IIW White Paper

9 Needs and challenges of major industry sectors for future applications

9.3.4 Hot topics The E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the Ukraine is planning to perform the following work in the field of underwater welding from 2008 to 2030: Development and optimisation of processes of wet welding and welding under super high pressures at depths of down to 2,000 m or more: arc welding processes, resistance welding, friction welding, brazing. Systems for automatic control of the welding process and quality of the joints: neuron networks, visualisation of the welding process, non-destructive testing. Analysis of properties and performance of welded joints by the results of testing and welding process. Building of specialised automated deep-water systems for performing welding, construction and repair operations. Investigation of conditions for stabilisation of welding processes and interaction of metal with water under hyperbaric pressures. Manufacture of electrode and filler materials for underwater welding. 9.4 Pipeline sector Pipelines are a vital means of delivery for the world’s energy supply. The pipeline sector relies heavily on welding and joining technologies for constructionandmaintenance activities. Brief summaries of background, technology trends, needs and challenges for future applications of welding and joining technologies in the pipeline sector are provided below. The natural gas and CO 2 transmission pipelines and the topic of testing of pipelines are addressed in separate sub-sections. 9.4.1 Background The need for energy is stimulating sizable pipelines construction projects. The business driver for these projects, in the Arctic and in other parts of the world, is the retrieval of otherwise “stranded“ resources in remote regions. The primary need in the pipeline sector in this regard is cost reduction for new construction. Cost reduction, combined with increasing energy prices, tends to make these projects feasible. Major components of cost reduction include the use of higher strength line pipe steel (e.g. X100 and X120), more productive/less labour-intensive welding processes, and advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) methods. Another need in this regard is design guidance for pipelines hostile environments (e.g. permafrost, deeper water depths, etc.). While many new long-distance transmission pipelines are constructed today using high-strength line pipe materials and high-productivity mechanised welding equipment, many pipelines are still constructed using lower-strength material and conventional “stove-pipe” welding practices. These conventional practices have not changed much in the past 40 years or so and require considerable skill on the part of the welder. There is currently a shortage of skilled manual pipeline welders and this situation is expected to worsen in the future. A major concern for pipeline operating companies is continued operation of existing facilities. The primary reason for pipeline repair is corrosion-caused loss of wall thickness. Since corrosion is a time dependent process, as pipeline systems become older, more and more repairs are required. The most predominant method of reinforcing corrosion damage in cross-country pipelines is to install a welded full-encirclement repair sleeve. There are significant economic and environmental incentives for performing pipeline repair and maintenance without removing the pipeline from service. From an economic viewpoint, a shutdown involves revenue loss from the loss of pipeline throughput, in addition to that from the gas lost to the atmosphere. Since methane is a so called “greenhouse gas”, there are also environmental incentives for avoiding the venting of large quantities of gas into the atmosphere. Changes in the structure of the pipeline

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Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies

Improving Global Quality of Life