5 YEAR NDT BOILER CHECKLIST

How to avoid abortive test costs

CONTENTS

Introduction
The escalating costs of failing to prepare
3 common ways preparation time is underestimated
Technical preparation and testing percentage requirements
for a wet back type boiler
Technical preparation and testing percentage requirements
for a reverse flame type boiler
About British Engineering Services

Image sourced from safeduk.co.uk

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 INTRODUCTION

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Most Users and owners in control of industrial boilers will be aware that
they need to be examined by a Competent Person (CP) in accordance with
the Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) and that non-destructive testing
(NDT) must be undertaken periodically. This is outlined in full under
Regulation 9 of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR) and
Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed) documents SBG1 & SBG2.

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One of the key responsibilities placed on those managing boilers
under the PSSR is that they must ensure that any preparatory work
required by the WSE is completed. However, in our experience around
5% of NDT visits have to be aborted because sites have failed to
carry out preparations adequately (or in some cases, not at all) in
accordance with SAFed guidelines. We also estimate around 75% of
NDT visits require further preparation which extends the inspection
time and adds further cost to customers.

This can be for a number of reasons: production pressures, lack of

knowledge of the preparations required, and even time pressures.
Often the boiler preparation guidance issued by the CP is put to one
side to address at a later date, but before you know it, the testing
date is upon you.

However, failing to carry out the correct preparation required prior to

an NDT boiler examination can be an extremely costly decision.

This guide outlines how costs can quickly escalate and provides
a useful checklist, with pictorials, to ensure that your boiler is
adequately prepared.

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PREPARATION
The escalating costs of failing to prepare

1 The Abortive Fee

In most instances, the examination will need to be rescheduled
but the fee is payable in full in line with industry practice. You,
therefore, end up paying twice.

2 The Difficulty of Rescheduling

Most installations time their boiler examinations over the summer
months. With only a limited number of SAFed Boiler qualified NDT
inspectors in the UK, it can be difficult to rearrange your boiler NDT
examination quickly. Typical delays can range from 5 to 10 days.

3 Production Outages
Planned outages on plants are timed with precision to minimise
disruption to production. If your NDT examination
can’t be rearranged within the planned
outage, the cost of lost production 2
days can be significant.

4 Business Interruption
costs
1 3
Failure to meet production
£
requirements can quickly
lead to Business Interruption
claims for breach of contract.
4
5

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PREPARATION
3 common ways preparation
time is underestimated

1 Boiler Cooldown
 oo often, the time taken to cool an
T
industrial boiler is underestimated – or
commercial pressures result in this being overlooked.
Typical boiler cooldown times are 24 to 48 hours, dependent
upon water capacity. The health and safety implications of
working on hot steam plant should not be underestimated.

2 Removal of lagging/insulation
 emoval of lagging and insulation normally requires specialist
R
contractors. However, many Plant Managers can leave booking
the job until the last minute, or underestimate how long
contractors will require on site.
 ypical time to remove lagging/insulation is 8 to 24 hours,
T
dependent upon boiler size.

3 Removal of internal brickwork

The removal of internal insulating brickwork also typically
requires specialist contractors, with similar setbacks to those
outlined for lagging/insulation.

8
HOURS
24
HOURS
48
HOURS 6

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PREPARATION
Technical preparation and
testing percentage requirements
for a wet back type boiler

Cleaning note:
We recommend using
a wire brush or flapper
wheel for cleaning.
Chipping hammers or
grinding discs should
not be employed for
cleaning of examination
surfaces.

Furnace/access way attachment welds

and adjacent front and rear tubeplates
(Positions A, B, C, D)
n 100% must be tested
n All brickwork/quarls MUST be removed from the weld(s) tested
n The fireside of the furnace tube adjacent to the weld(s) to be
tested should be thoroughly cleaned of scale and combustion
products for a width of a least 200mm around the entire
circumference, as indicated above
n The front and rear tubeplates adjacent to the furnace welds
should be cleaned up to 200m from the weld reinforcement,
where access permits.

NOTE: Ultrasonic testing of these welds will be carried out from the
fireside of the furnace/access and front/rear tubeplate.

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Shell attachment welds (Positions E & F)
n Lagging/insulation should be removed to a distance at least
200mm from the position of the weld(s) to be tested. These
should include the 6 & 12 o’clock positions
n Since ultrasonic testing of these welds will be carried out from
the shell surfaces, the exposed areas should be thoroughly
cleaned of scale, flaking paint, etc. to sound metal.

Front and rear shell welds (Positions E & F)

n At least 20% must be tested.

Shell longitudinal welds

n 100% should be examined
n 150mm either side of the welded seam should be cleaned.
Exception: this is not a requirement for hot water boilers.

Attachments
n If, in order to permit examination of a weld, any
attachment has to be cut away and subsequently
re-welded to the boiler, the re-work should be
carried out to an agreed procedure by an
approved welder.

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PREPARATION
Technical preparation and
testing percentage requirements
for a reverse flame type boiler

Cleaning note:
We recommend using
a wire brush or flapper
wheel for cleaning.
Chipping hammers or
grinding discs should
not be employed for
cleaning of examination
surfaces.

Furnace attachment welds and adjacent front

tubeplate (Position A)
n 100% must be tested
n All brickwork/quarls MUST be removed from the weld(s) tested
n The fireside of the furnace tube adjacent to the weld(s) to be
tested should be thoroughly cleaned of scale and combustion
products for a width of a least 200mm around the entire
circumference as indicated above
n The front tubeplate adjacent to the furnace weld should be
cleaned up to 200m from the weld reinforcement.

NOTE: Ultrasonic testing of these welds will be carried out from the
fireside of the furnace and front tubeplate.

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Shell attachment welds (Positions E & F)
n Lagging/insulation should be removed to a distance at least
200mm from the position of the weld(s) to be tested. These
should include the 6 & 12 o’clock positions
n Since ultrasonic testing of these welds will be carried out from
the shell surfaces, the exposed areas should be thoroughly
cleaned of scale, flaking paint, etc. to sound metal.

Front and rear shell welds (Positions E & F)

n At least 20% must be tested.

Shell longitudinal welds

n 100% should be examined
n 150mm either side of the welded seam should be cleaned.
Exception: this is not a requirement for hot water boilers.

Attachments
n If, in order to permit examination of a weld, any
attachment has to be cut away and subsequently
re-welded to the boiler, the re-work should be
carried out to an agreed procedure by an
approved welder.

10

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ABOUT BRITISH ENGINEERING SERVICES
With second-to-none engineering certifications and a
team of over 450 highly qualified Engineer Surveyors
and Consultant Engineers nationwide, we offer a
comprehensive and rapid on-time service to ensure
that your boilers are safe, compliant and operating
to maximum efficiency.

Why British Engineering Services?

1 Statutory inspections and 5 year boiler NDT from the same providers:
Our UKAS accreditation and SAFed membership means you can reduce
your administration time by dealing with one company

2 We are independent and impartial:

We do not conduct repair works and so we have nothing to gain from
finding a defect – we just report what we find

3 We provide extensive technical expertise:

We are on hand with expert advice throughout the whole lifecycle - from
assisting with the Written Scheme of Examination, to providing testing
advice and ensuring that all remedial works comply with the relevant
standards. We can also provide advice on how to maximise the
efficiency of your boilers

4 Rapid, on-time service:

We can provide rapid inspections and testing to meet your statutory
interval requirements

5 Online reporting:
We provide a transparent view of your next inspection and testing due
dates, updates on any in progress and an online reporting portal. This
helps you stay compliant – and prove it – as well as reducing time
wasted on administration.

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 ENSURE YOUR BOILER
IS SAFE, COMPLIANT
AND OPERATING TO
MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY.

GET A QUOTE

British Engineering Services, 5 New York Street, Manchester M1 4JB

T 0345 678 2985 E info@briteng.co.uk W britishengineeringservices.co.uk
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