Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: 2f74adca-9d44-43cf-ba12-0bb95b927199
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Welder Qualification for Areas of Limited Accessibility + HISTORY - HISTORY 10/2016 – DG-1167 , Proposed Revision 1
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0628/ML062840416.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.71
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
alls for welder qualification for production welding. In particular, review of the performance qualifications in Section IX indicates the desirability of supplementary requirements to provide improved control of welder technique in the production welding of low-alloy and high-alloy steels. Specifically, the assurance of satisfactory welds in locations with restricted direct physical and visual accessibility can be significantly increased by qualifying the welder under conditions simulating the space limitations under which the actual welds must be made. Experience has shown that a welder who is qualified to weld components under normal fabricating conditions may not produce acceptable welds if accessibility to the weld area is restricted. Limited accessibility can occur when component parts are joined or repaired in the final assembly or at the plant site if the location and other adjacent components or structures prevent the welder from assuming an advantageous position during the welding operation. Limited accessibility is particularly disadvantageous in the welding of high-alloy steels and nickel-base alloys because welder technique (such as electrode manipulation) is an important variable in the welding procedure. Section IX, paragraph QW-351, specifies conditions for which a welder must requalify, but it lacks a particular reference to conditions with limited positioning, accessibility, and visibility. It is general practice in nuclear shipbuilding and petrochemical process piping fabrication to include requirements for welder accessibility to production welds. This practice involves simulating the conditions of restricted welder accessibility to a production weld when the clearance is less than 30 centimeters (12 inches) in any direction from the joint. However, requalification would not be required for various restricted accessibility conditions unless essential variables of Section IX are changed. DG-1167, Page 3 Similarly, Section IX, paragraph QW-303,