Increasing Equipment Reliability Through Increased Nondestructive Testing Reliability

The reliability of equipment is determined by several factors including equipment condition, service history, failure modes, and maintenance. A subsection of equipment reliability is the ability to detect defects before they contribute to the failure of the equipment. In many cases, Nondestructive Testing (NDT) methods are utilized to detect and monitor these defects both in-service and during fabrication. However, the accuracy and reliability of detection using NDT is highly dependent on the quality of the process and personnel utilized during the examination. Because of this, it is necessary to develop a detailed approach to the management of NDT in order to increase reliability of fixed equipment. The following radial diagram (Figure 1) illustrates the key areas that can produce increased NDT reliability within a process.

This article will discuss six areas of improvement, that when implemented consistently, can improve the results of your inspection program.

Lessons Learned & Best Practices

Lesson’s Learned and Best Practices both start and end the NDT Reliability circle. A review of these resources before a project is started identifies the root causes of previous projects successes and shortfalls and provides insight into accepted applications. Lessons Learned and Best Practices should be incorporated into NDT training courses and communicated across the organization. Communicating and utilizing Lesson’s Learned and Best Practices should be the cornerstone of any NDT project.