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Article: ALASKAN PIPELINE WELDING ELECTRODES.
- Article from:
- Mechanical Engineering-CIME
- Article date:
- May 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Welding a pipeline on the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean at temperatures reaching -70[degrees]F requires electrodes that can withstand a harsh environment and meet tight quality control demands. Working for the BP Amoco Northstar Project in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the Houston Contracting Co. of Anchorage had to lay six miles of pipe offshore and 11 miles of pipe onshore, connecting a manmade production island with the infrastructure of the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
The offshore line is laid at sea depths ranging from 3 to 40 feet. The pipeline lies a minimum of 7 feet below the floor of the ocean. Pipe was welded in heated tents and then laid through a slot cut in ...