“PWHT of Dissimilar

Metal Welds”
AWS - Dallas
August 2014
William F. Newell, Jr., PE, PEng, IWE

EUROWELD, Ltd.
255 Rolling Hill Road
Mooresville, NC 28117
Safety

Sometimes words
aren’t required…
”…they walk among
us, and they vote!”
 Reminder:
Preheat, Welding & PWHT
are NOT Exact Sciences !
What are we REALLY trying to do?
 PWHT, Why ?
• Tempering (soften)
• Relaxation of Residual Stresses (Safety Video)
• Hydrogen (H2) Removal
• Subcritical Temperatures (below Ac1 or A1)
• Caution: Hi Temps or Long Times at Temp can
HARM mechanical properties !
• Supercritical Temps (above Ac3) avoided in local PWHT
(solution annealing, normalizing, etc.)
 # 1 Question…

“I have to make a
dissimilar weld…
… what should I do ?
 Influencing Factors
• Base Material Behavior
– Metallurgy
– Strength in Operation
– As-Welded v. Inservice v. Aged
– Alloy Interaction(s)
• Welding Process
– Heat Input
– Technique
• Operation (in/out of Design)
Weldment & HAZ Considerations
• Composition
• Strength
• Coefficient of Expansion
• Corrosion
• Original vs. Current Properties
–Degradation ?
• Design vs. Operation
 Possible Weldments
• CrMo’s/CSEF’s • Joined to…
– P/T 11 – Low CS
– P/T 22 – T/P 11
– T23 – T/P 22
– T24 – 3XX
– P91 – 3XXH
– P92 – Nickel…
How Many Materials ?
How Many Materials ?

Base Metals, Buttering (?), Weld Metal(s), CGHAZ, FGHAZ ???

 Examples …

E9018-B3 ENiCrFe-3

P22 P91 P22 P91

“Alloy 625” can Embrittle !

 The
Dissimilar
Weld
(DMW)
Dilemma !
 Important Considerations
• Alloy • Toughness
• P or A No • Corrosion Groove Geometry
• Thickness • Restraint
• Yield, RT • PWHT
• Coef Exp – Code, Temp &Time
• Lower Critical Trans. Temp. • Restrictions
• Operating Temp – Strain/Bending
– Yield Stress – Carbon Migration
– Allowable Stress – Sensitization
• Creep Range – Hardness
 Cautions…
P22 P91
• Is the DMW in a lower stress
or temperature region?
• Materials may NOT relax at operating
temperature
• Watch thickness changes
• Choose Weld Metal Carefully
#2 Question: What about PWHT?
If CSEF’s involved,
preheat and PWHT
are NOT Optional and
must be
MONITORED before,
during and after !
Preheat & PWHT Precautions
• Metallurgy
–Microstructure, A1 Temp, etc.
–Multiple PWHT’s may be required
• Carbon Migration
• Thermal Expansion
• Differences in Strength
• Filler Metal Selection
 Classic Conversation
• Engineer: “…Boss, we need to use multiple
heat treats on this weld….
• Boss: “…you want to do what? That will at
least double the cost!”
• Engineer: “… it’s a metallurgy thing….”
 PWHT
Grade 11 22 23 91 911 92 SS
Butter 91 Butter 911 Butter 92 Butter 11
11 1250+25°F 1250+25°F 1250+25°F 1325+25°F; 1375+25°F; 1375+25°F; (opt)
1250+25°F 1250+25°F 1250+25°F 1250+25°F
Butter (opt)
22 1250+25°F 1350+25°F 1350+25°F 1325+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1350+25°F

Butter 11
23 1250+25°F 1350+25°F 1350+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F None
(Note 8)
Butter 91
91 1325+25°F; 1325+25°F 1375+25°F 1400+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F Butter 91
1250+25°F (Note 8) (Note 8) 1375+25°F
Butter 911 Butter 911
911 1375+25°F; 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F
1250+25°F (Note 8) (Note 8)
Butter 92 Butter 92
92 1375+25°F; 1375±25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F
1250+25°F (Note 8) (Note 8)
Butter 11 Butter (opt) Butter 91 Butter 911 Butter 92
SS (opt) 1350+25°F None 1375+25°F 1375+25°F 1375+25°F None
1250+25°F
PWHT Temps (B31.1)

P-No. PWHT Temp, F Ranges Ac1, F

8
[350]
1
1100 - 1200 1340
4
1200 - 1300 1430
5 A&B
1300 – 1400 1480
15E
1350 - 1425 1475

No Overlap !
 Code Consistency ?
• Compare ASME I, B31.1 & III or VIII
ASME B31.1 ASME SCI ASME SC VIII
P-No. 1 1100-1200F 1100F 1100F (150F variation)
P-No. 3 1100-1200F 1100F 1100F
P-No. 4 1200-1300F 1200F 1200F
P-No. 5A&B 1300-1400F 1250F 1250F
P-No. 15E 1350-1425F 1350-1445F* 1350-1425F
(Ni+Mn <1.5 but >1.0) -1450F -1450F
(Ni+Mn < 1.0) -1470F -1470F -1470F
*(1.2 max Ni+Mn)
See Code Excerpts
 Definition of “Nominal Thickness”

ASME B31.1 Lesser thickness of the weld, or the thicker of the materials
being joined (thinner of T1 & T3 = T3)

ASME SCI Lesser thickness of the weld, or the thinner of the sections
being joined (thinner of T3 & T2 = T2)

ASME SCVIII the thinner of the two materials being joined.

(thinner of T1 & T2 = T2)

Warning! Sanity may be prevailing!

22
When In Doubt, Add More T/C’s

128 T/C’s: OD, ID & Midwall (30” OD x 1” wall)

 Classic Conversation
• Engineer: “…Boss, I need to run some special tests
…”
• Boss: “Why? Won’t it be expensive and take
time?”
• Engineer: “ Yes, but…there could be some risk
involved… engineers and testing are usually
cheaper than lawyers…”
• Boss: “…now, you have my attention!”
 Consider
Qualification vs. Operation
Code Operation

What we qualify and how it is used can be very different !

 How to “Deal With DMW’s…

• Thought Process
– “Pull Down Menu….”
Dissimilar Weld Decision Matrix

NOT “625” !
Dissimilar Weld Decision Matrix
 NiCrFe-2
ERNiCr-3
Fixes ?
EPRI P87N (E/ER NiFeCr-4)

P22 P91
P91

Butter Machined
Transition Piece
 Postweld Heat Treatment (continued)

Example of PWHT Chart

Great Chart ? Perfect ? How?
 Monitor
Before, During and After !
• Look “behind” equipment
• Check T/C’s
• Under Heater
Temperatures?
• Check Final Hardness
– Weld & Base Metal
• Examine Charts
Most Influential Innovations
for PWHT Documentation
Downtown Philadelphia !

Shrine to Illicit PWHT Practices

Type “K” T/C wire only !

Never use probes!

The TC should be tacked directly to work piece with wires 1/8” apart and a spare
TC beside it
The TC should be tacked straight onto the work piece and then bent.
Not bent, then tacked.
 Two Thermocouples. The wrong way

Myth: As long as the

client doesn’t see it,
it’s okay…
 Strategic T/C Placement

Myth: As long as the

Hottest spot is covered
the rest will be fine and
the chart will look good
…nobody will notice.
T/C Connections
Thermocouple Connections

Myth: As long as your

Male and Female type “K” plugs getting a positive reading,
only and always it is good…
Jumping T/C’s

Truth Modification…
#6 & #10
Read the
same.
Imagine
that?
Jumping T/C’s
Good Thermocouple
Cable 1

Jumper

Cable 2

Myth: If nobody sees it, it doesn’t matter. It is easier to

jump the Thermocouple than to repair it.
The most common cause of Thermocouple failure is improper tacking. Improperly placed
Thermocouples will usually break between 800F -1000F
Jumping T/C’s
T/C#1 T/C#4 Jumping Thermocouples at recording device

Six
read
T/C#1 T/C#4 the
same !

Guarantees a Uniform Chart !

The Loop
Cable 1 Good Thermocouple
Female

Male

Cable 8 Cable 9 Cable 2

Ensure recording device has time and date
stamp and all Thermocouples are recording
at all times.
Cable 9, Unplugged !

Myth: It’s better to hide a

problem than to re-do the
weld.
Cable 8
“Mind The Gap !”
 Charts
Analog – Strip Chart Digital Chart

X X
 Recommendation
• Require PWHT Contractors to provide
written procedures, wrapping and wiring
specs
• Utilize D10.10 (10.22) T/C Locations
• Require T/C under each heater pad (CSEF’s)
• Assume the worst…..
– Especially with CSEF’s
 Recommendation, con’t.
• Owner or General Contractor Review and Monitor
– Engineering: Review procedures for T/C and heater
layout & wrapping specs. If in doubt, require mock-up
demonstrations.
– Inspection: Monitor physical operation before, during
and after for procedural compliance
– When in doubt, apply Common Sense
• Heat rises, flows, dissipates and is affected by geometry and
thickness
 Summary
• Evaluate Section Thickness vs. Design
• Recognize Implications of PWHT
• Monitor PWHT Operations Before, During and
After
– Check Hardness
– Look “behind” equipment
– Check T/C’s
– Under Heater Temperatures?
Questions?