PR12141 September 2007

Improved Welding, Inspection and Integrity of Clad Pipeline

Girth Welds
For: A Group of Sponsors

The use of clad corrosion resistant alloy (CRA)

pipes for the transport of hot and corrosive fluids
is desirable as they offer the corrosion resistance
of solid CRA materials, whilst the use of a high
strength substrate significantly reduces material
costs and pipeline weight. However, the dissimilar
nature of the materials abutting at the weld joint
presents challenges in terms of welding
processes, flaw assessment and inspection
methods. The project will address these issues
through the review of current manufacturing
practices for clad pipes, development of improved
welding procedures, the use of alternative filler
materials, and the development of a procedure for
engineering critical assessment (ECA) of girth
welds in clad pipelines and reliable inspection
techniques.

Background
Corrosion resistant alloy pipe materials are finding increasing use for the transport of hot and corrosive fluids
in flow lines and associated risers in oil and gas production systems. Although initial material and installation
costs are high compared to carbon steel, significant savings in life cycle costs can be accrued since
corrosion inhibitor injection is not required and inspection and maintenance are generally reduced. Solid
CRA pipe materials contain expensive alloying elements, particularly for the more highly alloyed materials
used in sour environments. Since high strength substrates can be used with CRA clad pipes, wall
thicknesses and pipeline weight can be reduced when compared to solid CRAs. Corrosion resistant alloy
pipe materials, both solid and clad, are, however, more difficult to weld than carbon steel, and laying rates
are relatively low for such pipelines. Today, the relatively high costs of pipeline materials and offshore
installation have limited CRA pipe materials usage to those applications where no technically acceptable
alternative solution exists.

Clad pipe normally comprises a steel pipe with a 2-3mm thick internally clad layer of CRA material eg 316L,
Alloy 825 or Alloy 625. Corrosion resistant alloy clad pipes are manufactured in two forms ie metallurgically-
bonded or mechanically-lined. Metallurgically-bonded pipes tend to be more expensive than mechanically-

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lined, but pose fewer problems during installation girth welding. Depending on manufacturing route, pipe
ODs range from 6 to 24in, although most application experience to date has involved smaller pipes. The
most common clad pipe girth welding method is to use CRA filler throughout the complete joint using GTA
and/or GMA welding processes. Several factors conspire to reduce the production efficiency of CRA clad
pipeline compared to C-steel pipe. To reduce pipe wall thickness, higher strength steel substrate may be
used. Where the steel strength exceeds that of API 5L Grade X65, the use of Alloy 625 or 309Mo filler
materials may not consistently achieve the required weld metal strength. An alternative welding procedure
using higher strength CRA filler has yet to be established.

Due to the dissimilar materials abutting at the weld joint, both radiography and ultrasonic inspection
techniques have limited capability for the detection of flaws at the dissimilar materials interface. Given that
the combined use of automated ultrasonic testing (AUT) and ECA for the development of acceptance criteria
for C-Mn pipeline girth welds is now commonplace, this limitation could have adverse effects on lay rates.
Engineering critical assessment of any component requires a good knowledge of materials and mechanical
properties. For the case of clad pipe, the stress-strain curves and fracture toughness of all constituents of the
weld need to be determined, along with the stress intensity factor solution, limit load solution and residual
stress state, taking account of the mismatch in physical and mechanical properties between CRA, weld metal
and substrate. A robust clad pipeline ECA procedure has yet to be established.

These limitations in current clad pipeline welding and inspection practice have a significant effect on
installation costs and pipeline integrity. This project will address these issues through the development of
improved welding procedures, the use of alternative filler materials, and the development of an ECA
approach to defect sizing and reliable inspection techniques.

Objectives Costs quoted in 1992 for construction (labour plus

The aim of this project is to increase clad pipeline
welding speed, reduce installation time and costs
and improve the integrity of the welded joints.
Specific objectives include:
• Review of methods of manufacture of
linepipes and the effect on welding and NDT
during installation.
• Reduction of root/hot pass completion times.
• Increase in overall welding productivity and
improvement of girth weld performance by
optimising filler wire and process selection.
• Development and demonstration of reliable
weld inspection techniques.
• Development of a procedure for ECA of girth
welds in clad pipelines.
Benefits
welding equipment) of a given diameter pipeline
were $250,000/mile for C-steel and $395,000/mile
for clad pipe. Whilst 2007 day costs are likely to
be much greater, the cost differentials are
expected to be similar. Thus, even a moderate
increase in lay rate could have a significant impact
on lead pipeline installation costs.
Project Approach
There are four aspects which this work
programme aims to address namely:
• Procedures for increased productivity and
improved welding quality.
• Alternative weld filler materials.
• Acceptance criteria and ECA and fatigue
guidelines.
• Reliable NDT techniques and procedures.

For those applications requiring the transport of
hot, sour or highly corrosive fluids, operators are
being driven towards the use of CRA pipeline
material for reliability and safety reasons. The
additional pipeline material and installation costs
will be justified on the basis of the risk and
consequence of failure rather than on an
economic argument. Clearly the need to minimise
the risk of environmental damage and ensuring
adequate worker safety will be paramount.
Nevertheless it is envisaged that the project will
have a significant impact on the cost and reliability
of clad pipeline installation.
The clad pipe type, size, backing steel grade and
CRA cladding composition will be discussed at the
project launch meeting and agreed with the
Project Sponsors at the beginning of the project.
Procedures for increased productivity and
improved weld quality
Mechanised TIG welding is commonly used for
the deposition of the root and hot passes.
Controlled short circuit transfer MIG process eg
Lincoln Electric surface tension transfer (STT) is
also used commonly, providing increased welding
speeds and thicker weld deposits. Root welding is
normally performed without an internal root

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backing system, which is precluded by most
specifications because of the risk of copper
contamination in the weld metal from backing
bars. The following variants will be investigated:
• Controlled short circuit transfer MIG process
techniques such as Controlled Short Circuit
(CSC™) and Cold Metal Transfer (CMT™).
• TOPTIG™ process using filler wire fed
through the welding torch directly into the arc.
This is claimed to improve weld deposition
efficiency and to increase welding speed
substantially. Trials carried out at TWI in
simulated U-grooves (2mm land) show
potential for the process to deposit root pass
at travel speeds up to 750mm/min using
0.8mm wire and Ar-He shielding gas.
Welding will be carried out in representative
simulated installation joint geometries; fit-up,
shielding and backing gas and welding
consumables will be agreed with the Project
Sponsors. The criteria by which the success of
these process variants will be measured will be
agreed with the Project Sponsors, but it is
expected they will include welding speed, weld
profile, all-positional welding capability and
susceptibility to welding defects.
Alternative weld filler wires
The first approach is to use a CRA filler wire for
both the root and fill passes. For backing steel
strength in excess of API5L Grade X65, filler
material with higher strength than Alloy 625 is
required. The following filler wires will be
investigated:
• High strength Ni alloy based filler wires eg
Alloy 617 or Alloy 686.
• Super duplex stainless steel filler wire eg
Zeron® 100X.
The second approach is to use a hybrid
procedure, involving the deposition of a CRA
root/hot pass, followed by a high strength C-Mn
fill. Conventional practice is to use a pure iron
intermediate layer between the CRA and C-Mn
weld metals. However, it is known that pure iron
filler wire does not have good welding
characteristics and could be susceptible to
porosity and other defects. Thus the feasibility of
welding directly onto a CRA root/hot pass with
pure Fe consumable will be assessed eg using
the TOPTIG™ process. With a low hydrogen
process, the increased hardenability of the first
diluted run may not be a limiting problem. Even
so, the risk of solidification cracking will be
assessed for the alternative dissimilar filler
material combinations. Weldability trials are
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proposed with the three layer approach using
TOPTIG/manual TIG and pure Fe consumable.
Engineering critical assessment
Current procedures for ECA (eg BS7910, DNV
OS-F-101) usually assume the material to be
analysed is homogeneous. R6 (the UK nuclear
power industry procedure) and the European
FITNET procedure (currently in draft form) do,
however, address the issue of bi-material and clad
joints, and in particular the calculation of limit
loads for use in ECA. The project will also draw on
the results of TWI’s recent internal research work
and its current Core Research Programme on
structural integrity of clad pipelines. There are
several potential issues relating to ECA of clad
girth welds, which could include:
• Potential mismatch in mechanical properties
between cladding, C-Mn steel substrate and
girth weld.
• Residual stresses associated with
manufacturing processes and girth welding.
• Disbonding of the cladding, especially during
plastic straining.
• Inspectability of the girth weld.
These issues will be addressed in this project,
with a view to developing a specific procedure for
the ECA of girth welds in clad pipelines. Fracture
mechanics testing of trial welds will be carried out
and example ECA calculations performed. A final
validation of the approach could be demonstrated
by means of full-scale laboratory testing. The
extent of the testing programme will be agreed
with the Project Sponsors at the launch meeting.
Non-destructive testing
Reliable and rapid inspection techniques are
required to assess the integrity of the CRA weld
following deposition of the root/hot pass and on
completion of the weld fill. The intermediate
inspection is required to demonstrate an absence
of defects and a satisfactory internal root profile
before completion of the weld. The inspection of
the completed weld is complicated by the
dissimilar nature of the weld joint materials.
This task will determine the ability of NDT
techniques currently in use for detection of defects
in dissimilar welds and seek to increase
performance by using the advantages offered by
latest techniques (such as phased arrays). This
will use the output from the ECA study in this
project and previous TWI ECA clad pipe studies
(type of flaws, flaw location and orientation) and
typical critical flaw sizes. Specific attention will be
given to areas of potential clad failure (as
determined from ECA).
The ultrasonic testing (UT) characteristics of weld
materials and configurations typically used in clad
pipe field girth welds will be analysed, including
new processes and configurations developed in
this GSP. In addition a “library” of flaws will be
created, consisting of samples with documented
flaws. Flaw selection will be based on their
criticality, frequency of occurrence, and whether it
is known to be difficult to detect/size with current
techniques (largely based on TWI’s CRP work
that has been conducted on this subject).
Trials will be carried out with weld samples using
agreed NDT techniques eg AUT using focused
compression angle beam probes and shear wave
probes, phased arrays and manual UT to adapt
these techniques for use on CRA clad pipeline
and to document optimum performance.
Performance will be compared with the results of
ECA example calculations to determine the
“robustness” of these inspection systems, and to
identify specific weak areas for the techniques
under scrutiny.
Internal inspection using cameras or laser
triangulation CCD sensors present specific
advantages for weld root inspection. However the
reflective nature of the clad materials makes the
interpretation of results difficult for welds in clad
pipes. Review of suitable techniques including
illumination will be carried out, a library of images
of defects such as suck back will be created, and
a correlation established between the NDT
techniques and visual monitoring techniques.
The scope of the experimental programme will be
agreed with the Project Sponsors at the launch
meeting. The inclusion of radiography techniques
eg digital phosphorous plate, or real time, possibly
including CT scanning of samples to determine
the “true” limits of RT technology will be discussed
with the Project Sponsors.
Test welding evaluation
The effect of variables on weld joint integrity will
be assessed. Thus selected test welds will be
subject to detailed assessments as follows:
• Inspection using NDT techniques as above.
• Mechanical testing in accordance with an
agreed specification.
• Fracture mechanics and full-scale testing.
• Corrosion testing agreed with the Sponsors.
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Deliverables
• Review of current linepipe manufacturing
methods with their effect on installation
welding and NDE.
• Higher productivity girth welding procedures.
• Recommendations on alternative CRA and
intermediate weld filler materials.
• Development of a procedure for ECA of girth
welds in clad pipelines.
• Mechanical property data, example ECA
calculations and full-scale test data.
• Evaluation of state-of-the-art inspection
systems, offering increased defect detection
and sizing capabilities, and reducing the time
required for NDT follow-up of questionable
indications.
Progress statements will be issued monthly by e-
mail and the Sponsors will meet to review the
work and guide its progress at six monthly
intervals. A detailed progress report will be
prepared for each six-month meeting.
Price and Duration
The proposed programme of work can be carried
out within two years at a cost of £560,000
excluding VAT. Eight Sponsors are sought, each
making a contribution of £35,000 per annum.
TWI will initiate the project when four Sponsors
have agreed to support the project, although the
scope of work will be reduced accordingly.
Launch Information
Date: Wednesday, 24 October 2007
Time: 10.30 hrs
Venue: TWI Ltd
Granta Park
Great Abington
Cambridge CB21 6AL UK
For further information please contact:
Sayee Raghunathan
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 899000
E-mail: sayee.raghunathan@twi.co.uk
Dave Harvey
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 899000
E-mail: dave.harvey@twi.co.uk