ASME B31.3 Examiner Certification
ASME B31.3, paragraph 342.1, specifies the requirements for examiner qualification and certification. Examiners must be certified through the employer's written practice, a quality procedure aligned with standards such as ASME, ASNT, or other recognized national or international certification programs. To achieve certification, examiners must complete the required training and demonstrate sufficient experience before passing a qualifying examination for the specific nondestructive examination (NDE) method. Once certified, examiners are authorized to perform NDE in accordance with ASME B31.3 Code requirements.
ASME B31.3 Inspector vs Examiner
In ASME B31.3 Process Piping, the terms Inspector and Examiner have distinct meanings and roles. The Inspector represents the Owner and verifies that the required examinations have been properly completed. The examiner is subject to the oversight of the Inspector, and performs the quality control examinations required by the ASME B31.3 code.
It is common practice that the owner’s inspector is referred to as “QA” quality assurance, and the examiner is referred to as “QC” quality control.
ASME B31.3 Pressure Testing
Required Leak Test ASME B31.3 345.1
Prior to the operation of process piping subject to the jurisdiction of ASME B31.3, and after the completion of the required examinations required by paragraph 341 each piping system shall be pressure tested to ensure tightness.
Quality Turnover Package
A quality turnover package in construction, particularly for welding-intensive projects, is a collection of documents that verifies the quality, compliance, and traceability of work performed during a project. It is compiled to demonstrate that work, including welding, meets contract specifications, industry standards (e.g., AWS, ASME, API), and client requirements. The package is typically submitted to the client or project owner at the completion of a project phase or the entire project to facilitate handover, final acceptance, or commissioning.
Weld Inspector Duties
Weld inspector duties vary depending on the industry but generally consist of activities before, during, and after welding occurs. Common duties include verification of welding procedures and certifications before welding begins, visual inspection of welds during and after welding is complete, and documentation of inspections performed.
Piping Walkdown Checklist
A piping walkdown checklist is used in industrial construction to verify that piping systems are built and installed correctly.
The piping walkdown checklist involves physically inspecting the piping system on-site to ensure all components, connections, and configurations align with the approved piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), isometric drawings, and project specifications.
ASME B31.3 Closure Welds
A closure weld, also called a golden weld, as defined in the ASME B31.3 Process Piping Code, is the final weld connecting piping systems or components that have already been successfully leak tested.
If the strict rules of ASME B31.3 paragraph 345.2.3(c) are followed, the closure weld will not need to be leak tested. To qualify as a closure weld specific in-process, and volumetric examinations are required. The in-process examinations include some of the following, joint preparation, cleanliness, preheating, fit-up, internal alignment, WPS variables, filler metal confirmation, joint position, VT and MT or PT of root pass, VT between passes, VT of final weld, with RT or UT of the final.
Hydrotesting Procedure
Hydrotesting, or hydrostatic testing, is a procedure used to verify the integrity and strength of piping systems, pressure vessels, or components by filling them with a liquid (typically water) and pressurizing to a specified target value.
Common Quality Procedures
In industrial construction, quality procedures aligned with ISO 9001 or similar quality management systems (QMS) are critical to ensure safety, compliance, and project success.