TPT May 2016

T E CHNOLOG Y

Water-soluble film for pipe purging WHEN tubes and pipes of certain materials, such as stainless steel, titanium, copper-nickel and zirconium, are welded together it is desirable to purge the oxygen out of the inside of the weld zone to prevent it from reacting with the hot metal and causing oxidation, porosity, discolouration and loss of corrosion resistance. purging systems, such as PurgElite ® , QuickPurge ® and HotPurge ® . However, it is not always practical to use such systems for one-off work on just a few joints of one particular size, for closing welds, for ‘T’ piece joints or for a number of other branch type joints.

desirable to simply pour gas into a pipe assembly in the hope that a good purge and, ultimately, a good weld will be achieved. This technique often does not work and is unnecessarily expensive. LukeKeane, distributor support forHFT, said, “It is so easy to cut a circle of water soluble film and place it a short distance away from the root gap before welding, pasting in place with the argweld Water- Soluble Super Adhesive™ to ensure a tough, leak-tight barrier, keeping the purging volume to the barest minimum.” Argweld Weld Purge Film may save operators costs by minimising gas usage and reducing the time taken to make a purge, while achieving a desirably low oxygen level. after welding, the water- soluble film is simply washed away during the standard hydrotest cycle or by flushing the pipe interior. the film is dissolved, leaving no trace. Huntingdon Fusion Techniques – UK Email: hft@huntingdonfusion.com Website: www.huntingdonfusion.com

to overcome this difficulty, Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT) provides Argweld ® Weld Purge Film™ kits, with water-soluble materials that can be used for open assemblies and closing welds. the film produces an impenetrable purge barrier that can easily be washed away when hydrostatically testing the pipe or just by flushing out. To obtain a quality purge it has been customary to fill pipes with expensive argon gas and keep the gas running at what is thought to be a suitable flow rate for an estimated period of time. in today’s climate of ever-improving quality control and increasing demands on procedures with traceability, it is inappropriate to use such methods to ensure a satisfactory purge. It is not

Products for purging the insides of pipes include inflatable tube and pipe

HFT’s Argweld water-soluble film and adhesive

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M ay 2016