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PipePro Engine Drives Tackle X80 Pipe
- Equipment consolidated with engine drives that have outstanding multiprocess output
- Smooth downhill Stick arc
- Flux cored welding on fill and cap passes increase travel speeds 50 to 100%
- Project completed on time and under budget
Customer Testimonial
“We were willing to look into any process or product that benefited the pipeline owners and enabled us to complete our work more efficiently. Companies such as Miller, Hobart Brothers [and] Bernard have served our needs here very well.”
— Dick Williams, project engineer, Associated Pipe Line Contractors, Inc.
Application
Completing the tie-in welds on the first X80 pipeline constructed in the U.S., the Cheyenne Plains Pipeline.
Key Business Issue
- Selecting engine drives, feeders and electrodes to weld X80 (highly alloyed) pipe.
- Constructing the pipeline on-time and under budget.
Challenge
Selecting welding equipment that would enable welding multiple-process welding (downhill welding with a celluosic Stick electrode and uphill gas-shielded flux cored welding) on X80 pipe while minimizing or eliminating weld quality concerns related to hydrogen cracking.
Previous System & Process
No previous system or process. As part of selecting equipment for this project, Associated Pipe Line evaluated DC generators with CV boxes (constant voltage controls).
New Solution
- Miller's PRO 300 CC/CV diesel engine drive paired with SuitCase 8VS wire feeders, Bernard Q-Guns with Centerfire consumables and Hobart Brothers' Pipemaster electrodes (E6010 and E9010; 101K2 flux-cored wire).
- PRO 300's downhill welding performance with celluosic electrodes meets or exceeds that of a DC generator's, while its CV output provides outstanding voltage control for flux cored welding in critical applications. Other advantages: a stronger welding and generator output in a machine that is 35 percent more compact than a DC generator, a fuel-efficient 22-HP CAT engine and the reliability offered by Miller's “Vault” design.
Results
- Construction objectives met. The PRO 300 CC/CV engine drive's reliability and multiple process welding capabilities helped Associated Pipe Line bring the project in on time and under budget.
- Ability to use flux cored welding for productivity. According to the procedure qualification worksheet for the fill and cap passes, travel speeds for flux cored welding on this project averaged from 4 – 6 inches per minute, versus 2 – 4 inches per minute for Stick welding.
- Equipment consolidation by using one machine for all process. “The PRO 300 CC/CV from Miller met our needs for using both Stick and flux-cored electrodes. We had welders put CV boxes on older DC generators, but they never did perform as well with flux-cored wire. Eventually, we quit using those machines and ran all the procedures with the Miller PRO 300.”
— Sonny Weems, assistant superintendent, Associated Pipe Line - Operator satisfaction. "The PRO 300 welded really well. It has a smooth arc. One thing I liked was that I could just stick the bead pass in there without turning the heat up or down."
— Junior Blair, welder, Cheyenne Plains Pipeline project
