NBIC Inspection
NBIC Part 2 governs in-service inspection. The exam tests whether you can build an inspection plan, evaluate condition against nameplate data, and document findings so the item may lawfully remain in service.
Where the NBIC sits
The NBIC is a supplement, not a substitute for law: jurisdictional rules govern, and the NBIC applies where it has been adopted. It is organized as Part 1 (Installation), Part 2 (Inspection), and Part 3 (Repairs and Alterations).
Building the inspection
- Confirm identity: nameplate, Manufacturer's Data Report, National Board registration number.
- Review history: prior inspection reports, repairs (Form R-1), alterations, and pressure relief device test records.
- Set the plan: internal, external, or on-stream; examination methods; hold points; isolation and safe-entry requirements.
- Examine the pressure boundary for corrosion, erosion, cracking, distortion, and support or insulation damage; on boilers check water columns, low-water fuel cutoffs, and controls.
- Verify overpressure protection against the nameplate MAWP, not the operating pressure - set pressure at or below MAWP and certified capacity adequate for the duty.
- Judge remaining life or fitness-for-service where wall loss is found, and confirm the operating or inspection certificate is current.
Worked example. A Section VIII vessel is nameplated 150 psig MAWP; records show a UV-stamped relief valve set at 200 psig and no alteration report. Reasoning: nothing in the history explains the higher setting, so the valve cannot protect the vessel - its set pressure exceeds MAWP. Finding: overpressure protection is nonconforming; the device must be re-set or replaced and certified before continued service, even though the plant normally runs at 90 psig.
Traps. Accepting a valve because it opens, without checking set pressure and capacity; substituting operating pressure for MAWP; overlooking that a repaired or altered item needs current R-1 documentation; treating the NBIC as overriding a stricter jurisdictional rule.