NOMAD at EPRI Workshop on NDE for Materials Characterisation

A key research initiative at EPRI focuses on methods of Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) that can be used for material characterisation. As an important part of this effort, EPRI is looking to build a network of universities and national laboratories to establish a Center of Excellence for NDE applications for Materials Characterization.

As part of this initiative EPRI hosted a technical workshop entitled ‘Early Stage Fatigue and Microstructure Characterization of Martensitic Steels’ in Charlotte, NC on September 5-6, 2018. The objective of this workshop was to identify promising NDE techniques which can be used for material characterization linked to two ongoing EPRI research projects. The workshop also facilitated greater awareness and the potential for collaboration between EPRI and other organisations. The two projects which are the focus of this workshop were as follows:

• NDE to characterize microstructure: Tempered martensitic steels such as Grade 91 and 92, rely on controlled fabrication and heat treatment to achieve required properties. Poor fabrication compromises the necessary performance. The present research collaboration is aimed at identifying and validating NDE inspection techniques which would allow differences in microstructure to be identified.
• NDE to characterize early stage fatigue damage: Unexpected failures in steam turbine low pressure blades are very costly and result in equipment damage. With fewer opportunities for inspection available today, an NDE technique capable of measuring damage during fatigue initiation time, which is longer, will allow us to reduce the risk of unexpected failures.

Following the invitation by James Wall (EPRI) who is part of the NOMAD Scientific Advisory Board, József Tóth (HEPENIX) attended the workshop by presenting the current NOMAD activities.