production.

The inside of the tubes carries the primary

Overview of Steam Generator water coolant, which in turn heats the secondary-side
Tube-Inspection Technology water to produce steam. They constitute the largest
surface area in the primary heat transport system.
L. Obrutsky, J. Renaud and R. Lakhan Among many other requirements, SG tubes must provide
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited a reliable pressure boundary between the primary and
Chalk River, Ontario, Canada, K0J 1J0 secondary sides. Also, during normal operation, SGs
613-584-8811 confine the radioactivity from neutron activation or
obrutskl@aecl.ca, renaudj@aecl.ca, lakhanr@aecl.ca fission products to the primary side. However, since the
primary coolant is at higher pressure than the secondary
ABSTRACT side, any leakage from tube defects could result in the
release of radioactivity to the secondary side and even to
the environment in the case of tube failure (1,2).
Degradation of steam generator (SG) tubing due to both
mechanical and corrosion modes has resulted in
A variety of degradation modes challenge the integrity of
extensive repairs and replacement of SGs around the
the SG tubing and therefore the stations’ reliability,
world. The variety of degradation modes challenges the
capacity factor and cost effectiveness. Some of these
integrity of SG tubing and, therefore, the stations’
modes generate volumetric material loss due to fretting
reliability. Inspection and monitoring aimed at timely
wear, pitting corrosion, wastage or flow accelerated
detection and characterization of the degradation is a key
corrosion (FAC); other modes have directional properties
element for ensuring tube integrity.
due to intergranular attack (IGA), axial or
circumferential outside diameter (OD) stress corrosion
Up to the early-70’s, the in-service inspection of SG
cracking (SCC), and primary water (PW) SCC. One of
tubing was carried out using single-frequency eddy
the key life management components for ensuring tube
current testing (ET) bobbin coils, which were adequate
integrity, and thus protecting the safety of the public and
for the detection of volumetric degradation. By the
the environment while maintaining cost effective
mid-80’s, additional modes of degradation such as
operation of NPP, is inspection and monitoring aimed at
pitting, intergranular attack, and axial and
timely detection and characterization of the degradation.
circumferential inside or outside diameter stress
corrosion cracking had to be addressed. The need for
SG inspections can be very complex and costly
timely, fast detection and characterization of these
operations. Inspection scope, data acquisition
diverse modes of degradation motivated the development
equipment, remote manipulators, probe drives, probe
in the 90’s of inspection systems based on advanced
technology, data storage devices, data analysis software,
probe technology coupled with versatile instruments
data analysis methods and guidelines, personnel training
operated by fast computers and remote communication
and qualification, data transmission, data management,
systems.
tube integrity issues, personnel radiation protection
issues, need for tube plugging and their effect in the
SG inspection systems have progressed in the new
overall cost of inspections and maintenance are all
millennium to a much higher level of automation,
elements that need to be taken into account when
efficiency and reliability. Also, the role of Non
planning SG inspections.
Destructive Evaluation (NDE) has evolved from simple
detection tools to diagnostic tools that provide input into
In this paper we will provide a brief historical
integrity assessment decisions, fitness-for-service and
perspective regarding the evolution of SG inspections
operational assessments. This new role was motivated
and analyse the motivations behind that evolution. We
by tighter regulatory requirements to assure the safety of
will present an overview of regulatory issues and the
the public and the environment, better SG life
current scope of SG inspections and inspection
management strategies and often self-imposed
technology.
regulations. It led to the development of advanced probe
technologies, more reliable and versatile instruments and
robotics, better training and qualification of personnel
and better data management and analysis systems. 2. Historical Perspective
This paper provides a brief historical perspective In the late-70’s and early-80’s, in-service inspections of
regarding the evolution of SG inspections and analyzes SG tubing were carried out using eddy current testing
the motivations behind that evolution. It presents an (ET) bobbin probes connected to analog single-frequency
overview of regulatory issues, the current scope of SG instruments, which rely on storage-type cathode ray
inspections and inspection technology. tubes to display the EC data. In turn, the data were
recorded using two-channel strip-chart recorders and
analogue tape recorders and often analysed in real time
1. Introduction or, alternatively, offline by a very slow process of
reviewing the strip charts and replaying the tapes. The
results were then reported on a sheet of paper with the
Steam Generators (SG) are among the most critical
tube list. The site engineer usually provided inspection
components of pressurized water Nuclear Power Plants
plans in the form of a short tube listing, and in most
(NPP). They are large heat exchangers that use the heat
cases the inspection scope was aimed at detection of
generated in the reactor core, and carried by the primary
degradation modes such as wastage or fretting wear. The
reactor coolant, to make steam in the secondary side with
inspection was limited to a small percentage of tubes,
the purpose of driving the turbines for electrical power

Laura Obrutsky – Page 1

typically 3%, and in some cases expanded to no more and outside diameter SCC, particularly in non-thermally
than 20% of the tubes (3). treated Inconel 600 tubing, had to be addressed. Figure 1
shows the number of tubes worldwide needing repairs
Probe drive technology was slow and unreliable. over the years, classified by degradation mode (4). The
Remote manipulators required substantial human scope, and therefore the cost, complexity and time of
intervention for their installation inside the SG at the inspections increased significantly. Bobbin probes were
beginning of the inspections and for their repositioning inadequate to detect circumferential cracking or to
during the inspection that would allow access to different reliably inspect the top-of-tubesheet (TTS) locations;
areas of the tubesheet. This resulted in high cost in time therefore, motorized rotating probes were used to
and radiation exposure (3). supplement the inspections. These were very slow and
prone to failure; consequently, the time and cost of
By the mid-80’s, additional modes of degradation such inspections increased significantly.
as pitting corrosion, IGA, axial or circumferential inside

Figure 1. Worldwide Causes of SG Tube Repair Classified by Degradation Mode

for Non-Thermally Treated I600

By the mid-90’s, the number of tubes exhibiting SCC In addition, future SG inspections will likely be
had increased dramatically; hence, the need for timely, challenged by new degradation modes that might emerge
fast detection and characterization of this and other as a result of life extension of NPP and their SGs or from
modes of degradation motivated the development of new tube materials used in replacement SGs.
inspection systems based on advanced probe technology
coupled with versatile instruments operated by fast
computers and remote communication systems and much 3. Inspection Requirements and Scope
improved manipulators and probe drives.
SG tubes have a number of important safety functions.
SG inspection systems have progressed through the 90’s, They are an integral part of the reactor coolant pressure
and particularly into the new millennium, to a much boundary (RCPB) and, as such, their function is to
higher level of automation, efficiency and reliability. maintain the primary system's pressure and inventory of
The increasingly competitive market of electricity coolant. They also provide the heat transfer surface
production and the demands of economic globalization between the primary and secondary systems such that
required shorter and more cost effective inspections. residual heat can be removed from the primary system.
Also, the role of Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) The SG tubes are also relied upon to isolate the
evolved from simple detection tools to diagnostic tools radioactive fission products in the primary coolant from
that provide input into integrity assessment decisions, the secondary system (2).
fitness-for-service and operational assessments. This
new role was motivated by tighter regulatory The structural integrity performance criteria (SIPC)
requirements to assure the safety of the public and the require that SGs can withstand burst pressure under
environment, better SG life management strategies and normal or postulated accident conditions. For instance in
often self-imposed regulations. It led to the development Canada, US, Belgium and Germany, the safety factor
of advanced probe technologies, more reliable and applied is approximately 3.0 against burst at normal
versatile instruments and robotics, better training and steady-state full-power operation and 1.4 against burst
qualification of personnel and better data management under the limiting design basis accident. Also,
and analysis systems. regulations limit the allowable leakage rate at normal
operating conditions (1).

Laura Obrutsky – Page 2

To satisfy these requirements, comprehensive 4. Equipment Technology
SG programs are written to demonstrate that SGs are fit
for service. Degradation assessment, condition In the last decade ET instruments and probe technology
monitoring assessment, operational assessment and have progressed hand-in-hand. The availability of
primary-to-secondary leakage assessment are important digital, computer-controlled, multi-channel,
elements of such programs (5). Inspection data and multi-frequency instruments, initially designed to allow
results provide the information needed to establish which the use of dual-bobbin probes simultaneously or rotating
degradation modes are active and help determine if any probes, led to the development of fast single-pass array
flaws might have failed the SIPC during the last probes. These probes leveraged the instruments’
operating period. In this context, inspections not only capabilities, but soon required further development of the
provide information about flaw size and type, instruments to satisfy the advancements in probe
distribution and growth rate, but also need to do this with technology. Examples of these instruments are the Zetec
confidence. That is, performance of NDE capabilities MIZ-18 that led to the more advanced and versatile
needs to be demonstrated. Probability of detection MIZ-30 and MIZ-70. Also, the R/D Tech TC-5700 and
(POD) and sizing accuracy must be established for TC-6700 instruments evolved into the much superior
different techniques, probes and flaw type and geometry TC-7700.
combinations (6). Alternatively, technical justifications
provide the basis to determine inspection uncertainties (7). Until recently, inspection systems consisted of multiple
Operational assessments predict end-of-cycle conditions individual components, i.e.: ET instrument, probe drive
based on beginning-of-cycle conditions using the NDE and probe drive controller, power supply, communication
information about depth, growth and uncertainty factors system, and manipulator controller. All this equipment
of detected/hidden flaws and sizing. The objective is to was heavy and awkward to carry. It had to be
estimate if any flaws would grow to exceed the SIPC transported into the reactor building by several people
during the next cycle and, consequently, to determine the and was connected by a large number of cables and
length of the next operating period. adapters, many of them a few hundred meters long, to
allow communication with the computers located outside
Therefore, the process of planning and defining the scope the reactor building. Furthermore, inspection systems
of SG inspection needs to take into account these comprising multiple probe-drives operating
requirements, which are normally defined in governing simultaneously were often used to reduce inspection
documents issued by the regulators such as the Nuclear time, which in turn, multiplied the overall complexity,
Energy Institute, “Steam Generator Program time and dose needed for set-up.
Guidelines”, EPRI “Pressurized Water Steam Generator
Examination Guidelines: Revision 6 - Requirements”, Inspection systems have evolved in the last few years to
and Canadian Standard Association, “Periodic Inspection a high degree of automation, integration, and versatility.
of CANDU Nuclear Power Plant Components” (2,5,8). This rapid advance was motivated by the need to reduce
The planning process also considers other factors such as inspection costs, shorten outage times and to improve
degradation history of the component and operational inspection quality. Also the levels of radiation exposure
experience of similar plants. for the personnel involved in installing and operating
probe manipulators and data acquisition equipment
As a result, the scope of inspections could be very needed to be reduced to comply with ALARA (as low as
extensive. A typical inspection scope requires 100% reasonably achievable) objectives.
full-length bobbin probe scans. Additional inspections
need to be carried out with the best available and Fast evolution of electronics and computer systems in
qualified technology for detection of crack-like flaws. this decade led to a dramatic change in inspection
These are either rotating probes such as MRPC or Plus systems. New inspection systems are light, easy to
Point™ Probe and/or array probes such as X-probe or transport and consist of compact parts that easily
Intelligent probe. This scope usually covers 100% hot assemble into an integrated single-box system
leg TTS inspection, 100% of dents or dings larger than a comprising probe pusher, coil reel, probe drive, power
specified voltage threshold, 100% of tubes in tight radius supply, electronics and powerful ET instruments. These
U-bends, typically rows 1 through 10, 20% cold leg TTS, systems communicate with the acquisition computer via
cold leg periphery, 100% of sleeves (when present). In a standard Ethernet connection. They require plant air
addition, any unusual or new indications found are supply for cooling and/or to assist in probe push
re-inspected to provide further information that can help operation, and electric power. Figure 2 shows three
its disposition. Also historical calls with reported depths examples of state-of-the-art systems: Zetec MIZ-80 iD
that were left in-service in previous inspections must be system (9), Tecnatom TEDDY+ (10), and CoreStar
revisited (3). Often, additional techniques such as OMNI-200-TP. In contrast, Figure 3 shows an example
Ultrasonic testing (UT) are deployed for re-inspection of a legacy set-up illustrating the cable complexity and
and characterization. Furthermore, any new indication multiplicity of “boxes”. These newest ET instruments
that could affect the SIPC generates an expansion to the are fully digital, support simultaneous or multiplexed
inspection scope to include adjacent tubes to those with multi-frequency operation and use of multiple probes or
indications. The scope document normally has clearly array probes with channel capabilities of up to 512, 640
defined rules for dealing with expansions. or 1024 channels, depending of the configuration. Their
high digitization rates of 20 kHz or 40 kHz permit much
higher inspection speeds.

Laura Obrutsky – Page 3

 (a)

Figure 3: Illustration of cable complexity

with legacy systems (9)

5. Probe Manipulators
Because of the high radiation fields inside a SG head,
data acquisition systems rely on robotics to deliver the
probes remotely. The manipulator technology has
significantly evolved over the years. Early versions
required substantial human intervention as the operator
needed to enter the SG head to install and relocate them
to cover areas where the manipulators could not reach,
called exclusion zones. Also, other manipulators were
sometimes needed to perform repairs. This resulted in a
(b) very high cost in terms of radiation exposure.

The design of modern probe manipulators has addressed

many of these issues and, as a result, reduced
considerably the radiation exposure of the personnel.
They are denoted as minimum-entry or non-entry as they
are either internally installed without entering the SG or
externally mounted, typically on the man-way. This
eliminates the need for the operators to enter the
generator, although occasionally, they might need to
introduce their arms inside the SG head.

Manipulators such as the Zetec SM 23, which mount on

the man-way, are typically dedicated to perform only the
ET inspections. They have a computer interface that
allows remote semi-automatic operation using specific
software. A video camera located on the arm assembly
allows the operator to continuously view the guidetube
and tubesheet on the remote station monitor and aid in
the final tuning of the guide tube location before
(c) inserting the probe in the tube (11). Figure 4 shows
illustrations of the two SM 23 manipulator models.
Figure 2. Images of state-of-the-art
integrated inspection systems.
Zetec MIZ-80iD (9),
(b) Tecnatom TEDDY+SP (10),
(c) CoreStar OMNI-200-TP

Laura Obrutsky – Page 4

 Trunk/manway flange

(a)

(a)

(b)
Figure 4. Examples of man-way-mounted (b)
manipulators (a) Zetec SM 23 Figure 5: Examples of non-entry
and (b) Zetec SM 23A (11) manipulators (a) Westinghouse ROSA III
(12)
and (b) AREVA Non-Exclusion zone
The limitations of these manipulators were overcome by ROGER (13)
much more robust designs that can perform the ET
inspection as well as the follow-up maintenance and 6. Probe Technology
repairs such as tube pulling, plugging or welding of
sleeves. This has helped reduce the radiation exposure Bobbin probes have been the industry standard for
and total time needed for SG maintenance activities. general inspection of SG and heat exchanger tubes for
Their design also eliminates the need to relocate the many years. They are quite reliable and provide good
robot within the generator in order to inspect all tubes general-purpose inspection of the tube, being able to
and therefore reduces inspection time. This generation reliably detect and size volumetric flaws such as fretting
of robots, when coupled with advanced software and wear and pitting corrosion. With the new
hardware, can perform inspections in fully automatic instrumentation their typical scanning speed is up to
mode. They use vision systems to accurately locate the about 1 meter per second
tube, ET data to determine probe position and tube end,
encoders and information from the robot to go from tube However, one of the major limitations of bobbin probes
to tube following the inspection plan without the is their inability to detect circumferentially oriented
intervention of the operator (12,13). Figures 5a and 5b cracks because the induced current in the tube wall
show pictures of the Westinghouse ROSA III and circulates parallel to the coil windings and is inherently
AREVA (Framatome) Non-exclusion Zone ROGER. unaffected by the presence of such cracks. These probes
More recent robot models are Westinghouse PEGASYS, are sensitive to axial cracks at straight tube sections;
used for European inspections and also optimal for however, at TTS and the U-bend transition regions, the
inspection of replacement SGs, and the Zetec ZR-1 large signals generated by geometrical tube-wall
designed specifically for CANDU® applications. They distortions significantly reduce detectability (14,15).
are lighter and easier to assemble than the previous
models but can only perform light repairs. In the 90’s, the need to reliably detect SCC led to the
development of Motorized Rotating Pancake Coil
(MRPC) and later the Plus Point ™ probes. These
surface-riding probes are connected to motor units that
rotate the probe inside the tube in a helical pattern. They
overcome the limitations of bobbin probes since they can

Laura Obrutsky – Page 5

detect both axial and circumferential cracks and can also to 19 depending on the tube diameter. Electronic circuits
provide information about flaw morphology. The at the probe head allow the coil pairs to discriminate
presence of circumferential cracks distorts the ET pattern between axial, circumferential and volumetric flaws in a
generated by the pancake coil giving the ability to detect single scan and have shown performance equivalent to
these types of defects. The Plus Point™ probe comprises rotating probes, for full-length inspection at scanning
two orthogonal coils connected in differential mode speeds up to 1 meter per second (17). A special design of
crossing at a point so that they are affected this probe, shown in Figure 7b, can negotiate tight radius
simultaneously by material and geometric distortions U-bends. When, combined with a bobbin probe,
such as lift-off. It has the ability to detect inspection times can decrease significantly, since the
circumferentially and axially oriented cracks as well as need to re-visit the tubes with different probes is virtually
discriminate between them (1). Figure 6 illustrates the eliminated (18).
coil configuration of a Plus Point™ probe. In many
cases rotating probe heads might incorporate both types
of probes.

The main limitation of rotating probes is, however, their

speed. Originally, their speed was approximately 120
times slower than that of bobbin probes, but with the
development of high speed and high torque motors the
gap has been narrowed to 80 times slower than the speed
of bobbin probes. Also, these probes are usually
spring-loaded to minimize lift-off, which makes them (a)
prone to failure. This is especially evident in CANDU®
reactors where the presence of internal magnetite
deposits reduces probe life significantly, and the small
diameter of the motors make them more fragile. For that
reason, the time required for inspections and thus the cost
had increased significantly in the last decade since
stations were required to inspect a large number of tubes
with the Plus Point™ probe to address detection of SCC,
particularly at the TTS region.

Circumferential Crack
Tube Axis Detection Coil
Direction of Rotation

(b)
Figure 7. X-probe for axial and
circumferential crack detection
(a) View of an X-probe for 22.3mm
diameter tubing (b) View of an X-probe for
Axial Crack
Detection Coil 12.9 mm diameter tight radius
U-bend tubing
Figure 6: View of a rotating Plus Point
Another array probe currently available in the market is
probe for axial and circumferential crack the Mitsubishi Intelligent probe shown in Figure 8. This
detection is also a high-speed, high-performance alternative to
rotating probe inspections. The Intelligent Probe
Transmit/Receive (T/R) array probes were also combines bobbin and array coil technologies to detect all
developed in the 90’s, to address specific inspection flaw types in a single pass. The non-surface riding probe
needs of CANDU® SG tubes. These probes take design is durable, reliable and allows fast pull speeds.
advantage of the superior properties of T/R technology This probe technology combines an inclined drive coil
compared to impedance probe technology. They offer a arrangement and thin film pickup coils with traditional
five- to ten-fold improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, in bobbin capabilities into one probe. By design, the probe
the presence of lift-off caused by geometrical tube coils are sensitive to all flaw types and provide
distortion such as U-bend deformations or the tubesheet characterization of indications. Each probe has a
transition. The array feature makes it unnecessary to build-in electronic preamplifier circuit that optimizes the
have moving parts, which leads to increased probe signal-to-noise ratio and EMI shielding (19).
reliability. Since T/R probes have directional properties,
being sensitive primarily to defects in-line with the T/R
coil pairs, the probe design can be optimized to
maximize response to different crack orientations (16).

The X-probe is a fast single-pass T/R array probe that Figure 8: View of the Mitsubishi
combines coils aligned for circumferential detection and Intelligent probe (19)
for axial detection in a single probe-head as shown in
Figure 7. The number of coils in each row varies from 8

Laura Obrutsky – Page 6

Probe technology and the ET instruments progressed comparing the indications to historical data. An
hand-in-hand. The availability of more inputs, more independent analyst, reporting directly to the utility,
channels, faster acquisition rates, simultaneous, timeslot performs a fourth level of review, verifying that the
multiplexing and greater bandwidths made possible the resolution analysts are consistently resolving calls and
advancements in probes seen today. providing feedback. This role often involves
spot-checking and auditing analysis results. This analyst
Although the initial goal of probe development was to has access to the data collected with all the probes and
address the need for reliable detection of SCC, the therefore can make informed decisions to disposition
advancements in probe technology have not only indications.
fulfilled that goal, but also helped widen the scope of ET
inspections. New probes, in combination with advanced The training and qualification requisites for the SG
software and hardware, have the ability to characterize analysis personnel are fairly demanding. In addition to
the flaw types and their morphologies. This information national certification programs, all analysts are required
is often used in integrity assessment and root cause to receive specific SG data analysis training and
analysis to help in identifying degradation mechanisms. demonstrate their competence through qualification
programs. Most countries required analysis personnel to
be certified under the Qualified Data Analyst (QDA)
7. Data Analysis testing program. This is a large database of SG data
from multiple NPP and covering probable degradation
Software packages used for analysis of SG data have also modes and also different probes. In addition to this
evolved significantly over the years. They function well qualification, site-specific training is provided before
in many other ET testing applications but typically, they each inspection to familiarize analysts with the specific
have been designed with the SG application in mind. details of the SG, operating history of the unit, method of
They permit very quick display of tube data and are calibration, analysis guidelines, reporting criteria, SG
extremely versatile having multiple features and data, technology and procedures used at the specific site.
production-oriented tools. Some examples of these In turn, they are required to take a site-specific test to
features are: multiple options for display modes, process demonstrate proficiency. In addition, analyst
channels for multi-frequency mixes and special performance is verified by the Analyst Performance and
calibration requirements, landmarks to identify support Tracking System (APTS), with feedback to the analysts.
plate locations, historical data comparison and built-in
reporting capabilities that capture all the important Technology performance is demonstrated in statistical
parameters associated with an indication such as signal terms or through technical justifications. All the
amplitude and phase, location, extent, depth, built-in essential variables and parameters used for probe
codes to identify the type of indication, etc. qualification exercises such as test frequencies,
multi-frequency algorithms, sizing methods, analysis
Also, before the data can be released for analysis, guidelines, are incorporated in the acquisition and
specific checks are performed to demonstrate that quality analysis procedures. Also, a site validation process
standards have been met. In the last few years, guideline compares signals in the qualification documentation to
requirements augmented the rigour and number of these the signals from the plant being examined to ensure that
verifications, and hence software for automatic checks, the performance indices are applicable (5).
denoted as Data Quality Verification (DQV) has been
developed. These checks can be performed in real time
at the acquisition station as part of analysis software 8. Data Management
packages or additional plug-ins, minimizing the cost in
time and resources needed for these verifications. Inspections generate an enormous amount of data, which
are transmitted from the ET instrument to the acquisition
In the early days, analysis consisted of a single analyst computers via Ethernet connections and stored on
analysing the data in real time or reviewing the data high-speed large-capacity storage devices. These data
stored in strip chart recorders and analogue tapes and are transmitted using high-speed communication lines,
reporting the results on a sheet of paper listing the tubes. such as T1, T3 in North America and E1 lines in Europe,
Today, the data analysis process consists of a multi-layer to centralized analysis centres that are habitually located
system, which provides an in-depth defence scheme that off-site and in different parts of the continent.
ensures high detection rate and reporting accuracy (20).
Two independent analysts, called primary and secondary, In the early days of SG testing, the entire acquisition and
evaluate the data in parallel. Another more experienced analysis crew were located at site. To reduce costs it has
analyst, called resolution, compares the reports from become the norm to locate the analysis crew at remote
primary and secondary, resolves any discrepancies and sites or at centralized analysis centres. The use of these
confirms the accuracy of the reported indications. A centralized analysis locations has helped in reducing
second resolution analyst reviews the results again and costs and improve efficiency of the data analysis portion
dispositions indications that would require further of the inspections as it makes much better and cost
diagnosis. effective use of the resources. From the human resources
point of view, personnel do not need to travel to different
Often, the primary and secondary analysts operate in a sites eliminating inherent travel costs and reducing the
highly demanding production mode, flagging indications head count at site and the number of staff requiring
and performing preliminary analysis only. The radiation protection training and security verifications for
resolution analysts perform the detailed analysis, using site access. Time management is also more efficient
more complex characterization procedures and because analysts can be made available for different jobs

Laura Obrutsky – Page 7

instead of being idle waiting for data. It also eliminates
the need to transport computers and set up networks for This type of processing requires more sophisticated and
every inspection. flexible algorithms that incorporate the understanding of
the electromagnetic phenomena in the signal
This massive amount of data needs to be managed interpretation. New industry efforts have concentrated
efficiently and, more importantly, reliably. Data on developing and testing automatic analysis systems
management systems such as Eddynet Inspection that make use of different mathematic and multiple
Management System (EIMS), Framatome Data computer-based tools. Signal de-convolution and
Management System (FDMS) etc. handle the data from reconstruction, wavelet transform, feature extraction,
thousands of tubes and several SG, in many cases from frequency domain and spatial domain analysis, neural
multiple scans of the same tube performed with one or networks, fuzzy logic etc. are some of the methods that
various probes. Also, historical data is loaded into the the industry is developing to use either individually or in
database before inspections, so the analysts can use it for combination with rule-based systems in an attempt to
comparison purposes. replace analysts (21).

Often, primary and secondary analyses are carried out by These systems have shown promising results in
different job contractors located at different sites. The laboratory and well-controlled environments, but have
data management systems integrate these locations into limited applicability. Furthermore, they still need to be
their network sending the data, receiving the reports and fully qualified and demonstrated in difficult field
frequently operating in parallel with another management situations.
system or protocol. These systems also provide
inspection plans to the acquisition computers for either
semi-automatic or fully-automatic acquisition, deal with 10. Summary/Conclusions
the reports from multiple levels of analysis, receive the
input from DQV, generate re-scan lists and help prepare The common wisdom is that one cannot expect
repair and plugging lists. Once the data management exceptionally good quality products or services, to be
systems complete processing the information and all the produced quickly and at a low price because at least one
requirements have been fulfilled, the inspection is of these three elements excludes the other two.
officially finished and the equipment can be removed.
In the case of SG inspections, undoubtedly the quality
has improved enormously over the years. Increased
9. Advanced and Automatic Analysis regulatory requirements for flaw detection and
Techniques characterization, better probe and instrument technology,
better analysis guidelines, performance demonstration
The effort required to analyse the large volume of data requirements of the technology and personnel, noise and
produced during an inspection can be enormous. data quality measurements, in-depth defence analysis
Numerous analysts are required to evaluate the data at systems, etc have all contributed to better and more
the same rate as they are acquired and often this time thorough inspections.
pressure can affect their performance and reliability.
One approach to reduce costs and analysis time and to In the past, stations were shut down for long periods of
improve reliability is to use automatic analysis systems. time for maintenance and/or refuelling, sometimes up to
Typically, these software packages consist of threshold three or four months. However, the electricity
and rule-based computerized data screening methods. production market has become much more competitive
Often, they require well-trained and experienced analysts in recent years, and hence stations have been compelled
to set them up with a fairly good understanding and to reduce outage times not only to reduce costs, but also
knowledge of the degradation modes expected on a SG. to eliminate the lost-opportunity cost associated with
Site-specific analysis guidelines are used to adjust signal station downtime. As the outages became shorter, there
amplitude and phase thresholds and analysis rules that was increased pressure to reduce inspection times as they
will flag specific types of indications, and their were frequently on the outage critical path. In addition
performance has to be demonstrated through the site to the multiplication of resources and equipment
specific performance demonstration tests. They are deployed at each outage, the industry responded with
typically used for one level of analysis, either primary or significant improvements to instrument, manipulator and
secondary, but they can be used by both teams, provided probe technology. Also, semi and fully automatic
each one uses different detection algorithms (5). acquisition systems, faster communication systems for
data transmission, better and more versatile and
These systems have shown good performance when production-oriented analysis software, efficient data
applied in SG with well-known degradation modes. One management systems, and automatic analysis are all
limitation is the inherent conflict between having main contributors to more time-effective inspections.
excessive false calls if the thresholds are set up too low
for detection of very small indications versus the risk of Finally, the costs of inspections have increased by more
missing flaw indications if these levels are set up too than an order of magnitude since the early 80’s (3). This
high. Also, they have a high risk of failing to identify high cost is due to much more demanding regulatory
new degradation modes. Moreover, they have not been requirements and the presence of active degradation
able to replace humans, particularly when identifying modes that need to be monitored, requiring a much larger
indications buried in tube noise, or for indications from inspection scope than in earlier years. However, the
multiple sources found at one location. trend in the new millennium has been to make
inspections more cost-effective and to promote reduction

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in radiation exposure. In fact, remote analysis, 11. Zetec Products Alphabetical Listing. SM-23 Remote
single-box instruments, non-entry manipulators that can Fixture, Zetec,
also perform repairs, automated acquisition and analysis, http://www.zetec.com/pdfs/ds_sm23.pdf,
and single-pass probes have helped lower both financial August 28 2007.
and human resource costs. Moreover, shorter and better
inspections have a significant economic impact on the 12. Westinghouse Nuclear Services, ‘Automated Eddy
overall station’s operational cost, since one day of station Current Acquisition System’, Westinghouse Electric
shutdown can represent $1,000,000 lost revenue. Thus, Company,
shorter inspections and the prevention of unplanned http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/Products_&S
shutdowns can help the stations save millions of dollars. ervices/docs/flysheets/NS-FS-0002.pdf,
August 15 2007.
In summary, the SG industry has proven that better, 13. J C Oliver, ‘25 Years …The Maturing of a Process’,
faster and more cost effectiveness is feasible. However, 5th Annual EPRI Steam Generator Workshop,
there is much room for improvement through remote Marco Island, Florida, USA, July 2006.
acquisition and further improvements to acquisition
automation, fully and comprehensive automatic analysis 14. V S Cecco, G Van Drunen and F L Sharp, ‘Eddy
and wide spread deployment of single-pass array probes. Current Testing Manual, Vol.1’, AECL report
AECL-7523, Chalk River, Ontario, 1981.
15. V S Cecco and G Van Drunen, ‘Recognizing the
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