I’m having a problem at work as to what the third party inspector is using as RT weld acceptance criteria to except or reject pipe welds. The pipe welds are on chill water and heating water piping in a HVAC system.
The clients specifications calls for;
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All welding operations shall conform to the latest recommendations of the American Welding Society and to Section Six of Power Piping, ANSI B31.1 1973
All qualifying tests, welding and stress relieving procedures, shall, moreover, be in accord with Standard Qualification for WELDING PROCEDURES,WELDERS AND WELDING OPERATORS, APPENDIX A, SECTION 6 of the Code
Piping and fittings shall be welded and fabricated in accordance with ASME/ANSI and the latest edition of Standard B31.1 from the Code for Pressure Piping for all systems.
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The third party inspector is rejection all welds with ANY indication of defect, no matter how small. It is my understanding that he above mention standard dose allow a certain amounts of defects according to pipe size (Dia). When this was brought up to the inspector he said “The Boiler Code for Power Boilers and Nuclear Code do not allow any indication of defect.” It seams to me they are mixing apples and oranges (Power Piping and Power Boilers).
So I my question is ‘What is and where do I find the standerd for RT pipe weld acceptance under the above mention Codes.
Thanks In Advance,
Henry
I find the choice of codes in your post interesting. I would have thought that B31.1 is not the correct code for HVAC piping. Possibly B31.3? At any rate, using a code for power boilers and nuclear installations seem excessive to me. (I may be missing something here.)
Even though I am no expert in either of the above codes, my experience with codes such as ASME VIII, B31.3 and other similar codes would indicate that there is always SOME indications that are allowed.
My experience has been that where inspectors allow no indications whatsoever, these inspectors are often ignorent of the code requirements. To cover themselves, they just demand a totally clean film.
If I was you, I would make sure what the ruling code is and then have a look in this code to establish the acceptance criteria. Once you have established this, challenge the inspector to place on paper his additional requirements so that you can claim additional funding from the customer for these more stringent requirements that you did not quote on in the first place. At that point, the inspector usually becomes more accomodating because the inspector knows that the client will usually not pay for the inspector's "discretionary" acceptance requirements.
To answer your question directly, you will find the acceptance criteria in the relevant code. First you must however establish the relevant code.
Hope this helps
Regards
Niekie Jooste
Henry, send me an e-mail with your fax number and I will fax you the RT acceptance criteria from B31.1. From your description, the third party seems to be interpreting the code incorrectly.
As Niekie says, it may be that the wrong code was originally specified. However, it has been my experience that when that happens, the client usually holds us to the code listed in the contract (especially when it is a more stringent acceptance criteria). Charles Hall
Get a copy of the code exactly specified in the contract drawings.
That way, you'll know just exactly what is required.
The code stated seems a bit heavy for the intended use, however, I'm sure this code was referenced in the quoting prints. If not, you have a case.
Remember, the customer can dictate any code he wants, whether it fits in practcality or not. If you accept this job, it must be done to the stated code.
If you come to some impasse, you might do well employing another inspector who knows codes well. Keep him as YOUR inspector.
Good Luck-brad
Something doesn't add up here. Unless you are into the temperature and pressure range for critical piping, then B31.1 would not require radiography.
If you are working on a nuclear plant, there may be some additional committments (to the NRC) or some regulatory requirements that affect the piping systems you are working on. If this is an older nuclear facility, the plant may be required to maintain/modify their piping systems in accordance with ASME Section III and/or XI.
If it is a nuclear plant, contact the utility Quality Control or Quality Assurance Department to find out what the acceptance criteria is, and where to find it. Suggest you avoid confronting the third party inspector, since he may know exactly what the acceptance criteria is and where it comes from, and may be "testing" you to see if you know.
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