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Advances in Welding Inspection Standards and Quality Assurance Practices in Large-Scale Power Generation Projects

Solomon Atta, Elikplim Adjaklo, Elvis Asomani, Oreoluwa Michael Adenuga

Abstract

Welded joints are among the most safety-critical features of large-scale power generation infrastructure, from high-energy piping and boiler pressure parts in thermal plants to primary circuit components in nuclear stations and structural assemblies in wind and hydroelectric facilities. The integrity of these joints depends not only on sound welding procedures and skilled personnel but also on the inspection standards and quality assurance systems that govern how welds are examined, evaluated, and documented. This paper reviews recent advances in welding inspection standards and quality assurance practices as applied to large-scale power generation projects. It traces the evolution of the principal code frameworks governing welded construction, examines the codification of advanced ultrasonic techniques such as phased array, time-of-flight diffraction, and full matrix capture with total focusing method reconstruction, and considers the transition from film radiography to computed and digital radiography. It further reviews developments in automated and robotic inspection, in-process monitoring, and machine learning based defect recognition, and situates these technical advances within the broader quality assurance architecture of major projects, including procedure and personnel qualification, inspection and test planning, traceability, and supplier surveillance. The review finds a clear movement from prescriptive, film-based, workmanship-oriented inspection regimes toward performance-based, digitally enabled, and fitness-for-service informed approaches, while identifying persistent challenges in personnel competence, data management, and the harmonization of acceptance criteria across jurisdictions.

Keywords

welding inspection; quality assurance; nondestructive examination; phased array ultrasonic testing; power generation; codes and standards

References

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