UNDERWATER WELDING TECHNIQUES & TECHNOLOGI ES

RODGER D, HOLDSWORTH
TAYLOR DIVING, INC,
ABmxAcT
The vari ety and amount of both wt and dry U/W
welding taking place today in the offshore oil
and inland sectors are such that a broader
basic understanding of U/W wlding techniques
and technologies are needed to progress the
i ntegri ty and qual i ty of all U/W wldiriq.
To understand the problens which i ni ti ated the
developnent of U h wl di ng, the sol uti ons U/W
welding has provided, and its benefits, an
awareness of the wld processes, inspection
techniques, wl d procedures and wl der qual i fi -
cations are essential. Lastly, the acceptance
criteria specifying the boundaries of under-
water welding to include a greater Comprehen-
si on of the AWS D3.6 "Specification for Under-
water Wlding", must be addressed. By recog-
nizing the fundmentals upon vhich wt and dry
undervater wlding have devel om, confidence
i n exi sti ng procedures and processes can con-
ti nue to grow.
From its beginning when exprimental coat-
ings Here fi rst used to water proof m o n
shielded metal arc wl d (SMAW) electrodes, un-
demter ( U f i ) wl di ng has developed i nto one
of the most sophisticated technological
achievements for underwater construction and
repair.
WET WELDI N0
As offshore drilling and other sub sea
construction progressed, so to did the problems
associated with its developnent. Gulf coast
i nstal l ati ons wre besieged with skyrocketing
costs vhich included: riser i nstal l ati ons and
connections; technical limitations towxd in-
stal l ati on of l arger diameter risers in deep
water; time consuning repirs performed on
pipelines uhich leaked, and primitive platform
repair methods which often times wre not
structural l y sound. Tb further progress, an
acceptable techno-economic solution had to be
found. The f i rst dry hyperbaric wl ds i n the
mid 1960's provided that solution, "a pmanent
leak proof joint", wi th si gni fi caqt cost bene-
fits. That fi rst step catapult& such a mgni-
tude of developnent that to try and grasp it
all would require significant research. It
appeared that over night there wre no design
l i mi tati ons for riser or pipelines due to
length, diameter or depth of the Helded connec-
tion. Bringing a pipeline end to the surface
for length adjustment or flange attachent vas
no longer the only option. The U/tJ wlded
j oi nt proved to be as inherently p me n t and
l eak proof as that of any surface wld. !&e
U/W wl d procedure, having no code or spci f i -
cati on to Serve as a guide, had to be written
to include many variables not found in the most
mo nl y used surface standards.
Equally as important =re the advances of
various U/W inspection techniques such as gamna
radiography, ultrasonics, magnetic particle,
el ectro magnetic devices (EMD), and dye
penetrant. Wt wl di ng advanced from a means
of making temporary wl ds and repai rs to an
effecti ve means of campleting p me n t repairs
of non load bearing low stress members. i%-
provements of technique for welding i n the wt,
and the wt electrode, brought a greater con-
fidence in the method never before believed
possible.
As late as 1980, i n both wt and dry
hyperbaric wlding, there were m y unanmred
questions and confusion as to which method to
use for a given project. A t a recent U/W
welding seminar i n November of 1985, many of
the authorities associated wi t h U/W Helding
gathered fromaromd the wrl d to discuss the
di recti on of U/ty wl di ng and to organize a
sharing of information. It is hop4 that
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CH2363-0/86/0000-0127 $1. 00 0 1986 IEEE
conclusions f r m this and other sessions wi l l
encourage a concentration of data for everyone
t o benefit fram ai ch could include, methdolo-
gy guidelines for users, as well as docunented
technical information to ai d research a n d ' de-
velopnent .
Slar" Ena
he of the mst significant milestones i n
underhater &ding to date is the implmenta-
ti on of the American Wl di q Society (AWS) D3.6
"Specification for Underwater Weldingn, pyb-
lished i n 1983. Recognizing a need to gude
production work to assure quality conformance
for U/W wl di ng, the American Welding Society
(AWS) D.3 corrmittee for @lding and Marine
Construdion appointed a sub-cornnittee to draft
and publish a code by which all U/ty welds are
defined. By catagorizing four U/W weld types
which specify a range of qual i ty and A d prop
erties presently attainable by di fferent U.
weld methods; the ANSI/AWS D3.6-83 Specifica-
ti on effecti vel y defi nes weld criteria and
mechanical requirements for each type of U/W
weld. Ty&'An are i ntded f or structural
application and is of surface quality; Type "B"
are intended for limited structural applica-
ti ons with intermediate mhanical and exam-
ination requirements; - "C" are intended for
applications where structural qual i ty is not
critical and required to be crack free; Tvpe
specified by any code or standard applying to
particular work requirements. U/W weld
procedures and welder qual i fi cati ons should
alwys comply with variables such as depth,
material, consmables, etc., outlined by the
AWS D3.6 Specification whether performing wet
or dry welds. I n qualifying wdd procedures
and welder qualifications, the contractor must
simulate the actual conditions of the j obsi te
which could affect weld quality including
depth, pressure, gas density, gas consmption,
hmi di ty, temperature, reforming, tacking, gap
ing, preheating, consmables, materials, tools,
techniques, etc.. Done properly, these quali-
fications ensure the future field k-eld will
have the integrity defined by the acceptance
criteria desired.
n 011 are intended to have the qualities
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' . PIPELINE ALIENMENT HAI I TAT COYIINATION '
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Thewld processes usually associated with
U/ k welding are 1) shieE" mual arc (SMA);
as i n surface El di ng, the SMAW process has
proven to be one of the mst versati l e for both
wet and dry U/ w welding. Wt SMAW electrodes
have various waterproof coatings and dependent
on how so@isticated the electrode, changes in
element contentent and fluxs are ammon to counter
the effects of rapid quenching and hylrogen
absorbsion. Low hgrogen electrodes for dry
hyperbaric welding have proven mst dept for
the inherent mist hyperbaric conditions. 2)
fl ux cored arc (FCA) ; proven for dry hyperbaric
conditions, the FcAwprocess is known for its
weld qual i ty and rapid weld deposit. 3) gas
tungsten arc (m); the GllAw process has show
excellent weld qual i ty under dry hyperbaric
conditions i n both manudl and automatic Wes.
4 ) gas metal arc (m) ; t k G~AW process or
mig, l i ke the GTAW process, has show excellent
weld qual i ty der dry hyperbaric conditions in
semi-auto and autmtic modes.
COFFERDAM
specific project requirements and equip-
ment associated wi th U/W wl di rq covers a wide
vari ety of awl i cati on and continues to expand.
Vhen planning an U/ty wl d, &ether Et or dry,
it is important to consider &at qual i ty of
weld is required i n a "fi t for prpose" evalua-
tion. This can be detennined by consideration
of conditions that the wldment wi l l be sub-
jeCtea to. Thedepth of the project is another
critical factor en determining the type of
equipnent and project scheduling. I astly, the
proj ect awl i cati ons, whether it be a sub sea
pipeline or structural repair, hottap or rein-
forcement of harbor pi ers, is important. h l y
&en the quality, depth, type and Wl i cati on
of U/W weld are determined, can advantages and
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l i mi tati ons of each technique, ml d process and
type of equipnent be wsighed and the fi nal
planning begin.
!&e expected costs for a given project
play a si gni fi cant rol e when determining type
of equipnent, processes and procedures that are
designed f or similar application. For in-
stance, when to choose a habitat, a cofferdam
or i nfl atabl e habi tat over the wst veld tech-
nique. me nature and extent of damage, t y
of available equipnent, environmental condl-
tions, type of vessel, nunber of personnel,
scheduling, and constraints on mrking, wi l l
al l play an important role in determining the
choice of equipnent, technique and ultimately
the cost.
CCWCLUSION
U/W wl di ng needed i n the comnercial fi el d
today often requires a ml d which will sati sfy
sane of the mst stri ngent demands that can be
placed on a wlded connection. It is the re-
sponsi bi l i ty of both the user and the contrac-
tor to ensure that the standards of all U/W
welds follow the guidelines established by the
AWS D3.6 "Specification for Underwater Wld-
ing" . The AWS D3.6 Specification defines and
sub-defines the veld requirements associated
with U/W wlding, not the selection, type or
class of weld. mese must be chosen to meet
the end user requirements of a parti cul ar ap
plication. me user should be capable of
weighing the advantages, l i mi tati ons and eco-
n d c s of each Ufi weld method and process
through the etiquette of established U/W weld-
ing techniques ard technologies.
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