Journal of NUCLEAR SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 38, No. 10, p.

891–895 (October 2001)

TECHNICAL REPORT

Underwater Laser Welding by 4 kW CW YAG Laser

Yoshihiro YAMASHITA1, ∗ , Toru KAWANO2 and Kurt MANN3
1
Nuclear Plant Service Engineering Department, Hitachi, Ltd., 3-1-1 Saiwai-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki 317-8511
2
Mechatronics Products Division, Daihen Corporation, 5-1, Minamisenrioka, Settu-shi, Osaka 566-0021
3
HAAS-Laser GmbH, Aichhalder Strabe 39, D-78713 Schramberg, Germany
(Received April 23, 2001 and accepted in revised form August 2, 2001)

In May 2000 JSME issued Rules on fitness-for-service for nuclear power plants, which define allowable flaw sizes
at operating nuclear power plants, and based on evaluation against these rules, rational repairs were to be realized.
According to results, rational in-situ repairs were urgently needed on aged nuclear power plants, and since underwater
laser repairs met utilities requirements, the authors developed underwater YAG laser repair technology. Hitachi installed
the equipment at JAPEIC (Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corporation) in 1998 and implemented 0.3MPa
underwater YAG laser welding in both downward and horizontal direction repairs, even in a U groove work piece.
Metallurgical studies are ongoing.
KEYWORDS: laser welding, underwater welding, YAG laser, dry spot, nuclear power plants

I. Comparison of Underwater Welding Methods 2. Stable Dry Space

The realization of a stable dry space is indispensable for
1. Requirements of Underwater Laser Welding
successful stable underwater repair by laser welding. Un-
Due to the slowdown in Japanese economic growth, elec-
like conventional underwater arc welding methods, underwa-
tric utilities are rescheduling the commissioning of new nu-
ter laser welding requires a stable dry space. Bead on cladding
clear power plants. Meanwhile, some of the old nuclear
repairs are much easier than U or V grooved repairs. In or-
power plants in Japan have been operating for almost 30
der to start our project, it was necessary to develop a welding
years, close to the design limits of plant life. Due to this, elec-
torch that cleared the following 8 requirements:
tric utilities are proceeding with new plans to extend the ser-
• Generates a hydrodynamically stable dry space
vice life of these plants to 60 years through preventive mainte-
• Generates a hydrodynamically stable space even in single
nance and the reassessment of plant life. Our underwater laser
U or V groove prepared on a base material
welding project has gone ahead using lower heat input repair
(U or V means a grooved cross section shape)
welding technology for aged operating nuclear plant com-
• 10 mm diameter or greater dry space is necessary for UV
ponent materials, which have significantly decreased ductil-
or IR monitoring of molten pool
ity. For repairing cracks in structural materials, deep keyhole
(Optical monitoring by UV or IR on laser welding is popular)
welding using a high power laser is suitable, but under such
• Generates a stable dry space not only downwards but also
circumstances a 4 kW CW YAG laser would be able to re-
horizontally
pair cracks of only 7 mm depth at best because repair welding
• Arbitrary working distance must be selectable in the range
of deeper cracks would result in a slower welding speed and
of 1 mm to 15 mm
therefore be impractical from the viewpoint of reducing heat
• Applicable also to corner or butt welding
input. Furthermore, IGSCC propagates grain boundary lines,
• Applicable also to of approx. 10 mm height step
and to trace the lines with a laser beam is not realistic. In
• Applicable under a pressure of 0.3 MPa (30 m underwater).
this JAPEIC (Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Cor-
Three hydrodynamic methods of constructing dry space were
poration) project, wire fed laser welding consisting of bead-
studied in consideration of 8 requirements.
on repairs and 10 mm groove cladding repairs in downward
and horizontal directions was performed on the test specimen
3. Recent Outstanding Underwater Laser Welding
under 0.3 MPa water. Subsequent to the Rules on fitness-
The study of conventional underwater arc welding was
for-service for nuclear power plants issued by JSME (Japan
started more than 20 years ago in many laboratories all over
Society of Mechanical Engineers) May 2000 shown in Fig. 1,
the world, when methods using cylindrical skirt shielding or
there is no need in principle for flaws within the allowable
a gas curtain shielding were dominant. Recently essential,
size to be repaired. Even flaws exceeding the allowable size
practical methods for underwater laser welding were devel-
do not require perfectly grooved repairs, and cladding repairs
oped by BIAS in Germany and IHI (Ishikawajima-Harima
after a little grooving to decrease the flaw size to within the al-
Heavy Ind., Ltd.) in Japan.
lowable size are possible, as shown in Fig. 2. Bead-on repairs
(1) Underwater Laser Welding by BIAS
will stop flaws developing by preventing the propagation of
Underwater seam welding by laser was realized using
SCC (stress corrosion cracking) corrosion, enabling repairs
austenitic stainless steel plate under a pressure of 1 MPa.1)
to be performed on flaws that are close to the critical size.
Three types of gas shielding torch, as shown in Fig. 3, and a
cylindrical rubber skirt called labyrinth sealing, as shown in
∗
Corresponding author, Tel. +81-294-23-5354, Fax. +81-294-23-
6748, E-mail: yoshihiro yamashita@pis.hitachi.co.jp
891
892 Y. YAMASHITA et al.

Annual Inspection

[Current Situation]
Detection on Cracking

No

Smaller than Yes

Modeling on Cracking Allowable Cracking
Configuration Size

No

Continue Operation Repairing or

Cracking Propagation Replacement
Analysis by Fracture
Mechanics

Smaller than
Cracking Sizing at next Critical Cracking
Inspection Size Yes

No

Fig. 1 Flows of Rules on fitness-for-service for nuclear power plants

Flaw Detection
Fig. 4, were studied. The results led to the conclusion that
labyrinth sealing was the optimum method. The sealing ra-
Applied New Rules
Conventional Work dius was 130 mm and sealing was made on a flat plate where
Replace Components Repair after Grooving Crack
an extension range of ±4 mm was available. The purpose of
this project was underwater seam welding from inside a stain-
less steel pipe, aimed to realize an underwater downward di-
Grooved Trench
rection as well as a horizontal direction. The laser was a CW
Crack
2 kW YAG laser made by Rofin Sinar.1)
(2) Underwater Laser Welding by IHI
IHI has developed underwater laser welding without using
a shielding curtain.2) This method uses only gas shielding, as
shown in Fig. 5, which is the simplest shielding mechanism
Welded Deposit
for underwater welding. A small dry space is generated by
shielding gas and vapor pressure from a molten pool. Last
year this method was approved as a repair welding method for
nuclear power plants. It is planned to apply this method to the
walls of spent fuel storage pools. However, because working
No Repair on Analysis Repair by Seam -Welding distance needs to be kept within 3 mm in order to generate
and keep a small dry space, this method is the best for bead
on sealing welding on flat plate and not suited to wire-feed
welding with a single U or V groove. A torch configuration
cannot shield a U or V grooved surface.
SCC Crack
SCC Crack
Prevent SCC Propagation

Fig. 2 In-situ repair concepts

JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Underwater Laser Welding by 4 kW CW YAG Laser
II. Underwater Laser Welding in Hitachi
We studied the underwater applicability of our project and
concluded that a new torch had to be developed which cleared
the 8 requirements explained. Our nuclear power plant main-
tenance project requires real-time UV or IR monitoring,3)
which is indispensable for flawless repairs, not only bead on
welding on flat plate but also narrow single U or V groove
wire-feed repair welding. In addition, the application to reac-
tor core internals requires the technique of repair welding at
or around corners and step. The 8 requirements were studied
Fig. 3 Configuration of gas shielding laser torch developed by
BIAS1)
Fig. 4 Configuration of rubber skirt shielding laser torch known as labyrinth developed by BIAS1)
VOL. 38, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2001
893
with regard to gas curtains, solid skirts, and our water curtain.
The water curtain method was selected as the best, and un-
derwater torches manufactured using a water curtain in both
downward and horizontal directions as shown in Fig. 6. If
we try to keep a space of light gas within a heavy fluid such
as water, “Rayleigh-Taylor instability”, as it is called in hy-
drodynamics, occurs. To keep a stable gas space, a heavy and
viscous film that can follow up a single U or V groove and has
a high surface tension is required. After thorough two-phase
Fig. 5 Simplest underwater laser torch developed by IHI2)
Fiber Cable
Lsser Torch
Shielding Water Tube
Shielding Gas Tube
Feeding Wire
Water Curtain
Substrate
Fig. 6 Underwater laser torch developed by Hitachi (Water cur-
tain)
894 Y. YAMASHITA et al.

Fig. 7 Requirements and water curtain

20

Gas Flow Rate [Liter/min.]

200 Stand off : 5mm

200 10mm U -grooved W/P

10
Stand off : 5mm
150 100 Flat plate W/P
[mm]

Fig. 8 Workpiece with single U groove

0
5 10
hydrodynamic assessment and experiments we concluded that Curtain Water Flow Rate [Liter/min.]
a water curtain would be met our requirements in Fig. 7.4) A
water curtain is very stable because of water mass,viscosity Fig. 9 Optimum gas flow rate and water flow rate to keep stable
and strong surface tensile force. The result of our basic un- dry space in downward direction
derwater experiments revealed that a dry space with a diame-
ter of 10 mm or more is necessary for real-time monitoring by
IR or UV as well as following up 10mm deep, single U or V
Stand off : 5mm
grooves in Fig. 8. It was also revealed that a 15 mm working 10mm U -grooved W/P
distance could be secured using a water curtain. The water
curtain achieves shielding of the U or V groove. The strength
of the water curtain can be controlled by the water flow rate
Gas Flow Rate [Liter/min.]

200
and gas flow rate or pressure, and these phenomena are in- Stand off : 5mm
fluenced by working distance, groove depth, and underwater Flat plate W/P

torch direction downwards or horizontally. For example if the

working distance is set at 5 mm, a stable dry space can be 100
kept by the optimum water flow rate and gas flow rate shown
in Figs. 9 and 10 according to hydrodynamic theory. These
stable areas were defined by hydrodynamic experiments and
numerical assessment, using theory which defines gas space
stability requirement in gas and liquid two-phase flow. In hor- 0
10 20
izontal direction welding, a wider water curtain angle and sta- Curtain Water Flow Rate [Liter/min.]
ble dry space are secured to overcome gravitational instabil-
ity, while a larger water flow rate improves the space holding Fig. 10 Optimum gas flow rate and water flow rate to keep stable
power. Too large a water flow rate produces a larger reac- dry space in horizontal direction
tion force from the work piece, which reduces the traceability
of the underwater torch. Therefore, the formation of a water
curtain by laminar flow is necessary to maintain the minimum

JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Underwater Laser Welding by 4 kW CW YAG Laser 895

Table 1 3-type torches compared 1998 at JAPEIC’s research center and have been operating
favorably.6) 0.3 MPa underwater wire fed laser-welding tests
BIAS IHI Hitachi
with underwater torches demonstrated downward and hori-
Curtain type Gas curtain/ Gas bubble Water curtain zontal wire fed welding into a grooved trench. Further under-
Rubber skirt water metallurgical work by JAPEIC is underway.
(labyrinth) In this project, the HAAS HL4006D 4 kW CW YAG
Working distance 2–4 2–3 5–15 laser,7) which was the first of its kind to be imported to Japan,
(mm)
was installed in Feb. 1998 and applied to demonstration tests.
Space diameter 130 3–5 30–40
(mm)
Gas flow rate More than 200 20–100 50–200 References
(l/min)
Direction Downward/ Downward/ Downward/ 1) I. Habenicht, J. F. dos Santos, “Development of a nozzle for
Horizontal Horizontal Horizontal underwater laser beam weld,” 1996 OMAE, Vol. III, Material
U groove Impossible Impossible Possible Eng. ASME ’96, 141–149 (1996).
2) T. Kojima, K. Tsuchiya, “Development of underwater welding
with high power YAG laser,” IHI T.R. ’97, Vol. 37, No. 4, 303–
308 (1997).
3) I. Miyamoto, K. Mori, “In-process quality monitoring for laser
flow rate. Table 1 shows Hitachi’s torch spec. compared with materials processing,” JLS 17th Annu. Conf. ’98.
another two methods. 4) R. P. Lynch, “Pipeline hot-tap welding under 110 feet of sea
water,” Welding J., 48[3] 183–190 (1969).
III. Conclusion 5) Y. Yamashita, “Underwater laser welding application at nuclear
power plants,” Journal of Japan Laser Processing Society, 6[3]
Water curtain laser torch developed by Hitachi collaborated 42–43 (1999).
with Daihen Corp. met nuclear repairs requirements, mak- 6) T. Matsuzaka, M. Miyashita, “Underwater YAG laser repair
ing them the first in the world to develop an underwater laser welding technologies of nuclear power plant materials using
torch for the field of nuclear maintenance.5) The developed water-curtain shielding method (Report 1),” Journal of Japan
water curtain realized stable underwater dry space by water Laser Processing Society, 65[117], 36–37 (1999).
mass, water viscosity and strong water tensile force. And 7) K. Mann, J. Schmid, “Current situation and applications in Eu-
0.3 MPa underwater laser welding for downward and horizon- ropean automotive industries with high power YAG lasers,” JLS
tal direction repairs even in a U groove were demonstrated in 1st Laser Application Semin., JLS, (1999).

VOL. 38, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2001