An Assessment of Visual Testing

In response to increasing interest from nuclear utilities in replacing some volumetric examinations of nuclear reactor components with remote visual testing, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has examined the capabilities of remote visual testing for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This report describes visual testing and explores the visual acuities of the camera systems used to examine nuclear reactor components. The types and sizes of cracks typically found in nuclear reactor components are reviewed. The current standards in visual testing are examined critically, and several suggestions for improving these standards are proposed. Also proposed for future work is a round robin test to determine the effectiveness of visual tests and experimental studies to determine the values for magnification and resolution needed to reliably image very tight cracks.