Consulting

LTS maintains an engineering staff of technical specification writers who have experience authoring specifications ranging from ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code sections, ASTM standards, and Navy specifications, and corporate equipment fabrication specifications. The expertise for reliable and economical leak testing solutions is demonstrated by the LTS^® training course offering “Leak Testing for Engineers”. It is to our Client’s advantage to use LTS to provide recommendations to better streamline leak testing specifications to provide the correct amount of flexibility to allow for efficient leak testing solutions.

LTS staff have experience in establishing very sensitive inspection process qualifications for a number of complex leak test applications including:

• Large test articles with volumes in excess of 4 million liters (one million gallons), and dimensions of up to 4 kilometers, with leakage rate acceptance criteria down to 1 x 10^-10 atm-cc/sec
• Pressure change leak testing using direct comparison technique of known calibrated air leak standards that mimic governing standard pressure and temperature conditions
• Negative pressure MSLT detector probe techniques for inspection of in-service gloveboxes
• Thermal studies for qualification of different elastomers for use in DOT 10 CFR71 Type B Casks to demonstrate compliance with hypothetical accident scenarios.  LTS has tested at temperatures ranging from -40 ^oC to 600 ^oC.
• Development of a quantitative means for evaluating direct bubble testing sensitivity and probability of detection
• Development of a quantitative means for evaluating immersion bubble testing sensitivity and probability of detection
• Remote leak testing techniques to test long term storage casks for dangerous leakage
• DOT 10 CFR71 Type B Cask Design qualification leak testing

LTS staff have a long history of solving difficult and unique leak testing challenges. No matter how complex your process development needs, LTS has a demonstrated ability to provide economical and reliable leak testing solutions.

Production of Qualified Procedures at LTS

LTS maintains a procedure development process that includes the following elements:

1. Thorough review of technical specifications, drawings, and governing industry standards (e.g., ASME BPVC, ANSI, ASTM, ISO, etc.)
2. Test concept development, company internal board review, and initial client interface
3. Procedure development and qualification
4. Level III peer review of procedures
5. Technician dry run of procedures
6. NQA-1-compliant Quality Department review

These measures assure that the procedures and instructions are reliable and economical from the first production deployment onward. This level of assurance leads to substantial economies, particularly the economies that are connected to schedule reliability of the production leak testing operation.

Review and Level III Approval of Client-Produced Procedures

LTS also offers Leak Test Level III review and approval of client-produced leak testing procedures. Many clients use this as part of a program to develop their in-house leak testing capability, including the development of one or more of the client’s personnel as a Leak Test Level III.

LTS maintains staffing that participate in ANSI N14.5 committees, as well as, ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code Committees and ASTM standards committees.  In addition, LTS has been contracted by the NRC to present training and subject matter lectures.  Finally, LTS has participated in DOT 10 CFR71 Type B Cask accident testing through effort at several of the national laboratories.  This experience and participation allows LTS engineering staffing to be highly capable of assisting Clients in consistent interpretation of governing specifications such as ANSI N14.5.

LTS has established personnel qualification and certification programs for clients. These programs can include any or all of the leak testing methods in use by the client. LTS has also established client personnel qualification programs in other NDT techniques, including visual, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, ultrasonics, and radiography. Programs have been established that meet governing qualification standards such as these:

• SNT-TC-1A
• ISO 9712
• NAVSEA 250-1500-1
• MIL-STD-2132
• Technical Publication NAVSEA T9074-AS-GIB-010/271

LTS can provide the required written practice for qualification and certification; procedures; training (both classroom and hands-on); opportunities for on-the-job experience; qualification testing (including practical test props); certification paperwork; and ongoing technical performance evaluations of personnel in order to maintain the client’s NDT personnel qualification programs.

Vendor Surveillance Audit and Planning for Effective Quality Assurance

LTS employs several certified SNT-TC-1A multidiscipline Level III personnel, AWS Certified Welding Inspectors (CWI), and Senior Level II technicians in leak testing who can travel to conduct client NDT technical performance evaluations, inspection surveillances, product re-inspections, or facility audits. Many LTS senior personnel also have extensive quality assurance training and experience involving ISO and NQA-1 quality programs that can be useful for auditing purposes as well.

LTS employs an individual who has current NDT Test Examiner certifications in the following Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program NDT disciplines:

• NAVSEA 250-1500-1 Visual/Liquid Penetrant
• NAVSEA 250-1500-1 Magnetic Particle (Dry and Wet Methods)
• NAVSEA 250-1500-1 Ultrasonics (Welds, Clads, Pads, and Buttering)
• NAVSEA 250-1500-1 Radiography (Welds)
• MIL-STD-2132 Liquid Penetrant (Visible Dye and Fluorescent)
• MIL-STD-2132 Magnetic Particle (Wet and Dry Methods)
• MIL-STD-2132 Ultrasonics (Contact and Immersion Techniques)
• MIL-STD-2132 Radiography (Castings)

This individual is available to provide inspection assistance, training, inspector qualification, surveillance, and auditing services upon request.