TPT September 2009

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Technology Update
58 September 2009 ›
THE Norwegian company Sub Sea
Services AS specialises in products in the
offshore industry. Since the middle of this
year, it has been welding and finishing its
pipe assemblies and components using
TIG hot wire technology from Polysoude,
France.
Otto Henning Sulen, weldshop manager
at Sub Sea Services, explained: “Pipes
and systems used to convey crude oil or
natural gas energy sources at high speed
and at high pressure demand high levels
of investment.
“The sand and other abrasive minerals,
as well as corrosive media, which are also
conveyed during exploration, necessitate
pipe materials of the highest possible
quality. To control costs and preserve
resources, we finish the internal walls of
our components using deposition
welding. In this process, the
extremely hard material inconel
is melted onto the cost-effective
and easy-to-process carbon steel
parent metal. To achieve this,
we found an effective system in
the shape of the automated TIG
hot wire and deposition welding
system from Polysoude. The new
system, with its six computer-
controlled axes, welds and coats both
reliably and efficiently.”
The range of materials processed by Sub
Sea Services extends from X60, X65, X70
to AISI 4150, 4140, 8630 through to low
carbon steel F22. Pipe components from
1,000 to 1,500mm in length with diameters
of 150 to 1,000mm are manufactured.
Thanks to shorter production cycles, the
new system has increased productivity
for both joint and deposition welding. This
has enabled Sub Sea Services to achieve
between 50 and 80 per cent greater
inconel application levels than previously;
and the increase in quality, cited at 30 to
40 per cent, makes it possible to meet
specifications more closely. For example,
the melt level of the carbon steel parent
metal is consistently below three per cent,
making it extremely hardwearing.
Polysoude SAS – France
Fax: +33 240 681 188
Email:
Website:
High quality piping with TIG hot wire
 Six computer controlled axes enable welding and coating with a higher degree of reliability
 Otto Henning Sulen during the
pre-reception of the installation
 Cladding solutions from Polysoude
Orifice meter tube
manufacture process
benefits from a
major safety boost
SUNNEN Products, USA, is aiming to
simplify and improve the safety, accuracy
and efficiency of the orifice meter tube manu-
facturing process using a new automated
honing system.
ID finishing of orifice meter tubes is still
often tackled with a die grinder and an
improvised hone, which can be both
dangerous and time consuming, but
Sunnen Products says it has developed a
new solution in the shape of the HTA tube
hone, which it claims is ideal for meter runs
because it is automatically stroked, safer
(clutched) and more accurate.
The control features a load meter to
determine areas of bore tightness, with the
capability for dwelling the tool in tight spots
using a joystick. The tool-feed system can
be programmed to expand the honing
tool to a pre-determined spindle load that
is adjustable, protecting the machine,
tooling and workers, and allowing even
inexperienced operators to produce good
results.
The machine is available for 6ft
(2 metres) and 12 ft (4 metres) part lengths,
with bore IDs of 2.5 to 21 inches (63.5mm
to 533mm) and maximum part OD of
24 inches (610mm) and part weights to
4,000 pounds (1,818kg). An electronically
controlled 3-hp (2.24kW) AC gear motor
powers the spindle at 0-300RPM.
Sunnen Products Company – USA
Fax: +1 314 781 2268
Email:
Website: