NB/T 11372-2023Specification for construction quality inspection and evaluation of wind power projects (English PDF)

Foreword

This document was issued on 28 December 2023 by the National Energy Administration of the PRC and takes effect on 28 June 2024.

It is a NB/T standard: recommended rather than compulsory, but it is the text a Chinese reviewer applies when assessing a submission.

It is classified under ICS 27.180, Chinese classification P 61.

This specification has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Notice of the General Department of the National Energy Administration on Issuing the 2022 Plan for the Preparation and Revision of Industry Standards in the Energy Field and the Plan for Translation of Foreign Language Versions (Guo Neng Zong Tong Ke Ji [2022] No. 96). The preparation group carried out extensive investigation and research, earnestly summarized practical experience, and formulated this specification on the basis of a wide solicitation of opinions.

The main technical contents of this specification are: general provisions; terms; basic requirements; project division; work procedures of quality inspection and evaluation; construction quality inspection; and construction quality evaluation.

This specification is administered by the National Energy Administration. It is proposed by, and placed under the day-to-day administration of, China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute. The Sub-Technical Committee on Wind Farm Construction and Erection of the Wind Power Standardization Technical Committee of the energy industry (NEA/TC1/SC2) is responsible for the interpretation of its specific technical contents.

Should any opinion or suggestion arise in the course of implementation, it should be sent to China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute (address: Jia No. 57 and Yi No. 57, Andingmenwai Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, postcode 100011).

Chief development organizations of this specification: China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute; PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited; PowerChina Guiyang Engineering Corporation Limited.

Participating development organizations of this specification (part one): Quality Supervision Station of Renewable Energy Power Generation Projects; Guangzhou Huashen Construction Engineering Management Co., Ltd.; CCCC Third Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Donghua Construction Management Co., Ltd.

Participating development organizations of this specification (part two): China Energy Engineering Group Jiangsu Electric Power Construction No. 1 Engineering Co., Ltd.; State Power Investment Corporation Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd.; PowerChina Beijing Engineering Corporation Limited.

Main drafters of this specification: Yu Jialin, Shen Jinning, Zhang Guanghui, Li Xiang, Xu Hui, Wang Ning, Shi Beiling, Li Min, Tian Hongwei, Zhao Shengxiao, Xia Yanhui, Dong An, Chang Haotian, Zhu Jianying, Zhang Chengqin, Kang Wenhe, Xue Jianfeng, Cheng Li, Xu Jian, Fan Xingfa, Xu Ouyang, Zhao Chaozhi, Li Shilin, Zhao Yi, Jing Lei, Cheng Zhengfei, Xiong Ao, Liu Lu, Jiang Yue, He Jialong, Liu Biao.

Main reviewers of this specification: Chang Zuowei, Wang Longfei, Wang Yingchun, Dong Mengyong, Cao Huojiang, Wang Xue, Yu Gang, You Xianhui, Zhuang Yanjun, Zhang Jianwei, Chen Ye, Zhang Zhiwei, Qu Jiangjiang, Cao Yuanyuan, Li Shisheng.

Editor-in-chief department: China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute. Approving department: National Energy Administration. Date of implementation: 28 June 2024. The specification is published by China Electric Power Press, Beijing, 2024.

Announcement of the National Energy Administration

National Energy Administration, Announcement No. 8 of 2023.

In accordance with the Standardization Law of the People's Republic of China and the Measures for the Administration of Energy Standardization, the National Energy Administration has approved 281 energy industry standards headed by Basic technical specification for intelligent construction of new energy stations (Annex 1), 33 foreign language versions of energy industry standards headed by Specification for Preparation of Special Geological Report on Impoundment-Affected Area for Hydropower Projects (Annex 2), and 3 amendment notices of energy industry standards headed by Technical code for radioactive detection of hydropower projects (Annex 3), which are hereby issued.

Annexes: 1. Catalogue of industry standards; 2. Catalogue of foreign language versions of industry standards (omitted); 3. Amendment notices of industry standards (omitted). Issued by the National Energy Administration on 28 December 2023.

In the catalogue of industry standards forming Annex 1, item No. 37 is NB/T 11372-2023, Specification for construction quality inspection and evaluation of wind power projects, with no superseded standard and no adopted standard number shown, approval date 2023-12-28 and implementation date 2024-06-28.

1 Scope

NB/T 11372-2023 sets out how construction quality is inspected and evaluated on wind farm projects in China. It turns a wind farm - which is a few dozen turbines spread over a wide site, plus roads, cabling and a substation - into a structured inspection scheme, so that quality is judged the same way by everyone and at every location. The specification defines the terms used, the basic requirements on the parties and their responsibilities, and the division of the project into unit works, sub-unit works, item works and inspection lots. It then gives the inspection content and the evaluation criteria for each kind of work: earthworks and site roads, turbine foundations in their several types including pile and rock-anchored foundations, concrete and reinforcement, the erection of tower, nacelle and blades with the bolt tightening and alignment records that go with it, the buried collection cabling and overhead lines, the step-up substation with its civil works, transformers, switchgear, protection, control and earthing, and the communication and monitoring systems. For each checkpoint it states the permitted deviation, how it is measured and how many measurements are required, together with the documentation that must accompany the record. The rules for grading an inspection lot and for rolling those grades up to the project as a whole, the handling of non-conforming work, and the acceptance records complete the specification.

1.0.1 This specification is formulated in order to strengthen the quality management of the construction of wind power projects and to standardize the inspection and evaluation of construction quality.

1.0.2 This specification is applicable to the inspection and evaluation of the construction quality of newly built, rebuilt and extended wind power projects.

1.0.3 In addition to complying with this specification, the inspection and evaluation of the construction quality of wind power projects shall also comply with the provisions of the relevant current national standards.

2 Terms

2.0.1 project quality

The sum of the characteristics of a project in respect of function, performance, safety, environmental protection and other aspects.

2.0.2 quality inspection

The conformity evaluation carried out on the quality characteristic indexes of a project by means of examination, measurement, testing and other methods.

2.0.3 quality evaluation

The activity of comparing the results of quality inspection with the national and industry technical standards and with the quality acceptance criteria agreed in the contract.

2.0.4 unit project

A building or structure that is able to perform its function independently or that possesses independent construction conditions, including the equipment works associated with that building or structure.

2.0.5 subunit project

A part of a unit project of relatively large scale which can be further subdivided and which possesses an independent function or independent construction conditions.

2.0.6 works section

The building and installation works within one building or structure which in combination are able to perform one function; it is a part making up a unit project.

2.0.7 works part

A component part of a works section, generally referring to a main construction process or a main trade of the project construction.

2.0.8 inspection lot

An inspection and evaluation unit made up of one or several groups of inspection bodies which are collected for inspection under the same production conditions or in the prescribed manner.

2.0.9 works part in critical position

A works part that has a significant influence on the safety, the benefit or the function of the project.

2.0.10 important concealed works part

A works part that has a significant influence on the safety or the function of the project among concealed works such as the ground and the foundations of important buildings and structures including wind turbine generator systems and step-up substations, equipment earthing, cable burying and submarine cable laying.

2.0.11 intermediate product

Finished or semi-finished products used in the construction of the project, such as concrete mixtures, mortar mixtures and precast concrete members, as well as the finished or semi-finished products formed in the course of the processing of steel members before delivery from the factory.

2.0.12 witness sampling

The act whereby, under the witness and supervision of personnel of the project owner or of the supervision organization, the site testing personnel of the relevant organization take samples on site and send them for testing to the special laboratory of a project quality testing organization holding the corresponding qualification grade.

2.0.13 quality of appearance

The external quality of a project as reflected by examination and by the necessary measurement.

2.0.14 quality defect

A problem arising in the course of project construction in which the project quality does not conform to the relevant national and industry standards or to the quality standards agreed in the contract, affecting an inspection item or an inspection lot but not constituting a quality accident; according to its degree it may be classified into serious quality defect and minor quality defect.

2.0.15 serious quality defect

A quality defect that has a decisive influence on the service performance, the durability or the load-bearing performance of structural members.

2.0.16 minor quality defect

A quality defect that has no decisive influence on the service performance, the durability or the load-bearing performance of structural members.

3 Basic requirements

3.0.1 For a wind power project, quality inspection and evaluation shall be carried out on inspection lots, works parts, works sections and unit projects. The acceptance at each level shall be based on the results of the quality inspection and evaluation, and only those rated as qualified may pass acceptance.

3.0.2 The project owner of a wind power project shall organize all participating organizations to establish a sound quality management system covering quality control over the whole process of project construction. Before the works start, the supervision organization shall inspect the quality management system of the construction organization; the checklist of the construction quality management system should comply with the provisions of Appendix A of this specification.

3.0.3 Before a wind power project starts, the project owner shall organize all participating organizations to carry out quality planning and to define the quality objectives as well as the scope, criteria and procedures of quality inspection and evaluation. The supervision organization shall, in accordance with the principle of facilitating quality control and management, organize the participating organizations to carry out the project division, which shall be implemented after approval by the project owner.

3.0.4 The main materials, semi-finished products, finished products, structural fittings of buildings, appliances and equipment used in a wind power project shall undergo acceptance inspection on entering the site. Important materials and products involving structural safety and the main service functions shall be re-tested in accordance with the requirements of the codes and of the design documents. The record form for material and equipment acceptance inspection should comply with the provisions of Appendix B of this specification.

3.0.5 Each construction process of a wind power project shall be subject to quality control in accordance with the construction technical standards; inspection shall be carried out before and after the execution of every process, the related processes between the different specialties and trades shall undergo handover inspection, and records shall be formed. Important processes raised by the supervision organization shall be inspected and approved by the supervision engineer; where inspection has not been carried out, or where the inspection result is not qualified, construction of the next process shall not be carried out.

3.0.6 The inspection and evaluation of the construction quality of a wind power project shall follow the principles set out below:

3.0.6 item 1 The quality inspection of the project shall be carried out on the basis that the construction organization has performed its own inspection with a qualified result. Before concealed works are in a condition to be concealed, the construction organization shall notify the supervision organization to organize the acceptance, acceptance documents shall be formed, and construction may be continued only after the acceptance is qualified.

3.0.6 item 2 Test blocks, test pieces and materials involving structural safety and the main service functions shall be inspected by witness sampling in accordance with the provisions on entering the site or during construction, and parallel inspection or follow-up inspection may also be carried out as required. Important works sections involving structural safety and service function, such as the ground and foundation, the main structure and the lightning protection earthing, shall undergo sampling inspection in accordance with the provisions before acceptance.

3.0.6 item 3 For inspection lots, and for works parts which are not divided into inspection lots, the construction quality shall be inspected in terms of dominant items and general items.

3.0.6 item 4 The quality of appearance of the project shall be inspected on site by the acceptance personnel and shall be confirmed jointly.

3.0.7 Necessary quality inspection work shall be carried out for construction auxiliary works and temporary construction works; they may be put into use only after the acceptance is qualified, and records shall be properly kept.

4 Project division

4.0.1 The inspection and evaluation of the construction quality of a wind power project shall be divided according to unit projects, works sections, works parts and inspection lots.

4.0.2 Unit projects shall be divided according to the independence of the service function, of the construction and of the acceptance of the works, and the following principles shall be followed:

4.0.2 item 1 The division shall be carried out in combination with the characteristics of the project, the construction deployment, the construction contract and other requirements.

4.0.2 item 2 The division shall be favourable to construction quality evaluation and to construction organization and management.

4.0.2 item 3 For a unit project of relatively large scale, the parts that possess independent construction conditions or that are able to form an independent service function may be divided into several subunit projects.

4.0.3 Works sections shall be divided according to the locations of the works or according to the main component parts of the design; equipment installation works may also be divided by specialty category or by combined function.

4.0.4 Works parts shall be divided according to the main trades, the materials, the construction techniques and the construction processes of the construction and according to the main devices of the equipment; a works part of relatively large scale should be divided into several inspection lots.

4.0.5 Inspection lots shall be divided in combination with the needs of construction, quality control and inspection, and may be determined by the quantity of works, by construction section and the like.

4.0.6 The unit projects of an onshore wind power project should be divided into the wind turbine generator system works, the step-up substation works, the works of the collector lines within the site, the traffic works and the like.

4.0.7 The unit projects of an offshore wind power project should be divided into the wind turbine generator system works, the offshore step-up substation works, the offshore converter station works, the works of the collector lines within the site and of the outgoing lines, the onshore converter station works, the onshore centralized control centre or step-up substation works, the traffic works and the like.

4.0.8 The works of a single wind turbine generator system may be divided into one subunit project. The works of a single-circuit collector line should be divided into one subunit project.

4.0.9 The project division of a wind power project should comply with the provisions of Appendix C of this specification, and the project division may be adjusted according to the characteristics of the wind power project.