ASME’s Section V Committee has broken new ground with the 2025 Edition of Section V – Nondestructive Examination (NDE).
For the first time, inservice NDE is formally recognized within Section V with the addition of Subsection C. This new section is in a formative state, and additional methods, techniques, and damage mechanisms are expected in future versions.
What the initial edition includes and what is coming.
Subsection C includes 11 articles, several of which were just moved from Subsection A, where their application was relevant to inservice activities. The initial publication, Part MT, Methods and Techniques, includes the following articles:
- MT-1 General Requirements
- MT-2 Radiographic Examination
- MT-3 Full Matrix Capture
- MT-8 Eddy Current Examination
- MT-9 Visual Examination
- MT-13 Continuous Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Pressure Boundary Components
- MT-14 Examination System Qualification
- MT-15 Alternating Current Field Measurement Technique (ACFMT)
- MT-18 Acoustic Pulse Reflectometry Examination
- MT-19 Guided Wave Examination Method for Piping
- MT-21 Pulsed Eddy Current Technique for Corrosion Screening
Paul Hayes is the chair of Section V’s Subgroup on Inservice Examination Methods and Techniques (BPV V), also known as SG-ISI. This subgroup was created in 2022 and tasked with leading this effort.
Hayes is the owner of Sinewave Solutions and has been in the nondestructive testing (NDT) industry for nearly 30 years. His experience spans various sectors, from equipment manufacturing to nuclear inspection. He has been involved with ASME Section V, playing a key role in multiple working groups and committees. In 2024, in recognition of his contributions to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME BPVC), he received the Vanguard Pioneer Award.
“Work has already begun on developing articles related to ultrasonic examination, surface examination, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, leak testing, acoustic emission, magnetic flux leakage, thermography, and installed sensors,” he said. “Further, appendixes will include software, robotics, assisted analysis, and additional damage mechanisms.”
What isn’t covered in Subsection C?
Subsection C does not include the required NDE that may be needed for repairs to pressure retaining items (PRI). Repairs typically fall back to the original construction rules. For these, the original code of construction requirements is in play and can be found in Subsection A.
It is believed there are circumstances in which NDE performed during the construction of a PRI is impractical to perform after the PRI has been placed in service. Therefore, this may be revisited or a direct reference may be made another way. As specific cases are brought to the committee, revisions will be considered. Subsection C also does not include acceptance criteria. The document referencing Subsection C must define and describe what indications are relevant and permissible or impermissible.
Isn’t Section V only relevant to ASME’s construction codes?
Section V’s original purpose was to prevent duplication of requirements within ASME construction codes. The traditional “vessel” codes to which boiler and pressure vessels are constructed and stamped with the ASME mark include Section I – Power Boilers, Section IV – Heating Boilers, and Section VIII – Pressure Vessels. “Service” codes contain universal materials, welding, and NDE requirements. These topics are common to all construction codes. The “service” codes are Section II – Materials, Section V – Non-Destructive Examination, and Section IX – Welding, to which the constructive codes make selective reference. Having “service” codes helps minimize the number of pages by consolidating common construction elements into dedicated standards. They are maintained by committees composed of experts in the scope of the standard.
More recently, committee members have answered inquiries from users not working in accordance with the ASME BPVC but whose contracts or specifications cite Section V. Although the exact date it was written is unknown, Section V’s charter included the need for NDE “covering construction of components and items and their integrity in service …”
Recognition of “service-induced imperfections” occurred with the inclusion of Table A-110 in Article 1, Nonmandatory Appendix A with the 2002 addenda to the 2001 code. In the 2004 edition, paragraph T-110 Scope (a) was revised to include “or referencing document.”
T-110 Scope (a) This Section of the Code contains requirements and methods for nondestructive examination (NDE), which are Code requirements to the extent they are specifically referenced and required by other Code Sections or referencing document.
Can Section V have one set of requirements covering new construction and inservice NDE?
Inservice flaws differ from those found in new construction. Once a PRI is put into service, other damage mechanisms not found in construction come into play, which can best be evaluated by NDE methods and techniques not necessarily recognized or needed by the construction codes. Subsection C has been created to address this need and focus only on inservice NDE methods and techniques.
How have service codes evolved?
ASME BPVC Section II – Materials relies heavily on the work currently performed by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), which predated the ASME Code by about a decade.
Formed in Philadelphia as the American section of the International Association for Testing Materials, work began as early as 1898 to leverage the knowledge of engineering and metallurgy to address failures of steel construction accelerated by industrial expansion. It started under the auspices of ASME, which soon agreed to transfer its material specifications to ASTM with the understanding that they would collaborate on test procedures and material specifications. Material approved for ASME BPVC construction is adopted into Section II from the ASTM source material and renamed by adding the letter “S” to the specification. (Example A – 516 Gr 70, once approved by the Section II Committee, becomes SA-516 Gr 70). Deviations from the original are noted on the specification title page within Section II.
The second service code of note is, of course, ASME BPVC – IX Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Qualifications. Requirements for welding were found throughout the construction codes in the 1930s as riveting slowly lost favor. Section IX became a standalone code in 1941 titled “Standard Qualification for Welding Procedure and Welding Operator.” Over time, it has become so successful that many international codes refer to this standard. The National Board Inspection Code (NBIC) is the one we are most familiar with.
ASME BPVC Section V – Nondestructive Examination was created to follow the same template as Sections II & IX by consolidating into one document of NDT procedures rather than having essentially identical requirements in each of the construction codes. Background on its formation has recently been republished in conjunction with Section V’s 50th anniversary.
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Paul Hayes
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Emilie Peloquin
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Refer to nbbi.org in the Resources section to find the document titled "ASME Section V 50th Anniversary."
Why has Section V included inservice requirements now?
Growing confusion over how Section V code requirements are implemented became a common theme. To address this, ASME's Technical Oversight Management Committee established the “TOMC Project Team on the Reorganization of Section V” in 2016 for the purpose of “modernizing” Section V. The mission of the project team was:
“To determine if Section V in its current form adequately services the needs of the referencing BPV and B31 Piping Codes and to provide recommendations to TOMC on how best to enhance Section V, if deemed deficient.”
The project team developed questions and, in early 2017, sent surveys via ASME ballots to committees, subcommittees, and subgroups that represented: 1) referencing standards (18); 2) International Working Groups (11); and 3) Section V membership (11). One of the survey questions was:
“Should Section V specifically address examinations for in-service flaw mechanisms (e.g., PCC-3, Table B-1) in addition to new fabrication examinations?”
Two-thirds of the 75 responses were “Yes.”
It has been widely understood that many inservice NDE organizations use and depend on Section V code when developing their programs due to the high regard of ASME BPVC. But inservice damage mechanisms and methods and techniques to evaluate them are not the same. Traditionally, Section V’s focus was geared to support new construction as required in the Power Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. Subsection C is designed to support the inservice NDE organizations.
How did Section V determine Subsection C as the place for this information?
One of the project team’s recommendations following the initial survey was to examine each comment and then open records, as needed, for further consideration. Because of the project team’s work, more than 20 records were created. Again, this was to consider action to alleviate the concerns and comments brought about as a result of the survey.
In late 2020, Section V created a record to initiate review and comment ballots for the code community, asking where inservice NDE should reside within the ASME structure. The choices were to create a new PCC-4, create a Section V Div. 2, or create a Subsection C within Section V. A slight majority was in favor of putting the requirements under Section V. Section V’s executive leadership team considered the history, records, and ballots then decided to move forward with the Subsection C option.
Who are the expected users of Subsection C?
Before answering that question, we must note that inspectors who hold National Board (NBBI) commissions and/or jurisdictional certificate of competencies are not intended to be bound by these requirements when performing periodic inservice inspections required by government statutes, regulations, or rules. These inspectors may perform NDE, such as visual inspections, ultrasonic thickness inspections, etc., which are typically used in an informational context. When concerns arise related to suspected thinning of material, for example, the owners or users of the boiler or pressure vessel in question are typically directed to obtain the services of qualified NDE organizations that can conduct more formal and systematic inspections of the material using appropriate NDE methods. Those organizations may find Subsection C useful.
ASME BPC Section XI - Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Reactor Facility Components may also find value in this new Section as it aligns more with their inservice inspection scope. They currently refer to Section V for Liquid Penetrant Examination, Magnetic Particle Examination, Radiographic Examination, and Visual Examination.
What committee is responsible for creating and maintaining Subsection C?
In 2022, SG-ISI was created with the following charter:
“To establish, for publication in Section V of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, a new Subsection “C” that provides requirements, methods,and techniques for inservice nondestructive examination of components. These requirements are intended for use in the Sections of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code to the extent that they are referenced in those sections. This committee shall also advise on exceptions or additions to the rules of Section V that are proposed for inservice integrity in the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.”
Hayes was named chair, and Emilie Peloquin was named vice chair.
Peloquin is the executive director of NDT Applications Engineering at Evident Scientific. She has been active in the NDT and welding industry since 2009 and began her involvement with ASME committees in 2017.
“SG-ISI has three subordinate working group committees reporting to them; they are Working Group Methods and Techniques, Working Group Damage Mechanisms, and Working Group Assisted Analysis,” Hayes said.
Each working group manages records within their scope that, after balloting, will edit or modify article language already approved or create new articles.
How to become involved?
ASME and NBBI encourage participation on their committees and welcome input from experts and those affected by the activities undertaken by committee volunteers. SG-ISI has over 60 members and many guests attending their meetings, which are open to the public.
"We are always in need of new volunteers. As components age, new damage mechanisms continue to emerge,” Peloquin said. “The more experts we bring together, the stronger and more comprehensive our codes and standards become. By contributing, you help ensure that our industry stays ahead of evolving challenges, creating safer and more reliable components for the future."
Contact Hayes (phayes@thesinewave.com) or Peloquin (emilie.peloquin@evidentscientific.com) to learn more about the subcommittee's current activities and future possibilities and to contribute.
Read the related article "Inservice NDE Standards are Needed."