Sinopec News Network (Wu Liwei) – On August 27, the all-position automatic welding machines for fixed pipe joints of the Dalian Hengli Project Department of SEI Ten Construction Company were officially transferred from the pipe fabrication shop to the construction site for on-site application, marking the full deployment of such all-position automatic welding machines for fixed pipe joints across the project construction area.
At present, prefabrication of high-pressure and ultra-high-pressure pipes for the two wax oil hydrogenation units of the 20 million tons/year refining and chemical integration project of Hengli (Dalian) Petrochemical undertaken by Ten Construction Company has been fully completed. Through 20 on-site welding tests, the project department achieved a 100% one-time flaw detection pass rate for 19 weld joints fabricated with all-position automatic welding machines, earning high recognition from the project owner and supervision team.
On August 28, on a 5-meter-high scaffolding platform within the wax oil hydrogenation unit area, operators skillfully operated the all-position automatic welding machine for fixed pipe joints to weld P22 alloy heat-resistant steel high-pressure pipes via solid wire MAG welding process. It took merely three days to finish one weld joint with a diameter of 450 millimeters and a wall thickness of 58 millimeters, delivering three times the working efficiency of conventional manual arc welding.
Faced with the extremely tight construction schedule of the Dalian Hengli Project, the project department prioritized the construction of high-pressure and ultra-high-pressure process pipelines as the critical path to comprehensively boost the efficiency of all-position automatic welding machines. After more than 20 technical upgrades to the all-position automatic welding machine body and over 10 rounds of adjustments covering arc voltage, gas mixture ratio, welding torch angle and other parameters, the project department finalized welding procedure specifications for high-pressure and ultra-high-pressure pipes made of alloy heat-resistant steel and stainless steel, laying a solid foundation for the full-scale on-site rollout of all-position automatic welding equipment.
It is learned that this marks the first practical application of all-position automatic welding machines in uncontrollable outdoor environments and construction sites with constrained conditions, which plays a vital role in promoting the solid wire MAG all-position automatic welding process across the company.
"We will continue to upgrade and innovate all-position automatic welding equipment and supporting processes to accelerate the on-site installation and construction of process pipelines and secure precious time for the early mechanical completion of the project," said Liu Jianguo, a welding technician of Ten Construction Company.
