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17 OFFSHORE PIPELINE WELDING

Line pipes can be connected by mechanical connectors or welding. Threaded and

coupling (T&C) or pin and box connectors are used for drilling riser and top tensioned
riser connections. However, welding is more commonly used for offshore pipelines due
to its proven technology and lower cost than mechanical connectors. Advantages of
connectors are: use of high grade pipes (up to 125 ksi SMYS), fast make-up, no welding
(no heat-affected zone, no welding inspection), no field joint coating, etc. Disadvantages
of connectors are: high material cost, leak test for each connection, weak for torsion and
fatigue, etc. Integral connectors, without requiring twist the pipe or connector, have
been developed. The available integral connectors are Jetair PSC, Hydil 2000, OSI
Merlin, etc.

The maximum pipe grade which can be welded offshore is X-70. Pipe grade higher than
X-70 requires induction heat treatment which is impossible for continuous long pipeline
welding. The induction heat treatment is normally done in an oven so it is limited by the
welded products size and length.

There are diversity of welding processes such as solid state welding (resistance, cold,
friction, ultrasonic, etc.), soldering/brazing, and fusion welding. Soldering/brazing melts
only filler materials not base materials. However, the fusion welding involves partial
melting of base material (called heat affected zone, see Figure 17.1). Electrical energy
(electrode) is commonly used for the fusion welding. The most widely used welding
types in offshore industries are listed next page and illustrated in Figure 17.2.

Figure 17.1 Heat Affected Zone

Welding filler
Heat affected zone

Base metal

Temperature Fusion zone/weld pool

(base metal melt + filler melt)

Melting point of base metal

Original temperature
at base material
Temperature at which base material
microstructure is affected
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SMAW or Stick Welding

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is frequently referred to as stick welding. The
flux covering the electrode melts during welding and this forms the gas and slag to
shield the arc and molten weld pool. The slag must be chipped off the weld bead
after welding.

GMAW or MIG Welding

Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) uses an arc between a consumable constant filler
metal electrode and the weld pool. Shielding is provided by an externally supplied
shielding gas. This method is also known as metal inert gas (MIG) welding or metal
active gas (MAG, i.e. carbon dioxide or oxygen) welding.

GMAW consists of a DC arc burning between a thin bare metal wire electrode and
the work piece. The arc and weld area are encased in a protective gas shield. The
wire electrode is fed from a spool, through a welding torch which is connected to the
positive terminal. The technique is easy to use and fast (high productivity) and there
is no need for slag-cleaning since no flux is used. The MAG process is suitable for
steel, low-alloy, and high-alloy based materials. The MIG process, on the other
hand, is used for aluminum and copper materials.

GTAW or TIG Welding

Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) is more commonly known as tungsten inert gas
(TIG) welding. It is an arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten
electrode to produce the weld. The electrode used in GTAW is made of tungsten,
because tungsten has the highest melting temperature among metals. As a result,
the electrode is not consumed during welding, though some erosion (called burn-off)
may occur.

GTAW is most commonly used to weld thin sections of stainless steel and light
metals such as aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloys. The process is known for
creating stronger and higher quality welds than SMAW and GMAW. However,
GTAW is comparatively more complex and difficult to master. It is also significantly
slower than most other welding techniques.
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Figure 17.2 Welding Types

SMAW, Stick GMAW, MIG GTAW, TIG

(Shielded metal arc welding) (Gas metal arc welding) (Gas tungsten arc welding)

In-continuous Continuous consumable weld Non-consumable weld

consumable weld
Good for C-Mn and 13Cr Good for all C-Mn and
Good for C-Mn only CRAs
Fast, automatic- most efficient
Simple and portable Good for root welding
Good for high strength
Slow material Highest quality and cost
Slag and rough surface Commonly used for pipeline Good for thin material
welding
No good for root welding Slow and high skill factor
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Each welding should be examined for its completeness and quality by non-destructive
test (NDT). Generally four (4) NDT methods are widely used in welding inspection as
shown in Table 17.1.

Table 17.1 Non-Destructive Test

Radiography Test Ultrasonic Test Magnetic Particle Dye Penetrant

X-ray/gamma-ray Mechanical vibration Detect disturbed Detect by dye

passes through pipe emitted, reflected, magnetic field penetration
to film and received

Detects volumetric Detects planar Detects surface Detects surface

defects, porosity, defects and lack of and near-surface cracks of
and concavity fusion cracks stainless steels
Safer than
Radiography

Figure 17.3 shows each inspection NDT method and its principals. The radiography test
is commonly used to find defects (such as voids and cracks) but it can not show the
depth of the defects (see Figure 17.3 (a)). Therefore automatic ultrasonic test (AUT) is
used to check the exact size of the defects, as necessary.

Figure 17.3 Non-Destructive Test

Radiation
Void
Specimen
(pipe)

Film after Processing

(a) Radiographic Test (RT)

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Figure 17.3 Non-Destructive Test (continued)

(b) Automatic Ultrasonic Test (AUT)

(c) Magnetic Particle Test (MPT)

A. Sample before testing

B. Liquid penetrant applied
C. Surplus wiped off leaving
penetrant in crack
D. Developer powder applied,
dye soaks into powder
E. View colored indications, or
UV lamp shows fluorescent
indications

(d) Dye (Liquid) Penetrant Inspection (DPI)