Back Purging is the process of protecting and shielding the back side or under side of the weld during welding to prevent oxidation.
Back Purging with fiberglass Weld Backing Tape® supports weld roots and can prevent oxidation, sugaring, achieving clean, oxide free welds.
Luke Keane®, Technical Sales Manager for Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® said: “We manufacture a range of Weld Backing Tape® available up to 600 amps. This innovative method of back purging will ensure a high quality finish suitable for plate, sheet and pipe welding."
Unlike ceramic fibre, Weld Backing Tape® has no true melting point so it works satisfactorily with TIG or MIG welding (GTAW or GMAW) where temperatures can reach up to 6,000ºC. This overcomes the concerns associated with ceramic fibre versions that have a melting point of 1,800ºC.
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Often, pipes containing oils, hydrocarbons and petrochemicals need to be blocked but not all plugs are suitable for such applications.
The Pipestoppers® Division at Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® manufacture a range of Rubber Plugs, for fast, reliable and safe pipe stopping.
Ron Sewell, Chairman at HFT® said: “There are many applications where our Rubber Plugs are suitable, including for use in water, sewage, fluid production (milk, beer, chemicals), petrochemical, pharmaceutical and gas pipeline systems. Challenging pipe stopping conditions can cause major inconveniences, with many alternative products not being able able to handle such intense conditions."
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GTA/TIG welding long pipelines made of stainless steel can be found in many different industries including Oil and Gas, Nuclear and LNG. The use of stainless steel can offer many advantages including corrosion resistant properties and cost-effectiveness of the alloy.
With Stainless Steel being a reactive material, the oxygen in the protective gas must be purged down to under 100 ppm before, during and after welding, which can cause some difficulties in long pipelines.
Celebrating their 45th Anniversary in 2020 as International Leaders in Weld Purging, Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT®’s PurgEye® 1000 Distance Weld Monitor now makes it possible to have an immediate reading for the weld purge zone up to 1,000 metres away!
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When welding tubes and pipes made of alloys such as stainless, duplex and chrome, it is important to eliminate the oxygen internally with an inert gas. This will help prevent oxidation, discolouration and will ensure a good internal weld profile.
Weld Purging long pipelines can be costly and time consuming, so restricting weld purge volumes will achieve huge savings in time and inert gas.
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® design and manufacture PurgElite®, a range of low cost Tube and Pipe Purging Systems to achieve a clean, oxide free, zero colour weld in just minutes, available from 1” (25 mm).
Georgia Gascoyne: “2020 marks our 45th years of innovation, design and manufacturing expertise in the field of tube and pipe purging systems. Our PurgElite® Systems help achieve a clean, oxide free, zero colour welds.
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There are many occasions where Tandem Inflatable Tube and Pipe Purging Systems are not suitable and welders are often left to construct their own Weld Purging Equipment.
Often, homemade purging devices are unsuitable and can often lead to loss of welds due to oxidation.
Weld Purging Experts Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® manufacture a range of low cost, lightweight Weld Purge Plugs for a variety of applications for pipe sizes 0.5 to 6” (12 to 152 mm) diameter.
Luke Keane, Technical Sales Manager for HFT® said: “Typical purging applications for our Weld Purge Plugs include small or odd diameter pipes, short, complicated or variable size assembles where a purging system or inflatable dam would be too long or other purging equipment may not be available or practical.”
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Thoria, found in thoriated Tungsten Electrodes is a radio-toxic compound and emits mainly alpha particles, which are harmful if released inside the digestive tract or inside the lungs where they act as a carcinogen. Thoriated Tungsten Electrodes therefore pose a risk to welders during grinding.
Why are thoriated Tungsten Electrodes still in use today? Welders today continue to use thoriated Tungsten Electrodes as a cheaper alternative to other safer Tungsten Electrodes, often unaware of the risks.
Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT®’s blue-tipped MultiStrike® Tungsten Electrodes contain a mix of non-radioactive rare earth elements, eliminating the risk to health posed by radioactive thoriated Tungsten Electrodes, whilst maintaining a high performing Tungsten Electrode.
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Welding titanium alloys often has to be carried out in an environment where oxygen can be eliminated throughout the welding cycle. If the parts were to come into contact with oxygen ay any point, the reactive metal can become contaminated, oxidising which can lead to reductions in corrosion resistance and mechanical strength.
Metal glove boxes, which are still in use today, can be used to provide an inert gas coverage. However these glove boxes are often large, heavy and expensive. Welders are challenged by their lack of flexibility when welding small parts.
Ultra low cost Flexible Welding Enclosures® designed by Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® are easy to use. They are manufactured from an optically clear ultra-violet resistant engineering grade pvc, providing excellent vision and ease of access.
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Welding under site conditions introduces problems that are not found in normal factory environments. Exposure to heat and cold, sand and dust, damp and wet atmospheres place demands on standard Weld Purge Monitors® for which they are not designed to meet
The PurgEye® Site, available from Weld Purging Experts Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® is protected inside a secure, safe, waterproof and dustproof, tough carry case, perfect for field welding.
Georgia Gascoyne, CEO for HFT® said: “Field welding does not eliminate the need to measure oxygen levels when welding metals such as stainless steel, zirconium and titanium. Often, welders are left to guess at purge levels, due to some Weld Purge Monitors® not being able to handle various on site conditions.”
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Restricting the volume when welding large stainless steel tube and pipes can save huge amounts of time and inert gas costs.
Previously, welders have spent many hours waiting for oxygen levels to be low enough to start welding.
Leading the way in Weld Purging Innovation and Technology, Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® have designed and developed QuickPurge® Systems to dramatically reduce the space that needs to be purged, for pipes as large as 88” (2,235 mm).
Ron Sewell, Chairman for HFT® said: “The deflated QuickPurge System is placed inside the pipe and inflated. RootGlo® luminescent positioning strip illuminates the joint position ensuring that the System is positioned in the pipe correctly. The QuickPurge® is then inflated and connected to a Weld Purge Monitor® to measure the exact oxygen level throughout the welding cycle.”
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Flow and line stopping equipment gives the user the opportunity to isolate a section of pipeline to carry out repair and maintenance work.
The Pipestoppers® Division from Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® design and manufacture a Range of standard and non-standard Inflatable Stoppers for tanks, chambers, tubes, pipes and pipework fabrications, offering a range of pipe stopping and blocking requirements.
Ron Sewell, Chairman for HFT® said: “These versatile Inflatable Stoppers are used to service a wide variety of industrial applications. As “overnight stoppers” they provide a strong barrier in pipeline activities, to prevent foreign bodies entering the line during downtime.”
“In machining applications, they can be inserted below a horizontal flange on a vertical pipe, to prevent machining fluid, swarf and tools from falling into expensive machinery such as pumps and turbines etc.”
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Preventing oxidation when welding tubes and pipes can be achieved by purging the inside with an inert gas. This simple procedure saves both time and cost. By knowing the exact level of oxygen inside the pipe at all times, the welder knows when to start welding for high quality results.
With restricted budgets in mind, the basic-entry level PurgEye® Nano, designed and developed by Weld Purging Experts Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT®, will show oxygen levels down to 1 ppm (accurate to 10 ppm), which can be used to monitor the oxygen content when welding titanium, zirconium and all other reactive alloys.
A customer recently said: “The PurgEye® Nano is really easy to use, with excellent results. Previously, each welder would let argon flow as much as possible before starting to weld, to be sure that purging was sufficient. Now, they know when to reduce it prior to welding and in such a way they save good amount of argon. There is no guessing and welders and their assistants can use it after only a few minutes of instruction.”
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