Squareness Of Bevels and Straightness Of Double Jointed Pipes Workshop

June 18, 2008 8:00AM   -   12:00PM
Houston , Texas

In these days of limited resources, time constraints and cost pressures, any issue with the “pipeline project assembly line” can greatly determine if a project is successful or not.  One of the more frustrating aspects is an issue that happens sporadically--misalignment of bevels during double jointing that prevents subsequent coating.  It is hard to plan and design a system to manage if everyone is not familiar with the issue. The issue of bevel alignment for double jointing is one of those situations.  While it may happen sporadically, it can cause high frustration and unnecessary cost if not managed correctly. 

During the manufacturing, transportation and prepping of the single joint of pipes it appears that sporadically the bevel of the pipe is not sufficiently perpendicular to the overall length of the pipeline joint.  This may occur even though there are QA/QC processes to address straightness.  When the two pieces of pipe are welded together on the “Double Joint” rack the total joined piece of pipe may not be straight thereby creating an issue in the coating plants.   The current API 5L specification for line pipe specifically excludes Double Joints from its purview.  Coating plants require certain tolerances on the straightness or camber of the pipe that is being coated and a “double jointed” piece of pipe may be rejected and set aside if the coating plant is unable to process the pipe through the plant.  In order to coat the pipe, the weld will need to be removed and replaced.

·         This causes a delay in the coating process and perhaps the overall project

·         It requires a re-weld and NDT for the bad joints

·         It disrupts shipping and schedules of the next “station” in the construction assembly line  

As mentioned this happens sporadically and some companies may not have experienced this situation.

The purpose of the workshop is to examine the technical and contractual issues so that these kinds of issues can be addressed early and the impact minimized or managed.