Weld Hardness Study of P91 Welded Pipes with Post Weld Heat Treatment for Elevated Temperature Application in Power Plants

2015 ◽  
Vol 1115 ◽  
pp. 503-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sarwar ◽  
Mohd Amin bin Abd Majid

The creep strength-enhanced ferritic (CSEF) steels are undergoing an encouraged use around the world especially in power plant construction. On construction sites, it has always been the target to have no problems in welded joints but premature failures are being encountered. The primary reason of these premature failures is found to be the improper heat treatment that is mandatorily carried out to achieve the required weld hardness. Weld hardness has close relationship with creep strength and ductility of the welded structures. Hence it is important for any weld to achieve certain level of weld hardness. This study aims at ascertaining the importance of Post Welding Heat Treatment (PWHT) in achieving the required hardness in creep-strength enhanced ferritic (CSEF) materials.The study was carried out on the welding of alloy steel ASTM A335 Gr. P-91 with the same base material (ASTM A335 Gr. P-91) by Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process using ER90S-B9 filler wire with pre-heat of 200oC (min) and inter-pass temperature of 300oC (max). After welding, the joints were tested for soundness with Radiography testing. Induction heating was used for heat treatment of P91 pipes during welding and post weld heat treatment. The effect of Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) was investigated on the Weld metal and the Heat Affected Zones (HAZ) by hardness testing. It is perceived that the scattered and higher hardness values, more than 250HB in 2” P91 pipes in the weld metal and in the heat affected zones, can be brought into the lower required level, less than 250HB, with an effective post weld heat treatment at 760°C for 2hrs.It is concluded that PWHT is the most effective way of relieving the welding stresses that are produced due to high heat input in the welding process and to achieve the required level of hardness in the weld as well as in the heat affected zones (HAZ) in thermal power plant main steam piping.

10.30544/631 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-487
Author(s):  
Zoran Dušan Odanović

Steels are subjected to many time-dependent degradation mechanisms when they are applied in electric power plants. They are exposed to high temperatures, multi-axial stresses, creep, fatigue, corrosion, and abrasion during such services. Used under these threatening conditions, those materials could develop various damages or failures or even form cracks. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent in-service failures, improve reliability, and extend the plant's operational life. The efficiency of the electric power plant, among other processes, depends on effective maintenance. The paper presents the evaluation of advanced procedures and knowledge in the field of steel repair welding in the maintenance of the power plants. Most repair welding of low alloy steels requires high-temperature post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), but in certain repairs, however, this is not always possible. Application of the nickel-based filler metal could also be an alternative to performing post-weld heat treatment (PWHT). The repair work expenses could be reduced if the repair is performed on-site. The novel developed repair welding procedures presented in this paper were applied for emergency weld repairing of the steel pipelines in thermal power plant, repairing without disassembling the working wheel of the coal mill in thermal power plant and "on-site" repairing turbine shaft of the hydropower plant. For all the presented repair welding procedures, weldability analysis based on the analytical equations and technological ''CTS'' and ''Y'' tests to determine the sensitivity to cold and hot crack forming were applied. Tensile tests, absorbed energies tests, banding tests, and hardness measurements were performed on trial joints, which were used to develop and verify the applied methodologies. Presented advanced weld repair technologies enable repairs for a shorter time and at lower costs compared to conventional procedures.


2015 ◽  
Vol 809-810 ◽  
pp. 437-442
Author(s):  
Jacek Górka ◽  
Michał Miłoszewski

4330V is a high strength, high toughness, heat treatable low alloy steel for application in the oil, gas and aerospace industries. It is typically used for large diameter drilling parts where high toughness and strength are required. The research describes the effect of preheat temperature, interpass temperature, heat input, and post weld heat treatment on strength, hardness, toughness, and changes to microstructure in the weld joint. Welding with the lower heat input and no post weld heat treatment resulted in optimal mechanical properties in the weld metal. Austempering at 400 °C resulted in optimal mechanical properties in the HAZ. Increasing preheat and interpass temperature from 340 °C to 420 °C did not improve Charpy V-notch values or ultimate tensile strength in the weld metal or heat affected zones. The higher temperature increased the width of the heat affected zone. Austempering at 400 °C reduced HAZ hardness to a level comparable to the base metal. Both tempering and austempering at 400 °C for 10 hours reduced toughness in the weld metal.


Author(s):  
Alwyn Kaye ◽  
Patrick Lester ◽  
Darren Barborak

Many of the Cr{1-1/4 to 2-1/4}-Mo{1/2 to 1} pressure vessels in the refining and petrochemical industries such as process reactors, distillation columns, separators, pressurized storage vessels, and heat exchangers are typically vertical columns, most often supported by a circular skirt. Typically, design considerations for these vessels and support skirts are for operating under continuous “steady-state” conditions, where temporary stresses due to short-term “transient” events such as start-up and shutdown are often ignored. Consequences of dynamic and cyclic loading play a very significant role in their life and performance. For Coke drums, survey data from API shows that the skirt-to-drum attachment weld and adjoining area appears to be the most problematic, frequently experiencing low-cycle fatigue cracking due to concentrated stresses. A methodology for repairing the skirt attachment weld of Cr-Mo pressure vessels is provided. When designing a repair approach, consideration should include material and aged condition, extent and location of defects, welding process and consumables, and codes, standards, and regulatory guidelines. When repair by weld metal buildup to rebuild a skirt-attachment weld configuration is considered, weld procedure qualification and adequate mock-ups should be performed in order to ensure a sound repair. Further, when invoking a code compliant repair without post-weld heat treatment by controlled deposition welding or temper bead techniques, proper training of welder operators should be conducted to ensure the techniques are implemented properly. A case study is provided for a Coke drum, where the original design and fabrication of the skirt attachment included an initial SAW weld metal buildup on the 2.25Cr (P5A) cone followed by an SMAW/GTAW attachment weld to the 1.25Cr skirt (P4). During a plant shutdown, a surface breaking crack was detected in the skirt to shell attachment weld by Dye Liquid Penetrant Testing (D-LPT) and confirmed with Magnetic Particle Testing (MPT). Subsequent examination by Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) discovered a large number of volumetric indications, oriented towards the knuckle section internally. The repair approach consisted of 1) Completely remove the existing skirt and the attachment weld (knuckle) in segments, 2) Inspect the cone for remaining flaws, 3) Excavate and repair flaws in cone using temper bead technique, 4) Rebuild knuckle area for skirt to cone attachment with an increased radius using temper bead welding techniques, 5) Install new skirt sections using controlled deposition welding technique. Temper Bead and Controlled Deposition repair welding techniques were utilized to avoid conventional post-weld heat treatment requirements, significantly improving the turn-around time in the field.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Addanki Ramaswamy ◽  
Sudersanan Malarvizhi ◽  
Visvalingam Balasubramanian

AbstractAluminium alloys of 6xxx series are widely used in the fabrication of light weight structures especially, where high strength to weight ratio and excellent weld-ability characteristics are desirable. Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is the most predominantly used welding process in many industries due to the ease of automation. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to identify the best variant of GMAW process to overcome the problems like alloy segregation, precipitate dissolution and heat affected zone (HAZ) softening. Thin sheets of AA6061-T6 alloy were welded by cold metal transfer (CMT) and Pulsed CMT (PCMT). Among the two joints, the joint made by PCMT technique exhibited superior tensile properties due to the mechanical stirring action in the weld pool caused by forward and rearward movement of the wire along with the controllable diffusion rate at the interface caused by shorter solidification time. However, softening still exists in the welded joints. Further to increase the joint efficiency and to minimize HAZ softening, the joints were subjected to post weld heat treatment (PWHT). Approximately 10% improvement in the tensile properties had been observed in the PWHT joints due to the nucleation of strengthening precipitates in the weld metal and HAZ.


2013 ◽  
Vol 690-693 ◽  
pp. 2673-2677
Author(s):  
Kyung Man Moon ◽  
Mun Jin Nam ◽  
Yeon Chang Lee ◽  
Yun Hae Kim ◽  
Jae Hyun Jeong

Recently, the fuel oil of diesel engines of marine ships is being changed to heavy oil of low quality as the oil price is getting higher and higher. Therefore, the wear and corrosion in all parts of the engine, such as cylinder liner, piston crown, and spindle and seat ring of exhaust valves has predominantly increased. Thus, the repair welding of the piston crown is a unique method to prolong its life in a economical point of view. In this case, filler metals with a high corrosion and wear resistance are mainly being used for repair welding. However, the piston crown on the ships job site is often actually being welded with mild filler metals. Therefore, in this study, mild filler metals, such as E4301, E431316, and E4316, were welded to the SS401 steel as the base metal, and the corrosion properties of their weld metals with and without post weld heat treatment were investigated with some electrochemical methods in 0.1% H2SO4 solution. The weld metal welded with E4301 filler metal exhibited the best corrosion resistance among the filler metals in the case of no heat treatment, however, its resistance was considerably decreased due to the post weld heat treatment (annealing:625°C, 2hr). In particular, the weld metal of E4316 exhibited relatively a good corrosion resistance by the post weld heat treatment.


Author(s):  
Kolton Landreth ◽  
Qi Li ◽  
Raghav Marwaha

Abstract Full-encirclement split tee fittings for hot tapping and plugging (HT&P) wrap completely around the pipeline and are welded in place. The welded joint provides mechanical reinforcement of the pipe and branch. When full-encirclement hot tap tees are welded to pipelines 24 inches in diameter or larger, the header must often be at least 1.25 inches thick to pass the required calculations for reinforcement. This means the joint will require post weld heat treatment (PWHT) according to ASME B31.8 and CSA Z662. However, PWHT can be extremely dangerous and impractical, potentially elevating temperature to the point where material strength of the pressurized pipeline is compromised. An engineering critical assessment per ASME FFS-1/API 579 indicated PWHT may not be required for a full-encirclement hot tap tee over 1.25 inches thick. Specifically, research showed that the residual stresses developed during the welding process may not limit the design of a full-encirclement tee or lead to shorter pipeline design life. This paper illustrates how a “more rigorous analysis” per paragraph 802.2.2[b] of ASME B31.8 and paragraph 4.3.12.2 of CSA Z662 may help operators avoid the PWHT requirement. It discusses the finite element analysis (FEA) simulations researchers used to induce residual stresses in a carbon steel fitting. The residual stresses induced in the fitting were used as initial condition for plastic collapse and fatigue evaluations.


Author(s):  
Radhika Panday ◽  
Shenjia Zhang ◽  
Jon Ogborn ◽  
Badri K. Narayanan

Fracture toughness of tubular welded joints is one of the critical factors affecting the structural integrity and reliability of offshore structures, such as platforms and subsea pipelines. The factors affecting the design fracture toughness of these structures are related to, both, the welding process as well as the chemical composition of the weld metal. The welding process in this application typically comprises of depositing weld metal in the tubular joints of varying thicknesses through series of weld passes. The number of weld passes required for welding these joints subjects the weld metal to repetitive cycles of heating and cooling. The effect of the thermal cycling introduces significant heterogeneity in the microstructure. This is further exacerbated by the presence of micro-alloying elements such as Niobium (Nb) and Vanadium (V) that form complex carbides, nitrides and carbo-nitrides during post weld heat treatment (PWHT). The focus of this work is to evaluate the effect of micro-alloying elements on the ductile to brittle transition temperature and the mode of fracture at temperatures relevant to offshore applications. A threshold Nb and V level has been determined for achieving acceptable weld metal toughness. The improvement in the fracture toughness using this approach has been quantified by Charpy V-Notch (CVN) and Crack Tip Opening Displacement (CTOD) measurements. The Ductile to Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT) has been shown to be shifted to lower temperatures by 25 °C after post weld heat treatment in the welds where the total amount of Nb and V are controlled to less than 40 ppm. A wet precipitate extraction technique was used to extract precipitates from the welds to establish the presence of fine Nb rich precipitates in the welds with the higher DBTT. The weld deposited with controlled levels of Nb and V was further tested in different joint configurations and base plate thickness. The fracture toughness was evaluated by CTOD testing of the weld in two different thicknesses (50 mm and 70 mm). Increased specimen thickness resulted in lower CTOD values.


2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isiaka Oluwole Oladele ◽  
Davies Babatunde Alonge ◽  
Timothy Olakunle Betiku ◽  
Emmanuel Ohiomomo Igbafen ◽  
Benjamin Omotayo Adewuyi

The effect of Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) on the microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of low carbon steel have been investigated. The welding process was conducted on butt joint using Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW) techniques at a welding voltage of 23 V and welding current of 110 A with the use of E6013 and 3.2 mm diameter as filler material. Heat treatment through full annealing was carried out on the welded low carbon steel. The mechanical properties (hardness, impact toughness and tensile properties) of the AW and PWHT samples were determined. The microstructure of the AW and PWHT samples was characterized by means of an optical microscopy. Corrosion behavior of the sample was studied in3.5 wt.% NaCl environment using potentiodynamic polarization method. The results showed that the AW samples has good combination of mechanical and corrosion properties. The microstructure revealed fine grains of pearlite randomly dispersed in the ferrite for the AW base metal (BM) sample while agglomerated and fine particle of epsilon carbide or cementite randomly dispersed on the ferritic phase of the heat affected zone (HAZ) and weld metal (WM), of the AW, respectively. The PWHT samples shows that the annealing process allow diffusion and growth of the fine grains into partial coarse grains of ferrite and pearlite which did not encourage improvement of the properties. Therefore, it was concluded that the welding parameters put in place during welding of the low carbon steel are optimum for quality weld.


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