Oil & Gas

Maintaining the strength and corrosion resistance of weld joints exposed to aggressive environments is a requirement in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries.  The lowest possible failure rates demand welding solutions that can produce the highest quality joints.  High pressures and high stresses in a corrosive environment are typical operating conditions for parts used in this industry.  The flexibility of the Electron Beam Welding process can produce custom tailored joints with small heat affected zones and minimal heat affects to the parent material.

Impeller Welding

Impellers are the heart of turbocompressors which are used in the petrochemical, oil & gas industries.  The highest pressure and most efficient designs incorporate an integral hub and cover.  One of the more complex electron beam welding operations is the joining of the cover to impeller blades on 5-axis milled impellers.  The weld is accomplished by welding through the cover into the center axis of each blade, which requires a precise 5-axis move while simultaneously sloping the welding parameters.  To avoid forming a stress riser and potential crevice corrosion site PTR worked with Dresser-Rand to develop the EBrazeTM process, a combination EB weld and braze joint.  The heat of the weld melts the braze material forming a cover to blade bond along 100% of the interface.  (EBrazeTM is a trade mark of Dresser-Rand)

Description:

Impeller Body with
Integral Machined Blades
and Cover- Up to 3 ft.
diameter

Material(s):

High Strength Steel

Joint Geometry:

blind EBraze™ T-weld

Weld Depth:

0.300 in.