Welding is the process of joining separate metals together using extreme heat. Welding can be used for a number of different purposes. For example, repair welds are minor welds that are applied to structures to repair areas of minor surface damage. Weld overlay, on the other hand, is a process that is used to add an outer layer to a piece of equipment.
There are multiple different welding processes. Some of the more common types of welding are shielded metal arc welding, CO2 welding, Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding, Submerged arc welding, and Plasma Transferred Arc (PTA) welding.
After performing any weld. it is important to perform a post weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the weld area to reduce residual stresses. If this is not done, then the weld is more likely to experience brittle fracture. PWHT is also able to reduce the chances of hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) in the weld as well.
Hot Work
Hot work refers to any work involving electric or gas welding, cutting, brazing, or similar flame or spark-producing operations. In many oil and gas or chemical processing enviroments, hot work has the potential to ignite a combustible material and cause significant process safety incidents. Extreme caution must be used whenever planning and performing any hot work.
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