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Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies
Improving Global Quality of Life
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
9
Needs and challenges of major industry sectors for future applications
