Wednesday, 16 March 2011

API 570

http://www.api.org/certifications/icp/programs/upload/570%20General%20Information%20and%20Qualification%20Requirements.pdf

http://www.api.org/certifications/icp/programs/upload/570%20Publications%20Effectivity%20Sheet_June_2011.pdf

http://www.api.org/certifications/icp/programs/upload/570BOK_rev_8_10_approved_sc.pdf


570 Examination Sample Items
The items below are examples of what an exam item might look like. If you have questions
about an item or disagree with the answer, please email us at inspector@api.org and we
will forward to one of our subject matter experts.
_______________________________________________________
Correct Answer: 3
A. Which of the following are least likely to experience
corrosion under insulation (CUI)?
1. Areas subject to process spills,
moisture, and/or acid vapors
2. Areas exposed to mist from
cooling towers
3. Piping systems that operate
above 250° F
4. Areas exposed to steam vents

Correct Answer: 2
B. Which of the following descriptions best identifies
the cracks expected in corrosion observed during a
visual inspection for a chlorine leak that has been
dripping on an austenitic pipe?
1. Following the grain boundaries
2. Transgranular and branching
3. Bright and faceted
4. A pattern of carbon stringers

Correct Answer: 4
C. The preferred method for inspecting piping
injection points involves:
1. visual inspection and ultrasonics.
2. ultrasonics and/or acoustic
emission testing.
3. eddy current and/or radiography.
4. radiography and/or ultrasonics.

Correct Answer: 4
D. When dial-type indicating and recording pressure
gauges are used to monitor leak testing, the
maximum gauge range shall not exceed which
multiple of the expected test pressure?

1. 1 ½ times
2. 2 ½ times
3. 3 times
4. 4 times

Correct Answer: 2
E. An NPS 1 ½ level bridle on a propane storage
drum shall undergo thickness measurements:
1. at intervals not to exceed 10
years or half the remaining life,
whichever is sooner.
2. at intervals not to exceed 5 years
or half the remaining life, whichever
is sooner.
3. only when corrosion rates
exceed 5 mils per year.
4. optionally.

Correct Answer: 3
F. Inspection records contain the following information
for a particular thickness measurement location (TML)
in a return bend:
Thickness     Year
0.500 0
0.425 5
0.400 10
On the basis of the information above, the long-term
corrosion rate for the location is:
1 . 1 ½ mils per year.
2. 5 mils per year.
3. 10 mils per year.
4. 100 mils per year.

Correct Answer: 3
G. Which of the following defines the term hold point?

1. A pipe hanger that utilizes
springs and sliding shoes to
accommodate expansion and
contraction
2. A dog welded onto piping and
used to align joints prior to welding
3. A point beyond which work may
not proceed until inspections have
been performed and documented
4. A trunnion, gimbal, or sliding
shoe used for piping support
systems

Correct Answer: 4
H. Heat treatment is required for all thicknesses of
piping over ½ inch for which of the following
materials?
1. P Nos. 1 and 2
2. P Nos. 1 and 3
3. P Nos. 2 and 3
4. P Nos. 4 and 5

Correct Answer: 1
I. A welder has made 25 SMAW groove welds, but the guided bend test
for the welder's qualification was never performed. In order to avoid
cutting out all of the production welds made by this welder, which of the
following minimum steps would be taken to validate the qualification?
1 . Radiograph the welder's first production weld and
accept the qualification based on acceptable weld
quality by radiography.
2. There is no alternative to qualifying a welder by the
guided bend test.
3. Have the welder prepare a test coupon and have
the bend test done on that.
4. Radiograph all 25 welds, regardless of the
governing specifications for sample selection




Ultrasonic Testing


An example of Ultrasonic Testing (UT) on blade roots of a V2500IAE aircraft engine.
Step 1: The UT probe is placed on the root of the blades to be inspected with the help of a special borescope tool (video probe).
Step 2: Instrument settings are input.
Step 3: The probe is scanned over the blade root. In this case, an indication (peak in the data) through the red line (or gate) indicates a good blade; an indication to the left of that range indicates a crack.

In ultrasonic testing (UT), very short ultrasonic pulse-waves with center frequencies ranging from 0.1-15 MHz and occasionally up to 50 MHz are launched into materials to detect internal flaws or to characterize materials. The technique is also commonly used to determine the thickness of the test object, for example, to monitor pipework corrosion.
Ultrasonic testing is often performed on steel and other metals and alloys, though it can also be used on concrete, wood and composites, albeit with less resolution. It is a form of non-destructive testing used in many industries including aerospaceautomotiveand other transportation sectors.


In ultrasonic testing, an ultrasound transducer connected to a diagnostic machine is passed over the object being inspected. The transducer is typically separated from the test object by a couplant (such as oil) or by water, as in immersion testing.

How it works

There are two methods of receiving the ultrasound waveform, reflection and attenuation. In reflection (or pulse-echo) mode, the transducer performs both the sending and the receiving of the pulsed waves as the "sound" is reflected back to the device. Reflected ultrasound comes from an interface, such as the back wall of the object or from an imperfection within the object. The diagnostic machine displays these results in the form of a signal with an amplitude representing the intensity of the reflection and the distance, representing the arrival time of the reflection. In attenuation (or through-transmission) mode, a transmitter sends ultrasound through one surface, and a separate receiver detects the amount that has reached it on another surface after traveling through the medium. Imperfections or other conditions in the space between the transmitter and receiver reduce the amount of sound transmitted, thus revealing their presence. Using the couplant increases the efficiency of the process by reducing the losses in the ultrasonic wave energy due to separation between the surfaces.

At a construction site, a technician tests a pipeline weld for defects using an ultrasonic phased array instrument. The scanner, which consists of a frame with magnetic wheels, holds the probe in contact with the pipe by a spring. The wet area is the ultrasonic couplant that allows the sound to pass into the pipe wall.

Non-destructive testing of a swing shaft showing spline cracking

Features

Advantages

  1. High penetrating power, which allows the detection of flaws deep in the part.
  2. High sensitivity, permitting the detection of extremely small flaws.
  3. Only one surface need be accessible.
  4. Greater accuracy than other nondestructive methods in determining the depth of internal flaws and the thickness of parts with parallel surfaces.
  5. Some capability of estimating the size, orientation, shape and nature of defects.
  6. Nonhazardous to operations or to nearby personnel and has no effect on equipment and materials in the vicinity.
  7. Capable of portable or highly automated operation.

Disadvantages

  1. Manual operation requires careful attention by experienced technicians
  2. Extensive technical knowledge is required for the development of inspection procedures.
  3. Parts that are rough, irregular in shape, very small or thin, or not homogeneous are difficult to inspect.
  4. Surface must be prepared by cleaning and removing loose scale, paint, etc., although paint that is properly bonded to a surface need not be removed.
  5. Couplants are needed to provide effective transfer of ultrasonic wave energy between transducers and parts being inspected unless a non-contact technique is used. Non-contact techniques include Laser and Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMAT).
  6. Inspected items must be water resistant, when using water based couplants that do not contain rust inhibitors.

Standards

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
  • ISO 7963, Non-destructive testing - Ultrasonic testing - Specification for calibration block No. 2
  • ISO/DIS 11666, Non-destructive testing of welds - Ultrasonic testing of welded joints - Acceptance levels
  • ISO/DIS 17640, Non-destructive testing of welds - Ultrasonic testing of welded joints
  • ISO 22825, Non-destructive testing of welds - Ultrasonic testing - Testing of welds in austenitic steels and nickel-based alloys
European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
  • EN 583, Non-destructive testing - Ultrasonic examination
  • EN 1330-4, Non destructive testing - Terminology - Part 4: Terms used in ultrasonic testing
  • EN 1712, Non-destructive testing of welds - Ultrasonic testing of welded joints - Acceptance levels
  • EN 1713, Non-destructive testing of welds - Ultrasonic testing - Characterization of indications in welds
  • EN 1714, Non-destructive testing of welds - Ultrasonic testing of welded joints
  • EN 12223, Non-destructive testing - Ultrasonic examination - Specification for calibration block No. 1
  • EN 12668-1, Non-destructive testing - Characterization and verification of ultrasonic examination equipment - Part 1: Instruments
  • EN 12668-2, Non-destructive testing - Characterization and verification of ultrasonic examination equipment - Part 2: Probes
  • EN 12668-3, Non-destructive testing - Characterization and verification of ultrasonic examination equipment - Part 3: Combined equipment
  • EN 12680, Founding - Ultrasonic examination
  • EN 14127, Non-destructive testing - Ultrasonic thickness measurement