TPi March 2017

24 / 64

business & market news
22 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL March 2017
Case study: weld purging
of titanium alloy pipes
in India
A new facility for the production of
1.25mn tonnes of terephthalic acid (PTA)
has been built at the port of Mangalore
in the Indian state of Karnataka. The
project involved factory fabrication of
specialised equipment followed by
integration on site. A range of stainless
steels were used in manufacture, along
with titanium and tantalum alloys. The
bulk of the fabrication involved welding
of tubes and pipes.
A significant part of the project was
awarded toaChennai-basedcustomer of
Weldwell Speciality Pvt Ltd
in Mumbai, a major supplier
to the Indian welding
industry for more than two
decades. The customer has
a long tradition of specialist
fabrication of titanium,
tantalum, zirconium and
nickel alloys and stainless steels.
To avoid internal contamination of the
pipes during welding and to prevent
oxidation of the weld root, purging
systems from Huntingdon Fusion
Techniques (HFT) in the UK were
employed. The HFT QuickPurge®
concept was chosen, and purge systems
to accommodate pipe sizes between
800 and 1,500mm were ordered.
HFT also supplied its Purge Gate
ancillaries to control and maintain the
inflated state of the large diameter
inflatable devices even when the purge
gas flow was interrupted or stopped.
This was particularly important when
welding was not required but the
effective gas sealing was maintained,
for example during a shift change or
when work was discontinued overnight.
Using the Purge Gate feature, the
dams inflate and effect good sealing
when the inert gas pressure is set at
0.45 bar. After inflation, the gas flow
from the supply stops and no further
consumption takes place; this can be
maintained for lengthy periods without
any gas loss. Only when gas pressure is
increased to 0.5 bar will purging begin.
This results in a significant saving in
expensive inert gas.
All welds in stainless steel were
made successfully using the standard
QuickPurge I systems, but some surface
discolouration was observed when
welding titanium alloys. Contact was
made with HFT and it was agreed that
additional gas purging was required.
This was accomplished by using
QuickPurge II, since this incorporates
additional gas purging and gas outlet
ports. The change resulted in the
production of clean and oxide-free
welds, even in such sensitive materials
as titanium alloys.
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques – UK
Weldwell Speciality Pvt Ltd – India
Artel appoints UK sales manager
UK-based Artel Rubber Holdings Ltd,
manufacturer of tubing, hose and
fittings, has announced that Ray Barratt
has joined its team as UK sales manager.
Mr Barratt brings with him professional
experience from a selection of national
and regional management roles gained
in OEM and first replacement disciplines.
Mr Barratt commented, “I am delighted
to have joined Artel Rubber as their
UK sales manager and look forward
to utilising my extensive automotive
experience in support of their ongoing
commitment to delivering the best hose
solutions for today’s and tomorrow’s
applications.”
Artel Rubber Company manufactures
and fabricates silicone and rubber
tubing and hose. The company offers a
broad product line of tubing, hose and
fittings, and with the introduction of its
automotive performance tubing, hose
and fitting products, is suited to meet
the demands of various applications.
ISO 9001:2008 accreditation guarantees
quality for rail, automotive, food,
pharmaceutical and defence industries.
Artel Rubber Company – UK
A selection of QuickPurge inflatable purging systems,
with two doughnut-style dams connected by a
volume-reducing sleeve
Close up of a typical
titanium root weld,
free of discolouration
from oxidation