How Weld Inspection can

affect
Beer Quality
by
Wright Gibb and Tim Casper
Coors Brewing Company
www.coors.com

MBAA-RMD Presentation at A-B, Fort Collins

May 9, 2007

Sanitary Welding Procedure

Weld

test
Autogenous weld
Orbital welding
Sensitization of a weld and its heat
affected zone.
Filler metal 304L or 316L

Roughness Average
Pipe

RA
Vessel plate
EP removes up to 30%
Prepping ID of pipe joint.

Magnified surface with stylus

Machined Surface

Rolled Sheet Surface

Cast Surface

A.W.S. D18.1
Means

of visual examination.
Bore scope
Flash light and mirror
Radiograph

A.W.S. D18.1
Visual examination acceptance
criteria
Welds shall be full penetration.

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Maximum Allowable Discontinuities

Non-Product
Contact Surface
-Maximum
Concavity

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Maximum Allowable Discontinuities

Non-Product
Contact Surface
-Maximum
Convexity

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Maximum Allowable Discontinuities

Product Contact
Surface
-Maximum
Convexity

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Maximum Allowable Discontinuities

Product
Contact Surface
-Maximum
Concavity

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Proper looking weld

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
IP: Incomplete Penetration

Travel speed is to fast

Inadequate heat

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
IP: Incomplete Penetration

Travel speed is to fast

Inadequate heat

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
IP: Incomplete Penetration

Travel speed is to fast

Inadequate heat

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Sugar
Oxidation

during
weld process
Inadequate

or no
purge of pipe interior
with inert gas, such as
argon.

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Sugar
Oxidation

during
weld process
Inadequate or no
purge of pipe interior
with inert gas like
argon.

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Concavity (Suck Back)
Excessive
Excessive

heat

purge gas
pressure into pipe

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Convexity Product Contact
To

much filler wire

being used
Rough

surface can

trap Bio
Caustic

cleaning has
trouble getting to all
pits and cracks

Sanitary Weld Specifications

AWS D18.1
Welds shall not contain cracks, undercut,
crevices, pits or embedded or
protruding material.

To

much weld wire

being pushed
through weld and
burning off inside
the pipe

Why do we need to follow

Sanitary Weld Specification
AWS
D18.1?
The primary reason welds need to be free from
defects is to reduce places that Beer Spoiling
Organisms
can
grow.
Beer
Spoiling
Organisms
come in various sizes and
shapes but generally they are tiny. In an area the
size of a dot from a pencil, there could be as many
as 40 organisms.

Why do we need to follow

Sanitary Weld Specification
AWS D18.1?

Some of the organisms are 0.7 to 0.8 um in

diameter and 2.0 to 9.0 um in length.
0.7um
equals .0000276!
Another comparison could be to an average human
hair: the size of fine hair is 25 um which is 36
times larger in diameter than some of the
organisms!!

Why do we need to follow

Sanitary Weld Specification
AWS D18.1?
Beer Spoiling organisms reproduce exponentially.
This rapid rate can cause a population explosion
down the system from the initial source.

Consequences of Bad Welds

Following are some illustrations of how organisms
can take root in poor welds

Results of Mismatched Pipe

Slow
flow
Fast
flow
Pipe Wall

Slow
flow

Pipe Wall

Weld
Beer spoiling Organisms

Results of IP
Cleaning solution

Cleaning solution

Pipe
Wall
Concentrate

Pipe
Wall

d organisms
Weld

Result of Sugared Welds

Cleaning solution
Cleaning solution
Sugared
Weld

Pipe
Wall

Weld

Pipe
Wall