Types of welding joint

Butt joints this types of joint are attained by double-welding or by other

means which will obtain the same quality of deposited weld metal on the inside

and outside weld surface.

Backing strip, if used, shall be removed after completion of weld.

Single-welded butt joint with backing strip

Which remains in place after welding.

Single-welded butt joint without backing strip.

Double-full fillet lap joint.

Single-full fillet lap joint with plug welds.

Single-full fillet lap joint without plug welds.

A. Acceptable Welding Details

All pressure vessel welds, including the welds that attach heads, nozzles,

Lug or bracket and nonpressure components to a shell, must conform to

ASME Code requirements. Details that are used for the primary

circumferential and longitudinal welds were discussed earlier in

conjunction with weld joint categories.

The ASME Code specifies weld detail requirements for vessel fabrication

(e.g., type and size of weld, weld locations, etc.). It also specifies welder

and welding procedure qualification requirements. The paragraphs that

follow highlight several of the ASME Code requirements. Refer to the

ASME Code for further information related to these and other weld details.

1.0 Thickness Transitions

The thickness of a pressure vessel head sometimes differs from the

thickness of the shell it is attached to (e.g., when a hemispherical

head is attached to a cylindrical shell). The transition between the

component thicknesses must be made in a taper to avoid excessive

local stress.

2.0 Intermediate Heads

An intermediate head is attached to the inside of a cylindrical shell

when it is needed to separate two sections of the vessel. The butt

weld between shell sections also attaches to the head, and a fillet

weld is also located between the head and shell. The ASME Code

permits elimination of the fillet weld if there is no access and if the

service is noncorrosive. However, the fillet weld should generally be

used for all refinery applications to avoid the potential for

accelerated corrosion due to process fluid getting between the head

and shell.

3.0 Openings

Fabrication details for various types of openings are specified.

These include unreinforced nozzles (e.g., a nozzle neck welded

directly to the vessel shell or head), a nozzle with a reinforcing pad

added, and a self-reinforced nozzle (i.e., where extra thickness is

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provided in the nozzle neck to provide the necessary reinforcement).

These were illustrated in Figure 4.15.

In some cases, a nozzle neck that has a weld-end may be attached

to a pipe that is thinner. This attachment between components of

different thicknesses could occur if extra thickness was included in

the nozzle neck for reinforcement or if the pipe and nozzle materials

and/or allowable stresses differ. In such cases, the nozzle neck

must be tapered to the pipe thickness. Tapers are also used to join

shell sections that are of different thicknesses. Shell thickness and

nozzle thickness tapers are illustrated in Figures 6.2 and 6.3,

respectively.

CL

CL

CL

In all cases, l shall not

be less than 3y.

Typical Shell Transitions

Figure 6.2

Nozzle Neck Attachment to Thinner Pipe

Figure 6.3

4.0 Stiffener Rings

Stiffener rings may be attached to the vessel shell by continuous,

intermittent, or a combination of continuous and intermittent welds.

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Intermittent welds must be placed on both sides of the stiffener and

may be either staggered or in-line. The ASME Code specifies

acceptable spacing, size, and length of the welds. Stiffener ring

attachment weld options are illustrated in Figure 6.4.

In-Line

Intermittent Weld

Staggered

Intermittent Weld
Continuous Fillet Weld On

One Side, Intermittent Weld

On Other Side

Stiffener Ring Attachment

Figure 6.4

B. Postweld Heat Treatment Requirements

Welding heat changes the crystal structure and grain size of the weld heat

affected zone (HAZ). Postweld heat treatment (PWHT) may be necessary

to restore the material structure to the required properties. The need for

PWHT for these metallurgical reasons depends on the materials involved

and the service conditions that they are exposed to. PWHT requirements

for these metallurgical or process reasons are not included in the ASME

Code. They must be specified by the user based on the service and

materials involved.

As the weld metal and HAZ cool from the very high welding temperatures,

the thermal contraction that occurs in the locally heated area is resisted by

the cooler base metal that surrounds it. This resistance results in residual

stresses that remain in the structure. For thicker plates, these residual

stresses must be removed by PWHT. PWHT requirements based on

stress relief considerations are contained in the ASME Code, Section VIII.

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The ASME Code contains the temperature and hold time requirements

when PWHT is needed for stress relief considerations. These ASME

Code PWHT requirements are based on material type and thickness, as

specified in Paragraph UCS-56 for carbon and low-alloy steels. The

ASME Code specifies the minimum PWHT temperature and the minimum

holding time at temperature based on the material P-No. and thickness.

Acceptable PWHT procedures are also specified to ensure that adequate

stress relief will occur. Heatup and cooldown rates must be controlled

within specified limits in order to avoid excessive local thermal stresses