This document summarizes how welding consumable improvements from ESAB can reduce pipeline construction time. Specifically, it describes a "3 run" welding procedure that uses a modified vertical down basic electrode for the first fill pass after the root and hot passes. This provides benefits over a traditional "2 run" procedure by avoiding issues like gas pores and reducing need for grinding. Field tests showed the new procedure can reduce welding time by over 30% and increase productivity to rates like 120-130 joints/day for a 48" pipeline.
Piping components, materials, codes and standards part 1- pipeAlireza Niakani
The course is focused on four areas: piping components, pipe materials and manufacture, sizes, codes and standards. Applicable piping codes for oil and gas facilities (ISO, B31.3, B31.4, B31.8, etc.), pipe sizing calculations, pipe installation, and materials selection are an integral part of the course. The emphasis is on proper material selection and specification of piping systems.
Piping Components Handbook (Piping Training Material) for Oil & Gas EngineerVarun Patel
Learn in detail every aspect of Pipe & Pipe Fittings used in process industry
•Different types of Pipe, Pipe fittings (Elbow, Tee, reducers, Caps etc.), Flanges, Gaskets, Branch Connection, Bolting materials
•Materials (Metal-Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, Alloy Steel etc. Non-Metal- PVC/VCM, HDPE, GRE-GRP etc.)
•Manufacturing methods
•Heat treatment requirements
•Inspection and Testing requirements (Non Destructive Testing, Mechanical & Chemical testing)
•Dimensions & Markings requirements
•Code & Standard used in piping
LS industries builds a pipe blaster to fit large or small applications. Contact me for more information. We can build machines for sizes from 1- 144" ID or OD.
Tim Ens
Fundamental of Pipes for Oil & Gas EngineerVarun Patel
You will learn about fundamental of pipes that used in process piping of oil and gas industries. You will learn different types of pipe and common material and ASTM grades. You will also learn about NPS & Schedule number that used to define pipe size and thickness. You will also learn about double random & single random pipe length, and what is the difference between small bore and large bore pipe.
Since our inception in the year 2007, we, SLS Stainless Pvt.Ltd., are a prominent organization, which is engaged in manufacturing and exporting a wide range of superior grade Industrial Pipes, Tubes, Sheets, Flanges & Fasteners. The offered range of products incorporates Duplex Pipes, Duplex Steel Pipes, Stainless Steel Pipes, etc. To manufacture our offered range of products, we make use of premium quality stainless steel metal. Our offered range of pipes and tubes is highly acclaimed in the market for its anti-corrosive properties, dimensional accuracy and longer functional life.
With pressures up to 6000 psig (413 bar), the new
Swagelok® FX Series 321 stainless steel braided hose is
suitable for a wide range of requirements. The convoluted
core allows for flexibility and limits kinking. Available with
a wide variety of end connections, it is commonly used in
a high-temperature vacuum or in cases where permeation
and corrosion are undesirable. The FX hose is specifically
designed for high-pressure applications in:
Fundamental of Pipe / Pipeline used in Process Piping.Varun Patel
Learn about every aspect of pipe that used in process piping in Oil & Gas Industries. This small pipe handbook cum guide includes Fundamental of pipe, types of pipe, manufacturing, dimension, testing, hydro testing, inspection, and marking.
In this issue of surfaces magazine, we travel far and wide as we take a look at a range of projects from Australia to Sweden.
- See how our Chartek® passive fire protection has been used on a chemical plant for 10 years
- Discover how Korean shipyards are experiencing a newbuilding boom for offshore drill ships
- Find out how we are helping a Chinese local water authority to cut the cost of its concrete protection
Piping components, materials, codes and standards part 1- pipeAlireza Niakani
The course is focused on four areas: piping components, pipe materials and manufacture, sizes, codes and standards. Applicable piping codes for oil and gas facilities (ISO, B31.3, B31.4, B31.8, etc.), pipe sizing calculations, pipe installation, and materials selection are an integral part of the course. The emphasis is on proper material selection and specification of piping systems.
Piping Components Handbook (Piping Training Material) for Oil & Gas EngineerVarun Patel
Learn in detail every aspect of Pipe & Pipe Fittings used in process industry
•Different types of Pipe, Pipe fittings (Elbow, Tee, reducers, Caps etc.), Flanges, Gaskets, Branch Connection, Bolting materials
•Materials (Metal-Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, Alloy Steel etc. Non-Metal- PVC/VCM, HDPE, GRE-GRP etc.)
•Manufacturing methods
•Heat treatment requirements
•Inspection and Testing requirements (Non Destructive Testing, Mechanical & Chemical testing)
•Dimensions & Markings requirements
•Code & Standard used in piping
LS industries builds a pipe blaster to fit large or small applications. Contact me for more information. We can build machines for sizes from 1- 144" ID or OD.
Tim Ens
Fundamental of Pipes for Oil & Gas EngineerVarun Patel
You will learn about fundamental of pipes that used in process piping of oil and gas industries. You will learn different types of pipe and common material and ASTM grades. You will also learn about NPS & Schedule number that used to define pipe size and thickness. You will also learn about double random & single random pipe length, and what is the difference between small bore and large bore pipe.
Since our inception in the year 2007, we, SLS Stainless Pvt.Ltd., are a prominent organization, which is engaged in manufacturing and exporting a wide range of superior grade Industrial Pipes, Tubes, Sheets, Flanges & Fasteners. The offered range of products incorporates Duplex Pipes, Duplex Steel Pipes, Stainless Steel Pipes, etc. To manufacture our offered range of products, we make use of premium quality stainless steel metal. Our offered range of pipes and tubes is highly acclaimed in the market for its anti-corrosive properties, dimensional accuracy and longer functional life.
With pressures up to 6000 psig (413 bar), the new
Swagelok® FX Series 321 stainless steel braided hose is
suitable for a wide range of requirements. The convoluted
core allows for flexibility and limits kinking. Available with
a wide variety of end connections, it is commonly used in
a high-temperature vacuum or in cases where permeation
and corrosion are undesirable. The FX hose is specifically
designed for high-pressure applications in:
Fundamental of Pipe / Pipeline used in Process Piping.Varun Patel
Learn about every aspect of pipe that used in process piping in Oil & Gas Industries. This small pipe handbook cum guide includes Fundamental of pipe, types of pipe, manufacturing, dimension, testing, hydro testing, inspection, and marking.
In this issue of surfaces magazine, we travel far and wide as we take a look at a range of projects from Australia to Sweden.
- See how our Chartek® passive fire protection has been used on a chemical plant for 10 years
- Discover how Korean shipyards are experiencing a newbuilding boom for offshore drill ships
- Find out how we are helping a Chinese local water authority to cut the cost of its concrete protection
Erosion and Cavitation Tests Applied to Coating Welded with Blends of Stainle...CSCJournals
The process GMAW with its your applications using two wires pointing in the market as an alternative to coating when high productivity is desired. Potential variants emerge from this process as GMAW cold wire and GMAW double wire. One of the biggest difficulty is the setting of its parameters, which in addition to duplicate compared to conventional GMAW, act in a dependent manner. A greater understanding of this technology applied to coatings on turbines in various positions is critical so that you can master the process and its variables, aiming to enhance the application in industry. It was proposed in this study an experimental evaluation to verify the influence of some variables on the profile of cord and wear resistance. For this it is proposed in this paper to make deposits with weld metal AWS 308LSi stainless steel and alloys of cobalt (Stellites 6 and 21) plates in carbon steel SAE 1020 in flat positions. In the characterization of wear in the lining was used the determination of the hardness and surface topography. It is concluded that cobalt alloys have superior resistance to erosive damage with emphasis on the Stellite 21 alloy in erosion and cavitation in Stellite 6. In an intermediate position with respect to wear are mixtures of austenitic stainless steel and cobalt alloys. Therefore, it is essential to study welding processes with multiple wires as proposed in this paper aiming the best combination of alloys for resistance to cavitation-erosion phenomena.
Underwater welding is an important tool for underwater fabrication works.
In 1946, special waterproof electrodes were developed in Holland by ‘Vander Willingen'’.
In recent years the number of offshore (inside the water) structures including oil drilling rigs, pipelines, platforms are being installed significantly
Fluxtrol's "Best Practice for Design and Manufacturing of Heat Treating Induc...Fluxtrol Inc.
With the use of good design practices, one can improve coil longevity and improve production quality. By eliminating failure points in the initial design, proper material selection, improved cooling and proper magnetic flux control, induction tooling life can be increased. Computer simulation has been proven to be an effective tool for predicting not only electromagnetic parameters of a designed system, but also heat patterns in a given part and in the induction coil itself. When a coil has magnetic flux controllers present, their influence may also be predicted by computer simulation. With an extensive library of published case studies in induction coil design and performance evaluations, we are confident with the use of these tools and proper coil geometries and implementation, production life and quality can be improved on most induction heat treating inductors. These design practices have been used by the authors for over 20 years with proven results. A case is examined of a CVJ stem hardening coil, in which the principles discussed can be applied to most other hardening coils.
ONGOING PROGRESS IN ADVANCED WELDING PROCESSES AND MATERIALSRamamSingh
The Primary dynamic for welding process development is the need to improve the total cost effectiveness of joining operations in fabrication and manufacturing industries. Many of the traditional welding techniques described are regarded as costly and hazardous, but it is possible to improve both of these aspects by employing some of the advanced process developments.
Discusses some of the role and future direction of welding technology, welding materials, productivity and efficiency, education and safety having an impact on future growth in welding technology. Analysis of key needs of some manufacturing industries has been researched. It also provides a good foundation for future research of the developmental direction of advanced welding processes and materials in manufacturing industries.
Weld Purging ~ Corrosion Problems in Stainless Steel by WeldingRon Sewell
Abstract
Corrosion is not uncommon in stainless steels, despite their name. Salt water environments in particular can give rise to corrosion and this is even noticeable at domestic level where cutlery discolours in mild salt solutions during dishwashing cycles. Loss of corrosion resistance during welding takes place when oxygen levels in shield and purge gases are high enough to deplete the chromium content.
Take a look into the reliability of plated through-holes and compare the impact of various amounts of copper plating in the through holes. Results of the thermal stress testing will be presented.
Learn about the critical factors of Heavy Copper Printed Circuit Boards for determining the appropriate Heavy Copper elements such as acceptable heat rise, copper thickness, hole-size, and if capable of support vias.
Rautomead Newsletter issue 01
continuouscasting.com
For over 30 years Rautomead Limited has specialised in the design and manufacture of continuous casting equipment for non-ferrous metals and alloys. There are now more than 300 Rautomead machines in operation in over 45 different countries worldwide.
Rautomead plants are being successfully applied to production of oxygen-free copper, a wide range of copper-based alloys, precious metals and zinc. Forms include wire rod, straight length bars, flats and hollow sections. According to material and section, the casting process selected may be vertical upwards, vertical downwards or horizontal. The machines may be used either as integrated melting, holding and casting machines, or may be arranged to be fed with pre-alloyed molten metal.
The Rautomead Continuous Casting System is based on electric resistance heating of its furnaces, with graphite containment crucibles, graphite heating elements and casting dies. This technology is particularly suited for production of high purity, high quality oxygen-free copper and copper alloy wire rods (copper silver, copper magnesium, copper tin).
The upward casting equipment may be used to manufacture rods of all diameters between 8.0mm and 30mm diameter and is suitable feedstock for wire drawing and continuous rotary extrusion processes. End use applications include: superfine wire, automotive wires, contact wire and trolley wires for high speed trains, data communication cables, CTC and transformer strips as well as enamelled wires.
Rautomead’s R&D facility at the factory in Dundee (casting equipment, technicians, design and operational experience) is available to companies who wish to commission experimental and research work to develop technology and tooling for the manufacture and processing of new alloys and materials. Rautomead’s partnership with the University of Dundee provides access to sophisticated laboratory equipment as well as support with analytical evaluation and academic contributions to the R&D effort
ESAB's innovatieve U82 plus: Meer opties zijn er niet!Jorg Eichhorn
ESAB introduceerde de eerste digitale controle unit in 1997 en heeft deze verder ontwikkeld met vele functionaliteiten en ongeevenaarde technologieen. De Aristo® U82 is de eerste generatie ontwikkeld voor ontwikkelde handmatige en gemechaniseerde lastoepassingen. De nieuwe generatie Aristo ™ U82 creërt een heel nieuwe wereld van mogelijkheden - maximale functionaliteit, minimale complexiteit. Met één menu, vijf functieknoppen,drie draaiknoppen en één Enter knop bediend u elke optie. Met een groot, helder en duidelijk LED display en eenvoudige bediening is de U8@ speciaal ontwikkeld voor eenvoudig gebruik. Aristo ™ U82 en U82 Aristo ™ Plus, de geheel nieuwe U82 controlebox is de sleutel tot een volledig geintegreerd lassysteem. Volledige USB aansluiting en een brede keuze van geavanceerde uitbreidingsmogelijkheden voor de Aristo ™ W82 met de veelomvattende Fieldbus (DeviceNet, CANopen of Profibus) en LAN (Ethernet) communicatie. Optioneel synergische-lijn pakketten voor speciale materialen.
Ondersteuningshandleiding en gemechaniseerde toepassingen
-17 talen, waaronder Chinees
-Groot display
-Draaiknoppen voor draadaanvoersnelheid en spanning
-Draaiknoppen om door het menu te scrollen
-USB-aansluiting
-QSet ™
-Editor voor de vastlegging van ingestelde en gemeten waarden
-Anti stick puls
-LAN (via Aristo ™ W82)
-WeldPoint ™
-Volledig pakket synergische lijnen (> 230) Extra voor Aristo® U82 Plus:
-SuperPulse ™
-Filemanager
-Automatisch opslaan modus
-Door de gebruiker gedefinieerde synergielijnen
Validatie en Calibratie van lasapparatuur volgens EN1090 / 3834 / 50504Jorg Eichhorn
Presentatie van Frank van Doornik over validatie en calibratie van lasappartuur. Wat beschrijft de norm? Zijn (digitale) Volt en Ampere meters verplicht? Waarvoor kunt u terecht bij een ESAB validatie center.
ESAB behoort tot 's werelds leidende producenten van Aluminium lastoevoegmaterialen. Ons toevoegmaterialenprogramma - bestaande uit beklede laselektroden, gevulde lasdraden, massieve lasdraden, TIG-staven, lasband en laspoeders - dekt al uw wensen voor alle lasprocessen.
De verpakking is ontwikkeld voor iedere toepassing, of het nu handmatig Tig of Volautomatisch Mig is. MARATHON PAC™ en VacPac™ zijn hier sprekende voorbeelden van.
Voor meer informatie kijk op onze internetsite: http://products.esab.com/nl/Templates/T094.asp?id=35833
ESAB in 2014; 110 jaar Innovatie. Vanaf de uitvinding van de electrode door Oscar Kjellberg in 1904 is ESAB een van 's werlds toonaangevende bedrijven op het gebied van las en snijtechniek.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)Ralf Eggert
In this presentation, we examine the challenges and limitations of relying too heavily on PHP frameworks in web development. We discuss the history of PHP and its frameworks to understand how this dependence has evolved. The focus will be on providing concrete tips and strategies to reduce reliance on these frameworks, based on real-world examples and practical considerations. The goal is to equip developers with the skills and knowledge to create more flexible and future-proof web applications. We'll explore the importance of maintaining autonomy in a rapidly changing tech landscape and how to make informed decisions in PHP development.
This talk is aimed at encouraging a more independent approach to using PHP frameworks, moving towards a more flexible and future-proof approach to PHP development.
"Impact of front-end architecture on development cost", Viktor TurskyiFwdays
I have heard many times that architecture is not important for the front-end. Also, many times I have seen how developers implement features on the front-end just following the standard rules for a framework and think that this is enough to successfully launch the project, and then the project fails. How to prevent this and what approach to choose? I have launched dozens of complex projects and during the talk we will analyze which approaches have worked for me and which have not.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Let's dive deeper into the world of ODC! Ricardo Alves (OutSystems) will join us to tell all about the new Data Fabric. After that, Sezen de Bruijn (OutSystems) will get into the details on how to best design a sturdy architecture within ODC.
Knowledge engineering: from people to machines and back
Esab world pipelines
1. Marcel Stemvers, Global Energy Segment
Manager and Gordon Eadie, Global Pipeline
Segment Manager, ESAB, Sweden, explain
how welding consumable improvements can
reduce pipeline construction time.
T
here are continual developments in the field of pipeline welding products and
those involved in the ownership, design, installation and maintenance of pipelines
need to be fully aware of such improvements.
Manufacturers of welding consumables and machines, such as ESAB,
have continued to invest in research and development. They offer solutions that are
technologically advanced, acknowledge the need to keep costs as low as possible and
reflect the important criteria of safety, quality and environmental requirements. ESAB is
the only welding company to have achieved ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards in
environmental, health and safety management systems across all of its global manufacturing
facilities.
Every day vast distances of steel pipelines are installed worldwide for the most varied
civil engineering and industrial uses, carrying essential fluids and gases. To comply with
all pipeline technical specifications and fulfil the necessary safety requirements, welding
Figure 1.
ESAB welders
demonstrate the
versatility of the
Pipeweld DH
range of vertical
down basic
electrodes.
113
2. materials and processes continue to evolve. Whilst welding
consumables may represent only a small fraction of the
overall cost of pipeline construction, the combination of these
consumables and welding processes is critical to a project’s
success.
Within the industry, the onus is on the pipeline contractor
to propose a welding process that meets the mechanical
requirements of the pipeline designer or owner. Pipeline
contractors often design the welded joint to suit their
preferred welding technique, then approach manufacturers
of consumables for tailored welding electrodes or wires that
perform as required for the proposed process.
Meeting targets
ESAB has recently succeeded in supporting pipeline contractors
with a welding technique that significantly reduces welding
time and is easy to adapt to specific project demands. The
contractors are able to utilise existing staff and equipment
as well as meet more demanding requirements. The drive for
this change came from increasing demands on weld metal
strength as well as the need from the contractor to improve
competitiveness by reducing the man-hours on the job. It was
clear that adopting the same welding technology would not
deliver both targets. However, a fundamental change in welding
technology would push the operations into another dimension,
with all risks associated.
The technology adopted uses several classical welding
solutions, which have recently been upgraded to deliver
improved weld metal properties as well as enhanced welding
productivity and process control. After depositing the classical
cellulose root, filling commences normally with a ‘2 run’
procedure. The suggested alternative is a ‘3 run’ procedure where
a modified vertical down basic electrode is used, to overcome
the typical shortcomings of the ‘2 run’ procedure, as explained in
more detail later.
Thanks to its ease and versatility, the main welding
process used to install pipelines is manual welding with
coated electrodes. However, to limit costs and increase
welding productivity – particularly on long routes – pipeline
constructors have adopted the semi-automatic or completely
automatic welding process with solid and flux-cored wires. Since
protective gases can also be difficult to find in certain countries
– and these are necessary in welding with solid or cored wires –
manual metal arc (MMA) remains attractive.
Characteristics
To describe the benefits of the recently modified ESAB Pipeweld
DH series the typical process characteristics should be reviewed.
These Pipeweld DH products are offering 120% recovery, against
90% of the cellulose electrodes. This leads to deposition rates
over 3 kg/hr in vertical down position, very close to flux-cored
wire vertically up. The main added benefit from welding vertical
down is the inherent safety against excessive heat input. Impact
toughness and tensile properties of weld metal and heat
affected zone are generally better than when welding vertical
up, which is further supported by the low oxygen content of the
basic weld metal. Another benefit is the low hydrogen content
of the deposited weld metal, the Pipeweld DH range is classified
H4R, providing the highest possible security against cold cracking
or porosity. This low hydrogen content is guaranteed from the
ESAB VacPac electrode packaging, avoiding costly baking and
electrode handling.
The practical limitations from using vertical down basic
electrodes has been the requirement to apply a starting
technique perpendicular to the pipe, after which the electrode
has to be tilted to get the appropriate
dragging angle. This requires dedicated
skills and does not entirely avoid
starting porosity. The Pipeweld DH
series use a patented tip design that
allows the welder to start with the
electrode already in the proper
welding direction, without the risk to
generate starting porosity.
This special tip design is
furthermore supported from enhanced
coating strength. The projects supplied
so far have reported a complete
reduction of electrode scrap rates,
which has been on average as high
as 30% for the classical tapered tip
designs, due to transport damage.
These modifications are now
enabling pipeline contractors to use
Figure 2. Deposition comparison (kg/hr at 100% arc time).
Table 1. Pipeweld WPQR tests
Test
No.
Process Bead location Consumable Diameter Passes Welding
time
1 Cellulose Root Pipeweld 6010 Plus 4 mm
6 13.5 minsCellulose Hot pass Pipeweld 9010 Plus 4 mm
FCAW Fill & cap Pipeweld 71T-1 1.2 mm
2 Cellulose Root Pipeweld 6010 Plus 4 mm
6 14.5 mins
Cellulose Hot pass Pipeweld 9010 Plus 4 mm
DH Basic First fill pass Pipeweld 90DH 4 mm
FCAW Fill & cap Pipeweld 71T-1 2 mm
3 Cellulose Root Pipeweld 6010 Plus 4 mm
17 28.5 mins
Cellulose Hot pass, fill & cap Pipeweld 9010 Plus 4 mm
4 Cellulose Root Pipeweld 6010 Plus 4 mm
10 19 mins
Cellulose Hot pass Pipeweld 9010 Plus 4 mm
DH Basic First fill pass Pipeweld 90DH 4 mm
DH Basic Fill & cap Pipeweld 90DH 4.5 mm
114 World Pipelines / JUNE 2014
3. vertical down basic electrode welding to their full benefit
and seriously reduce rework and welding time whilst
meeting high requirements on the weld metal. The Pipeweld
DH range is available for pipe steels up to API-5L: X80.
‘2 run’ procedure
The ‘2 run’ procedure uses filling with a rutile cored
wire directly after the cellulose hot pass. This method is
regularly causing issues with gas pops or blowholes coming
from the cellulose layer underneath the first FCW fill pass.
Deep grinding to clean the weld metal does overcome most
of this problem, but not entirely. This grinding is both time
consuming and removes quite a bit of weld metal, adding to
the further completion time.
‘3 run’ procedure
The ‘3 run’ procedure uses a basic vertical down first fill
pass. This avoids heavy grinding and leaves a clean basis
for the FCAW process without the need for any other
treatment than slag removal. Filling commences with a rutile
flux-cored wire that is specially formulated for mechanised
pipe welding. This style was originally developed for tie-in
welds where, due to physical restrictions (fittings etc) or
connecting into the main line at road crossings, the use of
the internal line-up clamp and or internal welder was not
possible. Contractors soon realised that with the correct
manning and number of welding stations this technique
resulted in a similar number of joints per day at a lower
cost.
Table 1 explains the details of the techniques described
with their economical characteristics.
Field welding results have given the following
productivity rates:
) 1 pair of welders for root, hot pass and fill using
cellulose, Basic DH and FCW resulted in 3 welds/d on a
48 in. 25 mm wall pipe.
) 1 pair of welders for root cellulose, one pair for 1st
HP with cellulose, 1 pair for 2nd HP with basic VD
and 6 pairs with welding bug and FCAW resulted in
60/65 welds/d on a 48 in. 21.3 mm wall pipe.
) On a 24 in. mainline 14 mm wall thickness with 9 pairs of
welders (as above) 120 - 130 joints/d were achieved and
65 joints/d on a 48 in. 17 mm wall thickness with the
same crew formation.
Practical conditions
The main requirements for successfully mechanised pipe welding
have to do with the practical conditions under which the wire
has to perform. Arc voltage has to be set low in order to get a
smooth weld bead in all the pipe positions. However, this low
arc voltage shall not create excessive spatter or contact tip
damage. At the same time the welding parameters should not be
so low that productivity is affected.
The Pipeweld FCW’s are designed to work in mixed gas and
overcome all the hurdles above. They are class leading in their
productivity, which can reach 4 kg/hr, they have a good welder
appeal and have proven themselves to be very robust in field
conditions. Their strength levels go up to X80 with overmatched
weld metal.
Flux-cored wires are nowadays well suited for pipeline
applications. Low-hydrogen operation is possible as well as good
impact toughness down to -60 °C. It is easy to obtain flat welds
with a good penetration and smooth wetting onto the pipe
edges. The brittle slag is easily removed leaving behind a smooth
rutile weld appearance. Typical positional welding defects, such
as lack of fusion and slag inclusions, are avoided due to the
spray arc operation. The wires have a good tolerance to poor
joint fit up, which understandably makes then especially suited
for tie-in welds.
The combination of cellulose, basic vertical down electrodes
and the cored wire from the Pipeweld range has proven to be as
cost-effective as automatic solid wire welding, even when using
an internal root pass welding clamp. This is mainly due to the
relatively low cost equipment and avoiding the high rental costs
of internal welding line-up clamps and the additional equipment
and technicians to support joint completion. However, this
statement is restricted to light to medium wall thicknesses.
On heavy wall thicknesses narrow gap pulsed MIG is the most
productive solution.
Figure 2 demonstrates the deposition rates that can be
expected from the various processes, when using these under
ideal pipe welding conditions. What is often not recognised is
the productivity of the vertical down electrodes.
This technique is receiving a warm interest due to the
global trend to use cellulosic electrodes for root and hot pass
applications only. This will not change overnight, however once
the pipeline owners requests for limitations on weld metal
hydrogen content are heard, appropriate alternative solutions
must be found. The technique described here allows the existing
skilled welders to make the change with no issues as both
processes are high speed vertical down MMA welding processes.
From these field results it can be learned that the use
of modified basic vertical down electrodes can significantly
reduce welding time and enhance flexibility. The welding
time reduction of more than 30% against cellulose is very
attractive, especially since savings can be realised with
existing skills. It is obvious that filling with FCAW delivers in
terms of productivity. Here the modified basic vertical
down electrode enables a process switch whilst enhancing
productivity and weld quality.
Figure 3. Macro examination of Pipeweld FCAW 15.9 mm wall
thickness. Root and hot pass with cellulose, fill and cap with
FCAW.
116 World Pipelines / JUNE 2014