Applied AI · CUI planning

AI prompts for corrosion under insulation inspection planning

Fourteen copy-ready prompts for the work around a CUI inspection plan: cleaning a circuit register, exposing missing evidence, building an explainable shortlist, drafting workpacks, backtesting the order and reviewing new findings. Each prompt keeps the source rows attached and makes the model say what it does not know.

Published 20 September 202616 min readBy Jamil, Clear Anvil

The useful role for AI in corrosion under insulation planning is not to find corrosion. It is to do the clerical and analytical work around the decision: make inconsistent records comparable, show which facts are missing, assemble an explainable first-look list, draft a workpack, and test that order against a completed campaign. The fourteen prompts below are written to be copied, filled with approved data, and reviewed by the people accountable for the inspection plan.

Before you paste anything into an AI tool

Do not paste confidential plant information into a public or consumer AI service.

Inspection reports, line lists, P&IDs, equipment tags, process conditions, damage findings, photographs, contractor details and work orders can reveal the condition and layout of a facility. Use synthetic or properly redacted examples unless the asset owner has approved the provider, tenancy, access controls, retention period, training policy, data location and deletion process. A paid account is not, by itself, approval to disclose plant data.

These prompts deliberately ask for row-level provenance, explicit unknowns and fixed outputs. Those controls make an answer easier to review; they do not make it true. Follow the owner's inspection program and obtain the applicable standards from their publishers. AI does not see through insulation, detect CUI, calculate a defensible remaining life, establish fitness for service, choose an inspection interval, or replace a qualified corrosion, inspection or integrity engineer.

For the surrounding workflow, start with the CUI inspection program checklist, then use the risk-based inspection note for the ranking logic and the document-extraction note for turning historical reports into reviewable rows.

Answer the CUI question before using a planning prompt

Planning prompts are useful only after the team shares the same technical starting point. If the question is still definitional, use a source-backed explanation before asking a model to transform records or draft a scope:

A model can restate those topics, but it should not invent plant-specific facts or substitute a generic answer for the owner's procedures, current standard editions and qualified engineering judgement.

The contract inside every prompt

Each prompt is self-contained. Replace the bracketed items, attach only an approved data extract, and keep these five parts intact:

ControlWhat it preventsWhat the reviewer gets
Required inputsA polished answer built on an incomplete briefA checkable list of what was and was not supplied
Fixed outputChanging columns and narrative that cannot be comparedThe same fields on every run
UNKNOWN rulePlausible guesses filling gaps silentlyMissing evidence that can be assigned and closed
Source-row traceabilityA conclusion detached from the record that produced itEvery statement tied to one or more immutable source row IDs
Decision boundaryPlanning support being mistaken for an engineering decisionA clear handoff to the accountable person

Before using the prompts, add an immutable source_row_id to every input row. Do not reuse spreadsheet row numbers after sorting; use a stable value such as CIRCUIT-REGISTER-000147. Where a value came from a report, add a source_locator such as the document ID, page and table row. Keep the original extract read-only.

Job 1: make the evidence usable

The first job is to make records comparable without quietly improving them. Run these prompts before asking for a ranking.

1. Normalize a circuit register without inventing values

Copy-ready prompt

You are a conservative data-preparation assistant supporting corrosion under insulation inspection planning. Normalize the attached circuit register; do not score or prioritize it.
Required inputs: a table containing source_row_id, asset or circuit ID, material, operating-temperature value and unit, cycling status, insulation, jacketing, coating, environment, geometry or vulnerable locations, last-inspection date, inspection method and finding fields; plus [APPROVED VALUE LISTS] and [UNIT CONVENTIONS].
Fixed output: return only a CSV with these columns in this order: source_row_id,asset_id,material_normalized,temperature_min_c,temperature_max_c,cycling_normalized,insulation_normalized,jacketing_normalized,coating_normalized,environment_normalized,vulnerable_locations,last_inspection_date,inspection_method_normalized,finding_summary,data_quality_flags,transformations.
Unknowns: write UNKNOWN when a value is absent, ambiguous or cannot be converted; never infer a material, temperature, coating, date or result from neighboring rows. Put conflicting values in data_quality_flags.
Traceability: copy every source_row_id unchanged and describe each normalization in transformations; do not merge rows unless their source IDs are preserved as a semicolon-separated list.
Boundary: this is data normalization only. Do not state that CUI exists or does not exist, estimate remaining life, assess fitness for service, recommend repair, set an interval or approve an inspection plan.

2. Extract inspection events into a review queue

Copy-ready prompt

You are extracting facts from approved, redacted inspection-report text into reviewable event rows. Do not interpret the engineering significance of a finding.
Required inputs: [REDACTED REPORT TEXT OR OCR], a manifest containing source_row_id,document_id,page_or_sheet, the owner's asset-ID pattern, allowed method names and unit conventions.
Fixed output: return a JSON array only. Each object must contain source_row_id,document_id,source_locator,asset_id,inspection_date,inspection_method,inspection_location,reading_value,reading_unit,reported_finding,reported_recommendation,extraction_confidence,review_reason. One event or reading per object.
Unknowns: use the string UNKNOWN; do not complete truncated IDs, convert an illegible number, or turn an author's implication into a reported fact. Set review_reason for every unknown, conflict or confidence below [THRESHOLD].
Traceability: preserve the supplied source_row_id and quote no more than the minimum source phrase needed in source_locator, with the page or sheet; never create a fact without a locator.
Boundary: extraction is not CUI detection, NDE interpretation, remaining-life analysis or acceptance of a recommendation. A competent reviewer must verify every low-confidence or safety-relevant field against the source.

3. Build the missing-evidence queue

Copy-ready prompt

You are auditing a CUI planning dataset for missing and conflicting evidence. Do not fill gaps and do not rank assets.
Required inputs: [NORMALIZED CIRCUIT TABLE] with source_row_id, [REQUIRED FIELD LIST], [OWNER DATA DICTIONARY], and the intended planning decision [SCREENING / WORKPACK / BACKTEST].
Fixed output: return only a table with source_row_id,asset_id,field_name,current_value,issue_type,why_it_matters,possible_owner_source,review_priority. Use only MISSING,AMBIGUOUS,CONFLICT,OUT_OF_RANGE,STALE for issue_type and HIGH,MEDIUM,LOW for review_priority.
Unknowns: preserve UNKNOWN literally. If the effect of a missing field is uncertain, write UNKNOWN in why_it_matters rather than speculating.
Traceability: one issue row per source row and field; copy source_row_id exactly and do not collapse repeated assets into a single untraceable summary.
Boundary: priority means priority for data review, not probability of CUI or urgency of inspection. Do not clear an asset, defer work, select NDE, or make an integrity decision.

Job 2: build and challenge the first-look order

A ranking should expose its inputs and assumptions. It is a planning hypothesis to pressure-test, not a model verdict.

4. Produce an evidence summary before any score

Copy-ready prompt

You are preparing an evidence summary for a qualified CUI planning team. Describe only supplied susceptibility and consequence evidence; do not calculate or imply hidden condition.
Required inputs: [NORMALIZED CIRCUIT TABLE] with source_row_id, asset ID, material, temperature and cycling, insulation and jacketing condition, coating history, environment, vulnerable geometry, inspection history and owner-approved consequence fields; plus [OWNER TERMINOLOGY].
Fixed output: return a table with source_row_id,asset_id,susceptibility_evidence,protective_evidence,consequence_context,last_inspection_evidence,missing_evidence,neutral_summary. Limit each narrative field to 45 words.
Unknowns: identify missing values as UNKNOWN; do not treat absence of a damage report as evidence of sound condition and do not infer conditions from asset class alone.
Traceability: every phrase must be supportable by the same row; if external history is joined, list all contributing source_row_id values and identify the joined field.
Boundary: do not label an asset safe, unsafe, high risk or low risk. The output organizes evidence for human review and cannot detect CUI, quantify wall loss, set an inspection interval or replace the owner's approved assessment method.

5. Calculate an owner-defined, explainable planning score

Copy-ready prompt

You are applying, not inventing, an owner-approved screening formula for CUI inspection planning. Use the formula exactly as supplied and show the arithmetic.
Required inputs: [APPROVED SCORING RUBRIC WITH FACTOR DEFINITIONS, WEIGHTS AND MISSING-VALUE RULE], [NORMALIZED ROWS] with source_row_id, and [TIE-BREAK RULE].
Fixed output: return only a CSV with source_row_id,asset_id,factor_inputs,factor_points,missing_value_treatment,total_score,tie_break_value,planning_order,score_explanation,review_flag. Keep unrounded factor points and round only total_score to [DECIMALS].
Unknowns: follow only the supplied missing-value rule; if none is supplied, set total_score and planning_order to UNKNOWN and flag MISSING_RULE. Never choose a weight or substitute a typical value.
Traceability: preserve each source_row_id, name the source column for every factor input, and return all IDs if a score uses multiple rows.
Verification: treat the model's arithmetic as a draft. Recompute every factor, total and tie-break deterministically in code or a controlled spreadsheet, compare the results by source_row_id, and stop on any mismatch before the order is reviewed.
Boundary: this is a transparent sorting calculation, not a probability of failure, CUI diagnosis, remaining-life result or authorization to inspect, defer or repair. A qualified owner representative must approve the rubric and final scope.

6. Create a budget-constrained shortlist with exclusions visible

Copy-ready prompt

You are assembling candidate inspection scopes from an already approved planning order. Keep every excluded row visible and do not optimize away owner constraints.
Required inputs: [APPROVED RANKED TABLE] with source_row_id, [BUDGET OR CREW-DAY LIMIT], estimated unit cost or duration, mandatory inclusions, mandatory exclusions, access constraints and [OWNER SELECTION RULE].
Fixed output: return three tables named SELECTED, NOT_SELECTED and UNRESOLVED. Each must use source_row_id,asset_id,planning_order,estimated_cost_or_hours,selection_reason,constraint,assumption,review_action, followed by a totals row.
Unknowns: place rows with unknown cost, duration, access or mandatory status in UNRESOLVED; do not assign averages unless the owner supplied that rule.
Traceability: copy source IDs unchanged and cite the exact constraint or selection rule used for every row.
Boundary: selection is a draft scope scenario, not permission to omit, defer or inspect equipment. Do not override statutory, code, damage-mechanism, operating or engineer-mandated requirements.

7. Run a two-stage blind retrospective backtest

Copy-ready prompt

You are evaluating whether a frozen planning rule would have surfaced known historical findings earlier. Use exactly one mode per invocation so outcomes cannot influence the ranking.
RANK mode inputs: dataset A containing only pre-campaign fields and source_row_id, plus the frozen [SCORING RULE] and [TIE-BREAK RULE]. Do not accept dataset B or any outcome field in this invocation.
RANK mode output: return only source_row_id,blind_score,blind_rank,input_hash,rule_version. Stop after the ranking. Export and freeze this file before starting EVALUATE mode.
EVALUATE mode inputs: the frozen RANK output, dataset B containing recorded outcomes keyed to the same IDs, [POSITIVE-FINDING DEFINITION], and cutoffs [FOR EXAMPLE 10, 20, 30 PERCENT].
EVALUATE mode output: return cutoff,total_ranked_rows,rows_selected,known_outcome_rows_total,known_outcome_rows_selected,outcome_coverage,positive_findings_available,positive_findings_captured,recall_at_cutoff,baseline_recall,lift_ratio,recall_percentage_point_delta,missed_known_positive_source_row_ids. Define outcome_coverage as known-outcome rows divided by total ranked rows; baseline_recall as known-outcome rows selected divided by known-outcome rows total; lift_ratio as recall divided by baseline recall; and the percentage-point delta as recall minus baseline recall. Finish with a five-line limitations note.
Unknowns: exclude outcome-unknown rows from the recall denominator, report their count, and never relabel missing outcomes as negative.
Traceability: preserve source_row_id across both stages and call uncaptured recorded positives missed known positives, not false negatives.
Verification: independently recompute ranks, cutoffs, coverage, recall, baseline and lift in code or a controlled spreadsheet and stop on any mismatch.
Boundary: a historical backtest measures one ordering on one coverage-limited dataset. It does not validate CUI detection, prove future performance, establish remaining life or justify inspection deferral without engineering review and prospective testing.

Job 3: turn a reviewed order into field-ready questions

Once people approve the candidate order, AI can draft the work around it. The method, coverage, thresholds and acceptance criteria still come from the owner's procedures and qualified personnel.

8. Compare inspection-method options without choosing one

Copy-ready prompt

You are preparing a method-options matrix for a qualified inspection planner. Compare methods only against supplied constraints and owner guidance; do not select or approve a technique.
Required inputs: candidate rows with source_row_id, material, nominal geometry, insulation and jacketing, access, temperature at inspection, suspected locations and planning purpose; [OWNER-APPROVED METHOD CAPABILITY TABLE]; and site constraints.
Fixed output: return source_row_id,asset_id,planning_purpose,candidate_method,supplied_reasons_for,known_limitations,access_or_preparation,required_follow_up,missing_method_input,review_owner. Create one row per asset-method pair and include a NO SUPPORTED OPTION row when appropriate.
Unknowns: use UNKNOWN and do not fill method capability, material compatibility, detection limit or coverage from general model knowledge when it is absent from the supplied table.
Traceability: preserve asset source IDs and cite the owner-table row ID supporting every method statement.
Boundary: the matrix is decision support. It does not detect CUI, interpret NDE, certify coverage, replace a procedure or authorize field use; the responsible Level II/III and integrity team decide.

9. Draft location-specific inspection questions

Copy-ready prompt

You are converting approved asset rows into location-specific questions for a workpack review. Use only supplied geometry and history.
Required inputs: selected rows with source_row_id, asset ID, isometric reference, supports, low points, dead legs, penetrations, terminations, previous locations and findings; [OWNER LOCATION NAMING RULE]; and the approved candidate method.
Fixed output: return source_row_id,asset_id,isometric_reference,location_id,location_basis,question_for_field_team,candidate_method,prerequisite,recording_requirement,unknowns,approver. One physical location per row.
Unknowns: if the geometry or datum is not supplied, write UNKNOWN and create a walk-down question; do not invent support counts, clock positions, dimensions or inspection points.
Traceability: carry the asset source_row_id into every location row and add the exact history-row IDs used in location_basis.
Boundary: these are draft questions, not field instructions or minimum coverage. The owner and qualified inspection personnel must confirm locations, access, method, safety controls and acceptance criteria.

10. Draft a reviewable CUI workpack skeleton

Copy-ready prompt

You are drafting a workpack skeleton from an approved scope. Do not add technical requirements that are not supplied.
Required inputs: selected asset and location rows with source_row_id, approved method and procedure references, access plan, isolation and permit references, insulation removal and reinstatement requirements, data-capture template, escalation contacts and [SITE HOLD POINTS].
Fixed output: produce sections in this exact order: Scope table; Preconditions; Location list; Procedure references; Data to record; Hold points; Exception route; Reinstatement; Sign-offs. Every scope and location row must show its source ID. End with a table missing_input,source_row_id,owner,required_before_issue.
Unknowns: insert [OWNER INPUT REQUIRED]; do not invent permit numbers, procedures, qualifications, thresholds, coating systems or signatories.
Traceability: keep source IDs beside every asset, location, procedure reference and requirement, and identify the source table for each.
Boundary: label the document DRAFT — NOT FOR FIELD USE. It becomes a workpack only after the asset owner's authorized technical, operations and safety reviewers approve it.

Job 4: make new findings reviewable

AI can shorten the path from field sheets to a clean exception queue. It must not turn screening indications into diagnoses or measurements into fitness-for-service conclusions.

11. Reconcile field returns against the issued scope

Copy-ready prompt

You are reconciling returned field records to the approved CUI work list. Report completion and mismatches; do not interpret condition.
Required inputs: issued scope rows and returned field rows, both with source_row_id; location IDs; method; status; recorded values and units; photo or file references; deviation notes; and [COMPLETION RULES].
Fixed output: return four tables: MATCHED,NOT_RETURNED,UNPLANNED_RETURN,DUPLICATE_OR_CONFLICT. Use source_row_id,return_source_row_id,asset_id,location_id,method,recorded_value,unit,status,evidence_reference,exception,review_action in every table.
Unknowns: use UNKNOWN; never call an unreturned location complete, interpret a blank as no finding, or select among conflicting readings.
Traceability: retain the issued and return source IDs separately so a reviewer can open both records; do not overwrite the original value.
Boundary: reconciliation is administrative quality control. It does not validate NDE, confirm corrosion, accept a repair, calculate remaining life or release equipment for service.

12. Build an engineering-review exception queue

Copy-ready prompt

You are routing field-record exceptions to the correct qualified reviewer using owner-supplied rules. Do not make the technical decision yourself.
Required inputs: reconciled field rows with source_row_id and return_source_row_id, [OWNER ESCALATION RULES], [APPROVED SCREENING OR MEASUREMENT THRESHOLDS], reviewer roles and response-time classes.
Fixed output: return queue_id,source_row_id,return_source_row_id,asset_id,location_id,observed_or_reported_value,rule_triggered,exception_class,assigned_role,response_class,evidence_needed,status. Use only the supplied exception and response classes.
Unknowns: if a rule, unit, datum or reviewer is missing, set status to HOLD — OWNER INPUT REQUIRED; never convert, compare or downgrade an uncertain value.
Traceability: cite the exact rule ID and preserve every contributing source ID; one queue item may list several IDs but may not discard them.
Boundary: queue placement is not an engineering disposition. Do not state acceptability, remaining life, fitness for service, repair scope or continued-operation permission; those belong to authorized personnel using controlled procedures.

Job 5: challenge the plan before it is issued

The final two prompts are for disciplined skepticism. They should find reasons to pause, not manufacture confidence.

13. Red-team the proposed scope

Copy-ready prompt

You are an independent reviewer looking for ways a proposed CUI inspection scope could be misleading, incomplete or untraceable. Challenge the evidence; do not redesign the program.
Required inputs: proposed scope with source_row_id, scoring rubric, exclusions, unknown queue, backtest, method-options matrix, owner constraints and [REVIEW CRITERIA].
Fixed output: return issue_id,affected_source_row_ids,review_criterion,evidence,challenge,possible_consequence,question_for_owner,severity,status. Use only CRITICAL,HIGH,MEDIUM,LOW for severity and end with counts by criterion.
Unknowns: distinguish NO EVIDENCE SUPPLIED from evidence of absence; do not invent a failure mode, plant condition, regulatory requirement or standard clause.
Traceability: every challenge must name affected source rows and the supplied artifact or rule it refers to; reject conclusions that cannot be traced.
Boundary: red-team findings are review questions, not proof that a circuit is safe or unsafe. Do not approve the scope, diagnose CUI, set inspection intervals, assess fitness for service or override authorized reviewers.

14. Write the decision meeting brief

Copy-ready prompt

You are drafting a short brief for the owner meeting that will decide whether to revise, approve or reject the proposed inspection scope. Separate facts, assumptions and decisions.
Required inputs: current scope, unknown queue, backtest results, red-team issues and exception owners, all with source_row_id; [MEETING DATE]; [DECISION OWNERS]; and [APPROVAL ROUTE].
Fixed output: write exactly six sections: Decision requested; Evidence supplied; What changed; Open unknowns; Decisions and owners; Explicit non-conclusions. Include one table with item,affected_source_row_ids,decision_owner,due_date,decision_status. Maximum 700 words.
Unknowns: write UNKNOWN for missing dates, owners or evidence and leave decision_status as OPEN; do not imply approval from silence.
Traceability: place source IDs after every quantitative claim and every asset-specific statement; group IDs only when the statement truly applies to all of them.
Boundary: the brief records the decision process. It does not make the decision, detect CUI, establish remaining life or authorize inspection, deferral, repair or operation. Name the qualified accountable approver explicitly.

Questions people ask about AI and CUI planning

Can AI detect corrosion under insulation from a circuit register?

No. A circuit register describes conditions and history; it does not reveal the hidden metal surface. A model can organize that evidence and help compare rows, but confirming CUI requires appropriate inspection and qualified interpretation.

Can I paste plant inspection reports into a public AI tool?

Not without the asset owner's explicit approval of that service and its data controls. Synthetic data and carefully redacted examples are the safe starting point. For real records, use an approved environment with documented access, retention, training-use, location and deletion terms.

What inputs make a CUI planning prompt useful?

Start with stable source IDs and the facts the plant actually has: asset ID, material, temperature and cycling, insulation and jacketing condition, coating history, environment, vulnerable geometry, inspection history and owner-approved consequence context. Units and definitions matter as much as values.

How should a prompt handle missing CUI data?

Make UNKNOWN an allowed answer, prohibit guessing, and ask for a separate missing-evidence queue. An honest blank is more useful than a plausible value whose source nobody can find.

Who approves an AI-assisted CUI inspection plan?

The asset owner's qualified inspection, corrosion and integrity personnel, through the owner's normal approval route. The model can prepare and challenge evidence; accountability does not move to the model.

Demo · synthetic data only

The CUI Priority Workbench shows the narrow version of this workflow: a synthetic circuit register, an explainable order, adjustable assumptions and a blind reveal against synthetic findings. It is a way to pressure-test the planning conversation before controlled plant data enters the room.

Open the CUI Priority Workbench

Official sources and further reading

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jamil@clearanvil.com