API SC 21 Committee NDE Practices and Acceptance Criteria
API Code / Acceptance Criteria / Product LineAPI 5CT / Casing and Tubing
API 5CRA /
API 5DP / Drill Pipe
API 5L / Line Pipe
API 6A / Bodies, bonnets, end and outlet connections and clamp hub end connectors
/ Wellhead &Christmas Tree Equipment
API 6D / Pipeline Valves
API 8C / Drilling and Production Hoisting Equipment
API-11D1-HPHT for specific acceptance Criteria / NDE of components and welds shall meet the following requirements.
— Welds shall be visually inspected per the requirements of an international standard or national standard,
such as the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section V, Article 9.
— NDE for non-metallic components shall be visual inspection per supplier’s/manufacturer’s documented
specifications.
— NDE for metallic components shall be magnetic-particle inspection or liquid-penetrant inspection.
— Sampling procedures and the criteria for acceptance or rejection of a batch lot shall be in accordance with
ISO 2859-1, general inspection level II, at a 2.5 AQL for O-Rings and a 1.5 AQL for other packing
elements, until a documented variation history can be established. Sampling procedures shall then be
established based on the documented variation history.—Magnetic-particle inspection shall meet the requirements of an international standard or national standard,
such as ISO 13665 or ASTM E709.
— NDE acceptance criteria shall be according to the supplier’s/manufacturer’sdocumented specifications.
— All NDE instructions shall be approved by a level III examiner qualified in accordance with ISO 9712.
NOTE For the purposes of these provisions, ASNT RP SNT-TC-1Ais equivalent to ISO 9712.
— Type 1 components and welds for quality grade Q2 shall be NDE-inspected per a sampling plan that
meets the requirements of an international standard or national standard, such as ISO 2859-1 or
ANSI/ASQC Z1.4.
— Type 1 components and welds for quality grade Q1 shall be 100 % NDE-inspected using liquid-penetrantor magnetic particles.
7.4.15 Personal Qualifications
Personnel performing NDE shall be qualified in accordance with an international standard or nationalstandard, such as ISO 9712, level 2 minimum, for evaluation and interpretation.
Personnel performing visual examinations shall have an annual eye examination in accordance with aninternational standard or national standard such as ISO 9712, as applicable to the discipline to be performed.All other personnel performing inspection for acceptance shall be qualified per the supplier's/manufacturer’sdocumented specifications.
Type 1 welds shall be magnetic particle or liquid penetrant inspected for surface defects to verify
conformance with the supplier’s/manufacturer’s written specifications. The applied magnetic particle or
liquid penetrant inspections shall conform to the following requirements.
1) Wet magnetic particle examinations shall be conducted per ISO 10893-5 or ASTM E709. Indications
shall be described as one of the following:
a. relevant indication: only those indications with major dimensions greater than 1.6 mm shall be considered relevant whereas inherent indications not associated with a surface rupture(i.e., magnetic permeability variations, non-metallic stringers etc.) shall be considered nonrelevant;
b. linear indication: any indication in which the length is equal to or greater than three times its width;
c. rounded indication: anyindication whichis circular or elliptical in which the length is less than three
times its width.
d. The acceptance criteria shall be:
— any relevant indication greater than or equal to 4.8 mm (3/iein.) shall be considered
unacceptable;
— no relevant linear indications shall be allowed for weldments;
— no more than ten relevant indications shall be present in any 39 cm2 (6 in.2) area;
— four or more rounded relevant indications in a line separated by less than 1.6 mm (1/i6 in.)shall be considered unacceptable. / Packers and Bridge Plugs
API 14A / 6.4.4.4Nondestructive Examination
Nondestructive examination (NDE) shall be controlled using documented procedures, acceptance criteria, qualified personnel, and equipment as follows:
a) radiographic, see 6.4.7.3;
b) ultrasonic, see 6.4.7.4;
c) magnetic particle, see 6.4.7.5;
d) liquid penetrant, see 6.4.7.6.
NOTE API 200 contains requirements for the design, development, and qualification of NDE methods used in the manufacture of equipment.
6.4.7 Nondestructive Examination
6.4.7.1 GeneralRequirements
6.4.7.1.1 All NDE instructions shall be approved by a Level Ill examiner qualified in accordance with ISO 9712.
NOTE For the purposes of these provisions, SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
6.4.7.1.2All primary closure springs shall be magnetic particle or liquid penetrant inspected for surface defects to verify conformance with the supplier/manufacturer's written specifications.
6.4.7.1.3 All pressure-containing welds shall be magnetic particle or liquid penetrant inspected for surface defects and shall be volumetrically inspected by radiographic or ultrasonic techniques to verify conformance with the supplier/manufacturer's written specifications. Final NDE shall be performed after all welding, postweld heat treatment, and applicable machining operations on welded areas.
6.4.7.1.4 All pressure-containing castings and forgings shall be magnetic particle or liquid penetrant inspected for surface defects, after final machining and shall be volumetrically inspected by radiographic or ultrasonic techniques after heat treat to verify conformance with the supplier/manufacturer's written specifications.
NOTE For the purposes of these provisions, ASTM 01415 is equivalent to ISO 48.
6.4.7.2Personnel Qualifications
6.4.7.2.1Personnel performing NDE evaluations and interpretations shall be qualified in accordance withISO 9712, to at least Levell, or equivalent.
NOTE For the purposes of these provisions, SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
6.4.7.2.2Personnel performing visual examinations shall have an annual eye examination, as applicable to the discipline to be performed, in accordance with ISO 9712.
NOTE For the purposes of these provisions, SNT-TC-1A Is equivalent to ISO 9712.
6.4.7.2.3All other personnel performing inspection for acceptance shall be qualified in accordance with documented requirements.
6.4.7.5Magnetic Particle Inspections-Wet Magnetic Particle Examination
Wet magnetic particle examination shall be carried out as follows:
a) method: in accordance with ISO 13665 or ASTM E709;
b) indications shall be described as one of the following:
1) relevant indication: only those indications with major dimensions greater than 1.6 mm e/16 in.) shall be considered relevant whereas inherent indications not associated with a surface rupture (i.e. magnetic permeability variations, nonmetallic stringers, etc.) shall be considered nonrelevant,
2) linear indication: any indication in which the length is equal to or greater than three times its width,
3) rounded indication: any indication which is circular or elliptical in which the length is less than three times its width;
c) acceptance criteria:
1) any relevant indication greater than or equal to 4.8 mm (3/16 in.) shall be considered unacceptable, / SubSea Safety Valves
API 19AC / 7.4.9 NDE of components/welds
NDE of components and welds shall meet the following requirements.
- Type 1 components and welds for Q2 shall be NOE inspected using liquid penetrant or magnetic particle methods per a sampling plan that meets the requirements of an international or national standard such as ISO 2859-1 or ANSI/ASQC Z1.4.
- Type 1 components and welds for Q1 shall be 100 % inspected using liquid penetrant or magnetic particle methods and visual inspection.
- When surface NOE is required, visual inspection and either magnetic particle inspection or liquid penetrant inspection shall be performed in the final material condition. Surface NOE shall be performed on all external surfaces and to the maximum extent on internal surfaces.
- Magnetic particle inspection shall meet the requirements of an international or national standard such as ISO 10893-5 or ASTM E 709.
- All NDE instructions shall be approved by a Level Ill examiner qualified in accordance with ASNT SNT-TC-1A, ISO 9712 or equivalent national or international standard. / Completion Accessories
API 19OH Draft / 7.10 NDE of Components
7.10.1 General
NDE of components are comprised of metallic and non-metallic components. The following includes general requirements for NDE:
All NDE procedures shall be approved by a level Ill examiner qualified in accordance with ISO 9712.
NOTE: For the purposes of these provisions, ASNT RP SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
NDE inspections shall be performed by an ASNT TC 1A level II inspector or a qualified person as defined by the supplier/manufacturer.
NDE acceptance criteria shall be according to the supplier/manufacturer's documented specifications.
All personnel performing inspections for acceptance shall, as a minimum, be qualified per the supplier/manufacturer's documented specifications.
7.10.2 Metal Components
The following are requirements when utilizing metal components:
a) Where the component is manufactured from API 5CT or API 5CRA material the applicable NDE
requirements shall be performed with the material in its final heat treat condition.
b) Components manufactured from material which is in conformance with API 5CT or 5CRA tubular NDE requirements and which are not heat treated thereafter, are considered acceptable based upon those records.
c) Type 1, Q1 metallic components and welds shall be NDE inspected utilizing magnetic particle inspection or liquid penetrant inspections to the supplier/manufacturer's procedures. Supplier manufacturer's procedures shall conform to:
Magnetic particle inspections shall meet the requirements of an International Standard or national standard, such as ISO 13665 or ASTM E709.
d) Type 1, Q2 and Type 2, Q1 and Q2 components shall conform to the NDE requirements of the supplier/manufacturer. / Open Hole Completion Tools
API 14L / 7.4.6 NDE requirements
7.4.6.1 General
The NDE requirements shall be in accordance with the following.
a) All NDE instructions shall be approved by a Level Ill examiner qualified in accordance with ISO 9712.
NOTEFor the purposes of these provisions, ASNT SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
b) All critically stressed components shall be magnetic particle or liquid penetrant inspected for surface defects to verify conformance to the supplier's / manufacturer’s written specifications.
c) All pressure-containing welds shall be magnetic particle or liquid penetrant inspected for surface defects and shall be volumetrically inspected by radiographic or ultrasonic techniques to verify conformance to the supplier's / manufacturer's written specifications.
d) All pressure-containing castings and forgings shall be magnetic particle or liquid penetrant inspected for surface defects and shall be volumetrically inspected by radiographic or ultrasonic techniques to verify conformance to the supplier's / manufacturer's written specifications. The supplier/manufacturer may develop AQL inspection levels based on documented variation history.
7.4.6.2 Methods and acceptance criteria
7.4.6.2.2 Wet magnetic particle examination
Wet magnetic particle examination shall be performed as follows:
a)method: in accordance with ISO 13665;
b)indications shall be categorized as one of the following:
relevant indication: only those indications with major dimensions greater than 1,6 mm (1/16 In) shall be considered relevant whereas inherent Indications not associated with a surface rupture (i.e., magnetic permeability variations, non-metallic stringers etc.) shall be considered non-relevant;
linear indication: any Indication whose length is equal to or greater than three times its width;
rounded indication: any indication which Is circular or elliptical and whose length Is less than three times Its width;
c)acceptance criteria:
1) any relevant indication greater than or equal to 4.8 mm (3/16 in) is unacceptable;
2)no relevant linear indication is allowed for weldments;
3)no more than ten relevant indications in any 39 cm2 (6 in2) area are permitted;
4)four or more rounded relevant indications in a line separated by less than 1.6 mm (1/16 in) are unacceptable.
7.4.7Personnel qualifications
7.4.7.1Personnel performing NDE evaluations and interpretations shall be qualified in accordance with
ISO 9712 to at least Level II or equivalent.
NOTE For the purposes of these provisions, ASNT SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
7.4.7.2Personnel performing visual examinations shall have an annual eye examination, as applicable to the discipline to be performed in accordance with ISO 9712.
NOTE For the purposes of these provisions, ASNT SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
7.4.7.3All other personnel performing inspection for acceptance shall be qualified in accordance with documented requirements. / Lock Mandrels and Landing Nipples
API 19V / 7.8.2 Non-destructive examinations (NDE)
7.8.2.1 General requirements
7.8.2.1.1 Specifications
Non-destructive examinations shall be conducted according to the manufacturer's documented specifications that include acceptance criteria and the requirements of 7.8.2. All NDE instructions shall be approved by a qualified NDE level Ill examiner in accordance with a national or an international standard, such as ISO 9712 or ASNT SNT-TC-1A. Visual-examination requirements do not require level Ill approval. Acceptance of all materials/documents shall be permanently indicated either on the materials/documents or in records directly traceable to them.
7.8.2.1.2 Welds
Welds and adjacent heat-affected zones of the sample lot (see 7.8.2.2 and 7.8.2.3) shall be non destructively examined by one or more of the following methods: radiography, magnetic particle, ultrasonic or liquid penetrant, as designated in the manufacturer's specifications.
7.8.2.1.3 Castings and forgings
Castings and forgings shall be magnetic-particle or liquid-penetrant inspected for surface defects and/or shall be volumetrically inspected by radiographic or ultrasonic techniques to verify conformance with the manufacturer's specifications.
7.8.2.1.4 Indications
Any unacceptable indications shall be removed, repaired according to the supplier's/manufacturer's procedures and re-examined using the original NDE method and acceptance criteria.
7.8.2.2 Quality grade Q1
For quality grade Q1, 100 % of all components shall be inspected in accordance with the relevant subclauses in 7.5 to 7.10, as specified in Table 5.
7.8.2.3 Quality grade Q2
Sample lot examinations are acceptable and shall be performed on a minimum sample lot of 10 % of the job lot in accordance with ISO 2859-1 or with the supplier/manufacturer documented sampling plan with one component as the absolute minimum. When the inspection produces an unacceptable result, one additional component from the job lot shall be inspected. If it is also found to be unacceptable, then 100 % of the job lot shall be inspected to verify compliance.
7.8.2.4 NDE personnel qualifications
All personnel performing inspections for acceptance shall be qualified in accordance with the supplier's/manufacturer's documented requirements.
Personnel performing visual examinations shall have an annual eye examination, as applicable to the discipline to be performed, in accordance with ISO 9712 or equivalent, such as defined in ASNT SNT-TC-1A.
Personnel performing NDE evaluations and interpretations shall be qualified in accordance with ISO 9712, to a minimum of level II or equivalent, such as defined in ASNT SNT-TC-1A.
NOTE For the purposes ofthese provisions, ASNT SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
7.8.2.7 Wet-magnetic-particle inspections
When required by the suppliers/manufacturer's specifications, wet-magnetic-particle inspections shall be in accordance with an international or a national standard, such as ISO 13665 or ASTM E709. The minimum acceptance criteria are those specified in 7.8.2.6. / Subsea Barrier Valves
API 19G1 / 7.7 Non-destructive examination (NDE) requirements
7.7.1 General
The supplier/manufacturer's qualified representative shall inspect all accessible surfaces for cracks and damage, ensuring that the technical specification is met.
NDE shall be performed and accepted in accordance with the supplier/manufacturer's written specification that shall include the requirements defined in 7.7. The size of the sample of the components to be tested shall be in accordance with the appropriate quality-control grade level as indicated in Table 0.1. All welds and adjacent heat-affected zones of the specified sample lot shall be non-destructively examined by one or more of the following methods: radiography, magnetic particle, ultrasonic or liquid penetrant as designated in the supplier/manufacturer's specification.
If the examination produces an unacceptable indication as specified in 7.7.6, 7.7.7, 7.7.8 and/or 7.7.9, 20% of the side-pocket mandrels from the job lot shall be examined. If another indication is found to be unacceptable, then
100 % of the job lot shall be examined. Any unacceptable indications shall be removed, repaired and re-examined using the original NDE method. A "report of non-conformance" shall be generated for non-conforming items. The disposition of all non-conforming items shall be documented.
7.7.2 NDE personnel qualification
Non-destructive examination personnel shall be qualified in accordance with requirements specified in ISO 9712
Level II, or supplier/manufacturer's requirements that are not less stringent.
NOTE For the purposes of this provision, ASNT SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712.
7.7.3 NDE personnel qualification records
Records that document the qualifications of NDE testing personnel shall be maintained by the supplier/manufacturer.
7.7.4 Visualexamination personnel qualifications
Personnel performing visual examinations shall have an annual eye examination in accordance with ISO 9712, as applicable to the discipline to be performed. The qualifications for personnel performing visual examination shall be in accordance with the supplier/manufacturer's written requirements.
NOTE For the purposes of this provision, ASNT SNT-TC-1A is equivalent to ISO 9712. / Side Pocket Mandrels
API 14A /
API-20B /
API-20F
API 602 / Steel Gate, Globe and Check Valves
API 603 / Corrosion-resistant, Bolted Bonnet Gate Valves-Flanged and Butt-welding Ends
API 1104 /
/ Welding of Pipelines and Related Facilities
API RP 2Z / Recommended Practice for Preproduction Qualification for Steel Plates for Offshore Structures
API RP 591 / Process Valve Qualification Procedure