Computed Radiography: An Innovative Inspection Technique

Florida Power & Light Company’s (FPL) Nuclear Division combined two diverse technologies to create an innovative inspection technique, Computed Radiography, that improves personnel safety and unit reliability while reducing inspection costs. This technique was pioneered in the medical field and applied in the Nuclear Division initially to detect piping degradation due to flow-accelerated corrosion. Component degradation can be detected by this additional technique. This approach permits FPL to reduce inspection costs, perform on line examinations (no generation curtailment), and to maintain or improve both personnel safety and unit reliability. Computed Radiography is a very versatile tool capable of other uses: • improving the external corrosion program by permitting inspections underneath insulation, and • diagnosing system and component problems such as valve positions, without the need to shutdown or disassemble the component.