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	SwRI has integrated EDAS and qualified ultrasonic techniques into a small, simple underwater inspection robot developed by IHI in Japan, providing a complete and fully qualified inspection capability. Integration of the robot and EDAS greatly reduces the difficulty of performing boiling water reactor weld inspections from inside the reactor.

The Enhanced Data Acquisition System (EDAS^®) developed by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is used to inspect pressure vessels and piping in nuclear plants.

Engineers integrated EDAS and qualified ultrasonic techniques into a small, simple underwater inspection robot to replace older, bulkier equipment, to provide a complete and fully qualified inspection capability. The device is held to the vessel wall by water suction and can maneuver in any direction while a unique tracking system provides location information.

The robot with EDAS reduces the difficulty of performing boiling water reactor (BWR) weld inspections inside the reactor. The technology is also being investigated for inspection of other BWR vessel internal components such as core shroud assembly welds.

Enhanced Data Acquisition System (EDAS^®-IV)

EDAS-IV is a state-of-the-art ultrasonic inspection system for use in NDE of large structures. Designed to allow rapid and effective examinations of nuclear power plant reactor vessels, EDAS-IV includes:

• Programmable ultrasonic instruments

• Data acquisition and analysis workstations

• Remote pulser preamp system

• Parallel calibration stations

The EDAS-IV inspection system represents the newest generation of SwRI's enhanced data acquisition equipment used to inspect 15% of the world's reactor pressure vessels (RPV). This inspection system records full waveform data from up to 16 data channels simultaneously at scan speeds of as high as 6 inches (150 mm) per second.

For more information about our nondestructive evaluation capabilities, enhanced data acquisition system technologies, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Glenn Light, Ph.D., at glight@swri.org or (210) 522-2218.

ndesensors.swri.org

| Sensor Systems and Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Technology Department | Mechanical Engineering Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

January 03, 2013