Industries/Fabrication & Module Shops
Fabrication & Module Shop NDTSpools, skids, modules and vessels — inspected in the shop, before the cost of finding it in the field.
A weld rejected in the shop costs a grinder and an hour. The same weld rejected on site costs a crane, a crew and a schedule. Prime Inspections inspects pipe spools, skids, modules, pressure vessels and structural weldments in the fabrication shop and the pipe yard — radiographic, ultrasonic and surface examination against the code your customer's specification names.
We already work for operators, EPCs and pipe fabricators, and the shop is where the field crews' standard starts. The same written practice, the same Level II and Level III technicians and the same digital record follow the spool out of the shop and onto the job.
- Pipe spools
- Skids & modules
- Pressure vessels
- Structural weldments
- Welder qualification
What we inspect
In the shop, in the yard, or on the module before it ships.
Pipe spools & prefabricated piping
RT, digital radiography and CR on shop-welded spools and prefabricated piping, with PAUT, AUT and TOFD where the wall or the material calls for encoded coverage — interpreted against the governing code before the spool leaves the shop.
Skids, modules & cold boxes
Weld inspection on skids and module steel and on module piping, including the structural steel and pipe supports that carry them, so a module is signed off before it is lifted, shipped and set.
Pressure vessels & fabricated components
UT, PAUT and RT on pressure vessel welds, nozzles and internals during fabrication and repair, and RT and CR on fabricated components where internal soundness must be verified before service.
Structural & fabrication welds
Radiographic inspection of structural and fabricated steel welds during shop and field construction, with MT and PT for surface and near-surface flaws on ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic materials.
Why fabricators and EPCs choose Prime
Catch it where it is cheap
Shop rework is a grinder and an hour. The same rejection found after erection is a crane, a crew and a schedule. Volumetric coverage in the shop is the cheapest inspection on the project.
Fast enough for shop throughput
Digital radiography removes the 45+ minutes conventional film development adds to every exposure, so inspection does not become the bottleneck between the weld booth and the paint bay.
Welders qualified on site
In-field welder qualification testing at the shop or the pipe yard — coupons cut, bend and pull tested to the project welding code, and the tested specimens examined by an AWS Certified Welding Inspector who approves or rejects the qualification.
A record that travels with the spool
Images are stored, retrieved and shared as digital records, so the weld history goes to the owner with the fabrication package instead of into a film file nobody can find.
Codes of record
Shop-fabricated process piping is normally examined to ASME B31.3, power piping to B31.1 and pipeline spools to API 1104; pressure vessels follow ASME Section VIII and structural welds follow AWS D1.1. Welding and welder qualification is to ASME Section IX, API 1104 or AWS D1.1 as the project calls out. Examination requirements come from ASME Section V; the acceptance criteria are whatever your customer's specification names.
Methods we run on this work
Frequently asked questions
Does Prime inspect in fabrication shops?
Yes — pipe spools and prefabricated piping, skids and modules, pressure vessels and fabricated components, and structural and fabrication welds, in the shop and in the pipe yard as well as in the field.
Which methods do you run in a shop?
RT, digital radiography (DR), computed radiography (CR) and real-time radiography (RTR), PAUT, AUT and TOFD, and the conventional methods — MT, PT, UT and VT.
What code do you inspect shop welds to?
ASME B31.3 for process piping, B31.1 for power piping, API 1104 for pipeline spools, ASME Section VIII for pressure vessels and AWS D1.1 for structural welds — whichever your customer’s specification names.
Can you qualify our welders at the shop?
Yes. In-field welder qualification testing is a destructive test: coupons are cut from the test weld, bend tested and pull tested to the project welding code (API 1104, ASME Section IX, AWS D1.1), and the tested specimens are examined by an AWS Certified Welding Inspector who approves or rejects the qualification.
Do you do heat treatment or PWHT monitoring?
No. Our scope is nondestructive examination and in-field welder qualification. We do not run heat treatment or post-weld heat treatment.
Are you an authorized inspection agency or do you hold a code stamp?
No. Prime performs and reports the examination against the code your specification names. We are not an authorized inspection agency, we hold no code stamp, and we do not issue the fabricator’s certification.
Can the weld records go to the owner with the fabrication package?
Yes. Digital images are stored, retrieved and shared as digital records, so the weld history travels with the spool instead of sitting in a film file.
How do I get a quote?
Use our contact form or call (281) 944-3840 with the scope, the material and the governing code, and our team will follow up.
Spools and modules to sign off?
Tell us the throughput, the material and the code — we will put certified technicians in the shop.