A state-of-the-art review of underwater wet welding. Final report
Offshore pipelines and platforms or other submerged on-shore pipelines are subject to in-service damage which often requires in-situ (underwater) repair- in addition, modifications or additions to these under-water systems are sometimes desirable. These operations, particularly repair, are normally on a critical path to return the systems to full operation. Wet welding is a very attractive technique for such operations in that it is more cost effective, versatile, less time consuming than applications of dry hyperbaric or one-atmosphere welding systems. In fact, this technique has been used for numerous repair operations. These operations involved a wide range of materials and structures and have produced satisfactory results. There have been a number of problems identified with wet welds and because of these problems, operators of oil and gas pipelines and offshore platform owners/users have not been able to fully exploit the advantages of wet welding. Further, present codes, standards and specifications tend to exclude wet welding based on porosity considerations even when satisfactory mechanical properties can be demonstrated. There has been significant research and development (R&D) work recently that indicates that wet welding is a viable structural welding tool and may be suitable for pressure containing welds as well. In order to more clearly define the present state-of-the-art, a literature search and an industry survey has been conducted to gather pertinent information on wet welding. Of particular interest was the feasibility of performing pipeline repairs or modifications that might require open root techniques for one-sided pipe welds. Also of interest was the impact of increasing water depth on the defect level of the resultant weld, including porosity and the subsequent leak integrity of the joint. The relevant data was then organized into general categories of information on the specific topics of wet welding and analyzed to produce this report.
- Research Organization:
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- American Gas Association, Inc., Arlington, VA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 203477
- Report Number(s):
- AGA-96005997
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Feb 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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