Establishment of an in-service coatings monitoring program permits planning and prioritization of coatings maintenance work as needed to maintain coating integrity and performance in nuclear Coating Service Level I coating systems. For additional information on nuclear maintenance coating work, refer to ASTM Manual on Maintenance Coatings for Nuclear Power Plants.

A coatings monitoring program enables early identification and detection of potential problems in coating systems. Some Coating Service Level I coating systems may be known in advance to be suspect, deficient, or unqualified. Monitoring coating performance will assist in developing follow-up procedures to resolve any significant deficiency relative to coating work.

Degraded coatings may generate debris under design basis accident conditions that could adversely affect the performance of the post-accident safety systems. A coatings monitoring program may be required to fulfill safety analysis report and generic letter commitments for Coating Service Level I coating work in a nuclear power plant facility.

1.1 This standard covers procedures for establishing a monitoring program for condition assessment of Coating Service Level I coating systems in operating nuclear power plants. Monitoring is an ongoing process of evaluating the condition and performance of the in-service coating systems.

1.2 It is the intent of this standard to provide a recommended basis for establishing a coatings condition assessment program, not to mandate a singular basis for all programs. Variations or simplifications of the program described in this standard may be appropriate for each operating nuclear power plant depending on their licensing commitments. Similar guidelines are applicable for Coating Service Level III and other areas outside containment.

1.3 This standard does not address the requirements of ASME Section XI, In-Service Inspection Subsections IWE and IWL.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.