PNL QUALITY EXAMINER

Accreditation of testing and inspection laboratories and individual certifications for their personnel are vital to ensure safety and quality standards are being upheld during the manufacturing, construction, and erection of structural, pressure, and storage infrastructure across various industries.

Accreditation of a laboratory assures that project stakeholders are being provided with services that meet a minimum set of standards and are independently audited by recognized third party organizations to verify they are meeting the standards.  These standards include such things as establishing management quality systems and reviews, maintaining impartiality and confidentiality, training and certification of personnel, preparing and reviewing written procedures and processes, calibrating and maintaining equipment and preparing, reviewing, and delivering reports to clients.

Individual certification acts as a marker of quality, validating that professionals possess the necessary expertise to perform testing and inspections accurately. With higher certification levels, inspectors gain deeper knowledge, enhanced skills, and more thorough understanding of the technical and regulatory aspects of related sectors, such as construction, manufacturing, and healthcare, where compliance with safety regulations and quality control is paramount.

As technologies and standards evolve, it is important for inspectors to stay up-to-date in the latest methods and regulations. Certified organizations are subject to regular audits and re-certification processes, including continuous education, which leads to the adoption of best practices and encourages innovation.

Moreover, raising certification levels can contribute to greater consumer trust and confidence in the services being provided. When organizations can demonstrate that their inspectors hold advanced certifications, they signal a commitment to excellence and a higher level of competence.

Phoenix National Laboratories (PNL), as well as our parent company, Applied Technical Services (ATS), are committed to providing a high level of testing and inspection services as evidenced by our many accreditations and technician and inspector certifications maintained as listed below. 

Laboratory Accreditations

ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General Requirements for Accreditation for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories. PNL and ATS multiple locations.

ASME NQA-1 — Quality Assurance Requirements for Nuclear Facility Applications. ATS multiple locations.

Federal Aviation Administration - FAA Repair Station. ATS multiple locations

National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program – NADCAP. ATS multiple services and locations.

European Union Aviation Safety Agency – EASA part 145 – ATS Marrietta.

Individual Certifications

Professional Engineering Registrations (Civil, Mechanical, Metallurgical, Electrical) – PNL and ATS various locations.

Certification for Nondestructive Testing Personnel – ASNT SNT-TC-1A. PNL and ATS all locations.

Certification for Nondestructive Testing Personnel - NAS 410. ATS various locations. (Coming to PNL soon)

ASNT Industrial Radiographer’s Certification – IRRSP. PNL and all ATS locations. 

AWS Certified Welding Inspectors – CWI. PNL and ATS all locations.

API Certified Inspectors (Tanks, Piping, Pressure Vessels). PNL and ATS various locations.

ICC International Code Council (Structural Steel and Welding, High Strength Bolting, Spray Applied Fireproofing, Mechanical). PNL and ATS various locations.

IFC International Fire Code Penetration and Wall Systems – PNL

ACI – American Concrete Institute – Inspection of Post Installed Anchors - PNL 

And others. 

For more information on PNL or ATS accreditations and individual certifications please contact our office at 1-800-605-1180 or 602-431-8887 or email at pnltest@pnltest.com.

PNL Project Manager Zander Zuran discusses Computed Radiography applications and experiences in both field and laboratory environments as well as the future of Digital Radiography (DR) with Jacob Kieser, one of our advanced radiographers.

PNL provides a variety of X-ray and Gamma Ray options for producing industrial radiographs, including high and low energy X-ray tubes, pulsed X-ray tubes, and gamma sources including Iridium-192 and Selenium-75.  Each option has specific applications and usefulness. This article is focused on pulsed x-ray tubes.

Pulse x-ray tubes are widely used in the medical industry to obtain great image quality while maintaining control of patient radiation doses.  An example would be dental x-ray machines used in most dentist offices use a pulsed tube to take x-rays of your teeth to identify and locate tooth decay and other problems.  For industrial inspection use, light gage steel alloyed materials or soft alloys like copper and brass tubing are well suited to pulsed x-ray applications.

A pulsed X-ray tube is a type of x-ray tube that generates a single wavelength of radiation with a brief pause between another pulse. The pulse reaction is controlled by sophisticated electronic circuits connected to the x-ray tube, which controls the emission of the electron beam striking an anode target. In traditional x-ray tubes a set amount of continuous emission time is how you would control the radiation amount, however, in pulse x-ray tubes the radiation amount is controlled by the exact amount of individual pulses required to create the image. This precision allows for the total radiation dose to be significantly minimized without compromising image quality.

The pulsed X-ray tube application is ideal for integration with advanced digital radiography systems which represents a significant advancement in the field of industrial radiography, which PNL provides, and is becoming more prevalent within our field as codes and standards have now adopted the technology.  Additionally, the digital technology is progressing to allow images to be produced with much less radiation than is what is needed for film radiography.  

While pulsed x-ray units are light weight and small in size allowing for high portability and lower exposures to radiation, there are some important limitations. Heat output is not controlled well so material density is a big factor for usability.  The vast majority of industrial applications involve the radiography of dense materials such as carbon and stainless steels, super alloys and other steels.  For these materials the thickness is limited to less than 0.25 inches.  Another problem is that the number of pulses that tube can produce is limited requiring constant maintenance.  

For the right application, pulsed X-ray is a good option and is used by PNL to help produce high quality radiographic imaging for a reasonable cost.  For questions on pulsed x-ray or radiographic imaging in general please contact our office at 602-431-8887 or email at pnltest@pnltest.com.

Industrial radiography is a non-destructive testing (NDT) technique used to inspect the internal structures of materials, such as metals and welds, through the use of ionizing radiation. This method is essential in various industries, including manufacturing, construction, and oil and gas, where it helps ensure the safety and integrity of products and infrastructure. However, the use of radiation in industrial radiography requires strict safety protocols to protect both workers and the public from potential exposure to harmful radiation. Regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and similar organizations worldwide, enforce stringent guidelines on how radiographic testing should be conducted to minimize risks.

To protect the public from radiation exposure, industrial radiography is carried out in controlled environments with multiple layers of safety precautions. Radiography operations are typically carried out in remote locations or isolated areas to prevent inadvertent exposure to passersby. Additionally, warning systems such as flashing lights, physical barriers, and radiation detectors are employed to alert both workers and the public when radiation is being emitted. Radiographers are also required to use protective shielding, such as lead barriers or walls, to block any stray radiation, ensuring that nearby individuals are not at risk. Moreover, radiation sources are handled with precision and care, with operators adhering to prescribed safety limits to prevent overexposure.

On top of operational safeguards, regulatory authorities mandate regular inspections, training, and certification of radiographers. This ensures that all personnel are well-informed about radiation hazards and can competently handle equipment and materials. Monitoring devices, such as dosimeters, are worn by workers to measure their radiation exposure, ensuring they remain within safe limits. Public safety is further supported by strict regulations regarding the transport and storage of radioactive materials used in radiography. By upholding these safety measures, industrial radiography continues to provide valuable testing services while ensuring minimal risk to both workers and the general public.

In radiation safety, the radiation safety boundary refers to an area surrounding a radiation source, calculated and verified by measurement, where specific precautions are in place to limit exposure to radiation. These boundaries help ensure that individuals within or near the area are protected from unnecessary radiation exposure.

Here are the main types of radiation safety boundaries:

Restricted Area

A restricted area is any area that a radioactive materials licensee or registrant controls access for the purposes of protecting individuals from exposure to radiation and radioactive materials.  Entry into restricted areas is limited to those who are authorized and who understand the associated risks and are monitored for radiation exposure by a monitoring device or badge.  Access to restricted areas can be controlled by locked doors, barriers, posted guards, or other means to keep unauthorized people out.  Restricted areas may or may not be posted.    

Radiation Area

This is a more specific area where radiation safety procedures are actively in place to minimize the risks to workers, patients, and the public.  These areas are required to be posted and monitored to ensure that people outside these areas are not exposed to radiation levels that exceed the safety limits established by regulatory agencies like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or State Radiation Protection Agency.  Radiation areas are typically inside of a restricted area, but the boundaries may be the same, if properly posted and controlled.  The posting for a radiation area must show the universal radiation symbol in magenta on a yellow background and the words “Caution (or Danger) Radiation Area”.  If you come upon one of these signs or boundaries please stop, turn around, and exit as soon as possible.  As long as you have not entered or spent a significant amount of time inside a radiation area, there should be no concern with radiation exposures.  If you have any questions about radiation exposure, please contact our office or the State Radiation Regulatory Agency where you were exposed. 

Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR) have become more recognized and widespread throughout the industry over the last 5 years.  With this increased usage, codes and standards have adopted to provide guidance for users of the technology in place of film.  Much of the process for producing a radiograph using film (RT), phosphor image plates (CR), or digital detector arrays (DR) is the same in that radiation must be projected through a part onto an imaging medium that is processed or converted to a viewable radiograph.  The sources of radiation used, the geometric shot configurations, and the methods for determining the quality of the image including sensitivity are similar, if not identical.  Interpretation of the radiographs for part acceptance also remains the same.  The primary differences are in the processing or conversion of the image mediums and viewing and storage of the radiographs. 

For film, processing involves using a developer chemical to transform the latent image formed by exposure of silver bromide crystals to radiation which gets converted to black metallic silver.  The next step involves causing the unexposed silver halide crystals to be dissolved and dropped from the film during a fixing and hardening process which creates a film acetate radiograph that is viewed by passing bright, white light through it to read.  

The process for CR is similar in a latent image is created onto a phosphor image plate which is then scanned using a photomultiplier tube and laser system to convert the photostimulated luminescent phosphor to a digital image that can be stored and displayed on a computer.  Images can be viewed through a process called window and leveling which allows the viewer to scan through the digitized image to view different aspects of the radiograph.  The image cannot be changed by this process.  

DR processing is somewhat different in that there is no latent image created.  Rather the system converts the radiation exposure made to discrete array of analog signals that are immediately digitized and transferred to a computer for display and storage as a digital image corresponding to the radiologic energy pattern imparted on the region of the digital detector array device.  Window and leveling is the same as for the image created by the CR process and is not changed by this viewing function.  

Both CR and DR also allow for some digital filtering that can enhance images and make things easier to read and interpret by filtering out unwanted noise caused by the digitizing process.  Filtering does alter the images, but the filters can be removed or changed at any time.  Raw images are always maintained.     

The first code to adopt the digital technology was the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel code which has provided detailed mandatory appendices for both CR and DR.  The rules for radiography are found in Section V, Article 2 which includes Mandatory Appendix VIII with Supplement A for the use of radiography using phosphor image plates (CR), and Mandatory Appendix IX with Supplement A for Digital Radiography (DR) techniques using digital detector systems.  The appendices and supplements work together with the provisions for film radiography found in Article 2.   The appendices and supplements cover such things as performing procedure demonstrations, evaluating and viewing the digital images, determining sensitivity, performing measurements for interpretation, and documenting the how the images were created and viewed.  Rules for making the radiographs including shot techniques, image identification requirements, image quality requirements, location markers, and other commonalities are the same for all techniques.   Interpretation for part or weld acceptance remains in each referencing code section and is the same regardless of the technique used to create the radiographs.  

AWS D1.X.  The American Welding Society Codes for Structural applications also addresses the use of digital systems to create radiographic images.   Rather than outline specific supplements within the codes, AWS has referenced that alternate techniques are in compliant with ASTM E2033 and E2445 for CR and ASTM E2698 and E2737 for DR using digital detector arrays.  Similar to ASME these standards cover the specific aspects of processing, viewing, and storing radiographs.  Shot techniques and acceptance criteria remains the same for all radiographic techniques.

API 1104 allows the use of alternative image media provided specific details are documented.  This would include both CR and DR applications.  

AWWA and API 650 allows the use of CR and DR per ASME V, Article 2 as described above.

The end user can be confident that the use of digital radiography techniques is covered by codes and standards which also provide for training and certification requirements for testing personnel.  Like the medical industry, film methods will eventually be very limited if not eliminated from use.   Currently PNL offers both Film and Computed radiography and is in the process of adding Digital methods using digital detector arrays, all methods that are code compliant.  Please contact our office for any questions on film or digital radiography techniques for your application.