TECHNICAL

Cold metal transfer: a revolution in mechanised root pass pipeline welding

By Ryan Fokens, CRC Evans Automatic Welding, Houston, USA In 2006, CRC Evans was first introduced to the cold-metal transfer process which was, at the time, a technology intended for use as a joining method for thin-gauged materials in the automotive industry. The idea of combining this technology with a bug-and-band system for mechanised root pass deposition for pipeline applications was conceived. Initial trials gave favourable results and provided further justification to integrate the two individual systems to become a single platform for pipeline girth welding.
Cold-metal transfer (CMT) was originally packaged for robotic work-cell applications. The necessary components that make the system perform would need to be merged with the most current bug-and-band technology. One of the early decisions regarding the build process was driven by the capabilities of the components to allow digital technology between the welding power supply and the bug itself: this digital capability allows the system to react quickly and make adjustments to compensate for changes during the deposition phase. As critical welds are made, changes in joint geometry, variations in fit-up and band misalignment, have all to be taken into consideration. The need for mounting the push-pull wire feed motor onto a conventional CRC Evans P450 welding system was another necessary component in making the conversion a success. The ability to mount this hardware provided significant challenges; however, the result was a system that could be used in a production environment. Engineers from both CRC Evans and Fronius had to create a platform that would satisfy the need for robustness, ease of service, mobility, and performance, especially in harsh environments. Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the original configuration and the final modified platform.

Figure 1: Original configuration.

The process
CMT is a modified gas-metal arc-welding (GMAW) process that uses a new method of droplet detachment based on short-circuit welding. The moment the power source detects a short circuit, the welding current drops and the filler wire starts to retract, and exactly one droplet is detached into the molten weld puddle. The filler wire then moves forwards again and the cycle is repeated. The filler wire is constantly retracted at very short intervals, and the precisely defined retraction of the wire facilitates controlled droplet detachment to give a clean, virtually spatter-free, material transfer. Figure 3 shows the droplet detachment sequence. When the combined platform had been developed, laboratory trials commenced. Through several months of development, a workable system was achieved and mobilisation for field qualifications and development programmes was initiated.

Figure 2: Modified configuration for bug-and-band system.

Project implementation
The first project for deployment of CMT was to be a spool-base application where welding of 345 mm diameter pipe with an 18.3 mm wall thickness (SAW 415 FPD + 316L 3 mm layer) was required. The procedures were developed such that the root pass deposition was completed by using a 309L Mo (ER309L Mo modified, AWS A5.9-93) filler material of 1.2 mm diameter. The remaining procedures, consisting of the hot, fill, and cap passes,

Figure 3: Droplet detachment sequence.

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TECHNICAL

Figure 4: Internal and external profiles. Test Condition Yield Strength 0.2% (N/mm) 527 515 Ultimate Tensile Strength (N/mm) 796 753.5 CVN Toughness Properties WCL @ -46C 149J 132J Typical Hardness Ranges (HV10) Weld metal 228-252 193-222

Strained & Aged Unstrained

Table 1: Mechanical properties. were welded with 1 mm diameter Thermanit 625 (ERNiCrMo-3, AWS A5.14) wire. The shielding gas was an Argon/CO2 balance, and the joint configuration was a closed gap J-bevel. The bevel angle measured 10. Procedure welds were made and consistency trials were performed to ensure the robustness of the procedure and the system. The root profile on the projects corrosion resistant alloy (CRA) material exhibited more positive reinforcement than observed on carbon steel, which was partly due to the argon backpurge that was used to shield the root from contamination during welding. The fusion areas from the parent material to weld bead were smooth and even, however, and the weld surface chevrons were uniform. Figure 4 demonstrates a completed root pass with internal and external profiles. Mechanical testing was carried out both in the unstrained and strain aged condition. For both scenarios, the mechanical performance met the acceptance criteria for the project. A summary of the mechanical test results are listed in Table 1. In January, 2009, the first field weld production was attempted. As with most pipeline project kick offs, challenges were present early and the installation of new technology only made such challenges greater. There were unknowns about how the system would perform in the field, and just how operators would take to the new system. Over a period of eight days, 84 welds were completed, at an average of 10.5 welds per day. Although the production achieved was less than the desired target, improvements in the production process and welding procedure could be made to realise significant gains. Implementation of CMT as a field production welding method was considered a success, but further use in production environments would be required to increase the productivity of the system. gas is an argon/CO2 mixture, with travel speeds ranging from 355 mm per minute to 508 mm per minute and wire feed speeds from 4.5 m per minute to 6.5 m minute. The welding consumable diameter is 1 mm, and trials with ER90S-G, ER80S-G, and ER70S-6 wires have all yielded good results. A technically significant carbon steel application that involved the use of CMT was the single-sided welding of the root pass on a closure weld for a pressure vessel. The project material was 1,066 mm diameter Gr. 550 pipe with a wall thickness of 19.1 mm, and the intended application for this project was the transportation of compressed natural gas (CNG) in a fatigue sensitive environment. Low service temperature requirements dictated the need for good toughness properties at -40Celsius and the use of a solid wire procedure could deliver the required properties. As internal clamping was not an option, mechanised CMT was a natural choice. The advantages of using CMT for the root pass were two fold. The first was maintaining a narrow bevel. As the narrow bevel reduces weld deposit volume and allows for use of mechanised fill and cap passes. This meant productivity could be increased and mechanical properties achieved. The second advantage was the need for the root pass to be flush with the inner diameter surface of the parent material. The specification requirement was to remove all internal excess penetration upon completion. The root profile with CMT eliminated concern for this major requirement because of its flat profile. By using the mechanised CMT process with the narrow groove J-bevel, mechanised fill pass welding could be implemented. The fill and cap passes were welded using pulsed GMAW with an ER70S-6 wire. Overmatching of the Gr 550 pipe material was achieved and the toughness requirements were met. Table 2 demonstrates the mechanical properties of the qualified procedure. Additional procedures for a separate project that involved the transportation of compressed natural gas were qualified on 152 mm diameter, Gr 485 pipe with a wall thickness of 0.6.35 mm. The project application was to weld pipes spooled horizontally and made into a coselle arrangement (see

Carbon steel
Additional work has been carried out to qualify the mechanised CMT process for carbon steel applications. For carbon steel, the root pass welding procedure is mostly transparent, in that the same parameters can be used for different applications. The joint design is a closed gap J-bevel, with a 5 bevel angle; the shielding

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TECHNICAL
Test Condition Yield Strength 0.2% (N/mm) 620 Ultimate Tensile Strength (N/mm) 727 CVN Toughness Properties WCL @ -50C 106J CTOD Toughness Properties WCL @ -40C (ave) 0.34mm

5G Girth Weld Table 2: Mechanical properties.

Figure 5). The fatigue effects exhibited on these welds required careful consideration as the loading was different from a typical offshore steel cantenary riser (SCR). As the coselle is pumped full of CNG, pressure is exerted internally on the weld in the hoop direction: subsequent depressurised during offloading created cyclic loading that had to be taken into consideration. One of the most important advantages of CMT as a root pass welding technology for carbon steel is the finished profile of the internal weld bead. For fatigue applications, CMT provides a root profile that is uniform and has a shallow re-entrant angle. The shallow re-entrant angle reduces stress concentration and subsequently increases fatigue life. Preliminary fatigue testing of strip type specimens demonstrated increased fatigue life over welds made using traditional root pass welding technology, and this meant that using CMT for root pass would extend the life of the coselle. A further carbon steel project using CMT that should be highlighted involves double jointing small diameter flowlines. For double-joint applications, CMT offers significant advances in productivity, particularly considering that the technology does not require the use of an internal alignment tool. The platform versatility allows CMT to be deployed in project locations that traditional mechanised welding processes may not be ideal, such as offshore tie-ins. SCR qualification requirements for double-jointing pipe are also considered a major target for this technology. Fatigue properties of the root bead have shown that the weld can be carried out without the need to remove the internal reinforcement, while still meeting the stringent requirements required for such critical service. The ability of the system to adapt to small-diameter pipeline applications offers significant benefits for welding of fatigue critical pipelines, which is worthy of note. Forthcoming work is also scheduled for examining the use of mechanised CMT root passes and pulsed GMAW fill and cap passes for welding high strength pipeline tie-ins.

Figure 5: Horizontal spooling of 152 mm pipe. passes have been carried out with proven quality and mechanical performance. Double jointing and welding of SCR quality welds are additional applications where CMT may be applied. For welding cross-country pipelines with high-strength low alloy steels grades X80 and above, mechanised CMT and GMAW-P tie-in welding provides the low hydrogen solution that meets the need for elevated mechanical properties requirements. The process can also provide the following benefits: Faster travel speeds when compared to conventional root pass welding processes can significantly improve productivity; Elimination of copper backing saves on consumable costs; Deposition thicknesses of approximately 5 mm; and, Accommodation of mismatch up to 3 mm.

Conclusion
The CMT process is an emerging mechanised root pass welding technology for pipeline girth welds. The technology is just now entering the market and has the potential to increase quality, productivity, and expand capability. Field trials on Inconel-clad material in a production environment have demonstrated the potential capabilities of the system. In addition to welding CRA materials, welding-qualification and development projects have been conducted on carbon steel pipe materials. Pressure vessels with stringent requirements for fatigue life and low temperature toughness welded with CMT root

Low heat inputs, minimised bevel volume, accommodation of mismatch, fatigue performance and root profile are the drivers for continued implementation of this technology into the pipeline industry.

This paper was presented at the 4th Pipeline Technology conference held in Hannover on 2223 April 2009, organised by the Euro Institute for Information and Technology Transfer in Environmental Protection GmbH (EITEP) of Hannover.

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