In the oil and gas and energy industries, steel bores and valves are commonly clad or overlayed with a secondary alloy to protect the underlying component from wear, corrosion or erosion.
In the oil and gas and energy industries, steel bores and valves are commonly clad or overlayed with a secondary alloy to protect the underlying component from wear, corrosion or erosion.
It’s critical that cladding is applied continuously and evenly. Defects in the alloy layer defeat the purpose of cladding and result in costly scrap, re-work or even failure of the component in the field. Monitoring the overlay process is difficult due to a combination of internal bore geometry, high temperatures associated with preheating and long operation times. These factors all contribute to operator stress and fatigue.
A welding camera that provides a clear image of the cladding process is an excellent tool for effective and cost-effective monitoring of this critical process and greatly improves worker health and safety. The operator can view a magnified, clear image of the weld pool at the operation station and see in detail alignment prior to welding, the puddle and wire droplet behavior, and the completed weld. Recorded video can be saved for secondary evaluation and quality assurance.
All of that being said, bore cladding is one of the most challenging welding applications to image due to the extreme environment, complex and varying geometry and very small spaces.
Our original solution for bore cladding was the MeltView CORE camera for horizontal bore cladding operations where a TIG torch is extended deep within a valve or Christmas tree. The camera was mounted on the torch arm so that it was located external to high temperature environments, reducing the need for camera cooling. The operator saw a magnified image of the TIG torch and weld pool at his station and could control motorized zoom, focus and iris. However, an externally-mounted camera, while easy to protect, is limited in it's ability to image complex internal geometries.
Our current solution is a small high-resolution camera with integrated lighting and cooling. The camera can withstand temperatures of 400C and fit into bores as small as 4" in diameter to provide a clear image of the entire cladding process, with minimal need for operator adjustment. The camera is used for monitoring during welding and inspection post welding. Please contact us for more information.