K-TIG technology being used in Argentina pipeline production

K-TIG has announced that its welding technology is being used for the construction of the $170 million Acueducto Gran San Juan, a 31-mile pipeline that will transport drinking water to San Juan, Argentina. About 9 miles of the pipeline will be fabricated by Industrias Metalúrgicas Jaime SRL of 63-in.-dia., 3/8-in.-thick stainless steel using keyhole TIG welding technology, a high-energy-density variant of GTAW.

Both the longitudinal and circumferential weld seams in the pipeline are being welded in a single, full-penetration pass. The resulting welds are X-ray quality, the caps and roots are smooth and clean, and no post-weld grinding is required, according to the company. No weld preparation is required, and the process uses a fraction of the gas and wire that would have been consumed with other conventional welding processes, the manufacturer reports.

The contracted speed of tube production is 1,300 tubes in 720 days, but using the keyhole TIG process, the fabricator is making an average of 8 of the 39-ft.-long tubes each day. At this pace, the fabrication will be completed in 162 days—550 days ahead of schedule.