what code if any?

By CWI555

Date 07-17-2009 22:31

Sounds like a B31.1 weld to me. Check the specs/drawings to be sure.

By scrappywelds (***)

Date 07-18-2009 00:28 Edited 07-18-2009 00:30

unfortunatly i'm just a tube welder right now not privilaged to that information, on the bright side I am in QA/QC training program for my company. to my understand a structural welder can't weld on process pipe even if it is little pressure, the welder has not passed the pipe test.

By bozaktwo1 (***)

Date 07-18-2009 15:22

Back in my Navy days, I had it beat into me over and over: if it carries liquid, you have to be pipe qualified. Not sure if that came out of a spec or not, but it has served me well through the years.

By MBSims

Date 07-18-2009 16:10

For a power boiler seal trough water line, D1.1 would be acceptable. We would use ASME IX, but this is a low pressure application just to keep the ash pit seal trough filled and really is non-code. It could be treated as an AWWA application, which would send you to D1.1 anyway. Welding the pipe to the trough wall with a fillet weld is covered by pipe or plate test. I don't see a concern

By CWI555

Date 07-19-2009 03:29

I've done some checking on this, not much in either code to run with directly, but previous projects I've worked have had it spec'd as B31.1. However; that is from jobsite specifications, so I made some calls, your supposition is in fact correct, there are some plants that called it AWWA which does send to D1.1.
Either way, it's going to default to the design specs.
Based on that, it is more likely your's is the correct answer in this so I'll desist.

Regards,
Gerald

By 3.2 Inspector (***)

Date 07-18-2009 22:34

Dontworry so much about which code, just weld as good as you can.
Stop being SO obsessed with codes

3.2

By Arctic 510 (**)

Date 07-19-2009 01:04

3.2

Are you advocating the adoption of the farm/mining code in the power industry?

:-)

It's pretty neat to see a welder interested in the codes. It's fairly rare, IME.

By MBSims

Date 07-19-2009 02:40

I believe you are talking about a variant of the farm code here. The typical code used is the "invisible code", which is the one everyone says they are following but no one has ever seen a copy of it and does not have one on the job site.

By scrappywelds (***)

Date 07-19-2009 03:40 Edited 07-20-2009 10:08

well in this case I would be qualified to weld it, I did make the spool, and in the end I repaired the other welder's mess after the existing seal trough plate metal was so thin he kept blowing through. On the next major outage the plate will be replaced with new. Just one of those deals when you get a "case of the red a#@" when you have to fix another welder's weld because of inexperience and a very bad location. we are going to have the QA/QC CWI come in and have a quality meeting this week. It was me just wondering as our QA/QC wouldn't say D1.1 or B31.1 he wanted to skate around it. I am in training for QA/QC work hope to try for my CWI maybe next year, I know this would be the place to find out the answer or atleast opinions on the matter. I have learned alot from this site, some I understand, some I don't at first. we don't call it "farm code" at the plant, we call it "junk iron".

By Shane Feder (****)

Date 07-19-2009 10:45

Arctic 510,
I agree with 3.2.
Weld to the best of your ability and let the people who are paid to worry about the codes worry about them.
Is a welder qualified to AWS D1.1 competent to weld a fillet weld on a B31.1 power plant - probably.
Is a welder qualified to AWS D1.1 qualified to weld on a B31.1 power plant - no.

scrappywelds,
When you become a CWI it will be your role/responsibility to worry about the welders, until then it is probably a good idea to just look after "Number 1",
Regards,
Shane

By MBSims

Date 07-19-2009 13:56

Ahh, but the whole power plant is not built to just one code. Sorting out which code applies where can be difficult on some of the older plants where record keeping and even drawings are scarce. ASME Section I for the boiler proper, B31.1 for the steam piping, API for oil storage tanks, AWWA for condensate and raw water tanks and circulating water piping, D1.1 for the structural steel and pipe supports, HEI specs for the condenser, ASME VIII for the feedwater heaters and deaerator, D14.6 for forced draft and induced draft fans,...

I have no problem with folks trying to learn about which code they must follow, or which code would be best when you have the option to choose. That's how you learn to be better at your job.

By johnnyh (***)

Date 07-20-2009 02:42

Your questions are valid and hopefully your inspection personel will be kind enough to answer. It is all about how you ask them.

By 3.2 Inspector (***)

Date 07-19-2009 16:59

:)

No I am not advocating the adoption of any farmcodes, especially not in the power plant industry.
My post was written after the consumption of HUGE amount of beers :)

That does still not change my mind in regards to what I wrote....
Code your welders, make them do the best they can EVERYTIME they weld, play by the book, dont cheat, etc, etc....

It's not like the welders are thinking to which code they are working to during welding --> They are busy welding the best they can.
Following this very simple rule will never get you in problems, unless you are working to extreme codes/specs.

3.2 (sober)

By Shane Feder (****)

Date 07-19-2009 22:58

Hi Marty,
The point I was trying to make was the same as 3.2.
I posted my thoughts on here a while back and intially there were a few that disagreed with me but after a long winded explanation they saw the point I was trying to make.
I was on a Co-generation project using B31.1, B31.3 NFS and Cat D with all welders regularly rotating from 1 code to another (sometimes on the same day) and all three codes had different acceptance criterias.
I just told the welders to treat every weld as if it would be radiographed and not to worry about the codes (or acceptance criterias), that was what I was there for.
Regards,
Shane