Feasibility of robotic weld repair of live pipelines

Repair of corrosion damage on pipelines is often achieved by depositing weld metal on the external surface of the pipe in the affected area. A study (1) welding techniques involving GMAW and FCAW has shown that this approach is acceptable on thick-wall high-strength pipes. On thinner-wall pipe the operating parameter range is more restricted by the mutually exclusive risks of blow-out and cold-cracking.