Equivalency assessment for an eddy current system used for steam generator tubing inspection

Eddy current testing is widely used for inspecting steam generator tubing in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The inspection technique for steam generator tubing in NPPs should be qualified in accordance with examination guidelines. When the components of a qualified system such as eddy current tester, probe, and data analysis program, are changed, the equivalency of the modified system to the originally qualified system must be verified. The eddy current tester is the most important part of an eddy current testing system because it excites and transmits alternating currents to the probe, receives coil impedance of the probe and generates signals for anomalies. The Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) developed an eddy current testing system with an eddy current tester and data acquisition-analysis program for inspecting the steam generator tubing in NPPs; this system can be used for an array probe and as a bobbin and rotating probes. The equivalency assessment for the currently developed system was carried out, and we describe the results in this paper