API 5L WPS & PQR

Date 01-09-2002 20:35

If you are going to use the procedure on cross a country gas pipeline, all the major players will require qualification in accordance with API 1104.

1104 covers all the variables for both procedure and performance qualifications.

As a side note, we have tried very hard in the past to get some of the larger owners to accept our procedures qualified in accordance with ASME Section IX, with no success. Most of the time they provide the procedures and insist we use theirs. It's fine if you employ welders that are proficient with downhand SMAW - 6010, but not so fine if most of your procedures are qualified with GTAW or vertical up SMAW.

Hope that helps, Charles Hall

By Antonio Date 01-09-2002 21:11

Thank you Charles.
I make a mistake because I have not say the procedures are used to support the longitudinal welding of the pipe (thats wy SAW), it is not field joining, it is pipe manufacturing.

By MBSims

Date 01-09-2002 21:57

For the seam welds, Appendix A in API 5L refers to API Standard 1104 for qualification of welding procedures, welders and welding machine operators.

Marty

By iesca

Date 01-19-2002 05:39

I have read API Spec 5L a lot of times and I have not found any requirement for WPS, PQR or WPQ for seam welds. Such requirements are established just for repair welding (see Appendix C), jointer welds (circumferencial seam weld that joints two pieces of pipe together -see Appendix A) and skelp end welds.
A few years ago I worked (at San Luis Potosi, Mexico) with a manufacturer of 5L line pipe and we used to establish the WPS's,
qualify such WPS's (PQR) and qualify the welding operator performance.
We did such qualifications just to meet with the quality system requirements.
From my point of view, the soundness and mechanical properties of
the joints of the seam welds are demonstrated per the testing
(tensile tests, bend tests, fracture toughness and NDT) required for API Spec 5L.

Hector Garcia.