QuickPurge® Systems for large stainless pipes

Restricting the volume when welding large stainless steel tube and pipes can save huge amounts of time and inert gas costs. Previously, welders have spent many hours waiting for oxygen levels to be low enough to start welding.

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT®) has designed and developed QuickPurge® Systems to drastically reduce the space that needs to be purged, for pipes as large as 88 inches (2,235 mm).

Ron Sewell, Chairman for HFT®, says, “The deflated QuickPurge System is placed inside the pipe and inflated. RootGlo® luminescent positioning strip illuminates the joint position ensuring that the System is positioned in the pipe correctly. The QuickPurge® is then inflated and connected to a Weld Purge Monitor® to measure the exact oxygen level throughout the welding cycle. A 1,400-mm (55-inch) System can be purged down to 100 parts per million (ppm) ready for welding in just 55 minutes. The dramatic savings in time and argon paid for the system in just one weld.”

QuickPurge® has an additional gas input line, which means extra purge gas can be introduced for applications such as this, thereby achieving a much faster purge, down to the lowest oxygen levels, which is perfect for larger diameter pipes where quality welds are required.

High speed pipe purging system QuickPurge® is leading the way in the field of purging tube, pipe, and pipeline joints over 150 mm (6 inches) in diameter, where oxygen levels are required to be as low as 100 ppm or less.

HFT®’s design of the QuickPurge® System means that zero color welds may be attained, and there will be no loss of corrosion resistance caused by oxidation.

Using IntaCal® combined with the integrated PurgeGate® device makes it possible to safely inflate the dams with inert gas, for purging the space between the dams where the weld joint is located. With PurgeGate®, burst dams are prevented in the event of undue pressure increase or accidental flow increase of the purging gas.

Materials used in the manufacture of QuickPurge® are such that they are resistant to the higher weld temperatures present and they don’t outgas, preventing weld contamination.

For pre-heated chrome steel and high strength stainless steel pipe joints, HFT® design and manufactures the HotPurge® range for a higher and longer temperature exposure.