NDT possibilities and opportunities

I happened to catch an item on a local news programme that got me thinking, as it mentioned a village name I had not thought about for a long while. This was a village in Lincolnshire called Theddlethorpe and, back in the mists of time, I used to undertake some NDT on pipes and fittings that were destined to be used on the gas terminal sited close by. The gas terminal is no longer being used for gas and the area is being considered as a possible location for a nuclear waste site, a geological disposal facility where waste would be stored under up to 1000 m of solid rock. The proposal is that the solid radioactive waste would be encapsulated in concrete or a type of glass, such as Pyrex, packaged in a container made of concrete or metal and placed in underground tunnels and vaults surrounded by bentonite clay.

It is an interesting area to choose, as global warming could lead to rising sea levels, causing flooding at this coastal location. However, as the waste would be up to a thousand metres underground, it would probably have no impact on it other than on any surface structures. There are discussions taking place on the need for coastal defences, along with additional infrastructure such as rail links.

It is expected that there will be many jobs created in both the building and running of the facility and it would be reasonable to assume that NDT will be extensively used to ensure the quality of the work and ongoing soundness of the structure and storage containers. I very much doubt that I will have any involvement in the testing and inspection if the proposal does proceed. It would be interesting if I were to become involved 40 years later, working on the project after initially being involved with testing the pipes and fittings used in the bringing ashore of gas, and then later in the storage of radioactive waste no longer in use for power generation.

Just further up the Lincolnshire coast, there are proposals to use the geology to store carbon to help the UK become carbon neutral, which should only require limited NDT input. If you visit this stretch of coastline, you will also see the coastal wind farms helping to generate ‘green’ energy with their associated NDT requirements.

It has been a while since I have mentioned the revision to ISO 9712 and, as the standard has now been published, I wonder how many employers have complied with the requirements in Section 5.5.2. In respect of certificated NDT personnel under their control, the employer shall be responsible for:

All that concerns the authorisation to operate, ie providing job-specific training (if necessary) – is this training being carried out and who is providing this?
Ensuring that the annual vision requirements of 7.4 are met – are end-users asking for evidence of this?
Maintaining documentary evidence confirming the continuous application of the NDT method in the relevant sector(s) without significant interruption; this action shall be carried out every 12 months – are end-users asking for evidence of this? PCN will be required to do so when renewal and recertification is due.
Ensuring that personnel hold valid certification relevant to their tasks within the organisation – are end-users asking for evidence of this?
Maintaining appropriate records – are end-users asking for evidence of this?
These responsibilities shall be described in a documented procedure – are end-users asking for evidence of this and should PCN start checking this?
In Section 5.5.3: A self-employed individual shall assume all responsibilities ascribed to the employer – being self-employed has the all the same responsibilities.

Just when I am getting to grips with NDT 4.0, there is already talk of NDT 5.0. In the old days, an Industrial Revolution lasted for a couple of centuries; how progress is speeding up, with five years seeming to be the life span for advancement to be considered new before it is superseded.

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