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Two Step Spiral Pipe Manufacturing
Two Step Spiral Pipe Manufacturing
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1 Two-stage spiral welded pipe-manufacturing process (left) Forming and tack welding (above) submerged arc welding 2 Three-roll pipe forming of strip followed by continuous tack welding
is networked with the Salzgitter Groups steel plant, hot strip mill and further processing facilities. Salzgitters own steelworks exclusively provides the hot rolled coil used in pipe manufacture. Steel production is scheduled on an orderoriented philosophy to make steels of project-related chemical analysis and mechanical properties. In the wide hot strip mill, continuously cast slabs from the steel plant are rolled under thermomechanical control to coil. Microalloyed, fine-grained
*Head of QM & Application Technology, Salzgitter Grorohre GmbH, Gottfried-Linke-Str 200, 38239 Salzgitter, Germany
SALZGITTER P
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IMPROVED YIELD
The automatic submerged arc welding of the so-called skelp-end weld is another particularity of the manufacturing process at Salzgitter. The skelp-end weld is used to join the tail of one coil to the head of the next to enable a continuous strip to be drawn through the pipe-forming machine. The quality of the skelp weld joining coil ends, which is made on a separate CNC welding machine placed before the forming machine, is equivalent to that of the spiral weld itself so enabling the section of pipe containing the skelp-end weld to be used in the same applications as all other lengths of pipe. This is of particularly important for pipes of heavy weight, where the customers acceptability of the skelp-end weld within the pipe length is essential for commercial efficiency and good process yield. The two-step process offers qualitative and economic advantages. Because of the separation of the pipe forming and final welding stages, higher throughput at the pipe-former is possible (up to 12m/min coil feed speed). Exact geometrical tolerances are also achieved by concentrating on the pipe geometry within the pipe forming machine without being influenced by the submerged arc welding stage. In addition, the consistency of quality of the subsequent submerged arc weld is improved as welding conditions can be precisely controlled, as welding is independent of the forming operation.
Mechanical properties
Modern pipe steels are characterised by excellent mechanical properties, including those suitable for sour (H2S containing) hydrocarbons. To give an example, the material properties of a typical X65 grade are illustrated in Fig 5 by means of cumulative curves and cumulative frequency bars. (The red vertical lines define the maximum and minimum limits). The narrow distributions seen and actual values recorded far exceed the specified values and are proof of an outstanding stability in the manufacturing process. Combined with high average toughness values of 260J at -5C for the base material, the values presented for the yield strength (Fig 5a) and the ultimate tensile strength (Fig 5b) provide proof of the uniform profile of a modern pipeline material and of the integrated quality controls carried out in all stages of manufacture. The low values of the yield to tensile ratio (Fig 5c) as well as the high elongation at rupture (Fig 5d) can also be regarded as outstanding. In particular, in combination
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(b)
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5 Mechanical properties of X65 spiral welded pipes (1220mm od and 18.9mm wall thickness) used for a highpressure gas pipeline in Italy (specified min/ max values shown as red vertical lines)
SALZGITTER P
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PIPELINE PROJECTS
Since 1987, over 4000km of spiral welded large diameter pipes for oil and gas projects have been made at Salzgitter. The customer list is long and includes most major European gas suppliers, such as Ruhrgas, Wingas, Gaz de France, SNAM ReteGas, Enagas, Fluxys and Gasunie just to name a few. While, for several decades, the customer focus has been within Europe where the highest possible safety is required for high-pressure pipelines due to the high population density, there is a growing demand for spiral pipe from Salzgitter in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For example, recent oil and gas line projects in Chad-Cameroon, South Africa, Iran and Algeria, are using spiral-welded pipes from Salzgitter. Often, after many years of qualification procedures, approval to use spiral-welded pipe has been awarded by a potential customer. This is normally the beginning of an equally long lasting successful customersupplier relationship. Thus, since the first thermomechanically produced X70 hotrolled wide strip was made at Salzgitter in 1972, companies such as Ruhrgas in Germany have been supplied with such pipe on a regular basis. Fig 6 shows spiralwelded pipe from Salzgitter being installed in a crude oil pipeline in Chad and Cameroon by ExxonMobil. More than
6 Construction of oil pipeline using spiral welded pipe for the Chad - Cameroon Development Project (photo: ExxonMobil) considering the fundamental possibilities of the sophisticated two-step process, further improvements related to product quality and commercial efficiency are clearly evident. REFERENCES
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1 Jones B L; Something to get wound up about ; Petromin, July 1999, 55-60 2 Jones B L; Large diameter line pipe for highpressure oil and gas transmission; Petromin, August 1999, 44-49 3 Sommer B; Spiral welded pipe meets highpressure needs, Oil and Gas Journal, Feb 1, 1982; 106-116 4 Sommer B; Knoop F M; Manufacturing and use of SAWH-pipes 35years of experience; Int Conf On helical seam submerged arc welded pipe in oil and gas industries, 16, 17 July 2002, Teheran, 1-25 5 Pistone V and Mannucci G; Fracture arrest criteria for spiral welded pipes; Pipeline Technology Conference 2000, Brugge, 455-469
orus Tubes new bridge parapet systems have been approved by UKs Highways Agency as meeting the new EN1317 European Standard. Following analysis of extensive development crash testing at MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) and computer modelling by the Corus Automotive Engineering Group in Coventry, UKs Highways Agency has passed the Corus Parapet Systems as meeting with the containment requirements of EN1317. The Corus Tubes Parapet Systems are accepted in the Highways Agencys Interim Advice Note 44/02 Section 3.3 as a replacement for the now withdrawn list of approved systems contained in Annex F of BS 6779-1. The new systems have been approved for containment classes N1 (1500kg car at 80km/h) and N2 (1500kg car at 110km/h) with a working width class of W1 (the narrowest class at <0.6m). The new systems replaced the existing design in June 2003 and Corus has now withdrawn support for the old versions (except HBP 100/3 Vertical Infill). The new design will only be available via licensed fabricators who will be supplied with the special Corus Celsius HBP RHS (Rectangular Hollow Section) from Corus Tubes Special Projects in Corby. The
parapet system design offers more adaptable post positioning and easier fabrication than the previous version as well as improved perfor-mance all round. Certain design features of the Corus Tubes Parapet Systems are protected by Patents Pending. The Corus Bridge Parapet Systems come with a history of successful application stretching back nearly 50 years. In this latest improved version, to EN1317, they safely contain vehicles within the narrowest working width and are now simpler to fabricate and erect. The new standard EN1317-5 was published in autumn 2003 and will provide a Europe-wide benchmark for road restraint systems including highway bridge parapets. This standard should allow for a more open market in the provision of parapets and improve road safety. The well proven structural properties of hot finished RHS, which is fully quality assured, has enabled a product to be made to meet the stringent new performance requirements of EN 1317. The special steel grade material for parapets is branded as Celsius HBP. These are the only steel parapets accepted by UKs Highways Agency in the Normal Containment category. The tubular steel design is fully hot dip
Corus Celsius HBP is the only steel parapet material presently in UK that meets the new EN 1317 specification for road parapets galvanised to give low maintenance for in excess of 20 years in most situations. Corus Tubes parapet systems complement other Corus highways tubular engineering products, which includes a range of lighting columns, safety fences and materials for sign gantries, footbridges, bridges and related structures.
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Corus Tubes, PO Box 101, Weldon Road, Corby, Northants, NN17 5UA, UK Tel +44 (0)1536 402121 Fax +44 (0)1536 404049 www.steelparapets.com
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