Welding of High Pressure vessels and pipelines Procedure Roadmap

This guide has been prepared to assist with the preparation of welding procedures
required for a high pressure vessel. A overview of the following areas will be discussed
giving a basic roadmap to creating a new weld procedure:

Preparation
Provisional weld procedure
Preparation of material
Preparation of equipment
Heat treatment
Qualification test
Inspection
Documentation
Production

Preparation
Specification details of the material to be welded are gathered including the thickness of
material, purpose of vessel and standard of weld to be achieved. The chemical
composition and mechanical properties of the material, including yield and tensile strength
should be tested and recorded. Results should be compared to the specification given by
the manufacturer of the material. The most appropriate welding method, joint type and filler
material should be determined taking account of the outcome required for quality,
environment and reliability.
Provisional Welding Procedure
The provision procedure is set up to provide an opportunity to test the welding variables for
a specific application. This assures repeatability is achievable by properly trained welders.
Preparation of Material
The edges or surfaces to be joined by welding shall be prepared prior to welding. Pipe
rarely will be received in a condition suitable for welding. Generally, there will either be an
oil or rust coating, or a coating to prevent corrosion. This could include paint, primer,
varnish, epoxy or tar all of which are undesirable for welding. Cleanliness is critical to
prevent defects leading to rejected welds and costly repair, so these coatings must
always be removed. Both pipe ends must be cleaned, on the inside and the outside,
at least 25mm beyond the edge of the bevel. All surfaces and edges shall be free from
cracks or any other defects which would adversely affect the quality of the weld. All
moisture, grease or other foreign material that would prevent proper welding or produce
dangerous fumes, should be removed. All surfaces to be welded should be wire brushed
prior to welding.

Preparation of equipment
Welding material should be stored in suitable conditions that will keep them dry and free
from surface rust and other contaminants. All rods should be of the same chemical
composition and match that stated by the provisional welding procedure. Any damaged
rods which have been compromised should be discarded and not used. Welding
equipment should be fit for its purpose complying with the appropriate
Standards. The equipment should be of a power commensurate with the provisional
welding procedure requirements. All equipment should be maintained in a serviceable
condition. Any measuring instruments used for testing and inspection should be calibrated
in line with the manufacturers recommendations.
Heat Treatment
Good welding practice is essential in preventing the weld cracking, which
includes preheating when needed. Any preheat specified is to be maintained during
welding. If welding is interrupted and the temperature of the base metal falls below the
minimum preheat temperature, then arrangements will be made to preheat again prior to
restarting the weld.
Qualification tests
The most experienced and competent welder available should be selected to conduct the
qualification test. The selected welder current certificates and qualifications should be
checked to be valid and in date. Before beginning to weld the procedure should be
checked to assure that the correct electrode is being used. This includes the diameter and
the classification of the electrode. A qualified welding inspector should witnessing the
qualification tests process to confirm compliance with the requirements of the relevant
standard, client, or nominated third party authority.
Inspection
The welding inspector should arrange all the required inspections and tests. All testing,
removal and evaluation should be carried out to the standards set out by the overseeing
governing body, client or third party authority. A visual inspection should take place
following the test weld to check for any obvious defects including:

Poor penetration
Excess penetration
Splatter
Cracking in filler or parent material
Overlap
Excess filler

Subsurface defects should be tested by the use of NDT. NDT should be

carried out by accredited laboratories including the use of radiography, ultrasonic, MPI and
die penetration. Defects to be considered during the NDT inspection includes:

Cracks
Inclusions
Porosity

Destructive testing in the form of tensile, impact, hardness and bend should be completed
and numeric values recorded. Test results are to reviewed and established if the candidate
has been successful. Where the candidate fails, a retest should be arranged with remedial
work taking place to remove the factor(s) leading to the failure, if appropriate.

Documentation required for future welding operations

If successful, generate all necessary records and issue or authorise the issue of
certificates. The procedure is now adopted for all future testing and accreditation of
welders to this process. Documentation is to be recorded and kept for each individual
welder that confirms they have sufficient skill to produce satisfactory welds to the qualified
welding procedure. Any essential variables should also be defined in the documentation
including joint configuration, material thickness, welding position and electrode type and
size. No welder should exceed the limits of their certification. Once accredited the
procedure is monitored to assure continued satisfactory results are being produced. If
defects are found or there are signs of unsatisfactory work the welder must complete
further training and be tested again until successful demonstration of the weld is achieved.