African Fusion August 2015

LNG and LPG welding consumables

T ransporting natural gas through pipelines can be non-profitable over long distances, so natural gas, which consistsmostly ofmethanewith smaller amounts of ethane andpropane, is often transported by ship in the formof liquid natural gas (LNG). By super cooling natu- ral gas to -163°C, its volume decreases 600 times. In this state, the ‘gas’ is known as liquid natural gas (LNG). Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on the other hand, consists mostly of propane and butane stored as liquid at atmospheric temperatures but under pressures of between 200 and 250 bar. LNG has to be stored in cryogenic conditions, which require the use of high quality materials and welding consumables. These materials and consumables are required in the con- struction of cryogenic gas plants such as: LNG trains and short pipelines; LNG carriers, tanker trucks and rail tank cars; regasification terminals, such as the Sunrise Energy’s LPG terminal currently under construction inSaldanhaBay; and large cryogenic storage tanks. Welding consumables play an im- portant role in the construction of LNG and LPG projects. High quality products are major factors that contribute to the

safety and cost efficiency of building plants andstorage vessels.Materials and structuresmustmeet themost stringent specifications. A variety of materials are used for LPG and LNG plants, such as carbon steels, stainless steel, 3.5% to 9% Ni steels and aluminium. Nickel-based and austenitic welding consumables are used in cryogenic applications in order to comply with the high ductil- ity and strength requirements at low temperatures. voestalpine Böhler Welding offers a complete portfolio of specialised prod- ucts for all the common welding pro- cesses: SMAW, SAW, GMAW and FCAW, with the required qualifications, certi- fications and documentation that meet the industry’s quality requirements. Some global reference, amongst many others, include: ethylene tanks for Antwerp in Belgium; an LNG-production plant at Bintulu, Malaysia; separators for low temperature service in France; an ethylene terminal facility in 9% nickel steel in India; and, built this year, a 52 000m 3 ethane tankweldedusing flux- cored UTP AF 6222MoPW (E NiCrMo-3) consumables in Stenungsund, Sweden. “We are a state-of-the art high-qual-

voestalpine Böhler Welding offers a complete portfolio of specialised products for LNG and LPG welding projects for all common welding processes. ity manufacturer of welding consum- ables with over 30 years of experience in the LPG and LNG fields. From us, you can expect consistently high-quality products and competent support. voestalpine Böhler Welding has sup- plied over 25 of the largest global LNG projects,” says Tim Siveright of Böhler Udderholm Africa, voestalpine Böhler Welding’s representative in South Af- rica. “And we are very excited about the future expansion prospects for the local LPG and LNG industry,” he concludes. www.bohler-uddeholm.co.za

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August 2015

AFRICAN FUSION