How To Achieve

A Clean Process
Pipe Line
By Steve Purnell

When planning an installation of a new stainless

steel process pipe line it is important to understand
the importance of using the best possible materials
and techniques to ensure it is clean when installed.

The Aim a stainless steel process line is

to ensure that the stainless steel
The ideal process line will be will not degrade during the
designed to give smooth flow installation operation. Probably
of the product. To achieve this, the biggest risk is the degrading
the inside bore of the weld of the material during the
should be consistent through welding operation.
the entire system. Figure 1 – A potential ‘Bug Trap’ on a Stainless Steel’s contain
welded tube chromium and nickel which give
The bore of the system should
also be smooth with no marks the material the ‘stainless’
or crevices which may cause ‘bug traps so should be kept to properties. If the material is not
potential contamination areas, a minimum. adequately protected from the
know as ‘bug traps’. ‘Bug oxygen in the atmosphere
Traps’ are small voids in the during the welding process the
What are the risks
material surface where product material will degrade
can catch and deteriorate over dramatically.
Should the line not be installed
a period of time. Another serious risk is the pipe
to a satisfactory standard it may
By designing a system with lines which have had no post
well not last as long as you hope
maximum welded joints the clean and treatment prior to
and can cause serious infection
amount of designed problem service. If a line is not cleaned
in the product travelling
areas is kept to a minimum. prior to being put into
through it.
Mechanical joints naturally have production fabrication debris
The first and most important
areas which cause potential can be left in the system. These
consideration for installation of
 debris will soon cause and chance of tube contamination smooth internal surface on the
infection of the product flowing before it is installed. tube and fittings. This includes
through the system. When selecting and procuring the inside diameter of the tube
tube and fittings the following and fittings selected and it is
How to Achieve The Aim points should be considered:- important that the tube supplier
Sulphur Control should be able to give a
The main considerations to help Surface Finish guarantee of the quality of the
create a clean process pipe line Specifications internal surface of the tube,
are:- Batch Control especial in welded tubes where
Material Selection Traceability the internal surface will be
Fabrication Techniques We will look at each of these effected in the weld zone.
Welding Techniques points in turn and investigate the Manufacture Specification –
Cleaning & Treatment importance of each area. There are many specifications
Each of these areas has its own Sulphur Control – Stainless to which tube can be
important factors and we will Steels have a trace of sulphur manufactured but the most
explore each of these in details which is often not considered as important regulation is ASME-
below. a problem area. But in practice BPE 1997. It is important that
the sulphur content has a drastic the tube should be
effect on the weldability of the manufactured with a SPC
Selection of Tube & material. Only 0.001% (Statistical Process Control)
Fittings difference in the sulphur content production line to give
of the material can cause a vast guaranteed quality tube.
To achieve a clean process pipe difference in weld profile. This Batch Control – All tube and
line it is important to select tube is due to the Maragoni effect, fittings should be ordered in on
and fittings from a high quality which changes the surface lot to ensure that the tube and
source that can provide mill tension temperature coefficient. fittings delivered are from the
certification, chemical analysis This means that the heat same batch of material. This is
and guarantee the quality of the movement in material changes ensure that all materials
tube finish. Tubes should be for different sulphur content supplied have an equal sulphur
supplied from a controlled materials. content, this in turn will
stockholding in protective Surface Finish – As mentioned eliminate any problems with
packaging to eliminate any earlier it is important to have a weld quality.
Traceability – All tube and
fittings should be traceable to
original source. This allows any
problem encountered during
fabrication, installation or
service to be traced and the
problem identified and then the
results of the problem rectified.

Tube Fabrication
Techniques

During fabrication it is
important to follow
recommended fabrication
techniques to keep
contamination of the tube bore
and material degradation to a
Figure 2 – High Quality Fittings. Photo courtesy of Axium Process,Swansea. minimum. Each stage of
www.axiumprocess.com
 during the cutting process and can
degrade the material being cut.
Over Heating during the cutting
process can be identified by the
formation of oxides on the
surface of the tube near to the
cutting area.
Tacking – When tubes are cut
to length they will need to be Figure 4 – An Orbital
tacked to fittings or other pipes Welding System. Photo Courtesy
of Axium Process, Swansea
to produce the pipe run required.
Figure 3 - Orbital Cutting The atmosphere in the tubes
Machine internal bore should be have an
oxygen content of less than 500 Welding Process &
fabrication of a pipe line has ppm (parts per million) during Equipment
potential to cause problems in the tacking as well as welding so that
final process line. The main the material does not degrade. It is widely accepted that the
fabrication techniques used are The tack should also be small, most suitable process from
cutting, tacking and welding. We clean and should not fully welding of stainless steel tubes in
will look at each stage of the penetrate the wall of the material. TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas)
fabrication process individually. Dirty tacks will have a derogatory Welding. This process uses a non-
Cutting – Lengths of tube will effect on the quality of the final consumable tungsten electrode
need to be cut to length during weld. Dirty tacks will be dark and is shield from the atmosphere
every stage of the installation. In blue or black and in extreme by and inert gas, usually argon.
order to maintain the ‘stainless’ cases may This process gives a controlled
properties it is important to control heat input which can much further
the heat input during the cutting have a crusty surface. enhanced by the used of a pulsed
process, this would require the use Welding – Welding has the most arc. To give high quality weld
of an orbital cutting machine (as degrading effect on the properties profiles and to keep material
shown in Figure 3) with a good of the material and is one of the degradation a consistent weld
condition cutting blade fitted. The most complex and critical speed should be used. The most
use of other methods or indeed an operations in the fabrication effective way to control weld
orbital cutting machine with a blunt process. The welding of pipelines speed is by the use of and
blade allows heat to build up will be discussed in detail below. automatic orbital welding system

Figure 5 - Manual Welded Figure 6 - Orbital Welded Figure 8 - Welded Process

Process Tube Process Tube Tube With No Back Purge

Photos courtesy of Delstron System, Burton-on-Trent

 of this will be the break down of
(As shown in fugure 4). Figures the material in a short period of
5 & 6 show the difference time.
between a weld made by a This reaction can be avoided by
manual pipe welder and a weld filling the internal bore of the tube
made with a orbital welding with an inert gas, this method is
system. It can be seen that the called back purging and a range
manual welding is significantly of special systems are available
more oxidised and less consistent to insert into the tube to localise
than the automatic weld. the area at which the gas is applied
It is now considered standard and to avoid filling large lengths
practice to use orbital welding of tube. These systems not only
equipment with fully enclosed save on the amount of gas used
weld heads for pharmaceutical but also the amount of time taken
process line installation. Fully to get the oxygen level of the back
enclosed weld heads purge to a suitably low level. (As
encapsulate the entire outside shown in Figure 9)
surface of the weld area. This
area is then filled with a inert Application & Control
gas, usually argon, before the
weld cycle starts. This gives a
of Welding
guaranteed clean outer surface
and should the weld joint open All welding on the systems should
slightly during the welding cycle be carried out to suitable
it is inert gas drawn into the standards and each weld should
internal bore and not air. A be tested and certified to that
enclosed weld head located on level. If orbital welding equipment
Figure 9 – Principle of a Internal Purge
a tube is shown in figure 7. is used the equipment and
operators will be to be certified. System. Courtesy of Huntingdon Fusion
As well as protecting the
outside diameter of the material An approved weld procedure will Techniques.
it is also essential that the inside be submitted with the certification
surface is also protected. If and this weld procedure should identify the cause if a problem
stainless steel is not protectedFig be adhered to at all times. should occur on a particular weld.
from oxygen during the welding Modern orbital welding Ideally a data log will be kept for
process then the chromium and equipment has the facility to store each weld carried out on the
carbon in the material will react the weld procedure and limit the project. This should identify the
with the oxygen to for chromium amount the operator can change current used, weld travel speed
carbides, commonly know as to parameters to the level and date.
coking (As sown in figure 8). indicated on the standard. Again modern orbital welding
Once the chromium is burned out Test Coupons should be equipment can print or store this
of the material in this way it loses submitted and approved prior to information to standard PC cards.
it corrosion resistance. The result the welder commencing work on Each log file will include date, time,
the installation. Further test weld number, welding current,
coupons should be submitted to travel speed and average arc
ensure that quality is being voltage. In addition the log files
maintained over the duration of will detail exact deviation from
the contract. the programmed parameters.
All welds carried out on the The internal bore of the tube
systems should be uniquely should also be filled with a suitable
identifiable on the system drawing inert gas to give a clean internal
with a log of when welds were finish. It is commonly accepted
carried out and by who. This helps that the oxygen level should be
Figure 7 – Fully Enclosed Weld
Head Located on a Process Tube.
below 500 ppm before welding chromium layer at the metal required. This will outline
commences. surface to resistant chromium drawings, material quality
This in another feature of modern oxide. certificates, weld data logs and all
orbital welding equipment, which Even in the case of electro relevant specification
can be connect to a oxygen polished so called ‘bio tubes’ conformance documentation.
analyser to prevent the operating with the use of closed cup This all indicates that to achieve a
starting the weld cycle before the automatic welding it is essential process line that will give good
oxygen level is acceptably low. that the system is passivated service and longevity of life all
Post Cleaning & after erection to enrich the factors must be considered at
Treatment of Pipe Line chromium oxide layer at the initial design stage.
metal surface of the weld.
Where nitric acid is unavailable
As a result of the above
or is to be avoided for safety or
fabrication techniques debris
environmental reasons other
will remain in the system and
chemicals can be used involving
these will need to be flushed
mixtures of citric acids and
out. In addition all weld areas
organic chelants.
should be passivated as the
The systems is finally flushed
metal crystalline configuration
with de-mineralised water to
at the surface changes during
remove all traces of nitric acid.
cooling after welding resulting
On completion a certificate is
in depletion of the chromium
issued for validation purposes
oxide layer. The recommended
and ferroxyl tests, if required,
procedure for post installation
are carried out at weld areas.
treatment is detailed below
The ferroxyl test is an extremely
The system is flushed with
sensitive test which will detect
water to remove debris, swarf
very low levels of iron giving
etc. A Detergent is then
an intense blue colour in the
circulated to remove oil, grease
presence of iron.
and organic muck. The system
is flushed with water again to
remove all traces of detergent.
Conclusion Orbimatic GmbH, PO Box
Valve bodies, diaphragms and
416, Peterborough, PE7 3XE.
other areas of potential debris
So in conclusion it can be seen Tel 01733 244063, Fax 01733
accumulation are swabbed and is
that a whole range of factors must 244463. Email -
then inspection under UV and
be considered in order to achieve steve@orbimati.co.uk.
white light to demonstrate that
organics have been removed. a clean process line on completion
Delstron Systems Limited,
Nitric Acid is then circulated to of the project.
Paget Street, Burton-on-Trent,
dissolve iron oxide and other DE14 3TQ. Tel 01283 565120,
contaminants adhering to the It is important to use high quality
materials and equipment to give Fax 01283 541859. Email
steel. This is particularly sales@delston.co.uk
important at weld areas where a process line that will last for a
the metal profile is relatively long period of time. This selection Axium Process Limited,
rough compared with polished of high quality goods should be
Hendy Industrial Estate,
internals and where there is a maintained throughout the project Hendy, Swansea, SA4 0XP.
possibility of iron inclusions. as one lapse in quality can lead to
Tel 01792 883882, Fax 01792
Stainless steel is naturally the whole line being contaminated.
886049. Email
resistant to nitric acid and is not sales@axiumprocess.com
attacked by this chemical. Nitric To allow the contractor to give a
acid is an oxyacid which has the guarantee of the quality of the
property to ‘oxidise’ the system at the end of the project,
full documentation will be