Petroliam Nasional Berhad

20076-K

DYE PENETRANT TESTING

EWB – LEVEL 1 DOCUMENT

January 2009

© 2008 PETROLIAM NASIONAL BERHAD (PETRONAS)

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Document Authorization
Document Title : Dye Penetrant Testing
Document ID :
Document Version : 1
Version Date : January 2009
Document Status : For Reference
Distribution : PGTS

Name: Signature: Role: Date:

Prepared by:
Zamaluddin Ali Principal 06/01/2009

Nurmyati Binti Baba Engineer 06/01/2009

Reviewed by:
Che Wan Ibrahim
Che Wan Sudin Technical Manager
Abdul Razak Hassan Head, Plant
Engineering
Approved by: Pau Kiew Huai Head, Engineering

Document Revision History

Rev Date: Version: Summary of Changes: Revised by:

Document Classification
SECRET or RAHSIA

CONFIDENTIAL or SULIT

INTERNAL USE or UNTUK DALAMAN

OPEN or TERBUKA X
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Page

1.0 General 1
2.0 Application 2
3.0 Process Flow Chart 3
4.0 Inspection Steps 4
5.0 Standards 7
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1.0 General

Liquid penetrant testing is a non-destructive method used to detect surface breaking defects in any
nonporous material. It may be used on such materials as aluminum, magnesium, brass, copper, cast
iron, steel, stainless steel, carbides, stellite, certain plastics and ceramics. Liquid penetrant is applied to
the surface and is drawn into defects by capillary action. Once a preset dwell time has passed, excess
penetrant is removed and developer applied to draw out penetrant from defects. Visual inspection is
then performed. Visible and Fluorescent Liquid Penetrant Examinations are Non-Destructive methods
of revealing discontinuities that are open to the surfaces of solid and essentially non-porous materials,
ferrous or non-ferrous.

• Strong dye sprayed onto surface drawn into cracks and pores by capillary action
• Surplus is wiped off
• Developer (e.g. chalk powder suspension) sprayed on to reveal defects
• Dye can be UV active so viewing under UV illumination reveals cracks

Picture 1: Cleaner, Penetrant and Developer

Surfaces should be free of foreign materials and paint. Grease, oils, etc., prevent penetration and
should be removed by precleaning with Cleaner/Remover or by solvent degreasing. Scale, sand, dirt,
etc., trap penetrant and hinder removal, therefore wire brushing or similar pre-cleaning is necessary.
For most reliable results, paint should be removed from areas to be tested.
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Penetrants are classified into sensitivity levels. Visible penetrants are typically red in color, and
represent the lowest sensitivity. Fluorescent penetrants contain two or more dyes that fluoresce when
excited by ultraviolet (UV-A) radiation (also known as black light). Since Fluorescent Penetrant
Inspection (FPI) is performed in a darkened environment, and the excited dyes emit brilliant yellow-
green light that contrasts strongly against the dark background, this material is more sensitive to small
defects.

When selecting a sensitivity level once must consider many factors, including the environment under
which the test will be performed, the surface finish of the specimen, and the size of defects sought.
One must also assure that the test chemicals are compatible with the sample so that the examination
will not cause permanent staining, or degradation. This technique can be quite portable, because in its
simplest form the inspection requires only 3 aerosol spray cans, some paper towels, and adequate
visible light.

2.0 Application

In general, this method can be applied to the listed conditions below:

• Grinding cracks
• Heat affect zone cracks
• Poor weld penetration
• Heat treatment cracks
• Fatigue cracks
• Hydrogen cracks
• Inclusions
• Laminations
• Micro shrinkage
• Gas porosity
• Hot tears
• Cold shuts
• Stress corrosion cracks
• Intergranular corrosion
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3.0 Process Flow Chart

Surface Crack Detection

Porous YES Go for other

Materials NDT e.g MPI

NO

Step 1: Surface
Cleaning

Step 2: Application of
Penetrant

Step 3: Excess of
Penetrant Removal

Step 4: Application of
Developer

Step 5: Inspection

Go for next
Crack YES
level NDT
Found

NO

Fit for use

Step 6: Post Cleaning

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4.0 Inspection Steps

During performing this method, appropriate PPE need to be wear by inspector including coverall, dust
mask, safety glass, safety shoe and glove. Below are the main steps of Liquid Penetrant Inspection:

1. Pre-cleaning:

The test surface is cleaned to remove any dirt, pain, oil, grease or any loose scale that could either
keep penetrant out of a defect, or cause irrelevant or false indications. Cleaning methods may include
solvents, alkaline cleaning steps, vapor degreasing, or media blasting (e.g. using sand and garnet). The
end goal of this step is a clean surface where any defects present are open to the surface, dry, and free
of contamination. For safety measure, dusk mask must be worn during this step to prevent any
inhalation of dangerous chemical vapour in confined space.

2. Application of Penetrant:

The penetrant is then applied to the surface of the item being tested. The penetrant is allowed time to
soak into any flaws (generally 10 to 30 minutes). The soak time mainly depends upon the material
being testing and the size of flaws sought. As expected, smaller flaws require a longer penetration
time. Due to their incompatible nature one must be careful not to apply visible red dye penetrant to a
sample that may later be inspected with fluorescent penetrant. As a safety precaution, dusk mask must
be worn as in pre-cleaning step as well to prevent inhalation of chemical vapour in confined space.

3. Excess Penetrant Removal:

The excess penetrant is then removed from the surface. Removal method is controlled by the type of
penetrant used. Water-washable, solvent-removable, lipophilic post-emulsifiable, or hydrophilic post-
emulsifiable are the common choices.

I. Water washable, where water is sprayed or wiped in the part

II. Solvent removable, where a solvent is wiped on the part. This is the process most used in
inspecting welds.
III. Lipophilic post-emulsifiable, where a part is dipped in a lipophilic emulsifier and then rinsed
with water.
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IV. Hydrophilic post-emulsifiable, where a part is dipped or sprayed with a hydrophilic emulsifier
solution and then rinsed with water.

When using solvent remover and lint-free cloth it is important to not spray the solvent on the test
surface directly, because this can remove the penetrant from the flaws. This process must be
performed under controlled conditions so that all penetrant on the surface is removed (background
noise), but penetrant trapped in real defects remains in place.

4. Application of Developer:

After excess penetrant has been removed a white developer is applied to the sample. Several developer
types are available, including: non-aqueous wet developer, dry powder, water suspendible, and water
soluble. Choice of developer is governed by penetrant compatability (one can't use water-soluble or
suspendible developer with water-washable penetrant), and by inspection conditions. When using non-
aqueous wet developer (NAWD) or dry powder the sample must be dried prior to application, while
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soluble and suspendible developers are applied with the part still wet from the previous step. NAWD
is commercially available in aerosol spray cans, and may employ acetone, isopropyl alcohol, or a
propellant that is a combination of the two. Developer should form a thin, even coating on the surface.

The developer draws penetrant from defects out onto the surface to form a visible indication, a process
similar to the action of blotting paper. Any colored stains indicate the positions and types of defects on
the surface under inspection.

5. Inspection:

The inspector shall use visible light with adequate intensity (100 foot-candles is typical) for visible
dye penetrant. Ultraviolet (UV-A) radiation of adequate intensity (1,000 micro-watts per centimeter
squared is common), along with low ambient light levels (less than 2 foot-candles) shall be applied for
fluorescent penetrant examinations. Inspection of the test surface should take place after a 10 minute
development time. This time delay allows the blotting action to occur. If one waits too long after
development the indications may "bleed out" such that interpretation is hindered.
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6. Post Cleaning:

The test surface is often cleaned after inspection and recording of defects (if found), especially if post-
inspection coating processes are scheduled.

5.0 Standards

I. ASTM E165-02 Standard Test Method for Liquid Penetrant Examination

II. ASTM E1208-99 Standard Test Method for Fluorescent Liquid Penetrant Examination
Using the Lipophilic Post-Emulsion Process
III. ASTM E1209-99 Standard Test Method for Fluorescent Liquid Penetrant Examination
Using the Water-Washable Process
IV. ASTM E1219-99 Standard Test Method for Fluorescent Liquid Penetrant Examination
Using the Solvent-Removable Process
V. ASTM E1316-02a Standard Terminology for Nondestructive Examinations
VI. ASTM E1417-99 Standard Practise for Liquid Penetrant Examination
VII. http://www.magnaflux.com/files/library/operating/spotcheck~reg_kit_operating_instruction.pdf
VIII. http://www.henkenind.com/fluorescent_penetrant_materials.htm
IX. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye_penetrant_inspection
X. http://www.aws.org/itrends/01-04/penetrants.html