Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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Purpose: To carry out welding jobs, new & repair work for pipelines. Scope: This procedure shall be applicable to GNPOC pipeline.

1.1

WELDING TECHNIQUES

1.1.1 JOINT DESIGN Different type of joints are used in many combinations, the selection of which is influenced by accessibility, economy, adaptation to the particular design of structure being fabricated and the type of welding process being used. Groove Welded Joints i. Square-groove welds can be produced on thickness upto 3.0mm. ii.Bevelling is used on thickness more than 3.0mm. iii. iv. Single-V, U, and bevel grooves are the suitable edge preparations for butt joints of thickness upto about 19.0mm. For thickness 19.0mm or more, double bevel, double V, double-J and double-U are recommended if welding from both sides is possible. Joints with these grooves produce less distortion of the welded parts and reduce the amount of weld metal required for a given thickness by virtue of joint geometry. Groove angle is normally 600 to 700 in V-groove joints.

v.

Fillet Welded Joints i. Parent Metal Thickness Vs Size of Fillet Weld For a given thickness of work metal, minimum size of fillet weld for adequate strength and for avoiding cracking due to joint stresses during cooling are given in the following table:

Thickness of thicker member, mm.

Minimum Size (leg) of fillet weld, mm

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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Upto 12.7 12.7 to 19.0 19.0 to 38.0 38.0 to 57.2 ii. Lap Joints

4.8 6.4 8.0 9.5

In case of lap joint, an adequate strength in tension is obtained when the lap equals five times the thickness of thinner member. iii. Intermittent Fillet Welds a) For adequate strength, the minimum length of an intermittent (stitch) weld should be atleast four times the size of the fillet, and not less than 38mm. b) Maximum center to center spacing of intermittent welds should not exceed 16 times the thickness of thinner member of joints that will be loaded in compression, or 32 times the thickness of the thinner member of joint to be subjected to other types of loading. c) The length of the unwelded spaces between continuous sections of weld should not exceed 300mm. 1.1.2 TACK WELDS Tack welds are used for maintaining the alignment of the joints to be welded prior to the start of main welding operation. i. ii. iii. Tacking should be done by qualified welders using the qualified welding procedure as in case of the main welding of that joint. Since the tack welds normally become parts of the final weldment, they shall be defect free. Defective tacks shall be removed by grinding. For pipes, the minimum number of tacks shall be as follows: a) b) c) d) For 6.3mm dia and smaller -2 tacks For 76mm to 300mm dia - 4 tacks For 350mm dia and larger -6 tacks For intermediate sizes, an intermediate value of number of tacks may be used.

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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iv. v. 1.1.3

The tack welds shall be equally spaced. The tack welds shall be limited to the bottom of the groove.

BACKING RING Backing ring is a strip of metal used to prevent weld spatter from entering a pipe when making a single side butt welding joint and to assure complete penetration of the weld to the inside of the pipe wall. Backing ring is usually of the same material as the base metal. In most Refineries piping systems backing ring is not used except reformer since they restrict the flow, provide crevices for the entrapment of corrosive substances and cause localized turbulence in the fluid flow.

1.1.4

ROOT PASS i. Root pass shall be made with electrodes / filler wires recommended in the welding specification chart. For fillet welding, shall be done with consumables recommended for filler welding, root welding shall be done with consumables recommended for filler passes. The preferable size of the electrodes is 2.5 mm diameter (12 SWG) but in any case not greater than 3.25 mm (10 SWG) Upward technique shall be adopted for welding pipe held fixed with its axis horizontal. The root pass of butt joints should be executed so as to achieve full penetration with complete fusion of the root edges. Weld projection inside the pipe shall not exceed 3mm, wherever not specified by the applicable code. Any deviation desired from the recommended welding technique and electrodes indicated in the welding specification chart should be adopted only after obtaining approval. Welding shall be uninterrupted. While the welding is in progress care should be taken to avoid any kind of movement of the components, shocks, vibrations and stresses to prevent occurrence of weld cracks. Peening shall not be used.

ii. iii.

iv.

v. vi.

vii.

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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1.1.5

JOINT COMPLETION i. Joint shall be completed using the class of electrodes, recommended in the welding specification chart. Size of the electrode shall not exceed 4 mm in diameter for stainless steels and alloy steels used for low temperature applications. Two weld beads shall not be started at the same point in different layers. Butt joints shall be completed with a layer that would affect good fusion at the joint edges and a gradual notch free surface. Each weld joint should have a workman like finish. Weld identification work shall be stamped clearly at each joint, just adjacent to the weld. Metal stamping shall not be used as a standard. Suitable paint shall be used on thin wall pipes for identification. No painting shall be done until the weld joint has been approved and pressure tested. Stringer bead is preferred. Weaving shall not be greater than 3 times diameter of electrode.

ii. iii. iv. v.

vi. vii.

1.2
1.2.1

WELDING PROCESSES
SHIELDED METAL ARC WELDING (SMAW) General Principles of Operation

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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It is an arc welding process in which the heat for welding is generated by an arc established between a flux covered consumable electrode and the work piece. The work metal is made part of an electric circuit known as welding circuit. This circuit consists of: i. Source of power, ii.Welding cables, iii. An electrode holder, iv. A ground clamp, v. Work metal and vi. Consumable welding electrode. Welding begins when an electric arc is formed between the electrode and the work piece. The temperature of arc at its center is about 50000C. Tiny globules of molten metal rapidly form on the tip of electrode and move through the arc into the molten weld pool on the works surface. Gravity, molecular attraction and surface tension forces induce the actual metal transfer. The arc is moved along the workpiece, melting and fusing the metal as it progress. In DC power supply, straight polarity conditions exist when the electrode is negative (-) and the workpiece is positive (+). In reverse polarity conditions the situation is just reverse.

Essentials for Proper Welding Procedures

i. Correct Electrode Size ii.Correct Current iii. Correct ARC Length or Voltage iv. Correct Travel Speed v. Correct Electrode Angle Beside the study sizzling sound that a correct arc produces, the shape of molten pool and the movement of the metal at the rear of the pool serves as a guide in checking weld quality. In a correctly made deposit the ripples produced on the bead will be uniform and the bead will be smooth, with no overlap or undercut. i. Correct Electrode The correct choice of electrode size involves consideration of a variety of factors, such as the type, position and preparation of the joint, the ability of the electrode to carry high current values without injury to the weld metal or loss of deposition efficiency, the mass of work metal and its ability to maintain its original

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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properties after welding, the characteristics of the assembly with reference to effect of stresses set up by heat application, the practicability of heat treatment before and / or after welding, the specific requirements as welding quality and cost of achieving the desired results. ii. Correct Current If current on equipment is too high or low, you are certain to be disappointed in your weld. If too high, the electrode melts too fast and your molten pool is large and irregular. If too low, there is not enough heat to melt the base metal and your molten pool will be too small, will pile up, and look irregular. iii. Correct ARC Length If the arc is too long or voltage too high the metal melts off the electrode in large globules which wobble from side to side as the arc wavers, giving a wide, spattered and irregular bead-with poor fusion between original metal and deposited metal. If the arc is too short, or voltage too low, there is not enough heat to melt the base metal properly and the electrode quite often sticks to the work, giving a high, uneven bead, having irregular ripples with fusion. iv. Correct Travel Speed When your speed is too fast your pool does not last long enough, impurities and gas is locked in. The bead is narrow and ripples are pointed. When speed is too slow the metal piles up, the bead is high and wide, with a rather straight ripple. v. Correct Electrode Angle The electrode angle is of particular importance in fillet welding and deep groove welding. Generally speaking, when making a fillet weld, the electrode should be held so that it bisects the angle between the plates (as shown at below) and is perpendicular to the line of weld. If under cut occurs in the vertical member, lower the angle of the arc and direct the arc towards the vertical member.

9 0 090
0

8 6 860
0

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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Covered ARC Welding Electrodes Function In addition to establishing the arc and supplying filler metal for the weld deposit, the electrode performs following functions: i. Shielding the arc and preventing atmospheric contamination of the molten metal into the arc stream and the weld puddle. ii.Providing scavengers and deoxidizes to refine the grain structure of the weld metal. iii. Producing a slag blanket over the very hot molten puddle and solidified weld. All the functions are necessary to assure the strength and quality of the weld. When properly made, shielded metal arc welded joints are as strong or stronger than the metal being joined. 1.2.7 GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING (TIG WELDING) Principles of Operation TIG welding is an arc welding process in which the heat is produced between a nonconsumable tungsten electrode and the work metal. The electrode, the weld puddle, the arc and adjacent heated areas of the work piece are protected from atmospheric contamination by a shield of inert gas. A filler metal may or may not be used depending upon the requirement. Because the electrode is non-consumable, a weld can be made by fusion of the base metal without the addition of filler metal. Weldment produced by TIG welding is of high quality. Current: Straight polarity direct current (electrode is negative) is mostly used. Other types are used in special cases. Electrodes: - Tungsten of commercial purity (99.5%) and tungsten alloyed with either thoria or zirconia are the electrode materials used in TIG welding. Pure tungsten electrodes cost about 25 to 30% less than the thoriated type. As a standard practice, it is advised to use 2% thoriated tungsten electrodes. Electrodes having seams, cracks, pipes, slivers or nonmetallic segregated inclusions should not be used.

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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1.2.8

SUB-MERGED ARC WELDING Used extensively with proper wire flux combination for thick sections. Pre-heat requirements are the same as for MAW. Suitable carbon and chromium additions are to be provided in the filler, since there appears a depletion of C & Cr contents in the weld compared with the wire chemistry, when welding is done by SAW process. SAW welds have poorer toughness and ductility compares to welds made by TIG process.

1.3
1.3.1

WELDING OF CARBON STEELS

RATING OF WELDABILITY Weldability, as defined by AWS, is the capacity of a metal or combination of metals to be welded under fabrication conditions into a specific, suitably designed structure, and to perform satisfactorily in the intended service. The better the weldability, the greater is the ease with which these requirements are met. The following table shows relative weldability of different class of carbon steels which vary in their carbon content. Common Name Ingot Iron Low Carbon Steel Mild Steel Medium Carbon Steel High Carbon Steels Content (%) 0.03 Max. 0.15 Max. 0.15 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.5 1.0 Weldability Excellent Excellent Good Fair (Preheat heat required) Poor(difficult without preheat heat)

and post frequently to weld adequate and post

Weldability depends upon: i. ii. iii. iv. Metallurgy / mechanical properties of the base metal. Section thickness Joint Geometry Welding Process

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co.

Welding General Procedures

SP/INSP/01 REVISION No: Date:

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v. Surface condition of the base metal. Weldability of steel in terms of its susceptibility to cracking can be roughly estimated by use of a carbon equivalent (CE). Carbon Equivalent (CE) Several formulas have been postulated to determine the carbon equivalent. These formulas can only be used as an approximate guide since it does not take into account other factors like grain size, prior heat treatment, section thickness etc. One such formula is CE= % C + %Mn + % Ni + % Cr + % Cu - % Mo - % V 4 20 10 40 50 10 The following table shows the suggested welding procedures for steels having different CE: Carbon Equivalent Less than 0.40 0.40 0.48 Welding procedure No special precautions. Welding with E 6010 and E 6012 electrodes. Weldable with a) ordinary electrodes and low preheat (93 2040C), or b) low hydrogen electrodes. Weldable with a) low hydrogen electrodes and moderate preheat (204 3710C), or b) austenitic electrodes, or c) gas metal or tungsten arc welding.

More than 0.48

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co. WELDING GENERAL PROCEDURES

SP/INSP/01
REVISION No: 00 EFFECTIVE FROM: 00.00.2008
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APPLICABLE WELDS SQUARE GROVE 'V' GROOVE BEVEL GROOVE 'U' GROOVE 'J' GROOVE FLARE 'V' GROOVE FLARE BEVEL GROOVE EDGE FLANGE

FILLET SQUARE GROVE 'V' GROOVE BEVEL GROOVE 'U' GROOVE 'J' GROOVE FLARE 'V' GROOVE

FLARE BEVEL GROOVE EDGE GROOVE CORNER FLANGE SPOT PROJECTION SEAM

FILLET PLUG SLOT SQUARE GROOVE BEVEL GROOVE

'J' GROOVE FLARE BEVEL GROOVE SPOT PROJECTION SEAM

FILLET PLUG SLOT SQUARE GROOVE BEVEL GROOVE

'J' GROOVE FLARE BEVEL GROOVE SPOT PROJECTION SEAM

PLUG SLOT SQUARE GROOVE BEVEL GROOVE 'V' GROOVE 'U' GROOVE 'J' GROOVE

EDGE FLANGE CORNER FLANGE SPOT PROJECTION SEAM EDGE

Fig.1.2a

Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Co. WELDING GENERAL PROCEDURES

SP/INSP/01
REVISION No: 00 EFFECTIVE FROM: 00.00.2008
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Fig. 1.1 TYPE OF JOINTS