PIPELINE WELDING

Pipe-lay System

Reel-lay S-lay J-lay

• Flexible and cable • Shallow Sea • Deep Sea
• Rigid pipe • Rigid pipe

Reel Stinger J-lay tower

S-laying

• Water Depth≤ 200M

• “S” shaped Pipeline
• Maintain Tension

3
 HD-60 HD-423

HD-2500 HD-289
HD-2500
Conveyor Production System
Characteristics of Pipeline Welding

Conveyor Production System

Even Work Load

Team Work

High Cost Production

Daily 100,000~350,000 USD

Productivity → Cycle Time Station #1 is the bottleneck

Downtime : Repair, Mechanical,

Operational, and Weather
Work Sequence

Pipe Transportation Unloading Pipe

Edge Beveling Pipe inside cleaning

 Line-up Welding(Station #1)

Welding(Station #2~#4) Welding(Station #2~#4)

 NDT Passing Tensioner

HSS Dope
 Cooling Stinger

Entering sea
Riser
J-Lay
 Reel-Lay

• Flexible pipe
• Cable
• Rigid pipe(small diameter)
Welding of Clad pipe
• 316L clad
• Inconel 625 clad
• (S)DSS

• Untreated crude oil

• Interfield (≤ 15Km)
 LONGI. WELDING

C/S SAW Clad W/D-Auto-TIG

Auto G/G C/S SAW

Pipe Manufacturer
 Welding of Clad Pipeline

• Welding consumables for dissimilar materials (ER309,

Inconel 625)
• Quick Argon Purging and maintenance of purging up to
3rd layer.
• Open-root repair not possible→ Interim X-ray after 3rd
layer
Aux Equipments

Induction Heater

Preheating Equipment
Heating Temp : Minimum Preheat Temp+50°C
Demagnetizer

≤ 50 Gauss

3
Liquified Gas Tank Evaporator and Mixer

Ar50+CO250
 Pipe Facing Machine(PFM)
Beveling pipe edge (Pursuit Out-of-
Roundness)
Internal Clamp

Line-up (No Tack)

For manual welding
For automatic welding(Copper shoe)
Pneumatic
 Internal Clamp/Welder

Line-up and Welding

Compensate big Hi-Lo(Large
diameter pipes)
Mechanized internal GMAW
Single wire 6 Torch
Mixed Gas (Argon/CO2 = 75:25)
1st Half circle welding and then
2nd half welding
INTERNAL WELDER WORK SEQUENCE
 Welding Processes

1. SMAW : Cellulosic electrodes

2. FCAW : Innershield
3. Auto-GMAW : Tandem-GMAW(Pulse)
4. SAW(Double Joint) : DC or AC
5. GTAW + GMAW(V-up) : For Clad pipe
SMAW

Cellulosic Electrodes
Vertical-Down

Electrodes
AWS A5.1 and A5.5.
E-6010
E-7010P1
E-8010P1
 Vertical-down welding

V-up V-down

Number of Passes 4 10

Time for Root Pass 30 Min. 5Min.

Time for Balance 30Min. 45Min.

Total Time 60Min. 50Min.

Cycle Time 30Min. 12.5Min.

AVG Current 140A 180A

Electrode Dia 3.2/4.0 4.0/5.0

 Electrodes

* Cellulosic Electrode

- DC
- V-Down or Up
- Deep penetration
- Small Slag and Fast Freezing
- Gas former(CO, CO2, H2, and H2O)
* Low Hydrogen V-down Electrode
- High Hydrogen
- Low Hydrogen
• Low Hydrogen Electrodes(Basic type)
- E7018-G/E8018-G/E7048
- Not very good bead formation.
- DC/AC
- X65 or higher grade pipes
- V-down Not possible
- Medium penetration
- Much slag quantity and slow freezing
- Small Gas former(High resolution temp)
- Low Hydrogen
Electrode Manipulation

Drag technique : Slag shall not go faster than arc.

Current changing during welding

 ROOT PASS HOT PASS (2nd Pass)

1. E6010, 4.0mm 1. High current for deep penetration

(remelt the wagon track)
2. ROOT GAP : 1.5mm
2. 4.0mm dia.
3. DC(-)
3. DC(+)
4. Best welders
4. 140~180 Amp
5. Pipe movement after hot pass

FILL PASSES CAP PASS(ES)

1. 5.0mm . 1. 4.0mm /(5.0mm)

2. DC(+) 2. DC(+)
3. 160~220 Amp 3. 140~180 Amp
 Pass Sequence

T=9.5mm

T=12.7mm

9 10
8(STRIP) 5 6
7
6 4
5
T=14.3mm 4 3
3
T=15.9mm Cf. V-up, T=15.9mm
2 2
1 1

1
T=17.5mm T=23.8mm
 Welding Machine

1. DC-CC
2. Remote control
3. Output control
1. DC-CC/CV
2. Remote control
3. Output control
 Double Joint

• 24M pipe manufacturing by joining two single joints.

• Longer Barge length.
• 150~160% efficiency comparing with single joint
 Line-up

Internal Clamp
Outside Welding : Twin wire Submerged Arc Welding

Welding & Pipe rotating

 Inside welding Single wire Submerged Arc Welding

Manipulator Monitor

Monitoring during Welding Grinding

 Process

• Tiny Twin Wire SAW

• Wire : 2.0mm x 2(Outside), 3.2mm(Inside)
• Power source/control : DC1500/NA5
• 4 passes best !!
• Slag detachability is important

OUTSIDE

15.9mm

INSIDE
 MAINLINE
WELDING

• Mechanized GMAW
• Tandem wire (Individual Power
source) : ER70S-6, 1.0mmø
• Mixed Gas (Argon/CO2 = 50:50)
• Bug & Band
• Programmed welding
parameters for each layer
• Adjustment during welding
(Weave width and speed)
• Automatic adjustment of torch
height
• Monitoring welding parameters
Control System
 Characteristics

• R=2.4mm, a=5° (Narrow gap)

• Target : 4 passes
• Concave bead by capillarity
• Irregular bead by mis-centering
 Parameters

 Oscillation
 Centering  Travel speed too high
 Gas Flow → Lack of fusion
 Slow WFS for Start-up  Weaving frequency
too high → Overload
 Crater Treatment on weaver
 Welding parameters per arc location
(Angle sensor)
 WFS, Amp, Volt, Weaving width,
Weaving frequency, Dwell time, and
Travel speed
 Coating contact tube
with ceramic for root
welding

Root Welding
 Fill & Cap

 Fill pass  For Cap pass

 Contact tube outside groove
 Multi-Torch Welder

• Mechanized external
GMAW
• Single wire 6 Torch
• Torch on Frame
 Pulsed Arc Seam Tracking

• Repeat High / Low current/Voltage  Arc sensor (Voltage sensing)

• Digital control(Programming)  Algorithm
• High : Spray arc (One pulse one drop),
No spatter.
• Low : Arc maintenance
• Achievement of spray arc and deep
penetration with same average current.

25V 22V 18V

 SPECIFICATIONS

- API (American Petroleum Institute)

API 1104 (Welding of Pipelines and related facilities)
API 5L (Specification for Line pipe)

- DNV
DNV-OS-F101 (Submarine Pipeline Systems)

- BS
BS4515 (Specification for welding of steel pipelines on land and offshore)
Part 1(Carbon and carbon manganese steel pipelines)
 API STD 1104

- Qualification (Procedure, Welder)

- Production Welding (Alignment, Line-up, Bevel, Weather, Preheat…..)
- Inspection (Method, Acceptance standards)
- Repair
- NDT procedure (Workmanship, or alternative acceptance standard)
- Mechanized Welding with Filler Metal Additions
- Automatic Welding without Filler metal Additions
- In-service welding
 Qualification

WPQT
- Welding
- Visual Inspection
- NDT
- Mechanical testing (Tensile, Bend, Nick Break, Macro, Hardness,
Charpy v-notch Impact)
- Records (WPQR)

WQT
- Welding
- Visual Inspection
- NDT
- (or) Mechanical testing (Tensile, Bend, Nick Break)
- Records (WQR)
Qualification
INSPECTION RT, UT, MPI Procedure
Personnel Certification
Equipment Calibration
Acceptance Standard
 Alternative Acceptance Standard

Judge based on length.

Workmanship criteria Based on experiences,
Service independent.

Judge based on Height and length.

Fracture mechanic analysis

Fitness for Purpose

Additional WPQT(CTOD test)

Stress Analysis
Inspection (Depth, height & length)
 Alternative Acceptance Standard

Stress Analysis

CTOD test

AUT Validation
NDT

Radiography

AUT

5
Radiography(X-ray) Aligning Source with joint

Crawler Panoramic shooting

Film attachment, shooting, print-out and Interpretation : Abt 5 Min.

Auto UT

Zone
discrimination
Phased Array