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Line pipes can be connected by mechanical connectors or welding. Threaded and coupling (T&C) or pin and box connectors are
used for drilling riser and top tensioned riser connections. However, welding is more commonly used for offshore pipelines due to
its proven technology and lower cost than mechanical connectors. Advantages of connectors are: use of high grade pipes (up to
125 ksi SMYS), fast make-up, no welding (no heat-affected zone, no welding inspection), no field joint coating, etc. Disadvantages
of connectors are: high material cost, leak test for each connection, weak for torsion and fatigue, etc. Integral connectors, without
been developed. The available integral connectors are Jetair PSC, Hydil 2000, OSI Merlin, etc.
The maximum pipe grade which can be welded offshore is X-70. Pipe grade higher than X-70 requires induction heat treatment
which is impossible for continuous long pipeline welding. The induction heat treatment is normally done in an oven so it is limited
There are diversity of welding processes such as solid state welding (resistance, cold, friction, ultrasonic, etc.), soldering/brazing,
and fusion welding. Soldering/brazing melts only filler materials not base materials. However, the fusion welding involves partial
melting of base material (called heat affected zone). Electrical energy (electrode) is commonly used for the fusion welding.
welding and this forms the gas and slag to shield the arc and molten weld pool. The slag must be chipped off the weld bead after
welding.
Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) uses an arc between a consumable constant filler metal electrode and the weld pool. Shielding is
provided by an externally supplied shielding gas. This method is also known as metal inert gas (MIG) welding or metal active gas
GMAW consists of a DC arc burning between a thin bare metal wire electrode and the work piece. The arc and weld area are
encased in a protective gas shield. The wire electrode is fed from a spool, through a welding torch which is connected to the
positive terminal. The technique is easy to use and fast (high productivity) and there is no need for slag-cleaning since no flux is
used. The MAG process is suitable for steel, low-alloy, and high-alloy based materials. The MIG process, on the other hand, is
Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) is more commonly known as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. It is an arc welding process that
uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. The electrode used in GTAW is made of tungsten, because
tungsten has the highest melting temperature among metals. As a result, the electrode is not consumed during welding, though
GTAW is most commonly used to weld thin sections of stainless steel and light metals such as aluminum, magnesium, and copper
alloys. The process is known for creating stronger and higher quality welds than SMAW and GMAW. However, GTAW is
comparatively more complex and difficult to master. It is also significantly slower than most other welding techniques.
Welding types
Source: Introduction to Offshore Pipelines & Risers - Jaeyoung Lee
Each welding should be examined for its completeness and quality by non-destructive
test (NDT). Generally four (4) NDT methods are widely used in welding inspection as