WELD REPAIR AND BUTTERING PROCEDURE

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to repair and record systematically all defects
encountered during fabrication of structural/Piping/Pressure Vessel and shall serve
as a guideline methods/technique in proceeding with weld repair on defects
detected in weldment and base metal during fabrication.

2.0 Scope

This procedure is applicable for any repair base and weld metal for structural
fabrication work.

This is applicable for the repair of Major Weld Repair, Minor Weld Repair including
Weld Buttering for structural, piping, and pressure vessel.

This procedure provides the guideline for repair of weld defects, base metals and
buttering required on all weld and weld able steel material when repair by welding is
require due to excessive gaps in joint fit up. Repair and buttering shall be carried
out as per approved WPS

3.0 Definitions

AFC : Approved For Construction

COMPANY : ENI East Sepinggan Ltd
CONTRACTOR : PT. Saipem Indonesia
CVN : Charpy V-Notch
DPI : Dye Penetrant Inspection
FCAW-SS : Flux Cored Arc Welding – Self Shielded
NDT : Non-Destructive Testing
MT : Magnetic Particle Testing
PMT : Project Management Team
PQR : Procedure Qualification Record
PWHT : Post Weld Heat Treatment
QC : Quality Control
RT : Radiography Test
SUBCONTRACTOR : PT. Citra Turbindo Engineering
VT : Visual Test
WPS : Welding Procedure Specification
WRR : Weld Repair Request
Defect : A discontinuity or continuities that by nature or accumulated
effect (for example total crack length) render a part or product
unable to meet minimum applicable acceptance standards or
specifications.
Imperfection : An undesireable discontinuity.

4.0 References

 AWS D1.1 (2010) – Structural Welding Code – Steel

 ASME IX (2010) – Qualification Standards for Welding and Brazing
Procedures, Welder and Brazer & Welding and Brazing Operators
 ASME B31.3 (latest edition) – Process Piping
 Project spec #1
 Project spec #2

5.0 General Requirement

5.1 Contractor shall repair or replace all welds made by contractor that do not meet
the requirement of Project spec #1 Projec spec #2, Approved for Construction
(AFC) drawing requirement and/or the applicable codes and standards.

5.2 This procedure shall be used as a guideline for repair of weld defects, base metal
defects, and restoration of base metals and weld metal buttering on weld edges for
joints having excessive gaps. Defects shall be located based on the results of NDT
including visual inspection to suit accessibility and completeness of repair area.

5.3 Each repair & buttering at site shall be reviewed on case-to-case basis prior to
commencement of actual repair or rectification work. Any repair or rectification
work to be carried out shall be requested by PMT and to be monitored by QC. If
required any specific repair sequence or procedure to be made depending on
welding problems encountered during fabrication. Written procedure for major and
minor repairs. Any major repair on weldment is subject for approval of
COMPANY’s authorized representative. Defects shall be clearly identified and its
nature written nears the area to be repair.

5.4 Weld repair shall be classified as major repairs and minor repairs. Identification of
Major and Minor repairs as per Appendix 1.

5.4.1 Major repair

1. Major repair in weldments shall not be repaired until a written procedure is

developed for each individual repair.

2. Major repair require specific case-by-case approval and shall be done in

accordance with company approved weld repair WPS, and the contractor
written work practice guideline for major repair.

3. The writen procedure shall submitted to COMPANY/CONTRACTOR for review,

approval and shall include but not limited to, the following:
 I. Root cause analysis for each defect.
II. Identification as to primary, secondary, tertiary number being repaired.
III. Repaired map or dimensional sketch detailing the extent and location.
IV. Methodology used for defect removal (e.g., grinding, gouging,etc).
V. NDT used for verify removal.
VI. Approved WPS to be used for repair welding.
VII. Heat treatment.
VIII. NDT of final weld repair area.

4. The root cause analysis shall consider the following areas when developing this
portion of the written procedure:

a. Data collection:
I. Conditions existing during welding.
II. Personnel involved.
III. Environmental factors.
IV. Any other information relevent to the repair area or component

b. Assessment.
I. Identifying the problem, such as type, location, and depth of the defect.
Also identify the type, grade and thickness of the base metal containing
the weld defect.
II. Significance of the problem.
III. Identify the cause leading up to and surrounding the problem
IV. Identify the reason why the cause existed.

c. Corrective action.
I. Identify the corrective action for each occurrence. Detail the method of
grinding and removal. The length of repair shall be tapered from the
defect ends by a minimum three times the groove depth or 60 mm
whichever is a greater. Include all work practice required to preheat,
inspect, and/or post weld heat treat the repair zone. The margin of the
preheated area shall be at least minimum three times the base metal
thickness or 50 mm, whichever is a greater.
II. Will the corrective action prevent reoccurrence.
III. Is the corrective action feasible.

d. Inform.
I. Discuss with and explain to COMPANY/CONTRACTOR the result of the
analysis, including corrective action.

e. Follow-up.
I. Identify the methodology that will be followed to determine the
effectiveness of the corrective actions taken e.g. the NDT method which
 will detect post repair weld defects. Perform and record the post weld
hardness test, method of testing, and testing equipment being used.
II. A close-out report of each major repair shall form part of the as-built
records, including a copy of NDT report concerning the original detection
of the rejectable defect along with a copy of the NDT report of the repaired
weld. COMPANY approved weld repair procedure together with a sketch
of the type, location and the depth of the defects shall be attached for
project documentation.

5.4.2 Minor Repairs

1. Prior to the repair of minor defects, the fabricator shall consult with
COMPANY/CONTRACTOR representative to determine if “conditional
acceptance” applies to the minor defect without repair action. This will be
base on fitness for service criteria.

2. The minor repair work practice shall as a minimum:

a. Determine rules for assigning minor repair of the weld. Only grinding shall
be utilized to correct subject defects. The defects removal area and
adjacent areas shall be blended to eliminate sharp transitions.

b. If removal of a defect by grinding is determined to encroach the minimum

required thickness of base metal dictated by the code, the ground area
thickness shall be recorded by calibrated electronics. The repaired area
shall be contoured to eliminate sharp transition. If local metal loss required
pad welding, this excavation becomes a major repair and shall be treated
as per major repair.

c. Incidental removal of metal within the weld joint in the process of welding
from root to cap is not considered as a repair.

d. No close-out report for minor repair is required.

e. A record of location of requiring minor repair and the completion of minor

repairs shall be maintained by the fabricator until close out of the contract.

5.5 The welding for all repairs shall be carried out as per the approved WPS for repair
welding. Also it is suggested to clear repair in two attempts. If repair is not clear
even after second attempt, the case shall be brought to the attention of COMPANY
representative by notification. SUBCONTRACTOR Welding Engineer shall
propose appropriate measures repair procedure. All notifications shall be
submitted to COMPANY/CONTRACTOR representative before any repair works.

5.6 If any serious defect is observe in welding, the same shall be notified to
COMPANY/CONTRACTOR representative.
5.7 The repaired weld metal shall be retested by the NDT method originally used
including technique and acceptance criteria. No cracks shall be removed or
repaired by SUBCONTRACTOR without notification to COMPANY/CONTRACTOR
representative. All cracks shall be repaired in accordance with an approved weld
repair procedure.

5.8 Weld repair shall be made using the WPS that are orginally used for the weld joint.

5.9 Excavation of defect shall be verified by MT, as a minimum and could be extended
to other NDT methods, if deem necessary for confirmation.

5.10 If Company considers the proposed repair of the defect to be either non-productive
or detrimental to the completed facility, Contractor shall not repair the defect but
cut out the weld and redo the work.
Weld Repair Protocol
Activity Responsibility

Inspection and  QC Inspector

Identification of  PMT / SUBCONTRACTOR
repair

 QC Inspector
Request for repair  PMT / SUBCONTRACTOR
(WRR)

 QC Inspector
Repair  PMT / SUBCONTRACTOR

Remove
Weld
Defect

Repair of
Base Metal

Arc burn
defects

Buttering

 QC Inspector
NDT

 PMT / SUBCONTRACTOR
Release
6.1 Inspection and identification repair
6.1.1 Inspection shall be done in accordance to QC inspector
standard and drawing. Any defects or PMT / Sub-con
discontunities shall be identified.
6.1.2 Refer to Appendix 1 to identified defect either
minor and major defect
6.2 Request for repair (WRR)
6.2.1 WRR shall be prepared prepared identifying QC inspector
. defect type, repair method/technique to be PMT / Sub-con
adapted, defect location & NDT to be
performed prior, in process and after
completion of final repair weld. WRR shall be
approved by COMPANY prior any repair
work. Template of WRR refer to Appendix 2
6.3 Repair
6.3.1 For 1st repair weld, welding shall follow as QC inspector
per initial WPS. For 2nd, 3rd, etc., all work PMT / Sub-con
shall require a weld repair PQR. All repair
method work shall be done as per WRR.
Defects shall be completely removed and
confirmed by NDT to avoid rework.

6.3.2 For base metal repair, it shall be done as per

para 7.2
6.3.3 For arc burn repair, refer to para 7.3
6.3.4 For buttering, refer to para 7.4

6.4 NDT
6.4.1 NDT shall be performed after final repair QC inspector
work for acceptance, inclusive of visual
examination and any NDT required as per
WRR
6.5 Release
6.5.1 The repaired items shall be released after all PMT / Sub-con
NDT found acceptable
7.0 Repair Technique.

7.1 Weld Metal Defect

7.1.1 Repair by Grinding

1. Defect shall be removed by grinding and well faired while avoiding unnecessary
removal of weld metal and adjacent base metal.
2. Ground area shall blend smoothly into adjacent weld metal and / or base metal
surface.
3. Excessive and heavy grinding that produces mechanical induced notches, under
size weld profiles and excessive concavity between adjacent weld passes and
across the weld face width shall be avoided.
4. Examination after repair by grinding shall as follow:
a. NDT by the same requirement as required for the original weld.
b. If any alternate method of inspection is to be used other than the original weld
requirement, Contractor shall submit the request to the company by writing.
The specific detail of inspection and technical justification that ensure the
quality of the weld joint will meet or exceed the original weld acceptance
criteria shall be included in the request.

7.1.2 Repair by Air-arc Carbon Gouging and Welding.

1. Defect shall be removed by air-arc carbon gouging and / or grinding while

avoiding unnecessary removal of weld metal and adjacent base metal.
2. Excavation shall be minimum 50mm beyond each end of the defect on either
side.
3. A minimum 100mm in excavation length shall be avoided for adequate weld arc
stability, heat input generation, flux activation and slag formation for removal of
impurities.
4. Excavation by air-arc carbon gouging shall be completed by grinding.

5. Defect shall be removed by air-arc gouging and well faired while avoiding
unnecessary removal of weld metal and adjacent base metal.

6. Carbon deposited (i.e. dark gray color) and copper sheathing remnants (i.e.
copper inclusion) shall be removed by grinding.

7. Gouged area shall be ground and clean metal throughout the entire surface and
blend smoothly into adjacent weld metal and / or base metal surfaces.

8. Ground excavation shall provide clean weld metal throughout the entire surface –
absent from carbon deposit (i.e. dark grey color) and copper sheathing remnants
(i.e. copper inclusion)
9. The excavated groove shall be prepared for visual examination and if required
with MT for non-visual identifiable surface defects to ensure complete removal of
original defect.
10. Repair welding shall be in accordance with an approved WPS and performed by
a qualified welder;
a. Preheat shall be measured from the edge of the repair weld to a distance
of 75mm minimum in all direction including plate through thickness at the
point of welding.
b. Maximum interpass temperature shall be measured parallel and adjacent
to the weld joint length.
c. Temperature indicating crayon shall never be marked in the weld bevel,
welds beads or the weld surface.
d. The repair by welding shall blend smoothly into the surrounding weld
metal and / or base metal surface avoiding sharp notches, crevice, or
corners.
11. Examination after repair by welding shall follow NDT by the same requirement as
required for the original weld

7.2 Base metal defects

7.2.1 Where defect are found in the base metal, Contractor shall notify the
COMPANY/CONTRACTOR prior to any repair.

7.2.2 Repair by Grinding

1. Ground area shall be blended smoothly into adjacent base metal and weld
metal surface and be well faired.

2. A well faired surface is contoured with a minimum slope of 1:3 in all

directions with sharp notches and corners removed. The bottom radius of
the ground area is equal to ten times the depth of the defects removed.

3. Examination after repair by grinding:

a. Non-Destructive Examination by the same method that originally
documented the defect.

7.2.3 Repair by Welding

1. Weld repair of lamination and de-lamination, internal and external to the

base metal surface or bevel edge is not permitted. Such defect will be
brought to the attention of the COMPANY/CONTRACTOR.
2. Root opening that exceeds the approved WPS tolerance and bevel edge
defects cause by thermal cutting may be repaired by welding. Refer to
section 7.4 of this procedure.
7.3 Arc burn defects.

7.3.1 Arc strike or burn marks outside welding grooves are not acceptable. The
repair process shall be monitored by COMPANY/CONTRACTOR. Method
for repair shall be as follow:

1. Blend grind the arc strike surface until evidence of the burns is no
longer visible. The ground area shall be not less than 100sq.mm in
area.

2. The ground area shall be inspected by acid swabbing with a solution of

20% ammonium persulphate in water. The presence of a darkened
localized area at the point of the arc strike is evidence that the
metallurgical effect has not been removed. Continue grinding and
chemical swabbing until the local darkened area is no longer visible.

7.3.2 Acceptance criteria for major arc burn shall be as follows:

1. If measured cross sectional thickness of ground area is equal to, or

greater than the designed minimum thickness required, plus corrosion
allowance (if applicable) no further action is required.
2. If measured cross section thickness is less than the designed minimum
required thickness plus corrosion allowance (if applicable) the entire
ground area shall be filled with the weld metal and ground to the
required surface geometry of the base metal.
3. As a minimum, the repaired area shall be examined by MT for detection
of possible surface cracking.

7.3.3 After get an approval by COMPANY/CONTRACTOR, the welded area shall

be ground smooth, VT, and MT inspected

7.4 Buttering

7.4.1 All joint fit-ups to be buttered shall be carried out in accordance with
approved WPS for wide gaps as part of WPS qualifications.
7.4.2 No buttering shall be carried out without a written procedure for each
individual wide gap weld.
7.4.3 The written procedure shall be submitted to COMPANY/CONTRACTOR for
review and approval and shall include but not limited to the following:
1. Identification as to primary, secondary, tertiary member.
2. Dimensioned sketch detailing the magnitude of the gap, extend and
location.
3. Company-approved WPS to be used.
4. NDT of final weld area.
7.4.4 Major repair is when weld build-up or buttering to correct manufacturing or
assembly error resulting in a wide gap more than 20 mm.

7.4.5 Minor repair is when build-up or buttering smaller than 20 mm.

7.4.6 The maximum allowable root opening for wide gap welding shall be 50 mm.

7.4.7 Buttering requires specific case-by-case approval.

7.4.8 The wide gap WPS may include breaking the joint apart and buttering one or
more members, in-situ buttering of one or more members, or welding onto
backing material, as qualified in WPS. Any backing material shall be
removed prior to second side welding.

7.4.9 All buttered ends for wide gap welds shall be inspected by RT and be MT
inspected.

7.4.10 No buttering shall be allowed on square cut edges. All buttering shall be
done on base materials that have weld joint preparations.

7.4.11 Fit-ups with root opening exceeding that specified in the approved WPS
shall be re-fitted to bring the root opening within the dimensions allowed by
the WPS prior to commencement of welding.

7.4.12 Weld build up shall be accordance with an approved WPS and performed
by a qualified welder.

7.4.13 Weld build-up shall be performed with the joining members separated
sufficiently apart to provide good access for welding, grinding and
inspection.

7.4.14 A wide gap WPS shall be qualified on the thinnest material and the thickest
material to be used during fabrication.

7.4.15 For single sided welds where separation is not practicable, weld build up
shall be performed by a welder qualified for limited-access welding.

7.4.16 The approved WPS and WRR shall be posted at each welding work place
and shall be readily available to each welder, operator, tack welder,
supervisor and inspector.

7.4.17 Minimum preheat temperature shall be equal or greater than that indicated
within the approved WPS.
7.4.18 Preheat shall be measured along the weld joint length from the edge of the
weld joint to a distance of 75mm minimum in all directions including plate
through thickness.

7.4.19 Maximum interpass temperature shall not exceed that indicated within the
approved WPS.

7.4.20 Interpass temperature shall be measured parallel and adjacent to the weld
joint length.

7.4.21 Temperature indicating crayons shall never be marked on weld bevels, weld
beads or weld surfaces.

7.4.22 Weld build-up may be performed on one or both sides of abutting groove
faces. When abutting members intersect, the continuous through member
shall receive the weld build-up material.

7.4.23 All buttering welds shall be done by using low hydrogen type welding
consumables and preheat and interpass temperature as per approved
WPS.

7.4.24 Buttering shall be done with the smallest practicable diameter of low
hydrogen electrode as per approved WPS. The buttered surface must be
groove smooth to the desired dimension.

7.4.25 The final weld will be made only after the weld joint has been corrected to
the specified WPS root opening tolerance and weld joint dimensions as
indicated on the approved WPS.

7.4.26 The reconstructed weld joint (not the completed weld) shall be prepared for
visual examination, RT and MT to ensure weld metal soundness.

7.4.27 Final welding shall be in accordance with an approved WPS and performed
by a qualified welder

7.4.28 After get an approval by COMPANY/CONTRACTOR, the welded area shall

be ground smooth, VT, and MT inspected
APPENDIX 1

Identification of Major and Minor repair

Major Repair
Base Material Weld Metal
Crack Crack, except crater crack
Repair Cavity > 65cm² (10in²) Repair Cavity > 65cm² (10in²)
Repair Cavity > 50%T Weld Metal Repair Cavity > 50%T or more than 9.5
mm
Edge defects > 25mm (1.0in.) deep, or T, Lack of Fusion
whichever is less.
Edge defects > 20% of edge length Lack of Penetration
Weld build-up or buttering to correct All repair attempts involving primary
manufacturing or assembly error resulting members after the first attempt.
in a root gap > 20mm (0.80in.)
Minor Repair
Repair cavities smaller than above Porosity, slag inclusions and repair
cavities smaller than above.
Edge defects smaller than above Crater cracks
Build-up or buttering smaller than above Undercut
Arc Strikes
APPENDIX 2
WELD REPAIR REQUEST

PROJECT : REPORT NO :
CONTRACT NO LOCATION :
JOB NO :

THIS WELD REPAIR REQUEST IS ISSUED FOR YOUR KIND APPROVAL

DESCRIPTION :

a) Joint No. : d) Type of Defect :

b) Drawing no : e) NDT Report No. :

c) Material Type. : f) Size, location and excavation as per SKETCH

REPAIR PROCEDURE :

a) Affected area to preheat to _____Deg. Cel. e) Excavated area to be welded by using WPS :
( No-preheat if CRACK defect ) and re-visual.

b) Affected area to be exacavated by : f) After 48 hours repair are to be re-NDT to confirm

i) arc air gouging ( size : __________ ) accepentance. ( RT/UT)
and ground smooth / MPI

ii) grind MPI

c) Excavated area preheat to_______Deg. Cel. g) Final NDT Report

d) Welding technique and sequence h) Check Hardness at HAZ

SKETCH

COMMENT BY CONTRACTOR/COMPANY :

ISSUED BY : REVIEWED BY : APPROVED BY :

____________________________ ____________________________
(PMT / SUBCON QC INSPECTOR) (CONTRACTOR (COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE)
Date : INSPECTOR) Date :
Date :