MTA-MA-017 - Revision history

Monica Hurley: Revision 0 Reviewed by Colton Smith

2026-03-26T17:27:52Z

Revision 0 Reviewed by Colton Smith

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 {{DISPLAYTITLE:Volumetric Inspections of Inaccessible Buried Piping via Robotic Crawler - MTA-MA-017}}
 {{MTATemplate||
 | Date |12/15/2020
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 EPRI Nondestructive Evaluation: Assessment and Development of Buried Pipe NDE Technology, R1 (EPRI [https://www.epri.com/research/products/3002010027 3002010027])
-| Industry SME | EPRI – Steve Kenefick
+| Industry SME | EPRI – PRR, NDE
 Contact: NuclearPlantMod@epri.com
 | Previous Implementation | Please contact EPRI for implementation examples and contacts.
 | Implementation Enablers | N/A
 | Applicability | All reactor types
 All geographic regions
@@ Line 28: / Line 22: @@
 ==Description==
-Robotic crawlers can be used to perform internal inspections of buried or other difficult to access piping systems. Crawlers can support visual inspections with a camera and/or volumetric examinations with non‑destructive examination (NDE) equipment. These inspections require only a single access point to the pipe and can be performed on a range of piping sizes. Performing in‑line inspections eliminates the need for excavation to access the pipe. The crawler can use the various NDE techniques, including Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) ultrasonic testing (UT) technology. Utilizing EMAT allows for 100 % volumetric inspection of protected and/or sleeved ferromagnetic piping segments without removing protective coatings. Selection guidance of the appropriate NDE is provided in EPRI’s buried pipe reference guide.
+Robotic crawlers can be used to perform internal inspections of buried or other difficult to access piping systems. Crawlers can support visual inspections with a camera and/or volumetric examinations with non‑destructive examination (NDE) equipment. These inspections require only a single access point to the pipe and can be performed on a range of piping sizes. Performing in‑line inspections eliminates the need for excavation to access the pipe. The crawler can use the various NDE techniques, including Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) ultrasonic testing (UT) technology. Utilizing EMAT allows for 100 % volumetric inspection of protected and/or sleeved ferromagnetic piping segments without removing protective coatings. Selection guidance of the appropriate NDE is provided in [https://www.epri.com/research/products/3002004395 EPRI’s buried pipe reference guide].
 ==Benefits==
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 ==Risks==
 Schedule risk associated with first use of an in‑situ NDE technique at a specific site. Performing a technical justification prior to committing to a new NDE technique will mitigate this risk.

Jacob Sommer: 1 revision imported

2026-03-05T01:37:55Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 01:37, 5 March 2026
(No difference)

10.142.236.18 at 23:54, 20 February 2026

2026-02-20T23:54:45Z

New page

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Volumetric Inspections of Inaccessible Buried Piping via Robotic Crawler - MTA-MA-017}}
{{MTATemplate||
| Date |12/15/2020
| Functional Area Where Benefits Will Be Realized | Maintenance
Quality Control
| Reference Implementation Guidance | 2018 TIP Award - Submittal 14 (ID: 11240582)

EPRI Nondestructive Evaluation: Buried Pipe NDE Reference Guide, R3 (EPRI [https://www.epri.com/research/products/3002004395 3002004395])

EPRI Nondestructive Evaluation: Assessment and Development of Buried Pipe NDE Technology, R1 (EPRI [https://www.epri.com/research/products/3002010027 3002010027])
| Industry SME | EPRI – Steve Kenefick

Contact: NuclearPlantMod@epri.com
| Previous Implementation | Please contact EPRI for implementation examples and contacts.
| Implementation Enablers | N/A
| SWEEP Score |
* Cost – Level 3 – Utilizing the services of a contractor to robotically inspect piping, with the vendor working with the plant’s outage schedule, should be limited to $1 million or less.
* Savings – Level 2 – Savings are achieved through the reduction of inspection costs (e.g., avoiding excavation) and are generally expected to be greater than $1 million per utilization but less than $5 million.
* Payback – Level 3 – Based upon estimated cost and savings information, the payback period would be within one year or immediate on execution.
* Licensing Readiness – Level 3 – This technology has already been implemented at nuclear power plants.
* Technology Readiness – Level 3 – The technology is commercially available and has already been used at commercial nuclear sites.
* Implementation Proficiency – Level 3 – The implementation of robotic buried pipe inspection has been performed by vendors in the past and does not require the utility to have robotics knowledge.
| Applicability | All reactor types
All geographic regions
| Keywords | Robotic Examination; Buried Piping Systems; Piping Nondestructive Examination
| Business Case Analysis Cross-Reference | N/A
}}

==Description==
Robotic crawlers can be used to perform internal inspections of buried or other difficult to access piping systems. Crawlers can support visual inspections with a camera and/or volumetric examinations with non‑destructive examination (NDE) equipment. These inspections require only a single access point to the pipe and can be performed on a range of piping sizes. Performing in‑line inspections eliminates the need for excavation to access the pipe. The crawler can use the various NDE techniques, including Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) ultrasonic testing (UT) technology. Utilizing EMAT allows for 100 % volumetric inspection of protected and/or sleeved ferromagnetic piping segments without removing protective coatings. Selection guidance of the appropriate NDE is provided in EPRI’s buried pipe reference guide.

==Benefits==
===Benefits Estimate===
Level 2 – Savings are greater than $1 million per utilization but less than $5 million.
===Benefits Description===
* Reduction of cost to inspect piping systems that are difficult to access, particularly buried piping where excavation is required.
* For some NDE techniques, reduction of cost by eliminating the need to remove and reapply protective coatings to perform inspections.
* Reduction of risk of damaging buried infrastructure and impact to station equipment.
* Increased resolution of inspection through 100 % volumetric examination, reducing risk of missing localized degradation or other anomalies.
* Increased schedule flexibility due to short inspection times in comparison to fully excavated and prepped piping system.
* Increased safety because maintenance personnel are not required to enter confined spaces and eliminating inherent risks of creating pipe entry points (e.g., cutting pipe).

==Costs and Schedule==
===Cost===
Level 3 – Implementation cost is less than $1 million.
===Schedule===
Between six months and a year to develop technical justification to use crawler in lieu of manual inspection. Approximately one day inspection per line.
===Scope Context===
Per Piping System. Costs and Benefits will vary based on size and scope of piping system to be inspected.

==Risks==
Schedule risk associated with first use of an in‑situ NDE technique at a specific site. Performing a technical justification prior to committing to a new NDE technique will mitigate this risk.