By 2015, Poland will have the capacity to import more than 50% of their gas from global sources such as Norway, Qatar and others. This is thanks to large-scale investments into the countries gas pipeline infrastructure which enables diversifying the gas supply sources. This is enabled by the construction of the Swinoujscie Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal located in the north western part of Poland.
GAZ-System, Poland’s national gas company, launched a strategic pipe line investment program to distribute the natural from the LNG terminal to other parts of the country. Around 1.000 km of pipelines has been constructed in phase one. These pipelines are mainly located in the north western and central part of Poland.
The vast majority of these pipelines, build by various contractors, were welded using Lincoln Electric welding consumables and equipment.
Lincoln Electric’s low alloyed flux cored wire Outershield 91K2-HSR has been the primary welding consumable to weld the majority of these pipelines.
The majority of the pipelines was constructed using steel grade L485 MB. Overmatching strength requirements applied to the weld metal.
The Surface Tension Transfer® (STT) welding process was used in combination with solid wire Pipeliner 80Ni for high speed, vertical down, root welding. Various contractors used Lincoln Electric Piper-Plus “bug and band” system with allowed them to maximize the number of welded joints per day and minimize the defect rate.
Over 80.000 joints were welded using Lincoln Electric flux cored wires, solid wires and electrodes.
