Shot welding gas pipelines

The better the gas industry is in the Middle East, the more promising the welding industry in the region will be. The construction of onshore and offshore gas pipelines is driving the growth of welding due to high demand from major pipeline construction companies requiring welding equipment, consumables, manufacturing automation, steel pipes, cables and wiring, technology expertise and training, system design and integration, as well as testing and optimisation services. The welding of pipelines, like all other kinds of metal structures, is a fundamental, key process that determines the warranty strength, bearing capacity, and operating reliability of the facilities being built. Shot welding is a specific type of spot welding used to join two pieces of metal together. This is accomplished by clamping the two pieces together and then passing a large electric current through them for a short period of time. Assuming the right amount of current for the right time, this will weld the two pieces of metal together. Shot welding was invented by Earl J. Ragsdale, a mechanical engineer at the Budd Company, in 1932 for the purposes of welding stainless steel. Shot welding minimises the damage done to the metal and substantially reduces the size of the weld itself. Gas demand in the Middle East has been rising by around seven percent per annum and has outpaced growth in regional gas production. Domestic demand growth is being fuelled by economic expansion, low gas prices, the switch from oil to gas for power generation and the injection of gas into oil reservoirs to enhance oil recovery. The International Energy Agency reports that Middle East gas demand growth in the period to 2030 will be surpassed only by China. The expanding use of combined cycle power generation plant using natural gas as a fuel steer the need to construct large diameter pipelines over long distances. Historically, most interest has been taken in the one-shot welding systems and one of the main reasons given is increased welding productivity. Homopolar pulse welding Homopolar pulse welding (HPW) is a one-shot resistance welding process being investigated as a method to join API 5L carbon steel line pipe. Homopolar pulse welding utilises the high current, low voltage electrical pulse produced by a homopolar generator to rapidly resistance heat the interface between abutting pipe ends, producing a full circumference resistance forge weld requiring no filter metal in less than three seconds. A five year joint industry program is sponsoring HPW research with the goal of developing the process for deep water offshore pipeline construction utilising the J-lay method. The first two years of the program have concentrated on weld parameter optimisation by producing, testing, and evaluating welds in various grades, wall thicknesses, types and compositions of 3 inch nominal (3.5-inch OD) diameter API 5L carbon steel pipe. Mechanical properties of the welds and parent metal were evaluated by tensile testing, impact testing, and hardness traverse testing according to guidelines and criteria established by the industrial sponsors. Homopolar pulse welding has demonstrated the capability to produce industrially acceptable full circumference welds in carbon steel line pipe via a rapid, one-shot process. Future work will concentrate on developing the process for commercial field installation, with the program's goal being the demonstration of a prototype system for producing HPW welds in 12 inch diameter pipe in a J-lay configuration. Typically, offshore pipelines are constructed using the S-lay method, which permits the pipe to be welded and inspected in the horizontal position. Multiple welding and inspection stations are possible with this method, being limited only by the deck length of the welding barge. Due to increased buckling strWomen Jordan Shoes