those methods are effective for total condition assessment and economical maintenance for operating plants

Non-periodic inspection optimization of multi-component and k-out-of-m systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajipour, Yassin; Taghipour, Sharareh

2016-01-01

This paper proposes a model to find the optimal non-periodic inspection interval over a finite planning horizon for two types of multi-component repairable systems. The first system contains hard-type and soft-type components, and the second system is a k-out-of-m system with m identical components. The failures of components in both systems follow a non-homogeneous Poisson process. A component can be a single part such as battery or line cord, or a subsystem, such as circuit breaker or charger in an infusion pump, which depending on their failures could be either replaced or minimally repaired according to their ages at failure. The systems are inspected at scheduled inspections or when an event of opportunistic inspection or a system failure occur. We develop a model to find the optimal inspection scheme for each system, which results in the minimum total expected cost over the system's lifecycle. We first develop a simulation model to obtain the total expected cost for a given non-periodic inspection scheme, and then integrate the simulation model with a genetic algorithm to obtain the optimal scheme more efficiently. - Highlights: • Non-periodic inspection optimization of two complex systems. • One system consists of soft-type and hard-type components. • The second system is a k-out-of-m system. • Integration of a simulation model and the genetic algorithm. • The model can be used when inspection is challenging or costly.

The JET high temperature in-vessel inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Businaro, T.; Cusack, R.; Calbiati, L.; Raimondi, T.

1989-01-01

The JET In-vessel Inspection System (IVIS) has been enhanced for operation under the following nominal conditions: vacuum vessel at 350 degC; vacuum vessel evacuated (∼10 -9 mbar); radiation dose during D-T phase 10 rads. The target resolution of the pictures is 2 mm at 5 m distance and tests on radiation resistance of the IVIS system are being carried out. Since June 1988, the new system is installed in the JET machine and the first inspections of the intire vessel at 250 degC have been satisfactory done. (author). 3 refs.; 6 figs.; 1 tab

Electrical Distribution System Functional Inspection (EDSFI) data base program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gautam, A.

1993-01-01

This document describes the organization, installation procedures, and operating instructions for the database computer program containing inspection findings from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Electrical Distribution System Functional Inspections (EDSFIs). The program enables the user to search and sort findings, ascertain trends, and obtain printed reports of the findings. The findings include observations, unresolved issues, or possible deficiencies in the design and implementation of electrical distribution systems in nuclear plants. This database will assist those preparing for electrical inspections, searching for deficiencies in a plant, and determining the corrective actions previously taken for similar deficiencies. This database will be updated as new EDSFIs are completed

Implementation of a Quality Management System in regulatory inspection activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pires do Rio, Monica; Ferreira, Paulo Roberto; Cunha, Paulo G. da; Acar, Maria Elizabeth

2005-01-01

The Institute for Radioprotection and Dosimetry - IRD -, of the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission, CNEN, started in 2001, the implementation of a quality management system (SGQ), in the inspection, testing and calibration activities. The SGQ was an institutional guideline and is inserted in a larger system of management of the IRD started in 1999, with the adoption of the National Quality Award criteria - PNQ, within the Project for Excellence in Technological Research of Associacao Brasileira das Instituicoes de Pesquisas Tecnologicas - ABIPTI (Brazilian Association of Technological Research institutions). The proposed quality management system and adopted at the IRD was developed and implemented in accordance with the requirements of NBR ISO/IEC 17025 - General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, and ISO/IEC 17020 - General criteria for operation of various types of bodies performing inspections. For regulatory inspection activities, the quality system was implemented on three program inspection services of radiological protection led, respectively, by clinics and hospitals that operate radiotherapy services; industries that use nuclear gauges in their control or productive processes and power reactor operators (CNAAA) - just the environmental part. It was formed a pioneering team of inspectors for standardizing the processes, procedures and starting the implementation of the system in the areas. This work describes the implementation process steps, including difficulties, learning and advantages of the adoption of a quality management system in inspection activities

Strategy of Risk-Informed Inspection for Secondary Systems in NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, So Young; Heo, Gyun Young

2012-01-01

Recently, unexpected accidents such as large-scale blackout have been occurred due to increasing demand of electricity. The unplanned trips have great influence over the economics although they rarely affect the safety of system. Because the cost for inspection and maintenance is limited, it is beneficial not only economically to take follow-up action in a timely manner to prevent plant trip but also in safety by protecting against the risk which is occurred from trip. In nuclear power plants (NPPs), the importance about risk-informed service such as inspection, maintenance and replacement is becoming on the rise. Risk-informed techniques such as in-service test, in-service inspection, design guide change and etc. are already used in nuclear field but these techniques are applied focusing on primary system for safety-related regulatory issues. It is needed to consider the optimization of inspection informed risk for entire plant including secondary system which is not applied enough. The study about risk-based inspection for boilers in thermal power field is in progress actively, but not for turbine cycle, which is similar with nuclear industry. Today, the most of inspections or tests for turbine cycle are time-based maintenance, being performed on time. It is required to perform condition-based maintenance by evaluating risk analyzing both of probability and consequence simultaneously about damage mechanisms that can be predicted by equipment or devices configuring the secondary system. Probability of failure (POF) is analyzed in terms of materials' ageing mechanisms, but consequence of failure (COF) should be evaluated in terms of thermohydraulic condition then it is needed to check power loss and period of maintenance. This paper is going to propose the idea to quantify the consequence of failure using the fault tree and simulation for secondary system, and propose quantitative risk-informed inspection by these approaches

Results of automatic system implementation for Cofrentes power plant detection system LPRM inspection execution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palomo, M., E-mail: mpalomo@iqn.upv.es [Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica y Nuclear, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Spain); Urrea, M., E-mail: matias.urrea@iberdrola.es [C.N.Cofrentes - Iberdrola Generacion S.A., Valencia (Spain); Curiel, M., E-mail: m.curiel@lainsa.com [LAINSA, Grupo Dominguis, Valencia (Brazil); Arnaldos, A., E-mail: a.arnaldos@titaniast.com [TITANIA Servicios Teconologicos, Valencia (Spain)

2011-07-01

During this presentation we are going to introduce the results of Cofrentes nuclear power plant automation of the detection system LPRM (Local Power Range Monitor) inspection procedure. An LPRM's test system has been developed and it consists in a software application and data acquisition hardware that performs automatically the complete detection system process: refueling, storage and operation inspection: Ramp voltage generation, measured voltage Plateaux evaluation, qualification report emission; historical analysis to scan burn evolution. The inspections differentiations are developed by the different specifications that it has to fulfil: operation inspection: it is made to check the fission bolt wearing, the detection system functioning and to analyse malfunctioning. From technical specifications and curves analyses it can be determined each LPRM's substitution. Storage inspection: it is made to check the correct functioning and isolation losses before being installed in the core during refueling. Refueling inspection: it is checked that storage LPRM's installation is correct and that they are ready for new fuel cycle. The software application LPRM's Test has been developed by National Instruments LabVIEW, and it performs the following actions: Protocol IEEE-488 (GPIB) control of the source KEITHLEY 237. This source generates the ramp voltage and measure voltage; information acquisition of storage, process and source, identifying LPRM and realization conditions of the same; data analysis and conditions report, historical comparative analysis. (author)

Remote inspection of a buried pipeline using a mobile ultrasonic testing system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muralidhar, S; Ghosh, J K [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Radiometallurgy Div.; Rajendran, S; Ramakumar, M S [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India). Division of Remote Handling and Robotics

1994-12-31

The nuclear reactor, Cirus, has now been in operation for three decades. As part of a programme to ascertain the integrity and safety of the various reactor parts in-service inspection of the embedded portion of the main coolant pipeline will be carried out. A mobile ultrasonic testing system has been developed and tested in the laboratory to measure the wall thickness of an underground pipe from the inner corroded surface using a water-bubbler technique. 3 figs.

Innovative inspection system for reactor pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mertens, K.; Trautmann, H.

1999-01-01

The versatile, compact and modern underwater systems described, the DELPHIN manipulators and MIDAS submarines, are innovative systems enabling RPV inspections at considerably reduced efforts and time, thus reducing the total time required for ISI of reactors. (orig./CB) [de

EVALUATION MODEL FOR PAVEMENT SURFACE DISTRESS ON 3D POINT CLOUDS FROM MOBILE MAPPING SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Aoki

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the pavement surface distress for maintenance planning of road pavement using 3D point clouds from Mobile Mapping System (MMS. The issue on maintenance planning of road pavement requires scheduled rehabilitation activities for damaged pavement sections to keep high level of services. The importance of this performance-based infrastructure asset management on actual inspection data is globally recognized. Inspection methodology of road pavement surface, a semi-automatic measurement system utilizing inspection vehicles for measuring surface deterioration indexes, such as cracking, rutting and IRI, have already been introduced and capable of continuously archiving the pavement performance data. However, any scheduled inspection using automatic measurement vehicle needs much cost according to the instruments’ specification or inspection interval. Therefore, implementation of road maintenance work, especially for the local government, is difficult considering costeffectiveness. Based on this background, in this research, the methodologies for a simplified evaluation for pavement surface and assessment of damaged pavement section are proposed using 3D point clouds data to build urban 3D modelling. The simplified evaluation results of road surface were able to provide useful information for road administrator to find out the pavement section for a detailed examination and for an immediate repair work. In particular, the regularity of enumeration of 3D point clouds was evaluated using Chow-test and F-test model by extracting the section where the structural change of a coordinate value was remarkably achieved. Finally, the validity of the current methodology was investigated by conducting a case study dealing with the actual inspection data of the local roads.

The challenges encountered in the integration of an early test wafer surface scanning inspection system into a 450mm manufacturing line

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jeffrey; McGarvey, Steve

2013-04-01

The introduction of early test wafer (ETW) 450mm Surface Scanning Inspection Systems (SSIS) into Si manufacturing has brought with it numerous technical, commercial, and logistical challenges on the path to rapid recipe development and subsequent qualification of other 450mm wafer processing equipment. This paper will explore the feasibility of eliminating the Polystyrene Latex Sphere deposition process step and the subsequent creation of SSIS recipes based upon the theoretical optical properties of both the SSIS and the process film stack(s). The process of Polystyrene Latex Sphere deposition for SSIS recipe generation and development is generally accepted on the previous technology nodes for 150/200/300mm wafers. PSL is deposited with a commercially available deposition system onto a non-patterned bare Si or non-patterned filmed Si wafer. After deposition of multiple PSL spots, located in different positions on a wafer, the wafer is inspected on a SSIS and a response curve is generated. The response curve is based on the the light scattering intensity of the NIST certified PSL that was deposited on the wafer. As the initial 450mm Si wafer manufacturing began, there were no inspection systems with sub-90nm sensitivities available for defect and haze level verification. The introduction of a 450mm sub-30nm inspection system into the manufacturing line generated instant challenges. Whereas the 450mm wafers were relatively defect free at 90nm, at 40nm the wafers contained several hundred thousand defects. When PSL was deposited onto wafers with these kinds of defect levels, PSL with signals less than the sub-90nm defects were difficult to extract. As the defectivity level of the wafers from the Si suppliers rapidly improves the challenges of SSIS recipe creation with high defectivity decreases while at the same time the cost of PSL deposition increases. The current cost per wafer is fifteen thousand dollars for a 450mm PSL deposition service. When viewed from the

IEC-based neutron generator for security inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miley, G.H.; Wu, L.; Kim, H.J.

2005-01-01

Use of a combined X-ray and neutron source for security inspections based on Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) fusion is discussed. Current inspection systems typically use X-ray techniques, but thermal neutron analysis (TNA) and fast neutron analysis (FNA), allow expanded detection of certain types of explosives. The integrated unit proposed here uses three separate IEC sources producing 14 and 2.45 MeV neutrons plus soft X-rays. This combination allows multiple detection methods with the composite signal analysis being done by a fuzzy logic system, significantly reducing false signals. (author)

Status on system inspection and preventive maintenance of HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Young-Ki; Cho, Yeong-Garp; Kwag, Byung-Ho

1999-01-01

The HANARO is a 30 MW open pool type multi-purpose research reactor with forced light water coolant/moderator flows and heavy water annular reflector. The relatively small reactor core uses a low enriched fuel and is designed to maximize the power density, thus providing the required neutron flux for various research activities. It is mainly used for radioisotope production, nuclear material testing and neutron physics experiments. The initial criticality was achieved February 1995. Considering the importance of their functionality from the safety point of view, some components and equipment are categorized into a nuclear safety grade. There are three different inspection activities for the various reactor systems and components - a Surveillance Inspection(SI) for the safety grades and a Periodic Inspection (PI) for the non-safety grades and In-Service Inspection (ISI) for the ASME Sec.III components. All of the SIs are specified and required by the safety analysis report. The SI also differs from the PI in such a point that all kinds of activities for the SIs should be accompanied by an appropriate quality assurance, while for the PIs it is not necessarily mandatory. In addition, the inspection results for the SIs should go through an examination from regulatory body every two years and specific functions of the critical components or systems are demonstrated under the witness by the governmental inspector. The ISI is required and carried out as per international codes and standards as well as Korean atomic energy regulations. There are 54 SIs, 25 PIs and 4 ISIs for the HANARO. This paper concentrates on the managing strategy and its practices for the SIs and ISIs of the safety-related components, currently being done at HANARO. Most parts of the inspections fall into a group for the periodic performance testing and/or equipment calibration. Some mechanical inspections like a torque measurement are grouped into a preventive maintenance. Lastly the ASME Sec

A novel AOI system for OLED panel inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perng, D B; Chen, Y C; Lee, M K

2005-01-01

Organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology uses substances that emit red, green, blue or white light. An OLED panel consists of stacks of several thin layers of different materials, as such it is not easy to inspect the common OLED defects. In this paper, an autooptical inspection (AOI) system which can detect such defects effectively and robustly was proposed and developed. The proposed system can also identify, in which layer the defect occurred. Meanwhile, a moving mechanism coupled with a lighting mechanism was proposed and implemented for grabbing clear images. The proposed AOI system would provide great help in improving the OLED production process and the quality control process

Risk-based Inspection Guide for the Susquehanna Station HPCI system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Travis, R.; Higgins, J.; Gunther, W.; Shier, W.

1992-11-01

The High Pressure Coolant Injection (HPCI) system has been examined from a risk perspective. A system Risk-based Inspection Guide (S-RIG) has been developed as an aid to HPCI system inspections at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES) which is operated by Pennsylvania Power ampersand Light (PP ampersand L). Included in this S-RIG is a discussion of the role of HPCI in mitigating accidents and a presentation of PRA-based failure modes which could prevent proper operation of the system. The S-RIG uses industry operating experience, including plant-specific illustrative examples, to augment the basic PRA failure modes. It is designed to be used as a reference for both routine inspections and the evaluation of the significance of component failures

Detector correction in large container inspection systems

CERN Document Server

Kang Ke Jun; Chen Zhi Qiang

2002-01-01

In large container inspection systems, the image is constructed by parallel scanning with a one-dimensional detector array with a linac used as the X-ray source. The linear nonuniformity and nonlinearity of multiple detectors and the nonuniform intensity distribution of the X-ray sector beam result in horizontal striations in the scan image. This greatly impairs the image quality, so the image needs to be corrected. The correction parameters are determined experimentally by scaling the detector responses at multiple points with logarithm interpolation of the results. The horizontal striations are eliminated by modifying the original image data with the correction parameters. This method has proven to be effective and applicable in large container inspection systems

Verification tests for remote controlled inspection system in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohno, Tadaaki

1986-01-01

Following the increase of nuclear power plants, the total radiation exposure dose accompanying inspection and maintenance works tended to increase. Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corp. carried out the verification test of a practical power reactor automatic inspection system from November, 1981, to March, 1986, and in this report, the state of having carried out this verification test is described. The objects of the verification test were the equipment which is urgently required for reducing radiation exposure dose, the possibility of realization of which is high, and which is important for ensuring the safety and reliability of plants, that is, an automatic ultrasonic flaw detector for the welded parts of bend pipes, an automatic disassembling and inspection system for control rod driving mechanism, a fuel automatic inspection system, and automatic decontaminating equipments for steam generator water chambers, primary system crud and radioactive gas in coolant. The results of the verification test of these equipments were judged as satisfactory, therefore, the application to actual plants is possible. (Kako, I.)

Vision Based Autonomous Robotic Control for Advanced Inspection and Repair

Science.gov (United States)

Wehner, Walter S.

2014-01-01

The advanced inspection system is an autonomous control and analysis system that improves the inspection and remediation operations for ground and surface systems. It uses optical imaging technology with intelligent computer vision algorithms to analyze physical features of the real-world environment to make decisions and learn from experience. The advanced inspection system plans to control a robotic manipulator arm, an unmanned ground vehicle and cameras remotely, automatically and autonomously. There are many computer vision, image processing and machine learning techniques available as open source for using vision as a sensory feedback in decision-making and autonomous robotic movement. My responsibilities for the advanced inspection system are to create a software architecture that integrates and provides a framework for all the different subsystem components; identify open-source algorithms and techniques; and integrate robot hardware.

Pulsed eddy current inspection system for nondestructive examination of irradiated fuel rods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yancey, M.E.

1979-01-01

An inspection system has been developed for nondestructive examination of irradiated fuel rods utilizing pulsed eddy current techniques. The system employs an encircling type pulsed eddy current transducer capable of sensing small defects located on both the inner and outer diameter fuel rod surfaces during a single scan. Pulsed eddy current point probes are used to provide fuel rod wall thikness data and an indication of radial defect location. Two linear variable differential transformers are used to provide information on fuel rod diameter variation. A microprocessor based control system is used to automatically scan fuel rods up to 4.06 meters in length at predetermined radial locations. Defects as small as 0.005 cm deep by 0.254 cm long by 0.005 cm wide have been detected on outside diameter surfaces of a 1.43 cm outside diameter fuel rod cladding with a 0.094 cm wall thickness and 0.010 cm deep by 0.254 cm long by 0.005 cm wide on the inside diameter surface

Optimal Inspection and Repair Strategies for Structural Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sommer, A. M.; Nowak, A. S.; Thoft-Christensen, Palle

1992-01-01

and a design variable as optimization variables. A model for estimating the total expected costs for structural systems is given including the costs associated with the loss of individual structural members as well as the costs associated with the loss of at least one element of a particular group......A model for reliability-based repair and maintenance strategies of structural systems is described. The total expected costs in the lifetime of the structure are minimized with the number of inspections, the number and positions of the inspected points, the inspection efforts, the repair criteria...... of structural members and the costs associated with the simultaneous loss of all members of a specific group of structural members. The approach is based on the pre-posteriori analysis from the classical decision theory. Special emphasis is given to the problem of selecting the number of points in the structure...

Advanced Approach of Reactor Pressure Vessel In-service Inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matokovic, A.; Picek, E.; Pajnic, M.

2006-01-01

The most important task of every utility operating a nuclear power plant is the continuously keeping of the desired safety and reliability level. This is achieved by the performance of numerous inspections of the components, equipment and system of the nuclear power plant in operation and in particular during the scheduled maintenance periods at re-fueling time. Periodic non-destructive in-service inspections provide most relevant criteria of the integrity of primary circuit pressure components. The task is to reliably detect defects and realistically size and characterize them. One of most important and the most extensive examination is a reactor pressure vessel in-service inspection. That inspection demand high standards of technology and quality and continual innovation in the field of non-destructive testing (NDT) advanced technology as well as regarding reactor pressure vessel tool and control systems. A remote underwater contact ultrasonic technique is employed for the examination of the defined sections (reactor welds), whence eddy current method is applied for clad surface examinations. Visual inspection is used for examination of the vessel inner surface. The movement of probes and data positioning are assured by using new reactor pressure vessel tool concept that is fully integrated with NDT systems. The successful performance is attributed thorough pre-outage planning, training and successful performance demonstration qualification of chosen NDT techniques on the specimens with artificial and/or real defects. Furthermore, use of advanced approach of inspection through implementation the state of the art examination equipment significantly reduced the inspection time, radiation exposure to examination personnel, shortening nuclear power plant outage and cutting the total inspection costs. The advanced approach as presented in this paper offer more flexibility of application (non-destructive tests, local grinding action as well as taking of boat samples

Major upgrade of the articulated inspection arm control system to fulfill daily operation requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pastor, P., E-mail: patrick.pastor@cea.fr [CEA, IRFM, Institut de Recherche sur la Fusion par confinement Magnétique (France); Villedieu, E.; Allegretti, L.; Vincent, B.; Barbuti, A.; Bruno, V.; Coquillat, P.; Dechelle, C.; Gargiulo, L.; Le, R.; Malard, P.; Martinez, A.; Nouailletas, R. [CEA, IRFM, Institut de Recherche sur la Fusion par confinement Magnétique (France); Yuntao, Song; Yong, Cheng; Chen, Liu; Hansheng, Feng; Shanshuang, Shi [ASIPP, Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui (China)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • We propose an overview of the work which has been done to upgrade the control system of the AIA robot (articulated inspection arm) to fulfill daily operation requirements for tokamak inspection. • The control system is based on the use of new position sensors, new electronics design and new supervisor software. • Final tests are ongoing in the EAST scale 1 tokamak mock-up. Routine operation of the robot at EAST will start in the beginning of 2015. - Abstract: An articulated inspection arm (AIA) has been developed by CEA for visual inspection between pulses inside the Tore Supra tokamak vacuum vessel without breaking temperature and vacuum conditions. The eight meters length robot is composed of a shuttle and six articulated segments with a video camera at its end. A demonstration prototype has been achieved in 2008 at Tore Supra (Gargiulo, 2007; Houry, 2008; Perrot, 2003). A project to upgrade the AIA into a fully operational robot has been undertaken by IRFM and ASIPP in an Associated Laboratory. It will be in operation first in the EAST machine and afterwards in Tore Supra in its WEST (W/Tungsten Environment in Steady-state Tokamak) configuration where it is of paramount importance to survey possible degradation of W component surface. The control system of the robot has been extensively upgraded. The effort has been focused on three areas: (1) improvement of the arm position accuracy, (2) increase of the operational robustness, (3) use of a powerful graphical user interface including simulation of trajectories and robot deployment capabilities in a 3D viewer environment. The aim of this paper is to detail the architecture of the AIA control system.

Integrating design and production planning with knowledge-based inspection planning system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbasi, Ghaleb Y.; Ketan, Hussein S.; Adil, Mazen B.

2005-01-01

In this paper an intelligent environment to integrate design and inspection earlier to the design stage. A hybrid knowledge-based approach integrating computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided inspection planning (CAIP) was developed, thereafter called computer-aided design and inspection planning (CADIP). CADIP was adopted for automated dimensional inspection planning. Critical functional features were screened based on certain attributes for part features for inspection planning application. Testing the model resulted in minimizing the number of probing vectors associated with the most important features in the inspected prismatic part, significant reduction in inspection costs and release of human labor. In totality, this tends to increase customer satisfaction as a final goal of the developed system. (author)

Ultra-low field MRI food inspection system prototype

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawagoe, Satoshi, E-mail: s133413@edu.tut.ac.jp; Toyota, Hirotomo; Hatta, Junichi; Ariyoshi, Seiichiro; Tanaka, Saburo, E-mail: tanakas@ens.tut.ac.jp

2016-11-15

Highlights: • We have developed a ULF-MRI system using HTS-SQUID for food inspection. • We developed a compact magnetically shielded box to attenuate environmental noise. • The 2D-MR image was reconstructed from the grid processing data using 2D-FFT method. • The 2D-MR images of a disk-shaped and a multiple cell water sample were obtained. • The results showed the possibility of applying the ULF-MRI system to food inspection. - Abstract: We develop an ultra-low field (ULF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system using a high-temperature superconducting quantum interference device (HTS-SQUID) for food inspection. A two-dimensional (2D)-MR image is reconstructed from the grid processing raw data using the 2D fast Fourier transform method. In a previous study, we combined an LC resonator with the ULF-MRI system to improve the detection area of the HTS-SQUID. The sensitivity was improved, but since the experiments were performed in a semi-open magnetically shielded room (MSR), external noise was a problem. In this study, we develop a compact magnetically shielded box (CMSB), which has a small open window for transfer of a pre-polarized sample. Experiments were performed in the CMSB and 2D-MR images were compared with images taken in the semi-open MSR. A clear image of a disk-shaped water sample is obtained, with an outer dimension closer to that of the real sample than in the image taken in the semi-open MSR. Furthermore, the 2D-MR image of a multiple cell water sample is clearly reconstructed. These results show the applicability of the ULF-MRI system in food inspection.

Internal testing of pipe systems with IRIS inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

The internal piping inspection system IRIS allows inside testing of pipes with an internal diameter of NW 70 as a minimum, and of any horizontal or vertical layout of the piping system. Visual testing is done by means of an integrated CCD video system with high resolution power. Technical data are given and examples of applications, in the German and English language. (DG) [de

Evaluation of Contamination Inspection and Analysis Methods through Modeling System Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Seasly, Elaine; Dever, Jason; Stuban, Steven M. F.

2016-01-01

Contamination is usually identified as a risk on the risk register for sensitive space systems hardware. Despite detailed, time-consuming, and costly contamination control efforts during assembly, integration, and test of space systems, contaminants are still found during visual inspections of hardware. Improved methods are needed to gather information during systems integration to catch potential contamination issues earlier and manage contamination risks better. This research explores evaluation of contamination inspection and analysis methods to determine optical system sensitivity to minimum detectable molecular contamination levels based on IEST-STD-CC1246E non-volatile residue (NVR) cleanliness levels. Potential future degradation of the system is modeled given chosen modules representative of optical elements in an optical system, minimum detectable molecular contamination levels for a chosen inspection and analysis method, and determining the effect of contamination on the system. By modeling system performance based on when molecular contamination is detected during systems integration and at what cleanliness level, the decision maker can perform trades amongst different inspection and analysis methods and determine if a planned method is adequate to meet system requirements and manage contamination risk.

Database management system for large container inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Wenhuan; Li Zheng; Kang Kejun; Song Binshan; Liu Fang

1998-01-01

Large Container Inspection System (LCIS) based on radiation imaging technology is a powerful tool for the Customs to check the contents inside a large container without opening it. The author has discussed a database application system, as a part of Signal and Image System (SIS), for the LCIS. The basic requirements analysis was done first. Then the selections of computer hardware, operating system, and database management system were made according to the technology and market products circumstance. Based on the above considerations, a database application system with central management and distributed operation features has been implemented

Qualification of UT methods and systems used for in-service inspections of VVER 440 vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skala, Z.; Vit, J.

2003-01-01

SKODA JS has been performing automated in-service inspections VVER reactor pressure vessels for more than twenty years. All of these inspections were performed by ultrasonic pulse echo method, combined from 1996 with eddy current testing. The Time of Flight Diffraction Method (TOFD) is one of modern methods of ultrasonic testing. The accuracy of sizing the through wall extent of a flaw by TOFD is much better than the accuracy achievable by the pulse echo method. A series of laboratory tests were performed by SKODA JS and confirmed the suitability of TOFD method for VVER reactor parts testing. The Czech Atomic law demands the qualification of systems and methods used for the in-service inspections of nuclear reactors. The qualification is done in accordance with ENIQ methodology and consists of preparation of the Technical Justification and practical tests made under the surveillance of Qualification Body. SKODA JS intends to qualify systems and methods used for the automated ultrasonic testing of VVER 440 and VVER 1000 reactor components from the inner as well as from the outer surface. The accuracy of the flaw through wall extent sizing by TOFD was confirmed by the qualification of methods and systems used for the testing of VVER 440 vessel circumferential weld and so the TOFD method shall be used routinely by SKODA JS for the inspection of vessel circumferential welds root area and for sizing of flaws exceeding the acceptance level. (author)

Control system for a multi-joint inspection robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asano, K.

1984-01-01

Remote systems, in which a human operator in a safe zone determines pertinent circumstances and makes decisions on work procedures, while a robot does direct work in hazardous environments, have been becoming more and more important in accordance with the increase in nuclear facilities. In such remote systems, to perform tasks which are merely ambiguously defined beforehand, it is very important that the systems have the ability to execute desired tasks easily and immediately without any programming or teaching work on the spot. A control system, named Self Approach System (SAS), for a multi-joint inspection robot has been developed as a key component in a remote inspection system for use in physically difficult or dangerous environments. It has 8 joints and 17 degrees-of-freedom and was designed taking many of the above points into account. This paper describes SAS details

Performance trial experience with Danieli new-generation eddy-current surface inspection system for wire rod mill: the equipment and the results at TRM, Rotherham, England

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battistutto, R.

1999-01-01

Production flexibility and product quality are key subjects that can significantly influence the competitiveness of a steel-making company; recently, they can even affect its profitable permanence on the market. Danieli Automation, thanks to 25-year experience in automation systems for the rolling mill, can offer their customers effective products and solutions specifically designed and developed for total control on the finished product quality. This target is achieved by optimization of yield, availability of the installations and use of the human resources. Results of the above experience and development is the IIITEST instrumentation product family for in-line surface inspection quality control. (author)

A stereoscopic television system for reactor inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friend, D.B.; Jones, A.

1980-03-01

A stereoscopic television system suitable for reactor inspection has been developed. Right and left eye views, obtained from two conventional black and white cameras, are displayed by the anaglyph technique and observers wear appropriately coloured viewing spectacles. All camera functions, such as zoom, focus and toe-in are remotely controlled. A laboratory experiment is described which demonstrates the increase in spatial awareness afforded by the use of stereo television and illustrates its potential in the supervision of remote handling tasks. Typical depth resolutions of 3mm at 1m and 10mm at 2m have been achieved with the reactor instrument. Trials undertaken during routine inspection at Oldbury Power Station in June 1978 are described. They demonstrate that stereoscopic television can indeed improve the convenience of remote handling and that the added display realism is beneficial in visual inspection. (author)

Smart Infrared Inspection System Field Operational Test Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siekmann, Adam [ORNL; Capps, Gary J [ORNL; Franzese, Oscar [ORNL; Lascurain, Mary Beth [ORNL

2011-06-01

The Smart InfraRed Inspection System (SIRIS) is a tool designed to assist inspectors in determining which vehicles passing through the SIRIS system are in need of further inspection by measuring the thermal data from the wheel components. As a vehicle enters the system, infrared cameras on the road measure temperatures of the brakes, tires, and wheel bearings on both wheel ends of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in motion. This thermal data is then presented to enforcement personal inside of the inspection station on a user friendly interface. Vehicles that are suspected to have a violation are automatically alerted to the enforcement staff. The main goal of the SIRIS field operational test (FOT) was to collect data to evaluate the performance of the prototype system and determine the viability of such a system being used for commercial motor vehicle enforcement. From March 2010 to September 2010, ORNL facilitated the SIRIS FOT at the Greene County Inspection Station (IS) in Greeneville, Tennessee. During the course of the FOT, 413 CMVs were given a North American Standard (NAS) Level-1 inspection. Of those 413 CMVs, 384 were subjected to a SIRIS screening. A total of 36 (9.38%) of the vehicles were flagged by SIRIS as having one or more thermal issues; with brakes issues making up 33 (91.67%) of those. Of the 36 vehicles flagged as having thermal issues, 31 (86.11%) were found to have a violation and 30 (83.33%) of those vehicles were placed out-of-service (OOS). Overall the enforcement personnel who have used SIRIS for screening purposes have had positive feedback on the potential of SIRIS. With improvements in detection algorithms and stability, the system will be beneficial to the CMV enforcement community and increase overall trooper productivity by accurately identifying a higher percentage of CMVs to be placed OOS with minimal error. No future evaluation of SIRIS has been deemed necessary and specifications for a production system will soon be drafted.

The convertible client/server technology in large container inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zhiqiang; Zhang Li; Gao Wenhuan; Kang Kejun

2001-01-01

The author presents a new convertible client/server technology in distributed networking environment of a large container inspection system. The characteristic and advantage of this technology is introduced. The authors illustrate the policy of the technology to develop the networking program, and provide one example about how to program the software in large container inspection system using the new technology

Autonomous navigation system for mobile robots of inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angulo S, P.; Segovia de los Rios, A.

2005-01-01

One of the goals in robotics is the human personnel's protection that work in dangerous areas or of difficult access, such it is the case of the nuclear industry where exist areas that, for their own nature, they are inaccessible for the human personnel, such as areas with high radiation level or high temperatures; it is in these cases where it is indispensable the use of an inspection system that is able to carry out a sampling of the area in order to determine if this areas can be accessible for the human personnel. In this situation it is possible to use an inspection system based on a mobile robot, of preference of autonomous navigation, for the realization of such inspection avoiding by this way the human personnel's exposure. The present work proposes a model of autonomous navigation for a mobile robot Pioneer 2-D Xe based on the algorithm of wall following using the paradigm of fuzzy logic. (Author)

Control system design for robotic underground storage tank inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiebel, G.R.

1994-09-01

Control and data acquisition systems for robotic inspection and surveillance systems used in nuclear waste applications must be capable, versatile, and adaptable to changing conditions. The nuclear waste remediation application is dynamic -- requirements change as public policy is constantly re-examined and refocused, and as technology in this area advances. Control and data acquisition systems must adapt to these changing conditions and be able to accommodate future missions, both predictable and unexpected. This paper describes the control and data acquisition system for the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) System that is being developed for remote surveillance and inspection of underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site and other US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. It is a high-performance system which has been designed for future growth. The priority mission at the Hanford site is to retrieve the waste generated by 50 years of production from its present storage and process it for final disposal. The LDUA will help to gather information about the waste and the tanks it is stored in to better plan and execute the cleanup mission

Inspecting fuel pellets for nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilks, R.S.; Sternheim, E.; Breakey, G.A.; Sturges, R.H.; Taleff, A.; Castner, R.P.

1982-01-01

An improved method of controlling the inspection, sorting and classifying of nuclear reactor fuel pellets, including a mechanical handling system and a computer controlled data processing system, is described. Having investigated the diameter, length, surface flaws and weights of the pellets, they are sorted accordingly and the relevant data are stored. (U.K.)

Joint optimal inspection and inventory for a k-out-of-n system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjarnason, Erik T.S.; Taghipour, Sharareh; Banjevic, Dragan

2014-01-01

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to develop a model, which optimizes jointly the inspection frequency and the inventory level for a k-out-of-n system with repairable components whose failures are hidden. Scope: The system is periodically inspected to detect failed components, and the components are either minimally repaired or replaced with spares from the inventory. The system fails between periodic inspections if n−k+1 components are down; in that case, all failed components are inspected and rectified if possible. Otherwise, the failed components are rectified at periodic inspections. An emergency spare is ordered at a system failure, if the inventory is empty and all failed components require replacement. Methodology: Using analytical approach to find the optimal solution is computationally intensive and not practical; a simulation model is developed to solve the problem. Results: The proposed model harmonizes the maintenance and inventory policies and finds the joint optimal solution which results in a minimum total cost. Conclusion: The joint optimization model results in a lower cost compared to separate maintenance and inventory optimization models. Novelty: Few joint models for k-out-of-n systems exist, and none of them investigate repairable components whose failures are hidden and follow a non-homogeneous Poisson process. - Highlights: • We model a k-out-of-n system with hidden failures and inventory. • The system is periodically inspected and the inventory is periodically replenished. • Failed components are either replaced or minimally repaired. • A simulation model is developed to calculate the total expected cost. • The inspection interval and inventory level that minimizes the total cost is found

Physical and mechanical properties of spinach for whole-surface online imaging inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Xiuying; Mo, Chang Y.; Chan, Diane E.; Peng, Yankun; Qin, Jianwei; Yang, Chun-Chieh; Kim, Moon S.; Chao, Kuanglin

2011-06-01

The physical and mechanical properties of baby spinach were investigated, including density, Young's modulus, fracture strength, and friction coefficient. The average apparent density of baby spinach leaves was 0.5666 g/mm3. The tensile tests were performed using parallel, perpendicular, and diagonal directions with respect to the midrib of each leaf. The test results showed that the mechanical properties of spinach are anisotropic. For the parallel, diagonal, and perpendicular test directions, the average values for the Young's modulus values were found to be 2.137MPa, 1.0841 MPa, and 0.3914 MPa, respectively, and the average fracture strength values were 0.2429 MPa, 0.1396 MPa, and 0.1113 MPa, respectively. The static and kinetic friction coefficient between the baby spinach and conveyor belt were researched, whose test results showed that the average coefficients of kinetic and maximum static friction between the adaxial (front side) spinach leaf surface and conveyor belt were 1.2737 and 1.3635, respectively, and between the abaxial (back side) spinach leaf surface and conveyor belt were 1.1780 and 1.2451 respectively. These works provide the basis for future development of a whole-surface online imaging inspection system that can be used by the commercial vegetable processing industry to reduce food safety risks.

An intelligent inspection and survey robot. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

ARIES number-sign 1 (Autonomous Robotic Inspection Experimental System), has been developed for the Department of Energy to survey and inspect drums containing low-level radioactive waste stored in warehouses at DOE facilities. The drums are typically stacked four high and arranged in rows with three-foot aisle widths. The robot will navigate through the aisles and perform an inspection operation, typically performed by a human operator, making decisions about the condition of the drums and maintaining a database of pertinent information about each drum. A new version of the Cybermotion series of mobile robots is the base mobile vehicle for ARIES. The new Model K3A consists of an improved and enhanced mobile platform and a new turret that will permit turning around in a three-foot aisle. Advanced sonar and lidar systems were added to improve navigation in the narrow drum aisles. Onboard computer enhancements include a VMEbus computer system running the VxWorks real-time operating system. A graphical offboard supervisory UNIX workstation is used for high-level planning, control, monitoring, and reporting. A camera positioning system (CPS) includes primitive instructions for the robot to use in referencing and positioning the payload. The CPS retracts to a more compact position when traveling in the open warehouse. During inspection, the CPS extends up to deploy inspection packages at different heights on the four-drum stacks of 55-, 85-, and 110-gallon drums. The vision inspection module performs a visual inspection of the waste drums. This system will locate and identify each drum, locate any unique visual features, characterize relevant surface features of interest and update a data-base containing the inspection data

An intelligent inspection and survey robot. Volume 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-15

ARIES {number_sign}1 (Autonomous Robotic Inspection Experimental System), has been developed for the Department of Energy to survey and inspect drums containing low-level radioactive waste stored in warehouses at DOE facilities. The drums are typically stacked four high and arranged in rows with three-foot aisle widths. The robot will navigate through the aisles and perform an inspection operation, typically performed by a human operator, making decisions about the condition of the drums and maintaining a database of pertinent information about each drum. A new version of the Cybermotion series of mobile robots is the base mobile vehicle for ARIES. The new Model K3A consists of an improved and enhanced mobile platform and a new turret that will permit turning around in a three-foot aisle. Advanced sonar and lidar systems were added to improve navigation in the narrow drum aisles. Onboard computer enhancements include a VMEbus computer system running the VxWorks real-time operating system. A graphical offboard supervisory UNIX workstation is used for high-level planning, control, monitoring, and reporting. A camera positioning system (CPS) includes primitive instructions for the robot to use in referencing and positioning the payload. The CPS retracts to a more compact position when traveling in the open warehouse. During inspection, the CPS extends up to deploy inspection packages at different heights on the four-drum stacks of 55-, 85-, and 110-gallon drums. The vision inspection module performs a visual inspection of the waste drums. This system will locate and identify each drum, locate any unique visual features, characterize relevant surface features of interest and update a data-base containing the inspection data.

Safety inspections in construction sites: A systems thinking perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Saurin, Tarcisio Abreu

2016-08-01

Although safety inspections carried out by government officers are important for the prevention of accidents, there is little in-depth knowledge on their outcomes and processes leading to these. This research deals with this gap by using systems thinking (ST) as a lens for obtaining insights into safety inspections in construction sites. Thirteen case studies of sites with prohibited works were carried out, discussing how four attributes of ST were used in the inspections. The studies were undertaken over 6 years, and sources of evidence involved participant observation, direct observations, analysis of documents and interviews. Two complementary ways for obtaining insights into inspections, based on ST, were identified: (i) the design of the study itself needs to be in line with ST; and (ii) data collection and analysis should focus on the agents involved in the inspections, the interactions between agents, the constraints and opportunities faced by agents, the outcomes of interactions, and the recommendations for influencing interactions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Findings of the inspection grading system on industrial radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gloria Doloressa

2011-01-01

The use of industrial radiography techniques evolve rapidly and widely. Various jobs in industry require the examination of welding techniques / connecting pipes and metal construction. The use of industrial radiography is one type of utilization of nuclear energy must get control so that its use does not cause harmful impacts to worker safety, community, and environment. Regulations is done through inspections, in order to supervise the observance of the terms in the licensing and legislation in the field of nuclear safety. The main purpose of inspection is to ensure the utilization of radiation sources of radiation have been used with. Findings of the inspection is a decline in the performance of licensees in meeting safety requirements. The Grading System to the findings of the inspection needs to be done to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of inspection, and it is expected that the company can improve the management of radiation safety. (author)

Development of the automatic measuring system to survey the surface contamination on equipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizuka, Akira; Matsumura, Hidekatsu; Nawa, Takao; Yamaguchi, Seiji; Yamada, Tadashi.

1980-01-01

The inspection of surface contamination carried out when things are taken out of the control areas in nuclear power stations requires considerable labor and time because it is carried out manually. In order to make the inspection of surface contamination more efficiently and to standardize it, the development of an automatic inspection apparatus was carried out. This apparatus inspects the surface contamination due to radio isotopes which do not emit α-ray, and the objects to be measured are the large things with definite forms, such as boards and pipes for scaffolding. The method of measuring β-ray with a gas flow counter was adopted for the apparatus in view of the good detection sensitivity, relatively simple shielding against background, and easy conversion to surface contamination density. The measuring system was composed of the gas flow counters and a rate meter. The outline of the apparatus made for trial is explained. As the result of the performance test, the lowest detection sensitivity was 1.29 x 10 -5 μCi/cm 2 at the moving speed of an object of 1 cm/sec. The detection sensitivity is improved by the flattening of the sensitivity distribution. The evaluation of the error, the reduction of measuring time and the prevention of contamination were also made. (Kako, I.)

Optical microtopographic inspection of the surface of tooth subjected to stripping reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Manuel F.; Pereira, Pedro B.

2011-05-01

In orthodontics, the decreasing of tooth-size by reducing interproximal enamel surfaces (stripping) of teeth is a common procedure which allows dental alignment with minimal changes in the facial profile and no arch expansion. In order to achieve smooth surfaces, clinicians have been testing various methods and progressively improved this therapeutic technique. In order to evaluate the surface roughness of teeth subject to interproximal reduction through the five most commonly used methods, teeth were inspected by scanning electron microscopy and microtopographically measured using the optical active triangulation based microtopographer MICROTOP.06.MFC. The metrological procedure will be presented as well as the comparative results concluding on the most suitable tooth interproximal reduction method.

Algorithm design of liquid lens inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Lu-Lin; Wang, Chun-Chieh

2008-08-01

In mobile lens domain, the glass lens is often to be applied in high-resolution requirement situation; but the glass zoom lens needs to be collocated with movable machinery and voice-coil motor, which usually arises some space limits in minimum design. In high level molding component technology development, the appearance of liquid lens has become the focus of mobile phone and digital camera companies. The liquid lens sets with solid optical lens and driving circuit has replaced the original components. As a result, the volume requirement is decreased to merely 50% of the original design. Besides, with the high focus adjusting speed, low energy requirement, high durability, and low-cost manufacturing process, the liquid lens shows advantages in the competitive market. In the past, authors only need to inspect the scrape defect made by external force for the glass lens. As to the liquid lens, authors need to inspect the state of four different structural layers due to the different design and structure. In this paper, authors apply machine vision and digital image processing technology to administer inspections in the particular layer according to the needs of users. According to our experiment results, the algorithm proposed can automatically delete non-focus background, extract the region of interest, find out and analyze the defects efficiently in the particular layer. In the future, authors will combine the algorithm of the system with automatic-focus technology to implement the inside inspection based on the product inspective demands.

In-Service Inspection system for coolant channels of Indian PHWRS - evolution and experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puri, R.K.; Singh, M.

2006-01-01

In-Service Inspection (ISI) is the most important of all periodic monitoring and surveillance activities for assuring the structural integrity of coolant channels in the life extension and management of pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWR-CANDU). Indian PHWRs (220 MWe) are characterized by consists by 306 coolant channels in each unit. These channels have to be inspected for various parameters over the operating life of the reactor. ISI of coolant channels necessitated the indigenous development of an inspection system called BARCIS (BARC Channel Inspection System) at Bhabha Atomic Research Center. BARCIS consists of mainly three parts; drive and control unit, special sealing plug and an inspection head carrying various NDT sensors. Five such systems have been built and deployed at various power plants. The paper deals with the development of the BARCIS system for meeting the ISI requirements of coolant channels, development cycle of this system from its conception to evolution to the present state, challenges, data generated and experience gained (ISI of nearly 900 coolant channels has been completed). Prior to BARCIS, pressure tube gauging equipment for pre-service inspection of coolant tubes was developed in 1980. Moreover a tool for ISI of coolant channels in dry condition was developed in 1990. The paper also describes evolution of various contingency procedures and devices developed over the last one decade. Future plans taking into account technological advancement, changes in the scope of inspection due to design and operating experiences and plant layout will also be covered. The paper describes the efforts put in to develop drive and control mechanism to suit the different vault layouts. The drive mechanism is responsible for linear and rotary movement of the inspection head to carry out 100% volumetric inspection. Special emphasis has been laid on the safety devices required during the inspection activity. Special measures for heavy water retention in

A development of an automated ultrasonic TOFD inspection system using an welding line tracing robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Hyun; Song, Sung Jin; Lee, Kang Won; Kim, Young Jin; Woo, Jong Sik

2006-01-01

Large scaled ships, manufactured inside of the country, should be passed welding inspection and painting film inspection. Normally, these kind of inspections are conducted by human inspectors manually, although it cause industrial disasters such as falling accidents and diving accidents frequently. In addition, Ship makers are not to give a full trust to shipowners because manual inspections cannot be conducted all over the welding parts. So, in this study we developed an automated ultrasonic TOFD inspection system using an welding line tracing robot. This system, controlled by an inspector at a remote field, can inspect welding parts of ship outer panel both under water and in air. In this paper we present the developed robot and ultrasonic TOFD inspection system and the inspection result.

A development of an automated ultrasonic TOFD inspection system using an welding line tracing robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Hyun; Song, Sung Jin; Lee, Kang Won; Kim, Young Jin; Woo, Jong Sik

2006-01-01

Large scaled ships, manufactured inside of the country, should be passed welding inspection and painting film inspection. Normally, these kind of inspections are conducted by human inspectors manually, although it cause industrial disasters such as falling accidents and diving accidents frequently. In addition, Ship makers are not to give a full trust to ship owners because manual inspections cannot be conducted all over the welding parts. So, in this study we developed an automated ultrasonic TOFD inspection system using an welding line tracing robot. This system, controlled by an inspector at a remote field, can inspect welding parts of ship outer panel both under water and in air. In this paper we present the developed robot and ultrasonic TOFD inspection system and the inspection result.

Inspection of disposal canisters components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitkaenen, J.

2013-12-01

This report presents the inspection techniques of disposal canister components. Manufacturing methods and a description of the defects related to different manufacturing methods are described briefly. The defect types form a basis for the design of non-destructive testing because the defect types, which occur in the inspected components, affect to choice of inspection methods. The canister components are to nodular cast iron insert, steel lid, lid screw, metal gasket, copper tube with integrated or separate bottom, and copper lid. The inspection of copper material is challenging due to the anisotropic properties of the material and local changes in the grain size of the copper material. The cast iron insert has some acoustical material property variation (attenuation, velocity changes, scattering properties), which make the ultrasonic inspection demanding from calibration point of view. Mainly three different methods are used for inspection. Ultrasonic testing technique is used for inspection of volume, eddy current technique, for copper components only, and visual testing technique are used for inspection of the surface and near surface area

Development of the module inspection system for new standardized radiation monitoring modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukawa, Masami; Shimizu, Kazuaki; Hiruta, Toshihito; Mizugaki, Toshio; Ohi, Yoshihiro; Chida, Tooru.

1994-10-01

This report mentions about the module inspection system which does the maintenance check of the monitoring modules adapted the new monitoring standard, as well as the result of the verification of the modules. The module inspection system is the automatic measurement system with the computer. The system can perform the functional and the characteristic examination of the monitoring modules, the calibration with radiation source and inspection report. In the verification of the monitoring module, three major items were tested, the adaptability for the new monitoring standard, the module functions and each characteristics. All items met the new monitoring standard. (author)

Development of optical inspection system of L-band SRF cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tajima, Yujiro; Iwashita, Yoshihisa; Hayano, Hitoshi

2008-01-01

The International Linear Collider (ILC) will require about 15,000 1.3 GHz superconducting radio frequency (SRF) accelerating cavities with high accelerating gradient (>35 MV/m) in its main linac. The high yield (80%) of successful high gradient cavities is necessary. Both of the yield and the accelerating gradient of SRF cavities does not reach the required level at present. We think that the gradient of the SRF cavities is limited by irregularities on the interior surface of the cavities, for example, fine dusts (1μm), balls (100μm) and pits (100μm): electrons emitted from the fine dusts by the tunnel effect are accelerated in the electric field, and consume the stored energy of the cavities (Field Emission). The balls and pits cause a breakdown by a magnetic field enhancement or a thermal current concentration (Thermal Breakdown). To prevent these problems the interior surface are treated by polishing and rinsing. The relation between the surface states and the gradient limitations, however, is still not clarified. To study the relation, we are developing an optical inspection system of the interior surface. (author)

Implementation of the Air Program Information Management System (APIMS) Inspection Module

Science.gov (United States)

2009-05-01

7 5 T H A I R B A S E W I N G Implementation of the Air Program Information Management System (APIMS) Inspection Module 2009 Environment...Implementation of the Air Program Information Management System (APIMS) Inspection Module 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER

Research on image reconstruction of DR/SSCT security inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jian; Cong Peng

2008-01-01

On the basis of DR (Digital Radiography)/CT security inspection system, DR/SSCT (single slice spiral CT) security inspection system was developed. This spiral CT system can improve the CT system's drawbacks. The research work includes in replacing the former data acquisition system by a new system which can acquire projection data of multi-slices and devising the SSCT reconstruction algorithms. Simulation experiments and practical experiments were devised to contrast several algorithms. Interpolation technique was operated in detectors data in order to improve the algorithms. In conclusion, the system exploits an algorithm of weighted average of 360 degree LI (Linear Interpolation) and JH-HI (Jiang Hsieh-Half scan Interpolation). (authors)

Periodic inspection for safety of CANDU heat transport piping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellyin, F.

1979-10-01

Periodic inspection of heat transport and emergency core cooling piping systems is intended to maintain an adequate level of safety throughout the life of the plant, and to protect plant personnel and the public from the consequences of a failure and release of fission products. This report outlines a rational approach to the periodic inspection based on a fully probabilistic model. It demonstrates the methodology based on theoretical treatment and experimental data whereby the strength of a pressurized pipe or vessel containing a defect could be evaluated. It also shows how the extension of the defect at various lifetimes could be predicted. These relationships are prerequisite for the probabilistic formulation and analysis for the periodic inspection of piping systems

A portable inspection system to estimate direct glare of various LED modules

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Po-Li; Liao, Chun-Hsiang; Li, Hung-Chung; Jou, Shyh-Jye; Chen, Han-Ting; Lin, Yu-Hsin; Tang, Yu-Hsiang; Peng, Wei-Jei; Kuo, Hui-Jean; Sun, Pei-Li; Lee, Tsung-Xian

2015-07-01

Glare is caused by both direct and indirect light sources and discomfort glare produces visual discomfort, annoyance, or loss in visual performance and visibility. Direct glare is caused by light sources in the field of view whereas reflected glare is caused by bright reflections from polished or glossy surfaces that are reflected toward an individual. To improve visual comfort of our living environment, a portable inspection system to estimate direct glare of various commercial LED modules with the range of color temperature from 3100 K to 5300 K was developed in this study. The system utilized HDR images to obtain the illumination distribution of LED modules and was first calibrated for brightness and chromaticity and corrected with flat field, dark-corner and curvature by the installed algorithm. The index of direct glare was then automatically estimated after image capturing, and the operator can recognize the performance of LED modules and the possible effects on human being once the index was out of expecting range. In the future, we expect that the quick-response smart inspection system can be applied in several new fields and market, such as home energy diagnostics, environmental lighting and UGR monitoring and popularize it in several new fields.

Handling system for nuclear fuel pellet inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyman, D.H.; McLemore, D.R.; Sturges, R.H.

1978-11-01

HEDL is developing automated fabrication equipment for fast reactor fuel. A major inspection operation in the process is the gaging of fuel pellets. A key element in the system has been the development of a handling system that reliably moves pellets at the rate of three per second without product damage or excessive equipment wear

Rail inspection using noncontact laser ultrasonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Nak Hyeon; Sohn, Hoon; Han, Soon Woo

2012-01-01

In this study, a noncontact laser ultrasonic system is proposed for rail defect detection. An Nd Yag pulse laser is used for generation of ultrasonic waves, and the corresponding ultrasonic responses are measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer. For the detection of rail surface damages, the shape of the excitation laser beam is transformed into a line. On the other hand, a point source laser beam is used for the inspection of defects inside a rail head. Then, the interactions of propagating ultrasonic waves with defects are examined using actual rail specimens. Amplitude attenuation was mainly observed for a surface crack, and reflections were most noticeable from an internal damage. Finally, opportunities and challenges associated with real time rail inspection from a high speed train are discussed

A novel inspection system for cosmetic defects

Science.gov (United States)

Hazra, S.; Roy, R.; Williams, D.; Aylmore, R.; Hollingdale, D.

2013-12-01

The appearance of automotive skin panels creates desirability for a product and differentiates it from the competition. Because of the importance of skin panels, considerable care is taken in minimizing defects such as the 'hollow' defect that occur around door-handle depressions. However, the inspection process is manual, subjective and time-consuming. This paper describes the development of an objective and inspection scheme for the 'hollow' defect. In this inspection process, the geometry of a panel is captured using a structured lighting system. The geometry data is subsequently analyzed by a purpose-built wavelet-based algorithm to identify the location of any defects that may be present and to estimate the perceived severity of the defects without user intervention. This paper describes and critically evaluates the behavior of this physically-based algorithm on an ideal and real geometry and compares its result to an actual audit. The results show that the algorithm is capable of objectively locating and classifying 'hollow' defects in actual panels.

RPII Inspection and Licensing Activities and Annual Inspection Programme for 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-07-01

The objective of this report is to provide an overview of inspection activities of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, to examine the evolution in licensee numbers and to outline the rationale in developing annual inspection programmes. All inspection activities are now carried out within the framework of a quality management system including: inspection planning, the training of inspectors, the conduct of inspections as well as inspection follow up and review. The report also provides an overview of the main features of the quality system

RPII Inspection and Licensing Activities and Annual Inspection Programme for 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-04-01

The objective of this report is to provide an overview of inspection activities of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland RPII, to examine the evolution in licensee numbers and to outline the rationale in developing annual inspection programmes. All inspection activities are now carried out within the framework of a quality management system including inspection planning, the training of inspectors, the conduct of inspections as well as post inspection follow up and review. This report also provides an overview of the main features of the quality system

Validation Test Results for Orthogonal Probe Eddy Current Thruster Inspection System

Science.gov (United States)

Wincheski, Russell A.

2007-01-01

Recent nondestructive evaluation efforts within NASA have focused on an inspection system for the detection of intergranular cracking originating in the relief radius of Primary Reaction Control System (PCRS) Thrusters. Of particular concern is deep cracking in this area which could lead to combustion leakage in the event of through wall cracking from the relief radius into an acoustic cavity of the combustion chamber. In order to reliably detect such defects while ensuring minimal false positives during inspection, the Orthogonal Probe Eddy Current (OPEC) system has been developed and an extensive validation study performed. This report describes the validation procedure, sample set, and inspection results as well as comparing validation flaws with the response from naturally occuring damage.

A brick-architecture-based mobile under-vehicle inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Cheng; Page, David; Koschan, Andreas; Abidi, Mongi

2005-05-01

In this paper, a mobile scanning system for real-time under-vehicle inspection is presented, which is founded on a "Brick" architecture. In this "Brick" architecture, the inspection system is basically decomposed into bricks of three kinds: sensing, mobility, and computing. These bricks are physically and logically independent and communicate with each other by wireless communication. Each brick is mainly composed by five modules: data acquisition, data processing, data transmission, power, and self-management. These five modules can be further decomposed into submodules where the function and the interface are well-defined. Based on this architecture, the system is built by four bricks: two sensing bricks consisting of a range scanner and a line CCD, one mobility brick, and one computing brick. The sensing bricks capture geometric data and texture data of the under-vehicle scene, while the mobility brick provides positioning data along the motion path. Data of these three modalities are transmitted to the computing brick where they are fused and reconstruct a 3D under-vehicle model for visualization and danger inspection. This system has been successfully used in several military applications and proved to be an effective safer method for national security.

An Eddy Current Testing Platform System for Pipe Defect Inspection Based on an Optimized Eddy Current Technique Probe Design

Science.gov (United States)

Rifai, Damhuji; Abdalla, Ahmed N.; Razali, Ramdan; Ali, Kharudin; Faraj, Moneer A.

2017-01-01

The use of the eddy current technique (ECT) for the non-destructive testing of conducting materials has become increasingly important in the past few years. The use of the non-destructive ECT plays a key role in the ensuring the safety and integrity of the large industrial structures such as oil and gas pipelines. This paper introduce a novel ECT probe design integrated with the distributed ECT inspection system (DSECT) use for crack inspection on inner ferromagnetic pipes. The system consists of an array of giant magneto-resistive (GMR) sensors, a pneumatic system, a rotating magnetic field excitation source and a host PC acting as the data analysis center. Probe design parameters, namely probe diameter, an excitation coil and the number of GMR sensors in the array sensor is optimized using numerical optimization based on the desirability approach. The main benefits of DSECT can be seen in terms of its modularity and flexibility for the use of different types of magnetic transducers/sensors, and signals of a different nature with either digital or analog outputs, making it suited for the ECT probe design using an array of GMR magnetic sensors. A real-time application of the DSECT distributed system for ECT inspection can be exploited for the inspection of 70 mm carbon steel pipe. In order to predict the axial and circumference defect detection, a mathematical model is developed based on the technique known as response surface methodology (RSM). The inspection results of a carbon steel pipe sample with artificial defects indicate that the system design is highly efficient. PMID:28335399

A Ship Cargo Hold Inspection Approach Using Laser Vision Systems

OpenAIRE

SHEN Yang; ZHAO Ning; LIU Haiwei; MI Chao

2013-01-01

Our paper represents a vision system based on the laser measurement system (LMS) for bulk ship inspection. The LMS scanner with 2-axis servo system is installed on the ship loader to build the shape of the ship. Then, a group of real-time image processing algorithms are implemented to compute the shape of the cargo hold, the inclination angle of the ship and the relative position between the ship loader and the cargo hold. Based on those computed inspection data of the ship, the ship loader c...

A remote inspection system for use inside reactor containment vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, Toshihiko; Kashiwai, Jun-ichi; Yamamoto, Ikuo; Fukada, Koichi; Yamanaka, Yoshinobu.

1985-01-01

The harsh environment in the reactor-containment vesels of pressurized-water reactor nuclear-power plants precludes the possibility of direct circuit inspection; a remote-inspection system is essential. A robot for performing this task must not only be able to withstand the harsh conditions but must also be small and maneuverable enough to function effectively within complex and confined spaces. The article describes a monorail-type remote-inspection robot developed by Mitsubishi Electric to meet these needs, which is now under trial production and testing. (author)

Analysis and optimization on in-vessel inspection robotic system for EAST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Weijun; Zhou, Zeyu; Yuan, Jianjun; Du, Liang; Mao, Ziming

2015-01-01

Since China has successfully built her first Experimental Advanced Superconducting TOKAMAK (EAST) several years ago, great interest and demand have been increasing in robotic in-vessel inspection/operation systems, by which an observation of in-vessel physical phenomenon, collection of visual information, 3D mapping and localization, even maintenance are to be possible. However, it has been raising many challenges to implement a practical and robust robotic system, due to a lot of complex constraints and expectations, e.g., high remanent working temperature (100 °C) and vacuum (10"−"3 pa) environment even in the rest interval between plasma discharge experiments, close-up and precise inspection, operation efficiency, besides a general kinematic requirement of D shape irregular vessel. In this paper we propose an upgraded robotic system with redundant degrees of freedom (DOF) manipulator combined with a binocular vision system at the tip and a virtual reality system. A comprehensive comparison and discussion are given on the necessity and main function of the binocular vision system, path planning for inspection, fast localization, inspection efficiency and success rate in time, optimization of kinematic configuration, and the possibility of underactuated mechanism. A detailed design, implementation, and experiments of the binocular vision system together with the recent development progress of the whole robotic system are reported in the later part of the paper, while, future work and expectation are described in the end.

Improvement of remote control system of automatic ultrasonic equipment for inspection of reactor pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheong, Yong Moo; Jung, H. K.; Joo, Y. S.; Koo, K. M.; Hyung, H.; Sim, C. M.; Gong, U. S.; Kim, S. H.; Lee, J. P.; Rhoo, H. C.; Kim, M. S.; Ryoo, S. K.; Choi, C. H.; Oh, K. I.

1999-12-01

One of the important issues related to the nuclear safety is in-service inspection of reactor pressure vessel (RPV). A remote controlled automatic ultrasonic method is applied to the inspection. At present the automatic ultrasonic inspection system owned by KAERI is interrupted due to degradation of parts. In order to resume field inspection new remote control system for the equipment was designed and installed to the existing equipment. New ultrasonic sensors and their modules for RPV inspection were designed and fabricated in accordance with the new requirements of the inspection codes. Ultrasonic sensors were verified for the use in the RPV inspection. (author)

A probe for Eddy current inspection devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1974-01-01

The invention relates to a surface probe for Eddy current inspection devices. According to the invention, said probe comprises two magnetic core windings, with their axes in parallel relationship and at right angles to the surface of the part to be inspected. This can be applied to the nondestructive inspection of reactor components [fr

Image acquisition, transmission and assignment in 60Co container inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Zhifang; Zhou Liye; Liu Ximing; Wang Liqiang

1999-01-01

The author describes the data acquisition mode and image reconstruction method in 60 Co container inspection system, analyzes the relationship between line pick period and geometry distortion, makes clear the demand to data transmitting rate. It discusses several data communication methods, draws up a plan for network, realizes automatic direction and reasonable assignment of data in the system, cooperation of multi-computer and parallel processing, thus greatly improves the systems inspection efficiency

INETEC new system for inspection of PWR reactor pressure vessel head

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nadinic, B.; Postruzin, Z.

2004-01-01

INETEC Institute for Nuclear Technology developed new equipment for inspection of PWR and VVER reactor pressure vessel head. The new advances in inspection technology are presented in this article, as the following: New advance manipulator for inspection of RPVH with high speed of inspection possibilities and total automated work; New sophisticated software for manipulator driving which includes 3D virtual presentation of manipulator movement and collision detection possibilities; New multi axis controller MAC-8; New end effector system for inspection of penetration tube and G weld; New eddy current and ultrasonic probes for inspection of G weld and penetration tube; New Eddy One Raster scan software for analysis of eddy current data with mant advanced features which allows easy and quick data analysis. Also the results of laboratory testing and laboratory qualification are presented on reactor pressure vessel head mock, as well as obtained speed of inspection and quality of collected data.(author)

High-speed railway signal trackside equipment patrol inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Nan

2018-03-01

High-speed railway signal trackside equipment patrol inspection system comprehensively applies TDI (time delay integration), high-speed and highly responsive CMOS architecture, low illumination photosensitive technique, image data compression technique, machine vision technique and so on, installed on high-speed railway inspection train, and achieves the collection, management and analysis of the images of signal trackside equipment appearance while the train is running. The system will automatically filter out the signal trackside equipment images from a large number of the background image, and identify of the equipment changes by comparing the original image data. Combining with ledger data and train location information, the system accurately locate the trackside equipment, conscientiously guiding maintenance.

Optimal inspection strategies for offshore structural systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Faber, M. H.; Sorensen, J. D.; Kroon, I. B.

1992-01-01

a mathematical framework for the estimation of the failure and repair costs a.ssociated with systems failure. Further a strategy for selecting the components to inspect based on decision tree analysis is suggested. Methods and analysis schemes are illustrated by a simple example....

75 FR 38765 - Domestic Origin Verification System Questionnaire and Regulations Governing Inspection and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-06

..., facility assessment services, certifications of quantity and quality, import product inspections, and... control number. These include export certification, inspection of section 8e import products, and...] Domestic Origin Verification System Questionnaire and Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification of...

Remote visual inspection of nuclear fuel pellets with fiber optics and video image processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, F.W.

1987-01-01

Westinghouse Hanford Company has designed and constructed a nuclear fuel fabrication process line for the U.S. Department of Energy. This process line includes a system that remotely inspects the cylindrical surface of nuclear fuel pellets for surface spots, flaws, or discoloration. The pellets are inspected on a 100% basis after pellet sintering. A feeder delivers the pellets directly to a fiber optic inspection head, which views one pellet surface at a time and images it to a closed-circuit color television camera (CCTV). The output signal of the CCTV is input to a digital imaging processor that stores approximately 25 pellet images at a time. A human operator visually examines the images of the pellet surfaces on a high resolution monitor and accepts or rejects the pellets based on visual standards. The operator uses a digitizing tablet to record the location of rejected pellets, which are then automatically removed from the product stream. The system is expandable to automated disposition of the pellet surface image

Improvement of remote control system of automatic ultrasonic equipment for inspection of reactor pressure vessel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheong, Yong Moo; Jung, H. K.; Joo, Y. S.; Koo, K. M.; Hyung, H.; Sim, C. M.; Gong, U. S.; Kim, S. H.; Lee, J. P.; Rhoo, H. C.; Kim, M. S.; Ryoo, S. K.; Choi, C. H.; Oh, K. I

1999-12-01

One of the important issues related to the nuclear safety is in-service inspection of reactor pressure vessel (RPV). A remote controlled automatic ultrasonic method is applied to the inspection. At present the automatic ultrasonic inspection system owned by KAERI is interrupted due to degradation of parts. In order to resume field inspection new remote control system for the equipment was designed and installed to the existing equipment. New ultrasonic sensors and their modules for RPV inspection were designed and fabricated in accordance with the new requirements of the inspection codes. Ultrasonic sensors were verified for the use in the RPV inspection. (autho0008.

Realistic modeling of radiation transmission inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sale, K.E.

1993-01-01

We have applied Monte Carlo particle transport methods to assess a proposed neutron transmission inspection system for checked luggage. The geometry of the system and the time, energy and angle dependence of the source have been modeled in detail. A pulsed deuteron beam incident on a thick Be target generates a neutron pulse with a very broad energy spectrum which is detected after passage through the luggage item by a plastic scintillator detector operating in current mode (as opposed to pulse counting mode). The neutron transmission as a function of time information is used to infer the densities of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen in the volume sampled. The measured elemental densities can be compared to signatures for explosives or other contraband. By using such computational modeling it is possible to optimize many aspects of the design of an inspection system without costly and time consuming prototyping experiments or to determine that a proposed scheme will not work. The methods applied here can be used to evaluate neutron or photon schemes based on transmission, scattering or reaction techniques

Influence Of Inspection Intervals On Mechanical System Reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zilberman, B.

1998-01-01

In this paper a methodology of reliability analysis of mechanical systems with latent failures is described. Reliability analysis of such systems must include appropriate usage of check intervals for latent failure detection. The methodology suggests, that based on system logic the analyst decides at the beginning if a system can fail actively or latently and propagates this approach through all system levels. All inspections are assumed to be perfect (all failures are detected and repaired and no new failures are introduced as a result of the maintenance). Additional assumptions are that mission time is much smaller, than check intervals and all components have constant failure rates. Analytical expressions for reliability calculates are provided, based on fault tree and Markov modeling techniques (for two and three redundant systems with inspection intervals). The proposed methodology yields more accurate results than are obtained by not using check intervals or using half check interval times. The conventional analysis assuming that at the beginning of each mission system is as new, give an optimistic prediction of system reliability. Some examples of reliability calculations of mechanical systems with latent failures and establishing optimum check intervals are provided

Automatic inspection of textured surfaces by support vector machines

Science.gov (United States)

Jahanbin, Sina; Bovik, Alan C.; Pérez, Eduardo; Nair, Dinesh

2009-08-01

Automatic inspection of manufactured products with natural looking textures is a challenging task. Products such as tiles, textile, leather, and lumber project image textures that cannot be modeled as periodic or otherwise regular; therefore, a stochastic modeling of local intensity distribution is required. An inspection system to replace human inspectors should be flexible in detecting flaws such as scratches, cracks, and stains occurring in various shapes and sizes that have never been seen before. A computer vision algorithm is proposed in this paper that extracts local statistical features from grey-level texture images decomposed with wavelet frames into subbands of various orientations and scales. The local features extracted are second order statistics derived from grey-level co-occurrence matrices. Subsequently, a support vector machine (SVM) classifier is trained to learn a general description of normal texture from defect-free samples. This algorithm is implemented in LabVIEW and is capable of processing natural texture images in real-time.

Development of sup 6 sup 0 Co cargo train inspection system

CERN Document Server

Wu Zhi Fang

2002-01-01

The author introduces the research and development of sup 6 sup 0 Co cargo train inspection system. With the use of radiography principle, every car image is acquired when the cargo train runs through the inspection channel. It is evaluated whether the cargo in car matches the corresponding customs declaration information with digital image processing techniques. The system has been installed in railway port at Manzhouli Customs

NELIS - a Neutron Inspection System for Detection of Illicit Drugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barzilov, Alexander P.; Womble, Phillip C.; Vourvopoulos, George

2003-01-01

NELIS (Neutron ELemental Inspection System) is currently being developed to inspect cargo pallets for illicit drugs. NELIS must be used in conjunction with an x-ray imaging system to optimize the inspection capabilities at ports of entry. Pulsed fast-thermal neutron analysis is utilized to measure the major and minor chemical elements in a non-destructive and non-intrusive manner. Fourteen-MeV neutrons produced with a pulsed d-T neutron generator are the interrogating particles. NELIS analyzes the characteristic gamma rays emitted from the object that are produced by nuclear reactions from fast and thermal neutrons. These gamma rays have different energies for each chemical element, and act as their fingerprints. Since the elemental composition of illicit drugs is quite different from that of innocuous materials, drugs hidden in pallets are identified through the comparison of expected and measured elemental composition and ratios. Results of tests of the system will be discussed

Development of machine vision system for PHWR fuel pellet inspection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamalesh Kumar, B.; Reddy, K.S.; Lakshminarayana, A.; Sastry, V.S.; Ramana Rao, A.V. [Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (India); Joshi, M.; Deshpande, P.; Navathe, C.P.; Jayaraj, R.N. [Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, Madhya Pradesh (India)

2008-07-01

Nuclear Fuel Complex, a constituent of Department of Atomic Energy; India is responsible for manufacturing nuclear fuel in India . Over a million Uranium-di-oxide pellets fabricated per annum need visual inspection . In order to overcome the limitations of human based visual inspection, NFC has undertaken the development of machine vision system. The development involved designing various subsystems viz. mechanical and control subsystem for handling and rotation of fuel pellets, lighting subsystem for illumination, image acquisition system, and image processing system and integration. This paper brings out details of various subsystems and results obtained from the trials conducted. (author)

Automated visual inspection for polished stone manufacture

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Melvyn L.; Smith, Lyndon N.

2003-05-01

Increased globalisation of the ornamental stone market has lead to increased competition and more rigorous product quality requirements. As such, there are strong motivators to introduce new, more effective, inspection technologies that will help enable stone processors to reduce costs, improve quality and improve productivity. Natural stone surfaces may contain a mixture of complex two-dimensional (2D) patterns and three-dimensional (3D) features. The challenge in terms of automated inspection is to develop systems able to reliably identify 3D topographic defects, either naturally occurring or resulting from polishing, in the presence of concomitant complex 2D stochastic colour patterns. The resulting real-time analysis of the defects may be used in adaptive process control, in order to avoid the wasteful production of defective product. An innovative approach, using structured light and based upon an adaptation of the photometric stereo method, has been pioneered and developed at UWE to isolate and characterize mixed 2D and 3D surface features. The method is able to undertake tasks considered beyond the capabilities of existing surface inspection techniques. The approach has been successfully applied to real stone samples, and a selection of experimental results is presented.

Analysis and optimization on in-vessel inspection robotic system for EAST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Weijun, E-mail: zhangweijun@sjtu.edu.cn; Zhou, Zeyu; Yuan, Jianjun; Du, Liang; Mao, Ziming

2015-12-15

Since China has successfully built her first Experimental Advanced Superconducting TOKAMAK (EAST) several years ago, great interest and demand have been increasing in robotic in-vessel inspection/operation systems, by which an observation of in-vessel physical phenomenon, collection of visual information, 3D mapping and localization, even maintenance are to be possible. However, it has been raising many challenges to implement a practical and robust robotic system, due to a lot of complex constraints and expectations, e.g., high remanent working temperature (100 °C) and vacuum (10{sup −3} pa) environment even in the rest interval between plasma discharge experiments, close-up and precise inspection, operation efficiency, besides a general kinematic requirement of D shape irregular vessel. In this paper we propose an upgraded robotic system with redundant degrees of freedom (DOF) manipulator combined with a binocular vision system at the tip and a virtual reality system. A comprehensive comparison and discussion are given on the necessity and main function of the binocular vision system, path planning for inspection, fast localization, inspection efficiency and success rate in time, optimization of kinematic configuration, and the possibility of underactuated mechanism. A detailed design, implementation, and experiments of the binocular vision system together with the recent development progress of the whole robotic system are reported in the later part of the paper, while, future work and expectation are described in the end.

A novel method for surface defect inspection of optic cable with short-wave infrared illuminance

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaohong; Liu, Ning; You, Bo; Xiao, Bin

2016-07-01

Intelligent on-line detection of cable quality is a crucial issue in optic cable factory, and defects on the surface of optic cable can dramatically depress cable grade. Manual inspection in optic cable quality cannot catch up with the development of optic cable industry due to its low detection efficiency and huge human cost. Therefore, real-time is highly demanded by industry in order to replace the subjective and repetitive process of manual inspection. For this reason, automatic cable defect inspection has been a trend. In this paper, a novel method for surface defect inspection of optic cable with short-wave infrared illuminance is presented. The special condition of short-wave infrared cannot only provide illumination compensation for the weak illumination environment, but also can avoid the problem of exposure when using visible light illuminance, which affects the accuracy of inspection algorithm. A series of image processing algorithms are set up to analyze cable image for the verification of real-time and veracity of the detection method. Unlike some existing detection algorithms which concentrate on the characteristics of defects with an active search way, the proposed method removes the non-defective areas of the image passively at the same time of image processing, which reduces a large amount of computation. OTSU algorithm is used to convert the gray image to the binary image. Furthermore, a threshold window is designed to eliminate the fake defects, and the threshold represents the considered minimum size of defects ε . Besides, a new regional suppression method is proposed to deal with the edge burrs of the cable, which shows the superior performance compared with that of Open-Close operation of mathematical morphological in the boundary processing. Experimental results of 10,000 samples show that the rates of miss detection and false detection are 2.35% and 0.78% respectively when ε equals to 0.5 mm, and the average processing period of one frame

Preliminary conceptual design of inspection and maintenance for KALIMER reactor system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joo, Young Sang; Kim, Seok Hun; Yoo, Bong

2000-08-01

In-service inspection and maintenance are very important for improving the safety and availability of nuclear power plants. The conceptual requirements of in-service inspection and maintenance should be reflected in the earlier design process for the verification of the plant operability and reliability. In this report the fundamental approaches of the inspection and maintenance for KALIMER are established to ensure the structural integrity and operability for KALIMER. The general strategy and methodology of maintenance and inspection for the reactor system and components are proposed and described for satisfying the intents of the section XI, division 3, of ASME code and considering the design characteristics of KALIMER.

Infrared microscope inspection apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Forman, Steven E.; Caunt, James W.

1985-02-26

Apparatus and system for inspecting infrared transparents, such as an array of photovoltaic modules containing silicon solar cells, includes an infrared microscope, at least three sources of infrared light placed around and having their axes intersect the center of the object field and means for sending the reflected light through the microscope. The apparatus is adapted to be mounted on an X-Y translator positioned adjacent the object surface.

Linac based photofission inspection system employing novel detection concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevenson, John; Gozani, Tsahi; Elsalim, Mashal; Condron, Cathie; Brown, Craig

2011-01-01

Rapiscan Systems is developing a LINAC based cargo inspection system for detection of special nuclear material (SNM) in cargo containers. The system, called Photofission Based Alarm Resolution (PBAR) is being developed under a DHD/DNDO Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program. The PBAR system is based on the Rapiscan Eagle P9000 X-ray system, which is a portal system with a commercial 9 MeV LINAC X-ray source. For the purposes of the DNDO ATD program, a conveyor system was installed in the portal to allow scanning and precise positioning of 20 ft ISO cargo containers. The system uses a two step inspection process. In the first step, the basic scan, the container is quickly and completely inspected using two independent radiography arrays: the conventional primary array with high spatial resolution and a lower resolution spectroscopic array employing the novel Z-Spec method. The primary array uses cadmium tungstate (CdWO 4 ) detectors with conventional current mode readouts using photodiodes. The Z-Spec array uses small plastic scintillators capable of performing very fast (up to 10 8 cps) gamma-ray spectroscopy. The two radiography arrays are used to locate high-Z objects in the image such as lead, tungsten, uranium, which could be potential shielding materials as well as SNM itself. In the current system, the Z-Spec works by measuring the energy spectrum of transmitted X-rays. For high-Z materials the higher end of the energy spectrum is more attenuated than for low-Z materials and thus has a lower mean energy and a narrower width than low- and medium-Z materials. The second step in the inspection process is the direct scan or alarm clearing scan. In this step, areas of the container image, which were identified as high Z, are re-inspected. This is done by precisely repositioning the container to the location of the high-Z object and performing a stationary irradiation of the area with X-ray beam. Since there are a large number of photons in the 9 MV

Information-Driven Inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laughter, Mark D.; Whitaker, J. Michael; Lockwood, Dunbar

2010-01-01

New uranium enrichment capacity is being built worldwide in response to perceived shortfalls in future supply. To meet increasing safeguards responsibilities with limited resources, the nonproliferation community is exploring next-generation concepts to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of safeguards, such as advanced technologies to enable unattended monitoring of nuclear material. These include attribute measurement technologies, data authentication tools, and transmission and security methods. However, there are several conceptual issues with how such data would be used to improve the ability of a safeguards inspectorate such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to reach better safeguards conclusions regarding the activities of a State. The IAEA is pursuing the implementation of information-driven safeguards, whereby all available sources of information are used to make the application of safeguards more effective and efficient. Data from continuous, unattended monitoring systems can be used to optimize on-site inspection scheduling and activities at declared facilities, resulting in fewer, better inspections. Such information-driven inspections are the logical evolution of inspection planning - making use of all available information to enhance scheduled and randomized inspections. Data collection and analysis approaches for unattended monitoring systems can be designed to protect sensitive information while enabling information-driven inspections. A number of such inspections within a predetermined range could reduce inspection frequency while providing an equal or greater level of deterrence against illicit activity, all while meeting operator and technology holder requirements and reducing inspector and operator burden. Three options for using unattended monitoring data to determine an information-driven inspection schedule are to (1) send all unattended monitoring data off-site, which will require advances in data analysis techniques to

Electrical and electronic subsystems of a nuclear waste tank annulus inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evenson, R.J.

1981-06-01

The nuclear waste tank annulus inspection system is designed specifically for use at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Nuclear Fuel Services Facility at West Valley, New York. This system sends a television and photographic camera into the space between the walls of a double-shell nuclear waste tank to obtain images of the inner and outer walls at precisely known locations. The system is capable of inspecting a wall section 14 ft wide by 27 ft high. Due to the high temperature and radiation of the annulus environment, the operating life for the inspection device is uncertain, but is expected to be at least 100 h, with 1000 R/h at 82 0 C. The film camera is shielded with 1/2 in. of lead to minimize radiation fogging of the film during a 25-min picture taking excursion. The operation of the inspection system is semiautomated with remote manual prepositioning of the camera, followed by a computer controlled wall scan. This apparatus is currently set up to take an array of contiguous pictures, but is adaptable to other modes of operation

An advanced dispatching technology for large container inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zhiqiang; Zhang Li; Kang Kejun; Gao Wenhuan

2001-01-01

The author describes the transmitting and dispatching technology of large container inspection system. It introduces the structure of the double buffer graded pipe lining used in the system. Strategies of queue mechanism and waiting dispatch policy are illustrated

Wall thickness measurements of tubes by Internal Rotary Inspection System (IRIS)- a comparative study with metallography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subramanian, C.V.; Joseph, A.; Ramesh, A.S.; Jayakumar, T.; Kalyanasundaram, P.; Baldev Raj

1996-01-01

Internal Rotary Inspection System (IRIS) is a relatively new ultrasonic system of heat exchanger/ steam condenser tubes and pipelines for measurement of wall thinning and pitting due to corrosion. The wall thickness measurements made during a scan around the circumference of the tube are displayed as a stationary rectilinear display of circumferential cross section (Bscan) of the tube. The paper describes the results obtained on tubes of various materials used in process industries having corrosion on inner and outer surfaces of the tube. (author)

Development of CANDU fuel in-bay inspection and dimensional measurement system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jo, Chang Keun; Cho, Moon Sung; Suk, Ho Chun; Koo, Dae Seo; Park, Kwang June; Jun, Ji Su; Jung, Jong Yeob

2004-09-01

In this report, we describe a spent fuel inspection and dimensional measuring system for CANDU fuel bundles in atmosphere or water. The submissible camera with radiation resistance was used to inspect a spent fuel in water. The design criteria of the dimensional measuring system was set up {+-}0.01mm(10{mu}m) for measuring accuracy. The LVDT (Linear Variable Differential Transformer) was used as measuring sensor in this dimensional measuring system. An LVDT calibration equipment was developed in order to satisfy the required accuracy of the system. Also, aluminum master and CANDU Master with same dimension of fuel bundle was made to calibrate the mechanical error of the dimensional measuring system. The accuracy of the fuel inspection system was examined. The results show that the accuracy in dimensional measurement of fuel rod profile and bearing pad profile, diameter of fuel bundle, fuel rod length, and end plate profile using standard test equipment satisfies the design criteria, i.e., maximum measurement error of {+-}0.01mm(10{mu}m)

Intelligent mobile sensor system for drum inspection and monitoring: Phase 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-06-01

The objective of this project was to develop an operational system for monitoring and inspection activities for waste storage facility operations at several DOE sites. Specifically, the product of this effort is a robotic device with enhanced intelligence and maneuverability capable of conducting routine inspection of stored waste drums. The device is capable of operating in narrow aisles and interpolating the free aisle space between rows of stacked drums. The system has an integrated sensor suite for leak detection, and is interfaced with a site database both for inspection planning and for data correlation, updating, and report generation. The system is capable of departing on an assigned mission, collecting required data, recording which positions of its mission had to be aborted or modified due to environmental constraints, and reporting back when the mission is complete. Successful identification of more than 90% of all drum defects has been demonstrated in a high fidelity waste storage facility mockup. Identified anomalies included rust spots, rust streaks, areas of corrosion, dents, and tilted drums. All drums were positively identified and correlated with the site database. This development effort is separated into three phases of which phase one is now complete. The first phase has demonstrated an integrated system for monitoring and inspection activities for waste storage facility operations. This demonstration system was quickly fielded and evaluated by leveraging technologies developed from previous NASA and DARPA contracts and internal research. The second phase will demonstrate a prototype system appropriate for operational use in an actual storage facility. The prototype provides an integrated design that considers operational requirements, hardware costs, maintenance, safety, and robustness. The final phase will demonstrate commercial viability using the prototype vehicle in a pilot waste operations and inspection project

Ultrasonic inspection method and system for detection of steeple cracking in turbine disk rims

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birring, A.S.; Lamping, G.A.; Van der Veer, W.R.; Hanley, J.J.

1990-01-01

Steam turbine disks which operate under high cyclic stress in a moist environment can develop cracks in the disk-rim steeples. Detection of these cracks using nondestructive testing methods is necessary to assure safe operation and avoid unnecessary disk replacement. Both magnetic particle (MT) and ultrasonic testing (UT) can be used to inspect the steeples; however, UT can be used without removing the blades. A system for inspecting bladed steeples has been developed that can be applied on a range of disks including those in Westinghouse, General Electric, and Allis Chalmers turbines. The system performs an inspection as the turbine is rotated at slow speeds over turning rolls. This procedure greatly reduces inspection time because the inspection can be done without deblading the disk or resetting the inspection equipment for different rim segments

Relocatable cargo x-ray inspection systems utilizing compact linacs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sapp, W. Wade; Adams, William L.; Callerame, Joseph; Grodzins, Lee; Rothschild, Peter J.; Schueller, Richard; Mishin, Andrey V.; Smith, Gerald J.

2001-01-01

Magnetron-powered, X-band linacs with 3-4 MeV capability are compact enough to be readily utilized in relocatable high energy cargo inspection systems. Just such a system is currently under development at AS and E trade mark sign using the commercially available ISOSearch trade mark sign cargo inspection system as the base platform. The architecture permits the retention of backscatter imaging, which has proven to be an extremely valuable complement to the more usual transmission images. The linac and its associated segmented detector will provide an additional view with superior penetration and spatial resolution. The complete system, which is housed in two standard 40 ' ISO containers, is briefly described with emphasis on the installation and operating characteristics of the portable linac. The average rf power delivered by the magnetron to the accelerator section can be varied up to the maximum of about 1 kW. The projected system performance, including radiation dose to the environment, will be discussed and compared with other high energy systems

Development of intelligent Eddy Current Testing (ECT) system for PWR steam generator tube inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawata, K.; Kawase, N.; Kurokawa, M.; Asada, Y.

2005-01-01

The intelligent ECT system was developed for the inspection of heat transfer tubes of the steam generator of the PWR plant. It consists of intelligent probe, data acquisition unit and data analysis system. The probe combines 24 channels inclined lay out drive coils and thin film pick-up coils with built-in electric circuits to provide high inspection capability equivalent to rotating coil ECT and high-speed inspection equivalent to conventional bobbin coil ECT. The advanced data analysis system that has filtering and automatic analysis functions is also developed to enable fast and precise analysis of large volume inspection data. The system was qualified by confirmation tests in FY 2003 to show thinned thickness sizing accuracy within ± 5%. (T. Tanaka)

33 CFR 157.148 - COW system: Evidence for inspections.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false COW system: Evidence for... CARRYING OIL IN BULK Crude Oil Washing (COW) System on Tank Vessels Inspections § 157.148 COW system... inspector evidence that the COW system has been installed in accordance with the plans accepted under § 157...

A delay time model for a mission-based system subject to periodic and random inspection and postponed replacement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Li; Ma, Xiaobing; Zhai, Qingqing; Zhao, Yu

2016-01-01

We propose an inspection and replacement policy for a single component system that successively executes missions with random durations. The failure process of the system can be divided into two states, namely, normal and defective, following the delay time concept. Inspections are carried out periodically and immediately after the completion of each mission (random inspections). The failed state is always identified immediately, whereas the defective state can only be revealed by an inspection. If the system fails or is defective at a periodic inspection, then replacement is immediate. If, however, the system is defective at a random inspection, then replacement will be postponed if the time to the subsequent periodic inspection is shorter than a pre-determined threshold, and immediate otherwise. We derive the long run expected cost per unit time and then investigate the optimal periodic inspection interval and postponement threshold. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed maintenance policy. - Highlights: • A delay time model of inspection is introduced for mission-based systems. • Periodic and random inspections are performed to check the state. • Replacement of the defective system at a random inspection can be postponed.

Multifrequency eddy-current system for inspection of steam generator turbine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, T.J.

1980-11-01

The objectives of this program were to: determine the maximum advantage of the multifrequency eddy current method for nuclear steam generator tubing inspection; simplify system operating procedures and enhance presentation of mutifrequency data; and evaluate multifrequency methods for inspecting recently encountered types of anomalies such as circumferential cracks, inside diameter flaws, and flaws in dented regions. New test methods developed under the program have resulted in a dramatic improvement over earlier multifrequency work. The methods rely on judicious selection of test frequencies and the simultaneous use of differential and absolute multiparameter inspection. Flaws may be sized and profiled with increased accuracy over that of the single-frequency method, and improved rejection of indications from unwanted parameters such as support plates and probe wobble has been obtained. The ability to detect and size support cracks in both corroded and non-corroded supports has been demonstrated on a laboratory basis. A field-usable test system employing four test frequencies was developed under the program and has been evaluated in the EPRI steam generator mockup. Some of the new technology used in this system has been commercialized into the new Zetec MIZ-12 multifrequency system

The Expert System Application For Inspection Of The Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Josowidagdo, L.

1997-01-01

This paper describes the application of expert system to evaluate and consider the problem encountered in this fields are complex and time consuming. As as example several factors affecting system voltage selections are load magnitude, distance from the main power supply, safety, standards, cost of utilization and service system equipment, and future load growth. The inspection deal with interactions between alternatives, uncertainties, and important non financial parameter. Several complex problems are multiple objective functions, multiple constraints, complex system interactions, the need for accuracy, the need for trade off, optimization, and coordination of the decision making process. ASDEP is one of the expert system for electric power plant design that describe the application of the artificial intelligence to design of a power plan's electrical auxiliary system. In this circumstance this paper will elaborate another aspect for using the expert system in the inspection

Inspection of secondary cooling system piping of JMTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanawa, Yoshio; Izumo, Hironobu; Fukasaku, Akitomi; Nagao, Yoshiharu; Kawamura, Hiroshi

2008-06-01

Piping condition was inspected form the view point of long term utilization before the renewal work of the secondary cooling system in the JMTR on FY 2008. As the result, it was confirmed that cracks, swellings and exfoliations in inner lining of the piping could be observed, and corrosion, which was reached by piping ingot, or decrease of piping thickness could hardly be observed. It was therefore confirmed that the strength or the functionality of the piping had been maintained by usual operation and maintenance. Repair of inner lining of the piping during the refurbishment of the JMTR is necessary to long term utilization of the secondary cooling system after restart of the JMTR from the view point of preventive maintenance. In addition, a periodic inspection of inner lining condition is necessary after repair of the piping. (author)

Development of innovative inspection tools for higher reliability of PHWR fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamalesh Kumar, B.; Viswanathan, B.; Laxminarayana, B.; Ganguly, C.

2003-01-01

'Full text:' Advent of Computer aided manufacturing systems has led to very high rate of production with greater reliability. The conventional inspection tools and systems, which are often manual based do not complement with output of highly automated production line. In order to overcome the deficiency, a strategic plan was developed for having automated inspection facility for PHWR fuel assembly line. Laser based systems with their inherently high accuracy and quick response times are a favorite for metrology purpose. Non-contact nature of laser-based measurement ensures minimal contamination, low wear and tear and good repeatability. So far two laser-based systems viz. Pellet density measurement systems and triangulation sensors have been developed. Laser based fuel pellet inspection system and PHWR fuel bundle metric station are under development. Machine vision-based systems have been developed to overcome certain limitations when inspection has to be carried out on such a large scale manually. These deficiencies arise from limitations of resolution, accessibility, fatigue and absence of quantification ability. These problems get further compounded in inspection of fuel components because of their relatively small sizes, close tolerances required and the reflective surfaces. PC based vision system has been developed for inspecting components and fuel assemblies. The paper would touch upon the details of the various laser systems and vision systems that have been indigenously developed for PHWR Fuel Metrology and their impact on the assembly production line. (author)

The IAEA Inspections: Creating a Collective Security System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Guelte, Georges

2003-01-01

Through their successes, their achievements and the hopes they raised of a world where the law would replace the arbitrary, but also through the failures imputed to them and the fragility of their action, the inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have become a symbol of the capacities, the limits, and the weaknesses of the international system founded in 1945 by the UN Charter. Originally, their objective was much more limited. Historical developments - the Cold War, in particular - have turned the inspections into the major instrument of a unique mechanism of collective security, that is recovering its full significance in the current international context

Linac based photofission inspection system employing novel detection concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stevenson, John, E-mail: jstevenson@rapiscansystems.com [Rapiscan Laboratories, Inc., 520 Almanor Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 (United States); Gozani, Tsahi, E-mail: tgozani@rapiscansystems.com [Rapiscan Laboratories, Inc., 520 Almanor Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 (United States); Elsalim, Mashal; Condron, Cathie; Brown, Craig [Rapiscan Laboratories, Inc., 520 Almanor Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 (United States)

2011-10-01

Rapiscan Systems is developing a LINAC based cargo inspection system for detection of special nuclear material (SNM) in cargo containers. The system, called Photofission Based Alarm Resolution (PBAR) is being developed under a DHD/DNDO Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program. The PBAR system is based on the Rapiscan Eagle P9000 X-ray system, which is a portal system with a commercial 9 MeV LINAC X-ray source. For the purposes of the DNDO ATD program, a conveyor system was installed in the portal to allow scanning and precise positioning of 20 ft ISO cargo containers. The system uses a two step inspection process. In the first step, the basic scan, the container is quickly and completely inspected using two independent radiography arrays: the conventional primary array with high spatial resolution and a lower resolution spectroscopic array employing the novel Z-Spec method. The primary array uses cadmium tungstate (CdWO{sub 4}) detectors with conventional current mode readouts using photodiodes. The Z-Spec array uses small plastic scintillators capable of performing very fast (up to 10{sup 8} cps) gamma-ray spectroscopy. The two radiography arrays are used to locate high-Z objects in the image such as lead, tungsten, uranium, which could be potential shielding materials as well as SNM itself. In the current system, the Z-Spec works by measuring the energy spectrum of transmitted X-rays. For high-Z materials the higher end of the energy spectrum is more attenuated than for low-Z materials and thus has a lower mean energy and a narrower width than low- and medium-Z materials. The second step in the inspection process is the direct scan or alarm clearing scan. In this step, areas of the container image, which were identified as high Z, are re-inspected. This is done by precisely repositioning the container to the location of the high-Z object and performing a stationary irradiation of the area with X-ray beam. Since there are a large number of photons in the 9

Cargo container inspection test program at ARPA's Nonintrusive Inspection Technology Testbed

Science.gov (United States)

Volberding, Roy W.; Khan, Siraj M.

1994-10-01

An x-ray-based cargo inspection system test program is being conducted at the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA)-sponsored Nonintrusive Inspection Technology Testbed (NITT) located in the Port of Tacoma, Washington. The test program seeks to determine the performance that can be expected from a dual, high-energy x-ray cargo inspection system when inspecting ISO cargo containers. This paper describes an intensive, three-month, system test involving two independent test groups, one representing the criminal smuggling element and the other representing the law enforcement community. The first group, the `Red Team', prepares ISO containers for inspection at an off-site facility. An algorithm randomly selects and indicates the positions and preparation of cargoes within a container. The prepared container is dispatched to the NITT for inspection by the `Blue Team'. After in-gate processing, it is queued for examination. The Blue Team inspects the container and decides whether or not to pass the container. The shipment undergoes out-gate processing and returns to the Red Team. The results of the inspection are recorded for subsequent analysis. The test process, including its governing protocol, the cargoes, container preparation, the examination and results available at the time of submission are presented.

In-service inspections of the reactor cooling system of pressurized water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuerste, W.; Hohnerlein, G.; Werden, B.

1982-01-01

In order to guarantee constant safety of the components of the reactor cooling system, regular in-service inspections are carried out after commissioning of the nuclear power plant. This contribution is concerned with the components of the reactor cooling system, referring to the legal requirements, safety-related purposes and scope of the in-service inspections during the entire period of operation of a nuclear power plant. Reports are made with respect to type, examination intervals, examination technique, results and future development. The functional tests which are carried out within the scope of the in-service inspections are not part of this contribution. (orig.) [de

RPII Inspection and Licensing Activities and Annual Inspection Programme for 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-04-01

The purpose of this document is to promote transparency in the activities of the RPII. It explains aspects of the internal workings of the Regulation and Information Management Division of the Institute to aid understanding of the processes and decisions of that Division which may impact on licensees and other interested parties. The objective of the report is to provide an overview of inspection activities of the RPII, to examine the evolution in licensee numbers and to outline the rationale in developing annual inspection programmes. All inspection activities are now carried out within the framework of a quality management system including; inspection planning, the training of inspectors, the conduct of inspections, as well as post inspection follow up and review. This report also provides an overview of the main features of the quality system

OSE inspection of protection program operations field perspective of inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, R.W.; Martin, H.R.

1987-01-01

Protection Program Operations includes three functional areas: Physical Protection Systems, Protective Forces, and System Performance Testing. The Office of Security Evaluations (OSE) inspects field offices in these areas by evaluating programs relative to Standards and Criteria and by performing a variety of exercises and other types of tests to assure protective systems are effective and maintained at a proper level to meet the defined threat. Their perception of the OSE inspections has been positive. The approach taken by ID, with key areas/activities emphasized, during each phase of the field inspection process is described in this report. The most important areas for field offices to concentrate are: inspection preparations through self-evaluation, improving communications, assigning knowledgeable trusted agents, increasing awareness of facility procedures and operations, and assuring daily validations of inspected areas. Emphasis is placed on striving for a balance in reporting both positive and negative findings, and for consistency between ratings and the importance of report findings. OSE efforts to develop improved rating methodologies are encouraged

Development of data acquisition and processing system for In-service inspection of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takama, Shinkichi; Kobayashi, Koji; Satoh, Yoshio; Koga, Yoshihiro; Shimizu, Takakazu

1981-01-01

In-service inspection (ISI) is required during the plant outage to assure the reliability of the components of a nuclear power plant. IHI has developed the advanced ISI system which consists of remote controlled and mechanized ultrasonic inspection devices for reactor pressure vessel examination, semi-automatic inspection instruments for piping examination with manual scan and automatic recording, data acquisition and processing system with microprocessor and mini-computer. By this system, ISI can be performed fully satisfying the requirement of ASME Code Sec. XI and minimizing operation in the high radioactive areas. All ultrasonic information is processed by the computer and the examination results such as size and location of ultrasonic indication are printed out in the form of sectional and plan view of the part examined, reproduced screen image and polar plot, etc. as well as the evaluation sheet. This system saves the elaborate work of inspection personnel and is expected to contribute to the improvement of inspection quality and to the reduction of radiation exposure of inspection personnel. (author)

Results of automatic system implementation for Cofrentes nuclear power plant LPRM inspection execution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curiel, M.; Palomo, M. J.; Rodriguez, M.; Arnaldos, A.

2010-10-01

During this presentation we are going to introduce the results of Cofrentes nuclear power plant automation of the detection system LPRM (Local Power Range Monitor) inspection procedure. An LPRM test system has been developed and it consists in a software application and data acquisition hardware that performs automatically the complete detection system process: 1) Refuelling, storage and operation inspection: ramp voltage generation, measured voltage plateaux evaluation, qualification report emission. 2) Historical analysis to scan burn evolution. The inspections differentiations are developed by the different specifications that it has to fulfil: 1) Operation inspection: it is made to check the fission bolt wearing, the detection system functioning and to analyse malfunctioning. From technical specifications and curves analyses it can be determined each LPRM substitution. 2) Storage inspection: it is made to check the correct functioning and isolation losses before being installed in the core during refueling. 3) Refueling inspection: it is checked that storage LPRM installation is correct and that they are ready for new fuel cycle. The software application LPRM test has been developed by National Instruments LabVIEWTM, and it performs the following actions: 1) Protocol IEEE-488 (GPI B) control of the source Keithley 237. This source generates the ramp voltage and measure voltage. 2) Information acquisition of storage, process and source, identifying LPRM and realization conditions of the same. 3) Data analysis and conditions report. 4) Historical comparative analysis. (Author)

Results of automatic system implementation for Cofrentes nuclear power plant LPRM inspection execution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curiel, M. [Logistica y Acondicionamientos Industriales SAU, Sorolla Center, local 10, Av. de las Cortes Valencianas No. 58, 46015 Valencia (Spain); Palomo, M. J. [ISIRYM, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia (Spain); Rodriguez, M. [Iberdrola Generacion S. A., Central Nuclear Cofrentes, Carretera Almansa Requena s/n, 04662 Cofrentes, Valencia (Spain); Arnaldos, A., E-mail: m.curiel@lainsa.co [TITANIA Servicios Tecnologicos SL, Sorollo Center, local 10, Av. de las Cortes Valencianas No. 58, 46015 Valencia (Spain)

2010-10-15

During this presentation we are going to introduce the results of Cofrentes nuclear power plant automation of the detection system LPRM (Local Power Range Monitor) inspection procedure. An LPRM test system has been developed and it consists in a software application and data acquisition hardware that performs automatically the complete detection system process: 1) Refuelling, storage and operation inspection: ramp voltage generation, measured voltage plateaux evaluation, qualification report emission. 2) Historical analysis to scan burn evolution. The inspections differentiations are developed by the different specifications that it has to fulfil: 1) Operation inspection: it is made to check the fission bolt wearing, the detection system functioning and to analyse malfunctioning. From technical specifications and curves analyses it can be determined each LPRM substitution. 2) Storage inspection: it is made to check the correct functioning and isolation losses before being installed in the core during refueling. 3) Refueling inspection: it is checked that storage LPRM installation is correct and that they are ready for new fuel cycle. The software application LPRM test has been developed by National Instruments LabVIEWTM, and it performs the following actions: 1) Protocol IEEE-488 (GPI B) control of the source Keithley 237. This source generates the ramp voltage and measure voltage. 2) Information acquisition of storage, process and source, identifying LPRM and realization conditions of the same. 3) Data analysis and conditions report. 4) Historical comparative analysis. (Author)

Mechanized inspection of steam generator components during manufacture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otte, H.-J.; Leupoldt, K.; Meister, W.

2009-01-01

Steam Generator (SG) parts are intensively inspected by UT in the course of the manufacturing process. These inspections - mostly performed manually using different codes - are time consuming and call for a sophisticated documentation, figuring part of the life time documentation package. In order to reduce time and costs mechanized inspection equipment is introduced, combining short inspection times, avoiding influence of the human factor and providing proper electronic storage of all inspection results prepared for comparison with data generated during in-service inspection. Since 2001 Cegelec delivered various UT systems for gas turbine disks and rotor ends called SIRO-MAN. Within only a few years the majority of important providers of such components successfully switched from manual inspection to mechanized inspection following the requirements of manufacturers like ALSTOM, GE and Siemens. The SIRO-MAN is now adapted to the needs of mechanized inspection of SG components. The inspection is performed on the products during rotation around the vertical axis. The multi - probe assemblies are manoeuvred on the products by a manipulator system backed by a NC control unit. Acoustic coupling of UT probes to the product surface is performed with oil or water in a closed circuit. UT and - if requested ET - data along with position information of the probe assembly provided by the control unit are acquired, processed and evaluated by an UT / ET electronic system delivered by either Olympus or ZETEC. As performed already on rotor ends a sequence of inspections using different parameter settings can be programmed with simple means (Teach In) so that such inspection sequence can be executed without operating personnel. Probe assemblies allow for individual operation of probes out of the probe assembly according to the individual needs. Conventional UT and phased array applications or combination of both techniques can be provided. The UT / ET electronic equipment offers

Canning and inspection system for nuclear reactor fuel and reflector elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldman, L.A.; Hawke, B.C.

1980-01-01

A system is disclosed for canning, inspecting and transferring to a storage area fuel and reflector elements from a nuclear reactor. The system includes a transfer chute, environmental chamber, conveyor and canning mechanism operative to remove and replace closures on containers into which fuel and reflector elements are inserted or from which stored elements are removed while maintaining a sealed gaseous environment and permitting visual and mechanical inspection of the elements by an operator located in a remote shielded area

Climbing Robot for Ferromagnetic Surfaces with Dynamic Adjustment of the Adhesion System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel F. Silva

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a climbing robot with wheeled locomotion and adhesion through permanent magnets, developed with the intention of being used in the inspection of different types of man-made ferromagnetic structures, such as towers for wind turbines, fuel storage tanks, and ship hulls. In this paper are presented the main considerations thought for its project, as well as several constructive aspects, among which are detailed its mechanical and electrical construction, the implemented control architecture, and the human-machine interface developed for the manual and automatic control of the vehicle while in operation. Although it can be manually controlled, the vehicle is designed to have a semiautonomous behavior, allowing a remote inspection process controlled by a technician, this way reducing the risks associated with the human inspection of tall structures and ATEX places. The distinguishing characteristic of this robot is its dynamic adjustment system of the permanent magnets in order to assure the machine adhesion to the surfaces, even when crossing slightly irregular and curved surfaces with a large radius.

Development of the EURITRACK tagged neutron inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perot, B.; Carasco, C.; Bernard, S.

2007-01-01

The EURopean Illicit TRAfficing Countermeasures Kit (EURITRACK) project is part of the 6th European Union Framework Program. It aims at developing a Tagged Neutron Inspection System (TNIS) to detect illicit materials, such as explosives and narcotics, in cargo containers. Fast neutron induced reactions produce specific gamma-rays used to determine the chemical composition of the inspected material. The associated particle technique is employed to precisely locate the interaction points of the neutrons. A new deuterium-tritium neutron generator has been developed, including a pixelized alpha particle detector. The TNIS also comprises high-efficiency fast neutron and gamma-ray detectors, a dedicated front-end electronics and an integrated software to entirely drive the system and automatically process the data. Most components have been integrated during last months at Institute Ruder Boskovic, in Zagreb, Croatia. An overview of the TNIS and of its preliminary performances is presented

Operational inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bystersky, M.

1997-01-01

Special equipment is described, designed for inspection of reactor pressure vessels performed from the inside. Central shaft manipulator ZMM-5 is available for crack detection control using ultrasound and eddy currents, for visual check of surfaces, repair works at the reactor pressure vessel, and hardness measurements. The manipulator consists of the manipulator bridge, a cable container, shaft segments, a control mechanism and auxiliary parts. Eight inspections were performed at the Bohunice nuclear power plant and two at the Paks nuclear power plant. (M.D.)

Design and implementation of visual inspection system handed in tokamak flexible in-vessel robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hesheng; Xu, Lifei; Chen, Weidong

2016-01-01

In-vessel viewing system (IVVS) is a fundamental tool among the remote handling systems for ITER, which is used to providing information on the status of the in-vessel components. The basic functional requirement of in-vessel visual inspection system is to perform a fast intervention with adequate optical resolution. In this paper, we present the software and hardware solution, which is designed and implemented for tokamak in-vessel viewing system that installed on end-effector of flexible in-vessel robot working under vacuum and high temperature. The characteristic of our in-vessel viewing system consists of two parts: binocular heterogeneous vision inspection tool and first wall scene emersion based augment virtuality. The former protected with water-cooled shield is designed to satisfy the basic functional requirement of visual inspection system, which has the capacity of large field of view and high-resolution for detection precision. The latter, achieved by overlaying first wall tiles images onto virtual first wall scene model in 3D virtual reality simulation system, is designed for convenient, intuitive and realistic-looking visual inspection instead of viewing the status of first wall only by real-time monitoring or off-line images sequences. We present the modular division of system, each of them in smaller detail, and go through some of the design choices according to requirements of in-vessel visual inspection task.

Design and implementation of visual inspection system handed in tokamak flexible in-vessel robot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Hesheng; Xu, Lifei [Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China (China); Chen, Weidong, E-mail: wdchen@sjtu.edu.cn [Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China (China)

2016-05-15

In-vessel viewing system (IVVS) is a fundamental tool among the remote handling systems for ITER, which is used to providing information on the status of the in-vessel components. The basic functional requirement of in-vessel visual inspection system is to perform a fast intervention with adequate optical resolution. In this paper, we present the software and hardware solution, which is designed and implemented for tokamak in-vessel viewing system that installed on end-effector of flexible in-vessel robot working under vacuum and high temperature. The characteristic of our in-vessel viewing system consists of two parts: binocular heterogeneous vision inspection tool and first wall scene emersion based augment virtuality. The former protected with water-cooled shield is designed to satisfy the basic functional requirement of visual inspection system, which has the capacity of large field of view and high-resolution for detection precision. The latter, achieved by overlaying first wall tiles images onto virtual first wall scene model in 3D virtual reality simulation system, is designed for convenient, intuitive and realistic-looking visual inspection instead of viewing the status of first wall only by real-time monitoring or off-line images sequences. We present the modular division of system, each of them in smaller detail, and go through some of the design choices according to requirements of in-vessel visual inspection task.

Development of a NDI system using the magneto-optical method. 2. Remote sensing using the novel magneto-optical inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jinyi; Shoji, Tetsuo

1999-01-01

A new remote sensing system using the magneto-optical method is developed for inspection of flaws introduced during service operation where routine inspection is difficult because of difficult inaccessibility to the components. Among the advantages of non-destructive inspection (NDI) based on the magneto-optical sensor are: real time inspection, elimination of electrical noise and high spatial resolution. Remote sensing of flaws is achieved using the basic principles of Faraday effect, optical permeability, and diffraction of a laser by the domain walls. This paper describes a novel remote NDI system using the principles of optics and LMF. The main characteristic of the system is that image data and LMF information can be obtained simultaneously. It is possible to carry out remote and high speed inspection of cracks from the intensity of reflected light, and to estimate the size of a crack effectively with their diverse data. The advantages of this NDI system are demonstrated using two specimens. (author)

IFSS: The IAEA's inspection field support system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muller, R.; Heinonen, O.J.; Schriefer, D.

1990-01-01

Recently, highly automated nuclear facilities with enormous volumes of nuclear material accounting data have come into operation. A few others will become operational shortly. Analysis and verification of the data for safeguards purposes is manageable only with improved computer support in the field. To assist its safeguards inspectors, the IAEA has developed the Inspection Field Support System (IFSS). It allows safeguards inspectors to collect, maintain, analyse, and evaluate inspection data on site at nuclear facilities. Previously, field computer support to safeguards inspectors concentrated on providing measurement instrumentation with data storage, but data analysis capabilities were elementary. Also, generic statistical tools were available to handle data that inspectors could (usually manually) input into a computer. Electronic links between these two directions were rudimentary. IFSS integrates the data required for verification and accounting so that inspectors will be able to devote more time to measurements and to derive conclusions at the site in a more timely manner. The system operates on stationary personal computers as well as on portable ones. Its introduction reflects the IAEA Department of Safeguards determination to further improve operational efficiency. It should be emphasized that IFSS implementation is still under development. Several field installations have been made to obtain practical experience and to determine the system's effectiveness

System of leak inspection of irradiated fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delfin L, A.; Castaneda J, G.; Mazon R, R.; Aguilar H, F.

2007-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through the project RLA/04/18 Irradiated Fuel Management in Research reactors, recommended among other that the participant countries (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Mexico), develop the sipping tool to generate registrations of the state that keep the irradiated fuels in the facilities of each country. The TRIGA Mark lll Reactor (RTMIII) Department, generated a project that it is based on the dimensions of the used fuel by the RTMIII, for design and to build an inspection system of irradiated fuel well known as SIPPING. This technique, provides a high grade of accuracy in the detection of gassy fission products or liquids that escape from the enveloping of fuels that have flaws or flights. The operation process of the SIPPING is carried out generating the migration of fission products through the creation of a pressure differential gas or vacuum to identify fuel assemblies failed by means of the detection of the xenon and/or krypton presence. The SIPPING system, is a device in revolver form with 4 tangential nozzles, which will discharge the fluid between the external surface of the enveloping of the fuel and the interior surface of the encircling one; the device was designed with independent pieces, with threaded joining and with stamps to impede flights of the fluid toward the exterior of the system. The System homogenizes and it distributes the fluid pressure so that the 4 nozzles work to equality of conditions, for what the device was designed in 3 pieces, an internal that is denominated revolver, one external that calls cover, and a joining called mamelon that will unite with the main encircling of the system. The detection of fission products in failed fuels, its require that inside the encircling one where the irradiated fuel element is introduced, be generated a pressure differential of gas or vacuum, and that it allows the samples extraction of water. For what generated a top for the encircling with the

An ultrasonic inspection tool for production tubulars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Newton, K; Martin, R; Ravenscroft, F [AEA Technology, Harwell (United Kingdom)

1994-06-01

Advances in ultrasonic technology, high temperature techniques and remote processing power are enabling a new generation of inspection tools to be developed. This paper describes a particular new ultrasonic caliper system, developed by AEA Technology, with the aim of providing improved information about the condition of production tubulars of oil and gas wells. The system is designed to provide enhanced surface area coverage compared to the current devices, which are typically mechanical 'finger' calipers. It also provides a non-contacting measure of corrosion and wear together with direct on-line output and automated data analysis. The new tool is designed to operate in oil and gas, vertical or deviated wells and has the potential for modification to inspect small diameter pipes in topside or other plant. (author)

New design environment for defect detection in web inspection systems

Science.gov (United States)

Hajimowlana, S. Hossain; Muscedere, Roberto; Jullien, Graham A.; Roberts, James W.

1997-09-01

One of the aims of industrial machine vision is to develop computer and electronic systems destined to replace human vision in the process of quality control of industrial production. In this paper we discuss the development of a new design environment developed for real-time defect detection using reconfigurable FPGA and DSP processor mounted inside a DALSA programmable CCD camera. The FPGA is directly connected to the video data-stream and outputs data to a low bandwidth output bus. The system is targeted for web inspection but has the potential for broader application areas. We describe and show test results of the prototype system board, mounted inside a DALSA camera and discuss some of the algorithms currently simulated and implemented for web inspection applications.

MINAC, portable high energy radiographic inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapides, M.E.; Schonberg, R.

1985-01-01

MINAC, a portable, high energy radiographic source (1) was recognized as a desired inspection device for nuclear generation plants during EPRI-sponsored studies of the late 1970s and rapidly transitioned from proof-of-principle (1978-1980) to field-proven hardware (1981-present date). The equipment has completed its second generation of configuration development (SHRINKAC), that has recently been used in the field for detection of pipe cracks. Important auxiliaries for image data processing and real-time, thick section radiography have been demonstrated in both laboratory and field situations. Finally, a 6 MeV accelerator alternate is in bench test. These significant developments have, and are expected to continue to upgrade the utility of radiographic inspection in power plant practice. This paper describes the development and experience with this modular system during the last three years

Designs for remote inspection of the ALMR Reactor Vessel Auxiliary Cooling System (RVACS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweeney, F.J.; Carroll, D.G.; Chen, C.; Crane, C.; Dalton, R.; Taylor, J.R.; Tosunoglu, S.; Weymouth, T.

1993-01-01

One of the most important safety systems in General Electric's (GI) Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor (ALMR) is the Reactor Vessel Auxiliary Cooling System (RVACS). Because of high temperature, radiation, and restricted space conditions, GI desired methods to remotely inspect the RVACS, emissive coatings, and reactor vessel welds during normal refueling operations. The DOE/NE Robotics for Advanced Reactors program formed a team to evaluate the ALMR design for remote inspection of the RVACS. Conceptual designs for robots to perform the required inspection tasks were developed by the team. Design criteria for these remote systems included robot deployment, power supply, navigation, environmental hardening of components, tether management, communication with an operator, sensing, and failure recovery. The operation of the remote inspection concepts were tested using 3-D simulation models of the ALMR. In addition, the team performed an extensive technology review of robot components that could survive the environmental conditions in the RVACS

Computer control in nondestructive testing illustrated by an automatic ultrasonic tube inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gundtoft, H.E.; Nielsen, N.

1976-06-01

In Risoe's automatic tube inspection system, data (more than half a million per tube) from ultrasonic dimension measurements and defect inspections are fed into a computer that simultaneously calculates and evaluates the results. (author)

Inspection, maintenance, and repair of large pumps and piping systems using advanced robotic tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, R.K.; Radigan, T.M.

1998-01-01

Operating and maintaining large pumps and piping systems can be an expensive proposition. Proper inspections and monitoring can reduce costs. This was difficult in the past, since detailed pump inspections could only be performed by disassembly and many portions of piping systems are buried or covered with insulation. Once these components were disassembled, a majority of the cost was already incurred. At that point, expensive part replacement usually took place whether it was needed or not. With the completion of the Pipe Walkertrademark/LIP System and the planned development of the Submersible Walkertrademark, this situation is due to change. The specifications for these inspection and maintenance robots will ensure that. Their ability to traverse both horizontal and vertical, forward and backward, make them unique tools. They will open the door for some innovative approaches to inspection and maintenance of large pumps and piping systems

Development of a remote tank inspection robotic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knape, B.P.; Bares, L.C.

1990-01-01

RedZone Robotics is currently developing a remote tank inspection (RTI) robotic system for Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company (WINCO). WINCO intends to use the RTI robotic system at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, a facility that contains a tank farm of several 1,135,500-ell (300,000-gal), 15.2-m (50-ft)-diam, high-level liquid waste storage tanks. The primary purpose of the RTI robotic system is to inspect the interior of these tanks for corrosion that may have been caused by the combined effects of radiation, high temperature, and caustic by the combined effects of radiation, high temperature, and caustic chemicals present inside the tanks. The RTI robotic system features a vertical deployment unit, a robotic arm, and a remote control console and computer [located up to 30.5 m (100 ft) away from the tank site]. All actuators are high torque, electric dc brush motors that are servocontrolled with absolute position feedback. The control system uses RedZone's standardized intelligent controller for enhanced telerobotics, which provides a high speed, multitasking environment on a VME bus. Currently, the robot is controlled in a manual, job-button, control mode; however, control capability is available to develop preprogrammed, automated modes of operation

Calibration of the CCD photonic measuring system for railway inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Popov, D. V.; Ryabichenko, R. B.; Krivosheina, E. A.

2005-08-01

Increasing of traffic speed is the most important task in Moscow Metro. Requirements for traffic safety grow up simultaneously with the speed increasing. Currently for track inspection in Moscow Metro is used track measurement car has built in 1954. The main drawbacks of this system are absence of automated data processing and low accuracy. Non-contact photonic measurement system (KSIR) is developed for solving this problem. New track inspection car will be built in several months. This car will use two different track inspection systems and car locating subsystem based on track circuit counting. The KSIR consists of four subsystems: rail wear, height and track gauge measurement (BFSM); rail slump measurement (FIP); contact rail measurement (FKR); speed, level and car locating (USI). Currently new subsystem for wheel flange wear (IRK) is developed. The KSIR carry out measurements in real-time mode. The BFSM subsystem contains 4 matrix CCD cameras and 4 infrared stripe illuminators. The FIP subsystem contains 4 line CCD cameras and 4 spot illuminators. The FKR subsystem contains 2 matrix CCD cameras and 2 stripe illuminators. The IRK subsystem contains 2 CCD cameras and 2 stripe illuminators. Each system calibration was carried out for their adjustment. On the first step KSIR obtains data from photonic sensors which is valued in internal measurement units. Due to the calibration on the second step non-contact system converts the data to metric measurement system.

Selection of Shear Horizontal Wave Transducers for Robotic Nondestructive Inspection in Harsh Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sungho Choi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Harsh environments and confined spaces require that nondestructive inspections be conducted with robotic systems. Ultrasonic guided waves are well suited for robotic systems because they can provide efficient volumetric coverage when inspecting for various types of damage, including cracks and corrosion. Shear horizontal guided waves are especially well suited for robotic inspection because they are sensitive to cracks oriented perpendicular or parallel to the wave propagation direction and can be generated with electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs and magnetostrictive transducers (MSTs. Both types of transducers are investigated for crack detection in a stainless steel plate. The MSTs require the robot to apply a compressive normal force that creates frictional force coupling. However, the coupling is observed to be very dependent upon surface roughness and surface debris. The EMATs are coupled through the Lorentz force and are thus noncontact, although they depend on the lift off between transducer and substrate. After comparing advantages and disadvantages of each transducer for robotic inspection the EMATs are selected for application to canisters that store used nuclear fuel.

A risk-based restaurant inspection system in Los Angeles County.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchholz, U; Run, G; Kool, J L; Fielding, J; Mascola, L

2002-02-01

The majority of local health departments perform routine restaurant inspections. In Los Angeles County (LAC), California, approximately $10 million/year is spent on restaurant inspections. However, data are limited as to whether or not certain characteristics of restaurants make them more likely to be associated with foodborne incident reports. We used data from the LAC Environmental Health Management Information System (EHMIS), which records the results of all routine restaurant inspections as well as data regarding all consumer-generated foodborne incidents that led to a special restaurant inspection by a sanitarian (investigated foodborne incidents [IFBIs]). We analyzed a cohort of 10,267 restaurants inspected from 1 July 1997 to 15 November 1997. We defined a "case restaurant" as any restaurant with a routine inspection from 1 July 1997 to 15 November 1997 and a subsequent IFBI from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998. Noncase restaurants did not have an IFBI from I July 1997 to 30 June 1998. We looked for specific characteristics of restaurants that might be associated with the restaurant subsequently having an IFBI, including the size of restaurant (assessed by number of seats), any previous IFBIs, the overall inspection score, and a set of 38 violation codes. We identified 158 case restaurants and 10,109 noncase restaurants. In univariate analysis, middle-sized restaurants (61 to 150 seats; n = 1,681) were 2.8 times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.0 to 4.0) and large restaurants (>150 seats; n = 621) were 4.6 times (95% CI = 3.0 to 7.0) more likely than small restaurants (restaurants. In addition, the likelihood of a restaurant becoming a case restaurant increased as the number of IFBIs in the prior year increased (chi2 for linear trend, P value = 0.0005). Other factors significantly associated with the occurrence of an IFBI included a lower overall inspection score, the incorrect storage of food, the reuse of food, the lack of employee hand washing, the lack of

THE INSPECTION LIKE QUALITY FACTOR IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joaquín Oliver Pozo

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The Inspection, along with other educational sectors, shapes from complementarity, coordination and communication between them, the architecture of the educational system. Each has its specificity and its own space in Education. The aim of this study is simply identify and define the location of the inspection into the education system, between educational administration and schools, and the "why" (their mission, and consistent with it, "which makes" (its functions and assignations. Mission and functions that take place in schools, at the sight of the Educational Administration and the society, through the Inspectorate as organization. Of the principles underlying this organization and of the communication, training, and technical and professional exchange that drives through their organizational structures, will depend its leadership in Education and to be seen as a quality factor.

Application of 4-Face Fuel Visual Inspection System during Outage in Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, J. C.; Kim, J. I.; Choi, C. B.; Kim, Y. C.; Kang, C. B.

2008-01-01

Recently, as a measure to reduce an outage duration in nuclear power plants (NPPs), a four-face fuel visual inspection system (4-FFVIS) built in 4 cameras was introduced by Ahlberg Electronics, Sweden. The 4- FFVIS is used to inspect the external appearance of irradiated fuel assemblies in order to confirm their integrity against mechanical defects and foreign materials. Until now, however, a typical one-face fuel inspection system(1-FFVIS) has been world-widely utilized in NPPs. The 1-FFVIS requires four turns with 90 degree to inspect every face of the fuel assembly, causing a relatively long inspecting time. But the 4- FFVIS allow us to inspect every face of the fuel assembly at the same time. The inspection time with the 4-FFVIS may be less than two minutes per fuel assembly, whereas that with the 1-FFVIS is about six minutes per fuel assembly. In viewpoint of this merit, the 4-FFVIS is expected to be world-widely used in the near future. In this paper, the technical requirements necessary to develop the 4-FFVIS as well as some improvements to complement the current 4-FFVIS are described

P-scan, a new system for ultrasonic weld inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lund, S.A.; Iversen, S.E.; Holst, H.

1978-01-01

The P-scan method is explained. It is described how the new P-scan system improves the ultrasonic method by adding means for visualization, data storage and documentation. Three different scanners are described: One designed for manual operation, another for automatic operation and a third for semiautomatic operation. The p'scan image of an ultrasonically examined test plate is presented and discussed. The variable Display Level (i.e. the inspection sensitivity) facility is described. The main advantage of this facility is the fact that the level can be varied at any time after the inspection. (orig.) [de

Comparative Study on Urban Planning Inspection System in the UK and China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2012-01-01

The urban-rural planning inspector system of China is hierarchical supervision over local governments from the Central Government in respect of town and country development. The comparative analysis on planning inspection system of the UK may provide experience in seeking solutions to the problems occurring in the system of China. The planning inspector system of China can be improved in six aspects such as establishing the legal status, setting up the planning inspection agency, completing the personnel management system, enhancing the legal binding force, building the internal and external supervision channel, supplementing the relieve function, and establishing the coordination mechanism of various internal supervisions.

Recent advances in automated ultrasonic inspection of Magnox power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wooldridge, A.B.

2006-01-01

Magnox Electric operates a number of Magnox nuclear power stations, some of which have presented difficult inspection challenges. This paper will describe recent advances in automated ultrasonic techniques which have enabled additional, fully effective and qualified inspections to be introduced. The examples chosen involve phased array inspection of fillet welds and the introduction of 3D data display and analysis using NDT Workbench. Ultrasonic phased arrays have been optimised 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. In addition to controlling the beam direction and focus depth, the systems have also optimised the depth of field by varying the number of phased array elements fired at a given time. These phased array inspections are substantially superior in quality, reliability and speed compared with that achievable by conventional manual inspection. Analysis of automated ultrasonic data can be very time-consuming if defects are complex. NDT Workbench significantly improves data analysis for complex geometries and defects primarily because of the 3D data displays of multiple beams and automated logging of measurements. This system has been used in 2005 for data analysis of complex defects where sizing accuracy was particularly important. Both these inspection procedures have been formally qualified using the ENIQ (European Network for Inspection Qualification) Methodology. Such qualification was achieved more easily because of the rigorous in house training programmes established in each case and because the Technical Justifications referred to evidence from previous related qualifications whenever appropriate. The timely achievement of inspection qualification demonstrates that the new systems have reached sufficient maturity to be used with confidence for high quality inspections. (orig.)

Development of video probe system for inspection of feeder pipe support in calandria reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Jai Wan; Lee, Nam Ho; Choi, Young Soo

2000-07-01

There are 760 feederpipes, which they are connected to inlet/outlet of the 380 pressure tube channels on the front of the calandria, in CANDU-type Reactor of Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant. As an ISI(In-Service Inspection) and PSI (Post- Service Inspection) requirements, maintenance activities of measuring the thickness of curvilinear part of feederpipe and inspecting the feederpipe support area within calandria are needed to ensure continued reliable operation of nuclear power plant. And untrasonic probe is used to measure the thickness of curvilinear part of feederpipe, however workers are exposed to radioactivity irradiation during the measurement period. But, it is impossible to inspect feederpipe support area thoroughlv because of narrow and confined accessibility, that is, an inspection space between the pressure tube channels is less than 100mm and pipes in feederpipe support area are congested. And also, workers involved in inspecting feederpipe support area are under the jeopardy of high-level radiation exposure. Concerns about sliding home, which make the move of feederpipe connected to pressure tube channel smooth as pressure tube expands and contracts in its axial direction, stuck to feederpipe support and some of the structural components have made necessary the development of video inspection probe system with narrow and confined accessibility to observe and inspect feederpipe support area more close. Using video inspection probe system, it is possible to inspect and repair abnormality of feederpipe support connected to pressure tube channels of the calandria more accurate and quantative than naked eye. Therefore, that will do much for ensuring safety of CANDU-type nuclear power plant

Vision-Inspection System for Residue Monitoring of Ready-Mixed Concrete Trucks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deok-Seok Seo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to propose a vision-inspection system that improves the quality management for ready-mixed concrete (RMC. The proposed system can serve as an alternative to the current visual inspection method for the detection of residues in agitator drum of RMC truck. To propose the system, concept development and the system-level design should be executed. The design considerations of the system are derived from the hardware properties of RMC truck and the conditions of RMC factory, and then 6 major components of the system are selected in the stage of system level design. The prototype of system was applied to a real RMC plant and tested for verification of its utility and efficiency. It is expected that the proposed system can be employed as a practical means to increase the efficiency of quality management for RMC.

Image processing algorithm design and implementation for real-time autonomous inspection of mixed waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schalkoff, R.J.; Shaaban, K.M.; Carver, A.E.

1996-01-01

The ARIES number-sign 1 (Autonomous Robotic Inspection Experimental System) vision system is used to acquire drum surface images under controlled conditions and subsequently perform autonomous visual inspection leading to a classification as 'acceptable' or 'suspect'. Specific topics described include vision system design methodology, algorithmic structure,hardware processing structure, and image acquisition hardware. Most of these capabilities were demonstrated at the ARIES Phase II Demo held on Nov. 30, 1995. Finally, Phase III efforts are briefly addressed

Support system for welded part inspection using X-ray. Simplified inspection system which does not need skilled workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suga, Yasuo

1995-01-01

X-ray radiography has the excellent ability for operation and recording, accordingly, it has been used widely in industrial fields, but for deciding the presence of defects and their kinds and shapes from X-ray films, skilled workers are required. Recently because of the shortage of skilled workers and the increase of inspection efficiency, the necessity of its automation increased. The images of the films of the X-ray inspection of welded part are photographed with a CCD camera, and these are taken in a personal computer as the image data, then image processing is applied to them, and defect images are extracted automatically. Further, the technique of displaying the images so that inspectors can recognize them easily is devised. These procedures were examined. The constitution of the system the way of thinking in developing the system, the acquiring of high contrast images, the emphasis of defect images, the elimination of noise the treatment of emphasizing nuclear defect images, the elimination of background and the extraction of defect images, the results of the processing and image display are reported. The order of processes, the kind of a filter used and so on can be changed according to the purpose, the kind of welding and the image quality of films. (K.I.)

Evaluating physical protection systems of licensed nuclear facilities using systems engineered inspection guidance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, R.T.; Olson, A.W.; Rogue, F.; Scala, S.; Richard, E.W.

1980-01-01

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) have applied a systems engineering approach to provide the NRC Office of Inspection and Enforcement (IE) with improved methods and guidance for evaluating the physical protection systems of licensed nuclear facilities

High Pressure Coolant Injection (HPCI) System Risk-Based Inspection Guide for Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, S.; DiBiasio, A.; Gunther, W.

1993-09-01

The High Pressure Coolant Injection (HPCI) system has been examined from a risk perspective. A System Risk-Based Inspection Guide (S-RIG) has been developed as an aid to HPCI system inspections at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3. The role of. the HPCI system in mitigating accidents is discussed in this S-RIG, along with insights on identified risk-based failure modes which could prevent proper operation of the system. The S-RIG provides a review of industry-wide operating experience, including plant-specific illustrative examples to augment the PRA and operational considerations in identifying a catalogue of basic PRA failure modes for the HPCI system. It is designed to be used as a reference for routine inspections, self-initiated safety system functional inspections (SSFIs), and the evaluation of risk significance of component failures at the nuclear power plant

High Pressure Coolant Injection (HPCI) System Risk-Based Inspection Guide for Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Station

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, S.; DiBiasio, A.; Gunther, W. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

1993-09-01

The High Pressure Coolant Injection (HPCI) system has been examined from a risk perspective. A System Risk-Based Inspection Guide (S-RIG) has been developed as an aid to HPCI system inspections at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3. The role of. the HPCI system in mitigating accidents is discussed in this S-RIG, along with insights on identified risk-based failure modes which could prevent proper operation of the system. The S-RIG provides a review of industry-wide operating experience, including plant-specific illustrative examples to augment the PRA and operational considerations in identifying a catalogue of basic PRA failure modes for the HPCI system. It is designed to be used as a reference for routine inspections, self-initiated safety system functional inspections (SSFIs), and the evaluation of risk significance of component failures at the nuclear power plant.

PIPEBOT: a mobile system for duct inspection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Estrada, Emanuel; Goncalves, Eder Mateus; Botelho, Silvia; Oliveira, Vinicius; Souto Junior, Humberto; Almeida, Renan de; Mello Junior, Claudio; Santos, Thiago [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), RS (Brazil); Gulles, Roger [Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR (Brazil)

2009-07-01

In this paper, it is presented the development of an innovative and low-cost robotic mobile system to be employed in inspection of pipes. The system is composed of a robot with different sensors which permit to move inside pipes and detect faults as well as incipient faults. The robot is a semiautonomous one, i.e. it can navigate by human tele operation or autonomously one. The autonomous mode uses computer vision techniques and signals from position sensor of the robot to navigating and localizing it. It is showed the mechanical structure of the robot, the overall architecture of the system and preliminary results. (author)

VerifEYE: a real-time meat inspection system for the beef processing industry

Science.gov (United States)

Kocak, Donna M.; Caimi, Frank M.; Flick, Rick L.; Elharti, Abdelmoula

2003-02-01

Described is a real-time meat inspection system developed for the beef processing industry by eMerge Interactive. Designed to detect and localize trace amounts of contamination on cattle carcasses in the packing process, the system affords the beef industry an accurate, high speed, passive optical method of inspection. Using a method patented by United States Department of Agriculture and Iowa State University, the system takes advantage of fluorescing chlorophyll found in the animal's diet and therefore the digestive track to allow detection and imaging of contaminated areas that may harbor potentially dangerous microbial pathogens. Featuring real-time image processing and documentation of performance, the system can be easily integrated into a processing facility's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point quality assurance program. This paper describes the VerifEYE carcass inspection and removal verification system. Results indicating the feasibility of the method, as well as field data collected using a prototype system during four university trials conducted in 2001 are presented. Two successful demonstrations using the prototype system were held at a major U.S. meat processing facility in early 2002.

Graphical means for inspecting qualitative models of system behaviour

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouwer, A.; Bredeweg, B.

2010-01-01

This article presents the design and evaluation of a tool for inspecting conceptual models of system behaviour. The basis for this research is the Garp framework for qualitative simulation. This framework includes modelling primitives, such as entities, quantities and causal dependencies, which are

Advanced NDE (ANDE) and its application for pressure tube inspections in OPG reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarron, D.; Trelinski, M.; Kretz, S. [Ontario Power Generation, Ajax, Ontario (Canada)]. E-mail: don.jarron@opg.com; mike.trelinski@opg.com; steve.kretz@opg.com

2006-07-01

Periodic and in-service inspections of CANDU fuel channels are essential for the proper assessment of the structural integrity of these vital components. The arrival of new delivery devices for fuel channel inspections (Universal Delivery Machine) has driven new methods for gathering and analyzing NDE data. The Advanced Non-Destructive Examination (ANDE) system has been designed and field implemented as a high speed data acquisition system to meet the requirements of the CSA N285.4 code. It was built from the solid foundation of CIGAR experience and uses cutting edge hardware and software to attain high speed data collection enabling relatively quick inspection of a large number of fuel channels. The capabilities of the ANDE inspection system include: Surface and volumetric inspection of pressure tube by ultrasonics; Flaw characterization by ultrasonics; Pressure tube diameter measurements; Pressure tube thickness measurements; Garter Spring location by Eddy Current; Garter Spring location by ultrasonics; Pressure tube sag measurement. In addition to the above, selected flaws/areas of a pressure tube can be replicated using a two plate ANDE replica tool. At the heart of the inspection system is a set of twelve ultrasonic probes positioned in such a way that the inspected areas are examined from various angles and directions and by various ultrasonic wave modes (shear and longitudinal). High frequency ultrasound used for the examinations allows for reliable detection of small flaws. Separate sensors have been installed on the inspection head for Garter Spring location and sag measurements. (author)

Nuclear containment systems and in-service inspection status of Korea nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jihong, Park; Jaekeun, Hong; Banuk, Park [Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Dept. of Authorized Test and Evaluation, Kyungnam (Korea, Republic of)

2007-07-01

20 unit nuclear power plants in Korea have been operated and maintained since the first unit started in commercial service in 1978. Most recently 4 units were under construction and several units were planned to be constructed. by industries. 4 types of nuclear containment systems have been constructed until now: first, metal containments, then pre-stressed concrete containments with grouted tendon systems, followed by pre-stressed concrete containments with un-grouted tendon systems, and Korea standard nuclear containments. All the nuclear containments should be inspected periodically. Therefore for periodic in-service inspection, several appropriate technical requirements should be applied differently depending on the specific nuclear containment types. With the changes of times, nuclear containment systems have undergone a remarkable change, and finally nuclear containment system of Korea standard nuclear power plant was settled down, and as a matter of course it dominates the trend of present and future nuclear containment systems. Overall in-service inspection results of most Korea nuclear containments have not showed any serious evidence of degradation.

Inspection surveys of x-ray inspection systems: results of five years and implications on future management of radiation risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maharaj, H.P.

1999-01-01

Until the mid-1980s, federal inspectors performed radiation surveys annually on individual x-ray inspection systems which were operated for security screening purposes in federal facilities nationwide, and problems identified were corrected. The surveys were undertaken because of perceived high radiation risks and a need to ensure worker and public external exposures were minimized. The x-ray inspection systems are federally regulated under the Radiation Emitting Devices (RED) Act and, initially they were assessed by model type against the design, construction and performance criteria specified in the applicable RED regulations (Schedule II, Part IV) and were found compliant. A subsequent study not only demonstrated a much lower radiation risk attributed to a combination of technological advances in x-ray system design with narrow primary beams, high efficiency detectors and image processing capability, but also stressed the need for proper equipment maintenance and continued education of operators and maintenance personnel. Survey frequency was thus reduced to once every 2-3 years in accordance with a 1993 federal operational standard (Safety Code 29). The radiation protection principles in Safety Code 29 are similar to those of the 1996 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Basic Safety Standards for the protection against ionizing radiation and the safety of radiation sources. The purpose of this study was to assess inspection-survey data from 1993 through 1997 to elicit guidance toward the future management of radiation risks associated with the operation of such x-ray systems. (author)

Defect detection and classification of machined surfaces under multiple illuminant directions

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Yi; Weng, Xin; Swonger, C. W.; Ni, Jun

2010-08-01

Continuous improvement of product quality is crucial to the successful and competitive automotive manufacturing industry in the 21st century. The presence of surface porosity located on flat machined surfaces such as cylinder heads/blocks and transmission cases may allow leaks of coolant, oil, or combustion gas between critical mating surfaces, thus causing damage to the engine or transmission. Therefore 100% inline inspection plays an important role for improving product quality. Although the techniques of image processing and machine vision have been applied to machined surface inspection and well improved in the past 20 years, in today's automotive industry, surface porosity inspection is still done by skilled humans, which is costly, tedious, time consuming and not capable of reliably detecting small defects. In our study, an automated defect detection and classification system for flat machined surfaces has been designed and constructed. In this paper, the importance of the illuminant direction in a machine vision system was first emphasized and then the surface defect inspection system under multiple directional illuminations was designed and constructed. After that, image processing algorithms were developed to realize 5 types of 2D or 3D surface defects (pore, 2D blemish, residue dirt, scratch, and gouge) detection and classification. The steps of image processing include: (1) image acquisition and contrast enhancement (2) defect segmentation and feature extraction (3) defect classification. An artificial machined surface and an actual automotive part: cylinder head surface were tested and, as a result, microscopic surface defects can be accurately detected and assigned to a surface defect class. The cycle time of this system can be sufficiently fast that implementation of 100% inline inspection is feasible. The field of view of this system is 150mm×225mm and the surfaces larger than the field of view can be stitched together in software.

On-Site Inspection RadioIsotopic Spectroscopy (Osiris) System Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caffrey, Gus J. [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Egger, Ann E. [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Krebs, Kenneth M. [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Milbrath, B. D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Jordan, D. V. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Warren, G. A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Wilmer, N. G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-09-01

We have designed and tested hardware and software for the acquisition and analysis of high-resolution gamma-ray spectra during on-site inspections under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The On-Site Inspection RadioIsotopic Spectroscopy—Osiris—software filters the spectral data to display only radioisotopic information relevant to CTBT on-site inspections, e.g.,132I. A set of over 100 fission-product spectra was employed for Osiris testing. These spectra were measured, where possible, or generated by modeling. The synthetic test spectral compositions include non-nuclear-explosion scenarios, e.g., a severe nuclear reactor accident, and nuclear-explosion scenarios such as a vented underground nuclear test. Comparing its computer-based analyses to expert visual analyses of the test spectra, Osiris correctly identifies CTBT-relevant fission product isotopes at the 95% level or better.The Osiris gamma-ray spectrometer is a mechanically-cooled, battery-powered ORTEC Transpec-100, chosen to avoid the need for liquid nitrogen during on-site inspections. The spectrometer was used successfully during the recent 2014 CTBT Integrated Field Exercise in Jordan. The spectrometer is controlled and the spectral data analyzed by a Panasonic Toughbook notebook computer. To date, software development has been the main focus of the Osiris project. In FY2016-17, we plan to modify the Osiris hardware, integrate the Osiris software and hardware, and conduct rigorous field tests to ensure that the Osiris system will function correctly during CTBT on-site inspections. The planned development will raise Osiris to technology readiness level TRL-8; transfer the Osiris technology to a commercial manufacturer, and demonstrate Osiris to potential CTBT on-site inspectors.

On-Site Inspection RadioIsotopic Spectroscopy (Osiris) System Development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caffrey, Gus J.; Egger, Ann E.; Krebs, Kenneth M.; Milbrath, B. D.; Jordan, D. V.; Warren, G. A.; Wilmer, N. G.

2015-01-01

We have designed and tested hardware and software for the acquisition and analysis of high-resolution gamma-ray spectra during on-site inspections under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The On-Site Inspection RadioIsotopic Spectroscopy-Osiris-software filters the spectral data to display only radioisotopic information relevant to CTBT on-site inspections, e.g.,132I. A set of over 100 fission-product spectra was employed for Osiris testing. These spectra were measured, where possible, or generated by modeling. The synthetic test spectral compositions include non-nuclear-explosion scenarios, e.g., a severe nuclear reactor accident, and nuclear-explosion scenarios such as a vented underground nuclear test. Comparing its computer-based analyses to expert visual analyses of the test spectra, Osiris correctly identifies CTBT-relevant fission product isotopes at the 95% level or better.The Osiris gamma-ray spectrometer is a mechanically-cooled, battery-powered ORTEC Transpec-100, chosen to avoid the need for liquid nitrogen during on-site inspections. The spectrometer was used successfully during the recent 2014 CTBT Integrated Field Exercise in Jordan. The spectrometer is controlled and the spectral data analyzed by a Panasonic Toughbook notebook computer. To date, software development has been the main focus of the Osiris project. In FY2016-17, we plan to modify the Osiris hardware, integrate the Osiris software and hardware, and conduct rigorous field tests to ensure that the Osiris system will function correctly during CTBT on-site inspections. The planned development will raise Osiris to technology readiness level TRL-8; transfer the Osiris technology to a commercial manufacturer, and demonstrate Osiris to potential CTBT on-site inspectors.

Application and study of advanced network technology in large container inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zheng; Kang Kejun; Gao Wenhuan; Wang Jingjin

1996-01-01

Large Container Inspection System (LCIS) based on radiation imaging technology is a powerful tool for the customs to check the contents inside a large container without opening it. An image distributed network system is composed of center manager station, image acquisition station, environment control station, inspection processing station, check-in station, check-out station, database station by using advanced network technology. Mass data, such as container image data, container general information, manifest scanning data, commands and status, must be on-line transferred between different stations. Advanced network technology and software programming technique are presented

Application of automatic inspection system to nondestructive test of heat transfer tubes of primary pressurized water cooler in the high temperature engineering test reactor. Joint research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, Takeshi; Furusawa, Takayuki

2001-07-01

Heat transfer tubes of a primary pressurized water cooled (PPWC) in the high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR) form the reactor pressure boundary of the primary coolant, therefore are important from the viewpoint of safety. To establish inspection techniques for the heat transfer tubes of the PPWC, an automatic inspection system was developed. The system employs a bobbin coil probe, a rotating probe for eddy current testing (ECT) and a rotating probe for ultrasonic testing (UT). Nondestructive test of a half of the heat transfer tubes of the PPWC was carried out by the automatic inspection system during reactor shutdown period of the HTTR (about 55% in the maximum reactor power in this paper). The nondestructive test results showed that the maximum signal-to-noise ratio was 1.8 in ECT. Pattern and phase of Lissajous wave, which were obtained for the heat transfer tube of the PPWC, were different from those obtained for the artificially defected tube. In UT echo amplitude of the PPWC tubes inspected was lower than 20% of distance-amplitude calibration curve. Thus, it was confirmed that there was no defect in depth, which was more than the detecting standard of the probes, on the outer surface of the heat transfer tubes of the PPWC inspected. (author)

Evaluation of robotic inspection systems at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, J.R.; Eversole, R.E.; Farnstrom, K.A.; Harvey, H.W.; Martin, H.L.

1984-03-01

This report presents and demonstrates a cost-effective approach for robotics application (CARA) to surveillance and inspection work in existing nuclear power plants. The CARA was developed by the Remote Technology Corporation to systematically determine the specific surveillance/inspection tasks, worker hazards, and access or equipment placement restraints in each of the many individual rooms or areas at a power plant. Guidelines for designing inspection robotics are included and are based upon the modular arrangement of commercially-available sensors and other components. Techniques for maximizing the cost effectiveness of robotics are emphasized in the report including: selection of low-cost robotic components, minimal installation work in plant areas, portable systems for common use in different areas, and standardized robotic modules. Factors considered as benefits are reduced radiation exposure, lower man-hours, shorter power outage, less waste material, and improved worker safety concerns. A partial demonstration of the CARA methodology to the Sequoyah (PWR) and Browns Ferry (BWR) Plants is provided in the report along with specific examples of robotic installations in high potential areas

Advanced Visualization Software System for Nuclear Power Plant Inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukic, I.; Jambresic, D.; Reskovic, S.

2006-01-01

Visualization techniques have been widely used in industrial environment for enhancing process control. Traditional techniques of visualization are based on control panels with switches and lights, and 2D graphic representations of processes. However, modern visualization systems enable significant new opportunities in creating 3D virtual environments. These opportunities arise from the availability of high end graphics capabilities in low cost personal computers. In this paper we describe implementation of process visualization software, developed by INETEC. This software is used to visualize testing equipment, components being tested and the overall power plant inspection process. It improves security of the process due to its real-time visualization and collision detection capabilities, and therefore greatly enhances the inspection process. (author)

Magnetic rubber inspection (MRI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carro, L.

1997-01-01

Magnetic Rubber Inspection (MRI) was developed to inspect for small cracks and flaws encountered in high performance aircraft. A formula of very fine magnetic particles immersed in a room temperature curing rubber is catalysed and poured into dams (retainers) on the surface of the part to be inspected. Inducing a magnetic field then causes the particles to be drawn to discontinuities in the component under test. These indicating particles are held to the discontinuity by magnetic attraction, as the rubber cures. The solid rubber cast (Replica) is then removed and examined under a microscope for indicating lines of particle concentrations. 3 refs., 6 figs

Quantitative Inspection of Remanence of Broken Wire Rope Based on Compressed Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Juwei; Tan, Xiaojiang

2016-08-25

Most traditional strong magnetic inspection equipment has disadvantages such as big excitation devices, high weight, low detection precision, and inconvenient operation. This paper presents the design of a giant magneto-resistance (GMR) sensor array collection system. The remanence signal is collected to acquire two-dimensional magnetic flux leakage (MFL) data on the surface of wire ropes. Through the use of compressed sensing wavelet filtering (CSWF), the image expression of wire ropes MFL on the surface was obtained. Then this was taken as the input of the designed back propagation (BP) neural network to extract three kinds of MFL image geometry features and seven invariant moments of defect images. Good results were obtained. The experimental results show that nondestructive inspection through the use of remanence has higher accuracy and reliability compared with traditional inspection devices, along with smaller volume, lighter weight and higher precision.

An approach to software quality assurance for robotic inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiebel, G.R.

1993-10-01

Software quality assurance (SQA) for robotic systems used in nuclear waste applications is vital to ensure that the systems operate safely and reliably and pose a minimum risk to humans and the environment. This paper describes the SQA approach for the control and data acquisition system for a robotic system being developed for remote surveillance and inspection of underground storage tanks (UST) at the Hanford Site

Gamma signatures of the C-BORD Tagged Neutron Inspection System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sardet A.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In the frame of C-BORD project (H2020 program of the EU, a Rapidly relocatable Tagged Neutron Inspection System (RRTNIS is being developed to non-intrusively detect explosives, chemical threats, and other illicit goods in cargo containers. Material identification is performed through gamma spectroscopy, using twenty NaI detectors and four LaBr3 detectors, to determine the different elements composing the inspected item from their specific gamma signatures induced by fast neutrons. This is performed using an unfolding algorithm to decompose the energy spectrum of a suspect item, selected by X-ray radiography and on which the RRTNIS inspection is focused, on a database of pure element gamma signatures. This paper reports on simulated signatures for the NaI and LaBr3 detectors, constructed using the MCNP6 code. First experimental spectra of a few elements of interest are also presented.

An Instrument for Inspecting Aspheric Optical Surfaces and Components, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This is a Phase II SBIR proposal to develop an extremely versatile optical inspection tool for aspheric optical components and optics that are not easily inspected...

Remotely deployable aerial inspection using tactile sensors

Science.gov (United States)

MacLeod, C. N.; Cao, J.; Pierce, S. G.; Sullivan, J. C.; Pipe, A. G.; Dobie, G.; Summan, R.

2014-02-01

For structural monitoring applications, the use of remotely deployable Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) inspection platforms offer many advantages, including improved accessibility, greater safety and reduced cost, when compared to traditional manual inspection techniques. The use of such platforms, previously reported by researchers at the University Strathclyde facilitates the potential for rapid scanning of large areas and volumes in hazardous locations. A common problem for both manual and remote deployment approaches lies in the intrinsic stand-off and surface coupling issues of typical NDE probes. The associated complications of these requirements are obviously significantly exacerbated when considering aerial based remote inspection and deployment, resulting in simple visual techniques being the preferred sensor payload. Researchers at Bristol Robotics Laboratory have developed biomimetic tactile sensors modelled on the facial whiskers (vibrissae) of animals such as rats and mice, with the latest sensors actively sweeping their tips across the surface in a back and forth motion. The current work reports on the design and performance of an aerial inspection platform and the suitability of tactile whisking sensors to aerial based surface monitoring applications.

Mechanized ultrasonic inspection of austenitic pipe systems; Mechanisierte Ultraschallpruefung von austenitischen Rohrleitungen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dressler, K.; Luecking, J.; Medenbach, S. [ABB ZAQ GmbH, Essen (Germany)

1999-08-01

The contribution explains the system of standard testing methods elaborated by ABB ZAQ GmbH for inspection of austenitic plant components. The inspection tasks explained in greater detail are basic materials testing (straight pipes, bends, and pipe specials), and inspection of welds and dissimilar welds. The techniques discussed in detail are those for detection and sizing of defects. (orig./CB) [Deutsch] Das Ziel dieses Beitrages ist die Vorstellung der von der ABB ZAQ GmbH eingesetzten Standardprueftechniken fuer die Pruefung austenitischer Anlagenkomponenten. Im einzelnen wird die Grundwerkstoffpruefung (Rohre, Boegen, Formstuecke), die Schweissnahtpruefung und die Mischnahtpruefung angesprochen. Es werden dabei die Techniken fuer `Detection` und `Sizing` differenziert betrachtet und erlaeutert. (orig.)

Remotely controlled inspection and handling systems for decommissioning tasks in nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreck, G.; Bach, W.; Haferkamp, H.

1993-01-01

The Institut fur Werkstoffkunde at the University of Hanover has recently developed three remotely controlled systems for different underwater inspection and dismantling tasks. ODIN I is a tool guiding device, particularly being designed for the dismantling of the steam dryer housing of the KRB A power plant at Gundremmingen, Germany. After being approved by the licencing organization TUEV Bayern, hot operation started in November 1992. The seven axes remotely controlled handling system ZEUS, consisting of a three translatory axes guiding machine and a tool handling device with four rotatory axes, has been developed for the demonstration of underwater plasma arc cutting of spherical metallic components with great wall thicknesses. A specially designed twin sensor system and a modular torch, exchanged by means of a remote controlled tool changing device, will be used for different complex cutting tasks. FAUST, an autonomous, freediving underwater vehicle, was designed for complex inspection, maintenance and dismantling tasks. It is equipped with two video cameras, an ultrasonic and a radiologic sensor and a small plasma torch. A gripper and a subsidiary vehicle for inspection may be attached. (author)

Mobile CT-System for In-situ Inspection in the LHC at CERN

CERN Document Server

Sauerwein, C; Caspers, F; Dalin, J M; Haemmerle, V; Tiseanu, I; Tock, J P

2010-01-01

For the inspection of certain critical elements of the LHC machine a mobile computed tomography system has been developed and built. This instrument has to satisfy stringent space, volume and weight requirements in order to be transportable and usable to any interconnection location in the LHC tunnel. Particular regions of interest in the interconnection zones between adjacent magnets are the plug in modules (PIM), the soldered splices in the superconducting bus-bars and the interior of the quench diode container. This system permits detailed inspection of these regions without needing to break the insulation vacuum. Limited access for the x-ray tube and the detector required the development of a special type of partial tomography, together with suitable reconstruction techniques for 3 D volume generation from radiographic projections. The layout of the complete machine, the limited angle tomography, as well as a number of radiographic and tomographic inspection results is presented.

Documentation for first annual testing and inspections of Benificial Uses Shipping System (BUSS) Cask

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lundeen, J.E.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this report is to compile date generated during the first annual tests and inspections of the Benificiai Uses Shipping System (BUSS) Cask. In addition, this report will verify that the testing criteria identified in chapter 8 of the BUSS Cask Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP) was met. Section 8.2 ''Maintenance and Periodic Inspection Program'' of the BUSS Cask SARP requires that the following tests and inspections be performed on an annual basis: Hydrostatic pressure test; helium leak test; dye penetrant test on the trunnions and lifting lugs; and torque test on all bolts; impact limiter inspection and weight test. The first annual inspections and testing of the BUSS Cask were completed on May 5, 1994, and met the SARP criteria

Automated ultrasonic inspection of nuclear plant components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, J.A.; Dolbey, M.P.

1982-01-01

For reasons of safety and efficiency, automated systems are used in performing ultrasonic inspection of nuclear components. An automated system designed specifically for the inspection of headers in a nuclear plant is described. In-service inspection results obtained with this system are shown to correlate with pre-service inspection results obtained by manual methods

Inspection system of radioactive contamination in foods and its results in Yokohama City

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morita, Masahiro

1993-01-01

Accompanying the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident occurred on April 26, 1986, the radioactive contamination of the foods imported from Europe became problems. Consequently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stipulated the temporary limit of radioactive concentration in imported foods in terms of the total of Cs-134 and Cs-137 at less than 370 becquerel per 1 kg of foods in November, 1986, and the inspection system was tightened. In Yokohama, in view of securing the safety of foods and eliminating the anxiety of citizen, the measuring instruments for radioactivity were installed in the Hygiene Laboratory in 1986 and in the Food Hygiene Inspection Stations in Central Wholesale Market in 1987, and the inspection was begun. So far 720 subjects were inspected, but there was none that exceeds the temporary limit. The period and the method of executing the inspection and the results of nuclide analysis, screening inspection and so on are reported. It was judged that at the present point of time, there is not much influence to the life of citizen. (K.I.)

Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of an Induction Planar Actuator with Different Secondaries—A Planar Driver Application for Metallic Surface Inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Treviso, Felipe; Silveira, Marilia A.; Flores Filho, Aly F.; Dorrell, David G.

2016-01-01

This paper presents a study on an induction planar actuator concept. The device uses the same principles as a linear induction motor in which the interaction between a travelling magnetic field and a conducting surface produces eddy currents that leads to the generation of a thrust force and can result in movement over a metallic surface. This can benefit the inspection of metallic surfaces based on the driving platform provided by the induction planar actuator. Equations of the magnetic and electric fields are presented and, by means of these equations, the forces involved were calculated. The behaviour of thrust and normal forces was analysed through the equations and by numerical models, and compared with the results obtained by measurements on a device prototype built in the laboratory as part of the study. With relation to the surface under inspection that forms the secondary, three cases were analysed: (1) a double-layered secondary formed by aluminium and ferromagnetic slabs; (2) a single aluminium layer and (3) a single ferromagnetic layer. Theoretical and measured values of thrust and normal forces showed good correlation. PMID:27007377

Promoting radiation protection and safety for X-ray inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maharaj, Harri P.

2008-01-01

This paper aims to present a regulatory perspective on radiation protection and safety relevant to facilities utilizing baggage X-ray inspection systems. Over the past several years there has been rapid growth in the acquisition and utilization of X-ray tube based inspection systems for security screening purposes worldwide. In addition to ensuring compliance with prescribed standards applicable to such X-ray systems, facilities subject to federal jurisdiction in Canada are required to comply with established codes of practice, which, not only are in accordance with occupational health and safety legislation but also are consistent with international guidance. Overall, these measures are aimed at reducing radiation risks and adverse health effects. Data, acquired in the past several years in a number of facilities through various instruments, namely, monitoring and surveillance, radiation safety audits, onsite evaluations, device registration processes and information developed, were considered in conjunction with detrimental traits. Changes are necessary to reduce radiation and safety risks from both an ALARA point of view and an accountability perspective. Establishing, developing, implementing and following a radiation protection program is warranted and advocated. Minimally, such a program shall be managed by a radiation safety officer. It shall promote and sustain a radiation safety culture in the workplace; shall ensure properly qualified individuals operate and service the X-ray systems in accordance with established and authorized procedures; and shall incorporate data recording and life cycle management principles. Such a program should be the norm for a facility that utilizes baggage X-ray inspection systems for security purposes, and it shall be subject to continuous regulatory oversight. (author)

Laboratory evaluation of two x-ray baggage inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schellenbaum, R.L.

1979-06-01

The AS and E Micro-Dose X-ray Baggage Inspection System was designed for high-volume, detailed examination of packages at ultralow x-ray exposure levels. This system is used in airline terminals for the detection of weapons, bombs, and other contraband. It is also employed by security personnel in other facilities to search packages for contraband carried in and out of secured areas. The Micro-Dose system has a unique design concept which includes an Automatic Threat Alert System (ATA) and a zoom display presentation feature

Feasibility of developing risk-based rankings of pressure boundary systems for inservice inspection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vo, T.V.; Smith, B.W.; Simonen, F.A.; Gore, B.F.

1994-08-01

The goals of the Evaluation and Improvement of Non-destructive Examination Reliability for the In-service Inspection of Light Water Reactors Program sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) are to (1) assess current ISI techniques and requirements for all pressure boundary systems and components, (2) determine if improvements to the requirements are needed, and (3) if necessary, develop recommendations for revising the applicable ASME Codes and regulatory requirements. In evaluating approaches that could be used to provide a technical basis for improved inservice inspection plans, PNL has developed and applied a method that uses results of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) to establish piping system ISI requirements. In the PNL program, the feasibility of generic ISI requirements is being addressed in two phases. Phase I involves identifying and prioritizing the systems most relevant to plant safety. The results of these evaluations will be later consolidated into requirements for comprehensive inservice inspection of nuclear power plant components that will be developed in Phase II. This report presents Phase I evaluations for eight selected plants and attempts to compare these PRA-based inspection priorities with current ASME Section XI requirements for Class 1, 2 and 3 systems. These results show that there are generic insights that can be extrapolated from the selected plants to specific classes of light water reactors.

Feasibility of developing risk-based rankings of pressure boundary systems for inservice inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vo, T.V.; Smith, B.W.; Simonen, F.A.; Gore, B.F.

1994-08-01

The goals of the Evaluation and Improvement of Non-destructive Examination Reliability for the In-service Inspection of Light Water Reactors Program sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) are to (1) assess current ISI techniques and requirements for all pressure boundary systems and components, (2) determine if improvements to the requirements are needed, and (3) if necessary, develop recommendations for revising the applicable ASME Codes and regulatory requirements. In evaluating approaches that could be used to provide a technical basis for improved inservice inspection plans, PNL has developed and applied a method that uses results of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) to establish piping system ISI requirements. In the PNL program, the feasibility of generic ISI requirements is being addressed in two phases. Phase I involves identifying and prioritizing the systems most relevant to plant safety. The results of these evaluations will be later consolidated into requirements for comprehensive inservice inspection of nuclear power plant components that will be developed in Phase II. This report presents Phase I evaluations for eight selected plants and attempts to compare these PRA-based inspection priorities with current ASME Section XI requirements for Class 1, 2 and 3 systems. These results show that there are generic insights that can be extrapolated from the selected plants to specific classes of light water reactors

Micro-focus x-ray inspection of the bearing pad welded by laser for CANDU fuel element

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, W. K.; Kim, S. S.; Lee, J. W.; Yang, M. S.

2001-01-01

To attach the bearing pads on the surface of CANDU fuel element, laser welding technique has been reviewed to replace brazing technology which is complicate process and makes use of the toxic beryllium. In this study, to evaluate the soundness of the weld of the bearing pad of CANDU fuel element, a precise X-ray inspection system was developed using a micro-focus X-ray generator with an image intensifier and a real time camera system. The weld of the bearing pad welded by Nd:YAG laser has been inspected by the developed inspection system. Image processing technique has been applied to reduce random noise and to enhance the contrast of the X-ray image. A few defects on the weld of the bearing pads have been detected by the X-ray inspection process

A new concept of smart flexible phased array transducer to inspect component of complex geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, O.; Mauhaut, S.; Casula, O.; Cattiaux, G.

2001-01-01

In most of industries as aeronautics, aerospace and nuclear, the main part of the non destructive testing is carried out directly in touch with the inspected component. Among others, the cooling piping of French pressurized water reactor comprises many welding components with complex geometry: elbows, butt welds, nozzles. In service inspections of such components performed with conventional ultrasonic contact transducers present limited performances. First, variations in sensitivity, due to unmatched contact on depressions or irregular surface are observed, resulting in poor detection performances. In addition, the beam orientation transmitted through complex interfaces cannot be totally controlled, because of the disorientations suffered by the transducer during its displacement. As a result, the possible defect cannot be correctly detected, positioned and characterized. To overcome these difficulties and to improve the performances of such inspections, the French Atomic Energy Commission has developed a new concept of transducer, allowing both to take into account the varying profile of the tested component and to efficiently compensate these effects. This transducer is a flexible phased array able to match the surface of the inspected specimen and to efficiently compensate the deformation of its own surface, in order to preserve the ultrasonic beam characteristics in spite of the profile variations encountered during the scanning. This ability is achieved thanks to a specific instrumentation, which measures the deformation of the transducer radiating surface, made of individual ultrasonic elements mechanically jointed to fit the actual surface of the component being inspected. Inspections in pulse-echo mode have been performed on a specimen with an irregular profile containing artificial embedded reflectors. The comparison with inspection carried out using conventional transducer shows the efficiency of the system to characterize defects under such complex

General inspection strategy for fault diagnosis-minimizing the inspection costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reinertsen, Rune; Wang Xiaozhong

1995-01-01

In this paper, a general inspection strategy for system fault diagnosis is presented. The procedure presented in this paper, is an improvement of methods described in papers by , and . This general strategy provides the optimal inspection procedure when the inspections require unequal effort and the minimum cut set probabilities are unequal. This feature makes the procedure described in this paper more useful for practical applications than the most recent procedure presented in the paper by Najmus-Saqib and Ishaque, which requires the minimum cut set probabilities to be equal. The inspection strategy described in this paper is based on first inspecting the basic event that will provide the maximum information gain per unit cost invested. The information gain is measured by the decrease of Shannon entropy. A detailed tutorial example is presented

Vision systems for the inspection of resistance welding joints

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrand, Lars; Fathi, Madjid

2000-06-01

Many automated quality inspection systems make use of brightness and contrast features of the objects being inspected. This reduces the complexity of the problem solving methods, as well as the demand for computational capacity. Nevertheless a lot of significant information is located in color features of the objects. This paper describes a method, that allows the evaluation of color information in a very compact and efficient way. The described method uses a combination of multi-valued logic and a special color model. We use fuzzy logic as multi-valued logic, and the HSI color model, but any multi-valued logic, that allows rule-based reasoning can be used. The HSI color model can also be exchanged with other color models, if special demands require this.

Nondestructive web thickness measurement of micro-drills with an integrated laser inspection system

Science.gov (United States)

Chuang, Shui-Fa; Chen, Yen-Chung; Chang, Wen-Tung; Lin, Ching-Chih; Tarng, Yeong-Shin

2010-09-01

Nowadays, the electric and semiconductor industries use numerous micro-drills to machine micro-holes in printed circuit boards. The measurement of web thickness of micro-drills, a key parameter of micro-drill geometry influencing drill rigidity and chip-removal ability, is quite important to ensure quality control. Traditionally, inefficiently destructive measuring method is adopted by inspectors. To improve quality and efficiency of the web thickness measuring tasks, a nondestructive measuring method is required. In this paper, based on the laser micro-gauge (LMG) and laser confocal displacement meter (LCDM) techniques, a nondestructive measuring principle of web thickness of micro-drills is introduced. An integrated laser inspection system, mainly consisting of a LMG, a LCDM and a two-axis-driven micro-drill fixture device, was developed. Experiments meant to inspect web thickness of micro-drill samples with a nominal diameter of 0.25 mm were conducted to test the feasibility of the developed laser inspection system. The experimental results showed that the web thickness measurement could achieve an estimated repeatability of ± 1.6 μm and a worst repeatability of ± 7.5 μm. The developed laser inspection system, combined with the nondestructive measuring principle, was able to undertake the web thickness measuring tasks for certain micro-drills.

NRC Information No. 91-29: Deficiencies identified during electrical distribution system functional inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossi, C.E.

1992-01-01

During multidisciplinary inspections, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has identified many deficiencies related to the electrical distribution system. To address these deficiencies, the NRC has developed an inspection to specifically evaluate the electrical distribution system. During the last year, the NRC completed eight EDSFIs, performing at least one in each of the several common deficiencies in the licensees' programs and in the electrical distribution systems as designed and configured at each plant. These deficiencies included inadequate ac voltages at the 480 Vac and 120 Vac distribution levels, inadequate procedures to test circuit breakers, and inadequate determinations and evaluations of setpoints

Periodic inspections of lightning protection systems in intermediate storage facilities of nuclear technological plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witzel, Andre; Schulz, Olav

2013-01-01

Especially for nuclear technological plants, periodic inspections of lightning protection systems are of great importance. This article shows the sequence of maintenance programs using the examples of the intermediate storage facilities of the nuclear technological plants Grohnde and Unterweser as well as the central intermediate storage facility in Gorleben and gives a description of the extensive measures of inspecting the external and internal lightning protection and the global earth termination system.

Quantitative Inspection of Remanence of Broken Wire Rope Based on Compressed Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Juwei; Tan, Xiaojiang

2016-01-01

Most traditional strong magnetic inspection equipment has disadvantages such as big excitation devices, high weight, low detection precision, and inconvenient operation. This paper presents the design of a giant magneto-resistance (GMR) sensor array collection system. The remanence signal is collected to acquire two-dimensional magnetic flux leakage (MFL) data on the surface of wire ropes. Through the use of compressed sensing wavelet filtering (CSWF), the image expression of wire ropes MFL on the surface was obtained. Then this was taken as the input of the designed back propagation (BP) neural network to extract three kinds of MFL image geometry features and seven invariant moments of defect images. Good results were obtained. The experimental results show that nondestructive inspection through the use of remanence has higher accuracy and reliability compared with traditional inspection devices, along with smaller volume, lighter weight and higher precision. PMID:27571077

Quantitative Inspection of Remanence of Broken Wire Rope Based on Compressed Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juwei Zhang

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Most traditional strong magnetic inspection equipment has disadvantages such as big excitation devices, high weight, low detection precision, and inconvenient operation. This paper presents the design of a giant magneto-resistance (GMR sensor array collection system. The remanence signal is collected to acquire two-dimensional magnetic flux leakage (MFL data on the surface of wire ropes. Through the use of compressed sensing wavelet filtering (CSWF, the image expression of wire ropes MFL on the surface was obtained. Then this was taken as the input of the designed back propagation (BP neural network to extract three kinds of MFL image geometry features and seven invariant moments of defect images. Good results were obtained. The experimental results show that nondestructive inspection through the use of remanence has higher accuracy and reliability compared with traditional inspection devices, along with smaller volume, lighter weight and higher precision.

Development of in-service inspection system for core support graphite structures in the high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sumita, Junya; Hanawa, Satoshi; Kikuchi, Takayuki; Ishihara, Masahiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Research Establishment

2003-03-01

Visual inspection of core support graphite structures using TV camera as in-service inspection and measurement of material characteristics using surveillance test specimens are planned in the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) to confirm structural integrity of the core support graphite structures. For the visual inspection, in-service inspection system developed from September 1996 to June 1998, and pre-service inspection using the system was carried out. As the result of the pre-service inspection, it was validated that high quality of visual inspection with TV camera can be carried out, and also structural integrity of the core support graphite structures at the initial stage of the HTTR operation was confirmed. (author)

Robotic inspection technology-process an toolbox

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hermes, Markus [ROSEN Group (United States). R and D Dept.

2005-07-01

Pipeline deterioration grows progressively with ultimate aging of pipeline systems (on-plot and cross country). This includes both, very localized corrosion as well as increasing failure probability due to fatigue cracking. Limiting regular inspecting activities to the 'scrapable' part of the pipelines only, will ultimately result into a pipeline system with questionable integrity. The confidence level in the integrity of these systems will drop below acceptance levels. Inspection of presently un-inspectable sections of the pipeline system becomes a must. This paper provides information on ROSEN's progress on the 'robotic inspection technology' project. The robotic inspection concept developed by ROSEN is based on a modular toolbox principle. This is mandatory. A universal 'all purpose' robot would not be reliable and efficient in resolving the postulated inspection task. A preparatory Quality Function Deployment (QFD) analysis is performed prior to the decision about the adequate robotic solution. This enhances the serviceability and efficiency of the provided technology. The word 'robotic' can be understood in its full meaning of Recognition - Strategy - Motion - Control. Cooperation of different individual systems with an established communication, e.g. utilizing Bluetooth technology, support the robustness of the ROSEN robotic inspection approach. Beside the navigation strategy, the inspection strategy is also part of the QFD process. Multiple inspection technologies combined on a single carrier or distributed across interacting container must be selected with a clear vision of the particular goal. (author)

Preliminary inspection of secondary cooling system piping for maintenance plan in JMTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanakawa, Hiroki; Hanawa, Yoshio; Izumo, Hironobu; Fukasaku, Akitomi; Nagao, Yoshiharu; Miyazawa, Masataka; Niimi, Motoji

2008-01-01

The JMTR is under the refurbishment and will start on FY 2011. The JMTR will operate for about 20 years from 2011. Before this JMTR operation, preliminary inspection of secondary cooling system piping was carried out in order to make a maintenance plan. As the results of this inspection, it was confirmed that the corrosion was reached by piping ingot, or decrease of piping thickness could hardly be observed. Therefore, it was confirmed that the strength or the functionality of the piping had been maintained by usual operation and maintenance. According to the results of this inspection, the basic date for maintenances are confirmed and it is clear to be able to make the maintenances plan in future. (author)

Experience on inspection at PFPF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, I.; Yamamoto, Y.; Takahashi, Saburo; Ooshima, Hirofumi; Kuniyasu, Kazufusa.

1993-01-01

In order to reduce a personal radiation exposure, Plutonium Fuel Production Facility (PFPF) introduced an automated MOX fabrication technology. Safeguards system for the PFPF was designed and installed so as to be compatible with automated process operation as much as possible. Introduction of these system in PFPF made possible to do the inspection measurements with unattended mode and Near Real Time Material Accountancy (NRTA), consequently inspection has been carrying out effectively and efficiently. This paper describes the new Inspection activities as a comparison with old Inspection activities based on our experience. (author)

Optimization of thermal waste treatment with the INSPECT system by camera based characteristic values and Fuzzy Control; Optimierung der thermischen Abfallbehandlung mit dem INSPECT-System durch kamerabasierte Kenngroessen und Fuzzy Control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, H.B.; Matthes, J. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany). Inst. fuer Angewandte Informatik; Schoenecker, H.; Krakau, T. [ci-Tec GmbH, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2007-07-01

The application of modern procedures for control and regulation at industrial procedures requires the knowledge of important process variables which are not measurable on-line. Optical measurements by means of video cameras and infrared cameras enable a non-destructive observation of the combustion process in locally different developments. Thus, process variables can be determined by means of special software of image processing in real time. For grate firings and rotating kilns, INSPECT applications are developed. The characteristics computed thereby directly can be used by means of a Fuzzy control module or by external systems for the optimization of the firing regulation. The enormous potential of the optimization with the INSPECT system impressively is confirmed by the past installations and by the process improvements obtained thereby. The INSPECT system was developed in co-operation with Ci-Tec GmbH (Ratingen, Federal Republic of Germany) and marketed, maintained and further developed by Ci-Tec GmbH.

A Proposal on the Quantitative Homogeneity Analysis Method of SEM Images for Material Inspections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Jong Woo; Shin, Chang Ho [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jung-Hoon; Cho, In-Hak; Park, Hwan Seo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a method to inspect the surface microstructure of materials. The SEM uses electron beams for imaging high magnifications of material surfaces; therefore, various chemical analyses can be performed from the SEM images. Therefore, it is widely used for the material inspection, chemical characteristic analysis, and biological analysis. For the nuclear criticality analysis field, it is an important parameter to check the homogeneity of the compound material for using it in the nuclear system. In our previous study, the SEM was tried to use for the homogeneity analysis of the materials. In this study, a quantitative homogeneity analysis method of SEM images is proposed for the material inspections. The method is based on the stochastic analysis method with the information of the grayscales of the SEM images.

A Proposal on the Quantitative Homogeneity Analysis Method of SEM Images for Material Inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Jong Woo; Shin, Chang Ho; Choi, Jung-Hoon; Cho, In-Hak; Park, Hwan Seo

2015-01-01

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a method to inspect the surface microstructure of materials. The SEM uses electron beams for imaging high magnifications of material surfaces; therefore, various chemical analyses can be performed from the SEM images. Therefore, it is widely used for the material inspection, chemical characteristic analysis, and biological analysis. For the nuclear criticality analysis field, it is an important parameter to check the homogeneity of the compound material for using it in the nuclear system. In our previous study, the SEM was tried to use for the homogeneity analysis of the materials. In this study, a quantitative homogeneity analysis method of SEM images is proposed for the material inspections. The method is based on the stochastic analysis method with the information of the grayscales of the SEM images

Inspections - a cost effective approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joseph, C.

1981-01-01

This paper describes a cost effective approach for inspections of Computerized Nuclear Materials Control and Accounting Systems (CNMCAS). Highlighted is the capability to conduct an inspection program via portable telephone terminals from off-site locations. The program can be applied to various materials management functions including materials control, quality assurance, and materials accounting. The system is designed to facilitate inspections by both external and internal groups

Developments for the ultrasonic in-service inspection of the inner near surface zone of circular welds in the vessel of the fast breeder-reactor SNR 300

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salzburger, H.J.; Huebschen, G.; Neuschwander, R.; Kleffner, G.; Wessels, J.

1990-01-01

For in-service, ultrasonic inspection of the inner near-surface zone of the welds 1 and 6 of the vessel of the SNR-300, an automated system has been developed for scanning, manipulation and evaluation tasks. The scanning system which currently is tested and qualified as a prototype system uses heat-resistant EMUS probes which do not require coupling agents, and which have been optimized for three different testing tasks. The required electronic equipment has also been developed to prototype stage, and both have been incorporated into the automated manipulation, data acquisition and evaluation system. (orig.) [de

Investigation with automatic ultrasonic equipment to trace flaws in a large test piece, and experience gained in carrying out inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindner, J.P.

1975-01-01

Based on the FRG codes providing guide lines for the Reactor Safety Commission regarding the size and location of flaws to be detected during in-service inspections, investigations were carried out into the possibility of detecting defects in thick-walled reactor pressure vessel components with the aid of ultrasonic inspection systems. A large test rig was used and, in a similar manner to the in-service inspections on a reactor, the tests were carried out with remote-controlled, automatically guided inspection equipment. For this purpose, a test specimen weighing about 10 tons was produced and provided with two weld seams having a large number of artificial defects. Essential parameters for the various reflectors in the test specimen were the size, location, angle and roughness or structure of the reflecting surfaces. As it is known that austenitic cladding has a considerable influence on flaw detection, the tests were undertaken first without cladding and then with cladding. A manipulator was designed for automatic remote-controlled inspection with which the inspection system travels on a meandering route over the area to be inspected. The inspection system employed was of the same type as the one used for baseline tests during external inspections of reactor vessel walls with parallel surfaces. Digital data collection was by a magnetic tape recorder designed to store both the data of the ultrasonic inspection system as well as the allied position data. The data stored on the tape are evaluated with electronic data processing programmes especially developed for this purpose. These programmes allow locally coherent indication patterns to be prepared, thus simplifying the interpretation of the data obtained. The author initially describes the equipment with the aid of which the studies were undertaken. A detailed discussion is then presented on the design of the test specimen and the inspection systems employed. Following this, the results obtained are explained and

Container code recognition in information auto collection system of container inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Jianping; Chen Zhiqiang; Zhang Li; Gao Wenhuan; Kang Kejun

2003-01-01

Now custom needs electrical application and automatic detection. Container inspection should not only give the image of the goods, but also auto-attain container's code and weight. Its function and track control, information transfer make up the Information Auto Collection system of Container Inspection. Code Recognition is the point. The article is based on model match, the close property of character, and uses it to recognize. Base on checkout rule, design the adjustment arithmetic, form the whole recognition strategy. This strategy can achieve high recognition ratio and robust property

Pressurized water reactor inspection procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinrich, D.; Mueller, G.; Otte, H.J.; Roth, W.

1998-01-01

Inspections of the reactor pressure vessels of pressurized water reactors (PWR) so far used to be carried out with different central mast manipulators. For technical reasons, parallel inspections of two manipulators alongside work on the refueling cavity, so as to reduce the time spent on the critical path in a revision outage, are not possible. Efforts made to minimize the inspection time required with one manipulator have been successful, but their effects are limited. Major reductions in inspection time can be achieved only if inspections are run with two manipulators in parallel. The decentralized manipulator built by GEC Alsthom Energie and so far emmployed in boiling water reactors in the USA, Spain, Switzerland and Japan allows two systems to be used in parallel, thus reducing the time required for standard inspection of a pressure vessel from some six days to three days. These savings of approximately three days are made possible without any compromises in terms of positioning by rail-bound systems. During inspection, the reactor refueling cavity is available for other revision work without any restrictions. The manipulator can be used equally well for inspecting standard PWR, PWR with a thermal shield, for inspecting the land between in-core instrumentation nozzles, BWR with and without jet pumps (complementary inspection), and for inspecting core support shrouds. (orig.) [de

Remote inspection of underground storage tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griebenow, B.L.; Martinson, L.M.

1992-01-01

Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company, Inc. (WINCO) operates the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) for the US Department of Energy. The ICPP's mission is to process government-owned spent nuclear fuel. The process involves dissolving the fuel, extracting off uranium, and calcining the waste to a solid form for storage, Prior to calcining, WINCO temporarily stores the liquid waste from this process in eleven 1,135,600-l(300,000-gal), 15,2-m (50-ft)-diam, high-level liquid waste tanks. Each of these stainless steel tanks is contained within an underground concrete vault. The only access to the interior of the tanks is through risers that extend from ground level to the dome of the tanks. WINCO is replacing these tanks because of their age and the fact that they do not meet all of the current design requirements. The tanks will be replaced in two phases. WINCO is now in the Title I design stage for four new tank and vault systems to replace five of the existing systems. The integrity of the six remaining tanks must be verified to continue their use until they can be replaced in the second phase. To perform any integrity analysis, the inner surface of the tanks must be inspected. The remote tank inspection (RTI) robotic system, designed by RedZone Robotics of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was developed to access the interior of the tanks and position various end effectors required to perform tank wall inspections

Human error considerations and annunciator effects in determining optimal test intervals for periodically inspected standby systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McWilliams, T.P.; Martz, H.F.

1981-01-01

This paper incorporates the effects of four types of human error in a model for determining the optimal time between periodic inspections which maximizes the steady state availability for standby safety systems. Such safety systems are characteristic of nuclear power plant operations. The system is modeled by means of an infinite state-space Markov chain. Purpose of the paper is to demonstrate techniques for computing steady-state availability A and the optimal periodic inspection interval tau* for the system. The model can be used to investigate the effects of human error probabilities on optimal availability, study the benefits of annunciating the standby-system, and to determine optimal inspection intervals. Several examples which are representative of nuclear power plant applications are presented

Mobile robot teleoperation system for plant inspection based on collecting and utilizing environment data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawabata, Kuniaki; Watanabe, Nobuyasu; Asama, Hajime; Kita, Nobuyuki; Yang, Hai-quan

2004-01-01

This paper describes about development of a mobile robot teleoperation system for plant inspection. In our system, the robot is an agent for collecting the environment data and is also teleoperated by the operator utilizing such accumulated environment data which is displayed on the operation interface. The robot equips many sensors for detecting the state of the robot and the environment. Such redundant sensory system can be also utilized to collect the working environment data on-site while the robot is patrolling. Here, proposed system introduces the framework of collecting and utilizing environment data for adaptive plant inspection using the teleoperated robot. A view simulator is primarily aiming to facilitate evaluation of the visual sensors and algorithms and is also extended as the Environment Server, which is the core technology of the digital maintenance field for the plant inspection. In order to construct detailed seamless digital maintenance field mobile robotic technology is utilized to supply environment data to the server. The sensory system on the robot collect the environment data on-site and such collected data is uploaded to the Environment Server for compiling accurate digital environment data base. The robot operator also can utilize accumulated environment data by referring to the Environment Server. In this paper, we explain the concept of our teleoperation system based on collecting and utilizing environment data. Using developed system, inspection patrol experiments were attempted in the plant mock-up. Experimental results are shown by using an omnidirectional mobile robot with sensory system and the Environment Server. (author)

Phased Array Ultrasonic Inspection of Titanium Forgings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howard, P.; Klaassen, R.; Kurkcu, N.; Barshinger, J.; Chalek, C.; Nieters, E.; Sun, Zongqi; Fromont, F. de

2007-01-01

Aerospace forging inspections typically use multiple, subsurface-focused sound beams in combination with digital C-scan image acquisition and display. Traditionally, forging inspections have been implemented using multiple single element, fixed focused transducers. Recent advances in phased array technology have made it possible to perform an equivalent inspection using a single phased array transducer. General Electric has developed a system to perform titanium forging inspection based on medical phased array technology and advanced image processing techniques. The components of that system and system performance for titanium inspection will be discussed

Automated visual inspection system based on HAVNET architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Burkett, K.; Ozbayoglu, Murat A.; Dagli, Cihan H.

1994-10-01

In this study, the HAusdorff-Voronoi NETwork (HAVNET) developed at the UMR Smart Engineering Systems Lab is tested in the recognition of mounted circuit components commonly used in printed circuit board assembly systems. The automated visual inspection system used consists of a CCD camera, a neural network based image processing software and a data acquisition card connected to a PC. The experiments are run in the Smart Engineering Systems Lab in the Engineering Management Dept. of the University of Missouri-Rolla. The performance analysis shows that the vision system is capable of recognizing different components under uncontrolled lighting conditions without being effected by rotation or scale differences. The results obtained are promising and the system can be used in real manufacturing environments. Currently the system is being customized for a specific manufacturing application.

Development and validation of real-time SAFT-UT system for inservice inspection of LWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doctor, S.R.; Hall, T.E.; Reid, L.D.; Mart, G.A.

1988-01-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory is working to design, fabricate, and evaluate a real-time flaw detection and characterization system based on the synthetic aperture focusing technique for ultrasonic testing (SAFT-UT). The system is designed to perform inservice inspection of light-water reactor components. Included objectives of this program for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are to develop procedures for system calibration and field operation, to validate the system through laboratory and field inspections, and to generate an engineering database to support ASME Code acceptance of the technology. This progress report covers the programmatic work from October 1986 through September 1987. (author)

An Automated Sensing System for Steel Bridge Inspection Using GMR Sensor Array and Magnetic Wheels of Climbing Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rui Wang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Corrosion is one of the main causes of deterioration of steel bridges. It may cause metal loss and fatigue cracks in the steel components, which would lead to the collapse of steel bridges. This paper presents an automated sensing system to detect corrosion, crack, and other kinds of defects using a GMR (Giant Magnetoresistance sensor array. Defects will change the relative permeability and electrical conductivity of the material. As a result, magnetic field density generated by ferromagnetic material and the magnetic wheels will be changed. The defects are able to be detected by using GMR sensor array to measure the changes of magnetic flux density. In this study, magnetic wheels are used not only as the adhesion device of the robot, but also as an excitation source to provide the exciting magnetic field for the sensing system. Furthermore, compared to the eddy current method and the MFL (magnetic flux leakage method, this sensing system suppresses the noise from lift-off value fluctuation by measuring the vertical component of induced magnetic field that is perpendicular to the surface of the specimen in the corrosion inspection. Simulations and experimental results validated the feasibility of the system for the automated defect inspection.

Flexible mobile robot system for smart optical pipe inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Kampfer, Wolfram; Bartzke, Ralf; Ziehl, Wolfgang

1998-03-01

Damages of pipes can be inspected and graded by TV technology available on the market. Remotely controlled vehicles carry a TV-camera through pipes. Thus, depending on the experience and the capability of the operator, diagnosis failures can not be avoided. The classification of damages requires the knowledge of the exact geometrical dimensions of the damages such as width and depth of cracks, fractures and defect connections. Within the framework of a joint R&D project a sensor based pipe inspection system named RODIAS has been developed with two partners from industry and research institute. It consists of a remotely controlled mobile robot which carries intelligent sensors for on-line sewerage inspection purpose. The sensor is based on a 3D-optical sensor and a laser distance sensor. The laser distance sensor is integrated in the optical system of the camera and can measure the distance between camera and object. The angle of view can be determined from the position of the pan and tilt unit. With coordinate transformations it is possible to calculate the spatial coordinates for every point of the video image. So the geometry of an object can be described exactly. The company Optimess has developed TriScan32, a special software for pipe condition classification. The user can start complex measurements of profiles, pipe displacements or crack widths simply by pressing a push-button. The measuring results are stored together with other data like verbal damage descriptions and digitized images in a data base.

Color image digitization and analysis for drum inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muller, R.C.; Armstrong, G.A.; Burks, B.L.; Kress, R.L.; Heckendorn, F.M.; Ward, C.R.

1993-01-01

A rust inspection system that uses color analysis to find rust spots on drums has been developed. The system is composed of high-resolution color video equipment that permits the inspection of rust spots on the order of 0.25 cm (0.1-in.) in diameter. Because of the modular nature of the system design, the use of open systems software (X11, etc.), the inspection system can be easily integrated into other environmental restoration and waste management programs. The inspection system represents an excellent platform for the integration of other color inspection and color image processing algorithms

Flexible Visual Quality Inspection in Discrete Manufacturing

OpenAIRE

Petković, Tomislav; Jurić, Darko; Lončarić, Sven

2013-01-01

Most visual quality inspections in discrete manufacturing are composed of length, surface, angle or intensity measurements. Those are implemented as end-user configurable inspection tools that should not require an image processing expert to set up. Currently available software solutions providing such capability use a flowchart based programming environment, but do not fully address an inspection flowchart robustness and can require a redefinition of the flowchart if a small variation is int...

Value of information in sequential decision making: Component inspection, permanent monitoring and system-level scheduling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Memarzadeh, Milad; Pozzi, Matteo

2016-01-01

We illustrate how to assess the Value of Information (VoI) in sequential decision making problems modeled by Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs). POMDPs provide a general framework for modeling the management of infrastructure components, including operation and maintenance, when only partial or noisy observations are available; VoI is a key concept for selecting explorative actions, with application to component inspection and monitoring. Furthermore, component-level VoI can serve as an effective heuristic for assigning priorities to system-level inspection scheduling. We introduce two alternative models for the availability of information, and derive the VoI in each of those settings: the Stochastic Allocation (SA) model assumes that observations are collected with a given probability, while the Fee-based Allocation model (FA) assumes that they are available at a given cost. After presenting these models at component-level, we investigate how they perform for system-level inspection scheduling. - Highlights: • On the Value of Information in POMDPs, for optimal exploration of systems. • A method for assessing the Value of Information of permanent monitoring. • A method for allocating inspections in systems made up by parallel POMDPs.

Inspection apparatus for a vessel made of magnetic metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, J.P.; Foster, A.C.; Smith, T.D.

1976-01-01

Previous systems intended for in-situ inspection of the pressure vessels of nuclear reactors are of uneasy use on encumbered surfaces. Said invention relates to a remote-control device for inspecting vessel walls. It comprises a conveyor able to be propelled, possibly around obstacles, towards any place inside the vessel; said vehicle is provided with magnetic wheels driven by an electric motor and separately controlled. The conveyor is accurately located on the vessel by using an acoustic device involving a triangular method, and consisting in an acoustic signal emitter mounted on the conveyor and at least three receiving transducers mounted on the vessel wall [fr

Defect inspection of actuator lenses using swept-source optical coherence tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jaeyul; Shirazi, Muhammad Faizan; Park, Kibeom; Jeon, Mansik; Kim, Jeehyun

2017-12-01

Actuator lens industries have gained an enormous interest with the enhancement of various latest communication devices, such as mobile phone and notebooks. The quality of the aforementioned devices can be degraded due to the internal defects of actuator lenses. Therefore, in this study, we implemented swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system to inspect defects of actuator lenses. Owing to the high-resolution of the SS-OCT system, defected foreign substances between the actuator lenses, defective regions of lenses and surface stains were more clearly distinguished through three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional OCT images. Therefore, the implemented SS-OCT system can be considered as a potential application to defect inspection of actuator lens.

Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of an Induction Planar Actuator with Different Secondaries—A Planar Driver Application for Metallic Surface Inspection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Treviso

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a study on an induction planar actuator concept. The device uses the same principles as a linear induction motor in which the interaction between a travelling magnetic field and a conducting surface produces eddy currents that leads to the generation of a thrust force and can result in movement over a metallic surface. This can benefit the inspection of metallic surfaces based on the driving platform provided by the induction planar actuator. Equations of the magnetic and electric fields are presented and, by means of these equations, the forces involved were calculated. The behaviour of thrust and normal forces was analysed through the equations and by numerical models, and compared with the results obtained by measurements on a device prototype built in the laboratory as part of the study. With relation to the surface under inspection that forms the secondary, three cases were analysed: (1 a double-layered secondary formed by aluminium and ferromagnetic slabs; (2 a single aluminium layer and (3 a single ferromagnetic layer. Theoretical and measured values of thrust and normal forces showed good correlation.

Automated ultrasonic inspection using PULSDAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naybour, P.J.

1992-01-01

PULSDAT (Portable Ultrasonic Data Acquisition Tool) is a system for recording the data from single probe automated ultrasonic inspections. It is one of a range of instruments and software developed by Nuclear Electric to carry out a wide variety of high quality ultrasonic inspections. These vary from simple semi-automated inspections through to multi-probe, highly automated ones. PULSDAT runs under the control of MIPS software, and collects data which is compatible with the GUIDE data display system. PULSDAT is therefore fully compatible with Nuclear Electric's multi-probe inspection systems and utilises all the reliability and quality assurance of the software. It is a rugged, portable system that can be used in areas of difficult access. The paper discusses the benefits of automated inspection and gives an outline of the main features of PULSDAT. Since April 1990 PULSDAT has been used in several applications within Nuclear Electric and this paper presents two examples: the first is a ferritic set-through nozzle and the second is an austenitic fillet weld. (Author)

Robotic inspection of fiber reinforced composites using phased array UT

Science.gov (United States)

Stetson, Jeffrey T.; De Odorico, Walter

2014-02-01

Ultrasound is the current NDE method of choice to inspect large fiber reinforced airframe structures. Over the last 15 years Cartesian based scanning machines using conventional ultrasound techniques have been employed by all airframe OEMs and their top tier suppliers to perform these inspections. Technical advances in both computing power and commercially available, multi-axis robots now facilitate a new generation of scanning machines. These machines use multiple end effector tools taking full advantage of phased array ultrasound technologies yielding substantial improvements in inspection quality and productivity. This paper outlines the general architecture for these new robotic scanning systems as well as details the variety of ultrasonic techniques available for use with them including advances such as wide area phased array scanning and sound field adaptation for non-flat, non-parallel surfaces.

Final Report, Next-Generation Mega-Voltage Cargo-Imaging System for Cargo Conainer Inspection, March 2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dr. James Clayton, Ph.D., Varian Medical Systems-Security & Inspection Products; Dr. Emma Regentova, Ph.D, University of Nevada Las Vegas; Dr. Evangelos Yfantis, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas

2007-03-27

The UNLV Research Foundation, as the primary award recipient, teamed with Varian Medical Systems-Security & Inspection Products and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) for the purpose of conducting research and engineering related to a "next-generation" mega-voltage imaging (MVCI) system for inspection of cargo in large containers. The procurement and build-out of hardware for the MVCI project has been completed. The K-9 linear accelerator and an optimized X-ray detection system capable of efficiently detecting X-rays emitted from the accelerator after they have passed through the device is under test. The Office of Science financial assistance award has made possible the development of a system utilizing a technology which will have a profound positive impact on the security of U.S. seaports. The proposed project will ultimately result in critical research and development advances for the "next-generation" Linatron X-ray accelerator technology, thereby providing a safe, reliable and efficient fixed and mobile cargo inspection system, which will very significantly increase the fraction of cargo containers undergoing reliable inspection as the enter U.S. ports. Both NNSA/NA-22 and the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office are collaborating with UNLV and its team to make this technology available as soon as possible.

Final Report, Next-Generation Mega-Voltage Cargo-Imaging System for Cargo Container Inspection, March 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dr. James Clayton, Ph.D., Varian Medical Systems-Security and Inspection Products; Dr. Emma Regentova, Ph.D, University of Nevada Las Vegas; Dr. Evangelos Yfantis, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas

2007-01-01

The UNLV Research Foundation, as the primary award recipient, teamed with Varian Medical Systems-Security and Inspection Products and the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) for the purpose of conducting research and engineering related to a ''next-generation'' mega-voltage imaging (MVCI) system for inspection of cargo in large containers. The procurement and build-out of hardware for the MVCI project has been completed. The K-9 linear accelerator and an optimized X-ray detection system capable of efficiently detecting X-rays emitted from the accelerator after they have passed through the device is under test. The Office of Science financial assistance award has made possible the development of a system utilizing a technology which will have a profound positive impact on the security of U.S. seaports. The proposed project will ultimately result in critical research and development advances for the ''next-generation'' Linatron X-ray accelerator technology, thereby providing a safe, reliable and efficient fixed and mobile cargo inspection system, which will very significantly increase the fraction of cargo containers undergoing reliable inspection as the enter U.S. ports. Both NNSA/NA-22 and the Department of Homeland Security's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office are collaborating with UNLV and its team to make this technology available as soon as possible

Automated Inspection of Aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

1998-04-01

This report summarizes the development of a robotic system designed to assist aircraft inspectors by remotely deploying non-destructive inspection (NDI) sensors and acquiring, processing, and storing inspection data. Carnegie Mellon University studie...

RNL NDT studies related to PWR pressure vessel inlet nozzle inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogerson, A.; Poulter, L.N.J.; Clough, P.; Cooper, A.

1984-01-01

Non-destructive examinations of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) play an important role in assuring vessel integrity throughout its operational life. Automated ultrasonic techniques for the detection and sizing of flaws in thick-section seam welds and near-surface regions in a PWR RPV have been under development at RNL for some time. Techniques for the inspection of complex geometry welds and other regions of the vessel are now being assessed and further developed as part of the UK NDT development programme in support of the Sizewell PWR. One objective of this programme is to demonstrate that the range of ultrasonic techniques already shown to be effective for the inspection of seam welds and inlet nozzle corner regions, through exercises such as the Defect Detection Trials, can also be effective for inspection of these other vessel regions. The nozzle-to-vessel welds and nozzle crotch corners associated with the RPV water inlet and outlet nozzles are two such regions being examined in this programme. In this paper, a review is given of the work performed at RNL in the development of a laboratory-based inspection system for inlet nozzle inspection. The main features of the system in its current stage of development are explained. (author)

A Method for Automatic Inspection of Printed Circuit Boards by Using the Thermal Signature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amer, H.H.; Zekry, A.A.; Elaraby, S.; Ghareeb, K.E.

2012-01-01

This paper aims to design a system for automating inspection of the printed circuit boards (PCBs) by using the thermal signature of the different integrated circuits (I.C). The proposed inspection system consists of the inspection circuit, data acquisition system (DAS) and personal computer. Inspection is done by comparing the thermal signature of normally operated circuit with the thermal signature of circuit under test. One thermistor is assigned to each component in the circuit. The thermistor must touch tightly the surface of the I.C. to sense its temperature during the inspection process. Matlab software is used to represent the thermal signature through different colors. The Turbo C software is used to develop a program for acquiring and comparing the thermal signature of the circuit under the test with the reference circuit. If the colors of the two thermal signatures for the same I.C. are same then the circuit under test is fault free and does not contain any defect. On the other side, if the colors of the two thermal signatures for the same I.C. are different then the circuit under test is defective

Inspection Method for Contact Condition of Soil on the Surface of Underground Pipe Utilizing Resonance of Transverse Lamb Wave

Science.gov (United States)

Tanigawa, Hiroshi; Seno, Hiroaki; Watanabe, Yoshiaki; Nakajima, Koshiro

1998-05-01

A nondestructive inspection method to estimate the contact condition of soil on the surface of an underground pipe, utilizing the resonance of a transverse Lamb wave circulating along the pipe wall is proposed.The Q factor of the resonance is considered and measured under some contact conditions by sweeping the vibrating frequency in a 150-mm-inner diameter Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic Mortar (FRPM) pipe. It is confirmed that the Q factor shows a clear response to the change in the contact conditions. For example, the Q factor is 8.4 when the pipe is in ideal contact with the soil plane and goes up to 19.2 when a 100-mm-diameter void is located at the contact surface of the soil.The spatial resolution of the proposed inspection method is also measured by moving the sensing point along the direction of laying the length of the pipe into a 85-mm-diameter void. The resolution of the proposed method is estimated at about 50 mm.

Applications Of A Low Cost System For Industrial Automatic Inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Krey, C.; Ayache, A.; Bruel, A.

1987-05-01

In industrial environment, some repetitive tasks wich do not need a high degree of understanding, can be solved automatically owing to Vision. Among the systems available on the market, most of them are rather expensive with various capabilities. The described system is a modular system, built with some standard circuit boards. One of the advantages of this system is that its architecture can be redefined for each application, by assembling judiciously the standard modules. The vision system has been used successfully to sort fruits according to their colour and diameter. The system can sort 8 fruits per second on each sorting line and manage simultaneously up to 16 lines. An application of sheep skin cutting has been implemented too. After chemical and mechanical treatments, the skins present many defaults all around their contour, that must be cut off. A movable camera follows and inspects the contour ; the vision system determines where the cutting device must cut the skin. A third application has been implemented ; it concerns automatic recording and reproduction of logotypes. A moving camera driven by the system picks up the points, of the logotype contours. Before reproduction, programs can modify the logotypes shape, change the scale, and so on. For every application, the system uses the world smallest CCD camera developped in the laboratory. The small dimensions of the vision system and its low cost are major advantages for a wide use in industrial automatic inspection.

NRC Information Notice No. 91-29, Supplement 1: Deficiencies identified during electrical distribution system functional inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossi, C.E.

1993-01-01

During multidiscipline inspections such as safety system functional inspections (SSFIs) or safety system outage modification inspections (SSOMIs), the NRC identified a number of deficiencies related to the electrical distribution system (EDS). As a result of these deficiencies, the NRC developed the EDSFI to specifically evaluate the EDS. Since 1989, the NRC has performed over 50 EDSFIs, and found design weaknesses in the following generic areas: (1) undervoltage relay setpoints for degraded grid conditions; (2) interrupting capacity of fault protection devices; (3) improper coordination of fault protection devices; (4) analysis of emergency diesel generator (EDG) capacity to power safety-related loads during postulated accidents; and (5) EDG mechanical interfaces. Each of these issues are discussed

Study and discussion on management of nuclear island in-service inspection procedure system in nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xueliang; Fan Yancheng

2014-01-01

In-service inspection of nuclear island is the important way for keeping safety operation of nuclear power plant. Taking Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant as example, the management problems of in-service inspection system was studied and discussed from the angle of references, contents, classifications etc. Based on comparison with French practice, some points of view on perfection of in-service inspection system and improvement of management ability under future multi-bases and multi-units management mode were presented. (authors)

Development of a uniform eddy current multi-probe for flaw inspection on a curved surface shape portion and estimation of crack shape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukuoka, Katsuhiro; Hashimoto, Mitsuo

2009-01-01

The establishment of non-destructive inspection technology for plant structures is necessary, since the occurrence of cracks has been reported in some nuclear power plants. In this research, a uniform eddy current multi-probe to inspect cracks on a curved structure was developed. We designed exciting coils of this probe, considering the shape of the curved structure, so that the eddy current flows uniformly. Pick-up coils were arranged on a flexible printed circuit board to fit on the curved surface shape portion. The detection characteristics for EDM (electrical discharge machining) slits provided on the curved surface shape portion of the specimen were evaluated. The clear signals for the EDM slits provided on the curved surface which had a curvature radius of 25 mm were obtained by this probe. We confirmed that the crack shape could be estimated by detecting the signals from the developed probe. (author)

Conclusions with regard to the inspection goals of a system of material balance areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladitz, J.

1989-01-01

Starting from IAEA inspection goals in the control of individual material balance area, procedures of computation and estimation of inspection goals are derived for a system of material balance areas allowing for an optimal diversion strategy. By it the prerequisites were also developed to an evaluation of these goals for a State as a whole. (author)

Automation of eddy current system for in-service inspection of turbine and generator bores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viertl, J.R.M.

1988-01-01

The most commonly applied inspection method for ferromagnetic turbine and generator rotor bores is the magnetic particle test technique. This method is subjective, depends on the test operator's skill and diligence in identifying test indications, and suffers from poor repeatability, especially for small indications. Automation would improve repeatability. However, magnetic particle tests are not easily automated, because the data are in the form of sketches, photographs, and written and oral descriptions of the indications. Eddy current inspection has obvious potential to replace magnetic particle methods in this application. Eddy current tests can be readily automated, as the data are in the form of voltages that can be recorded, digitized, and manipulated by a computer. The current project continues the investigation of the correlation between eddy current and magnetic particle inspection. Two systems have been combined to acquire eddy current data automatically. This combination of systems consists of the Nortec-25L Eddyscope (to provide the analog eddy current signals) and the General Electric DATAQ (TM) System (to perform the automatic data acquisition). The automation of the system is discussed

Automobile inspection system based on wireless communication

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Changyun; Ye, Chunqing

2010-07-01

This paper aims to research the Automobile Inspection System based on Wireless Communication, and suggests an overall design scheme which uses GPS for speed detection and Bluetooth and GPRS for communication. The communication between PDA and PC was realized by means of GPRS and TCP/IP; and the hardware circuit and software for detection terminal were devised by means of JINOU-3264 Bluetooth Module after analyzing the Bluetooth and its communication protocol. According to the results of debugging test, this system accomplished GPRS based data communication and management as well as the real-time detection on auto safety performance parameters in crash test via PC, whereby the need for mobility and reliability was met and the efficiency and level of detection was improved.

Inspection technologies -Development of national safeguards technology-

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, J. S.; Kim, B. K.; Kwack, E. H.

1996-12-01

17 facility regulations prepared by nuclear facilities according to the Ministerial Notices were evaluated. Safeguards inspection activities under Safeguards are described. Safeguards inspection equipments and operation manuals to be used for national inspection are also described. Safeguards report are produced and submitted to MOST by using the computerized nuclear material accounting system at state level. National inspection support system are developed to produce the on-site information for domestic inspection. Planning and establishment of policy for nuclear control of nuclear materials, international cooperation for nuclear control, CTBT, strengthening of international safeguards system, and the supply of PWRs to North Korea are also described. (author). 43 tabs., 39 figs

Condition Assessment Survey (CAS) Program. Deficiency standards and inspections methods manual: Volume 11, 0.11 Specialty systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-05-01

General information is presented for asset determinant factor/CAS repair codes/CAS cost factors; guide sheet tool & material listing; testing methods; inspection frequency; standard system design life tables; system work breakdown structure; and general system/material data. Deficiency standards and inspection methods are presented for canopies; loading dock systems; tanks; domes (bulk storage, metal framing); louvers & vents; access floors; integrated ceilings; and mezzanine structures.

Sampling inspection for the evaluation of time-dependent reliability of deteriorating systems under imperfect defect detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuniewski, Sebastian P.; Weide, Johannes A.M. van der; Noortwijk, Jan M. van

2009-01-01

The paper presents a sampling-inspection strategy for the evaluation of time-dependent reliability of deteriorating systems, where the deterioration is assumed to initiate at random times and at random locations. After initiation, defects are weakening the system's resistance. The system becomes unacceptable when at least one defect reaches a critical depth. The defects are assumed to initiate at random times modeled as event times of a non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) and to develop according to a non-decreasing time-dependent gamma process. The intensity rate of the NHPP is assumed to be a combination of a known time-dependent shape function and an unknown proportionality constant. When sampling inspection (i.e. inspection of a selected subregion of the system) results in a number of defect initiations, Bayes' theorem can be used to update prior beliefs about the proportionality constant of the NHPP intensity rate to the posterior distribution. On the basis of a time- and space-dependent Poisson process for the defect initiation, an adaptive Bayesian model for sampling inspection is developed to determine the predictive probability distribution of the time to failure. A potential application is, for instance, the inspection of a large vessel or pipeline suffering pitting/localized corrosion in the oil industry. The possibility of imperfect defect detection is also incorporated in the model.

Recent activities on clearance in IAEA and clearance automatic laser inspection system (CLALIS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hattori, Takatoshi; Sasaki, Michiya

2005-01-01

Exemption levels for bulk amounts of materials have been described in RS-G-1.7 published as a safety guide in IAEA on August 2004. In Japan, the Nuclear Safety Commission adopted the RS-G-1.7 values as Japanese clearance levels after the careful review of dose assessment results. After completing revises of regulatory laws in relation to clearance level, solid wastes from decommissioning and operating nuclear power plants will be targets of clearance inspection. In CRIEPI, Clearance Automatic Laser Inspection System (CLALIS) has been developed, which can give high reliability and objectivity to the measurement data. The CLALIS is a new monitoring system coupling with 3D laser shape measurement, Monte-Carlo calculation and gamma measurement techniques, which can keep a high accuracy in the measurement data using an automatic correction technique for self-shielding effects of metal waste itself and is expected to apply as a practical use in actual clearance inspections. (author)

Effect of a Publicly Accessible Disclosure System on Food Safety Inspection Scores in Retail and Food Service Establishments.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jihee; Scharff, Robert L

2017-07-01

The increased frequency with which people are dining out coupled with an increase in the publicity of foodborne disease outbreaks has led the public to an increased awareness of food safety issues associated with food service establishments. To accommodate consumer needs, local health departments have increasingly publicized food establishments' health inspection scores. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of the color-coded inspection score disclosure system in place since 2006 in Columbus, OH, by controlling for several confounding factors. This study incorporated cross-sectional time series data from food safety inspections performed from the Columbus Public Health Department. An ordinary least squares regression was used to assess the effect of the new inspection regime. The introduction of the new color-coded food safety inspection disclosure system increased inspection scores for all types of establishments and for most types of inspections, although significant differences were found in the degree of improvement. Overall, scores increased significantly by 1.14 points (of 100 possible). An exception to the positive results was found for inspections in response to foodborne disease complaints. Scores for these inspections declined significantly by 10.2 points. These results should be useful for both food safety researchers and public health decision makers.