INSPECTION PERFORMANCE WITH A VIEW TO PRESSURE-VESSEL LIFE MANAGEMENT

Inspection results are an important part of the information required f or any structural integrity assessment of a pressure component during service. Before applying any scheme of margin to failure evaluation, i t is essential to know as accurately as possible: the state of the str ucture, fracture evaluation methods, the material properties, the poss ible degradation mechanisms and the defects present. Such a knowledge is acquired by inspection procedures that do not offer the same degree of effectiveness and reliability in all cases of reactor pressure ves sel (RPV) inspection and on all components of an RPV.