Inspection Requirements for Watertube Power Boilers, Part 1
The NBIC provides detailed inspection requirements and guidelines to determine corrosion, deterioration, and possible prevention of failures for power boilers.
Despite the fact that most people have never seen a power boiler, they still rely on the electricity boilers help produce. Last year marked the 75th anniversary of the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC), but boiler inspection requirements were developed decades before 1945. The U.S. Navy first commissioned a steam-powered ship in 1815. Since then, the Navy has used both firetube and watertube boilers for ship propulsion, with watertube boilers being preferred until the mid-1990s, when conventional boilers were replaced with more efficient means. Many of the boiler inspection requirements contained in the NBIC come from those developed for the Navy.
Boiler inspections continue to be an important part of any maintenance and reliability program, allowing power boilers to operate safely and efficiently in the background. They are also required in many jurisdictions as part of a boiler statute.