In-service welding: part 1: effect of freezing caused by fluid in 11 mm thick pipe

This work evaluates for in-service welding, the influence of cooling caused by a liquid flowing in contact with the inner wall of a pipe being welded by TIG (GTAW) and stick electrode (SMAW). The welding was done to join connections of an ASTM A105 to an 11mm and 6 mm thick API 5L Gr X60 steel pipe. The fluid circulation was made with potable water within two temperature ranges, of 6 to 10ºC and 26 to 36ºC. Four welded joints were simulated, evaluated by non destructive testing (visual, penetrant, magnetic and ultrasonic). This part of the work shows for 11 mm thick pipe the results for destructive testing (tensile, bending, impact Charpy V, fracture and hardness) and by macrographic and micrographic analysis. The welded joints did not presented typical problems of inservice welding, such as cold cracks and the risk of burn through. It was possible to conclude that freezing caused by the circulation fluid significantly increased the cooling rate in the inner wall of the pipe. The freezing effect of the fluid itself inside the pipe was more significative than the temperature of this fluid, having promoted increase in hardness of the fusion zone and heat affected zone and reduced elongation in the tensile testing, but still with adequate values for 11 mm thick pipe.

In-service weldig; Cooling; GTAW; GMAW