S U C C E S S
W E L D I N G C O N S U M A B L E S
Flux-Cored (FCAW-G) Welding
Cheyenne Plains Pipeline
Welding on Pipe
uring the summer and fall of
2004, the plains of the west
were busy with the hustle and
to use X-80 grade pipe. Already a
standard in other parts of the world,
the X-80 pipe provides higher strength
with a thinner wall.
Contractor U.S. Pipeline
turned to new Lincoln Electric
®
D
Pipeliner G80M gas-shielded
bustle of cranes, trucks, heavy equip-
ment and supplies to lay pipe for the
Cheyenne Plains Gas Pipeline Project.
The 380-mile, 36-inch natural gas
pipeline runs from the Cheyenne hub
in Colorado to existing pipelines near
Greensburg, Kan. Once operational in
early 2005, the pipeline will export
560 million cubic feet of natural gas
per day from Wyoming to growing
markets in the mid-continental U.S.
and further east.
flux-cored wire to weld the
pipe tie-ins for the 380-mile
Cheyenne Plains Gas Pipeline
project, which used X-80
grade pipe.
As on any pipeline project, welding
plays a critical role in the construction
process. But what made this project
unique was the extensive use of wire
welding to provide high productivity. A
new consumable from the Lincoln
Electric Company, the Pipeliner® G80M
gas-shielded flux-cored wire, was
selected by the evaluation team at
U.S. Pipeline, Inc. for use on the pipe
tie-ins at connection points and road
crossings near populated areas. These
welds, completed manually by inde-
pendent pipeline contractors, connect
the mainline pipe to the thicker walled
pipe of the tie-ins.
- C H A L L E N G E -
The Cheyenne Plains Gas Pipeline
project was the first major pipeline in
the U.S. to use high strength X-80
grade pipe. The contractor, U.S.
Pipeline, was looking for ways to
increase productivity while still creating
high quality welds that could pass
radiographic inspection.
The $425 million pipeline, owned by
El Paso Corporation, was being con-
structed in three spreads which were
connected in the final phase of the
project. Spread one was contracted to
Associated Pipelines while spreads
two and three were handled by U.S.
Pipeline, Inc.
For the mainline pipe, a CRC-Evans®
automated welding system was used
in combination with Lincoln’s premium
SuperArc® L-56 copper coated gas
metal arc wire.
- S O L U T I O N -
Lincoln Electric Pipeliner® G80M
gas-shielded flux-cored wire for
use on the pipe tie-ins at connection
points and railroad crossings near
populated areas.
The Cheyenne Plains Gas Pipeline
Project was the first major pipeline in
the U.S.
- R E S U L T S -
Using a wire process yielded results
that were three to five times faster
than the stick welding typically used
for pipeline welding. The Pipeliner
G80M provided high quality and
flawless operation with its smooth
arc and low spatter levels.
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Flux-Cored (FCAW-G) Welding
Cheyenne Plains Pipeline
Welding on Pipe
On-Site Support and Equipment
Thomas also described how once the
G80M product was selected, Lincoln
representatives qualified the procedures
for the wire and were close at hand to
answer questions and provide technical
assistance as U.S. Pipeline qualified their
operators.
angles. On a project of this magnitude,
having so few issues was exceptionally
good.”
For the pipe tie-in welding, Lincoln fully
supported the welding efforts from the
initial qualifying of the consumables to
on-site assistance to ensure the inde-
pendent contractors weren’t subject to
any downtime.
David Fullen, Lincoln Electric Denver
District Manager echoed these same
words about the Pipeliner G80M elec-
trode. “For many of the welding opera-
tors on the job, this was one of the first
times they had wire welded. What’s
remarkable is that they adapted so well
and never had any complaints with the
wire. The integration of the wire welding
has gone smoothly and the job finished
ahead of schedule. Most of our time
spent on the job site was addressing
equipment issues.”
During initial start-up of the job in the
field, Lincoln representatives were at the
site three to four days per week, and at
least one day a week on an ongoing
basis throughout the project’s duration.
“Every tie-in weld was
inspected with a radiographic
process and throughout
the job the weld quality had
been excellent.”
“The Lincoln consumables ran flawlessly
on the job with great operator appeal
Although a competitive
brand of welding equipment
was specified for the job,
its alarming failure rate and
resulting downtime prompted
Lincoln to step in and
provide equipment.“We
received an urgent call
about equipment when the
contractors were struggling
with the competitive wire
feeders. We were able to
answer the call and overnight
equipment to the field,”
said Fullen. “We sent Lincoln
LN-15 wire feeders with
accompanying Magnum
welding guns to the job
which remedied the situation.
We also spent time on site
providing technical assis-
tance, setting up the equipment and
installing wire feed CV modules. We
were dedicated to keeping the customer
up and running.”
According to Dave Thomas, District
Manager in Lincoln’s Tulsa Office, he
and representatives from the Cleveland
headquarters were present while the
Pipeliner G80M consumable was being
tested for the job against competitive
consumables. “We watched as U.S.
Pipeline officials welded with each of
the consumables. The Pipeliner wire
product was much more proficient in
operator appeal and also created a bet-
ter looking weld. In addition, it also
came out on top after destructive tests
on the plate in the lab,” said Thomas.
“The wire is about three
to five times faster than stick
welding,” said Edwards.
“The same length of weld
bead that would take up to
five minutes with stick
“Throughout this project I received
great service from Lincoln,” explained
Bratcher. “With a phone call, I would
have what I needed either hand deliv-
ered or on site the next day.”
welding is now taking me
about one minute.”
For this project, Lincoln Electric
and ease of use,” commented Steve
Duren, Technical Sales Representative
from Lincoln Electric’s Denver office.
“The only issues we addressed with
consumables were questions about
techniques and proper drag and push
partnered with distributor Airgas
Intermountain to supply select consum-
ables and equipment to the site as well
as an 85 percent/15 percent argon
blend shielding gas. According to
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Flux-Cored (FCAW-G) Welding
Cheyenne Plains Pipeline
Welding on Pipe
Mark Duncan, General Manager-East for
Airgas Intermountain, Airgas provided
additional on-site support to augment
Lincoln’s efforts. “We have a strong
relationship with the Lincoln Denver
office and worked as a team. I couldn’t
have asked for better support from
them,” said Duncan. “I also tip my hat to
our field person, Tom McClelland, who
did a fantastic job providing technical
assistance, process help and service for
the equipment when necessary.”
tractors, and ultimately
the pipeline owner, were
satisfied with the overall
quality of the welding
and productivity
achieved, thanks in part
to the Lincoln electrode
selected.”
According to Peter
Nicholson, Manager of
Pipeline Products at
The Lincoln Electric
Welding Pipe Mainline
Company, providing
consumables for the
Cheyenne Plains Gas
For welding the mainline pipe of the
Cheyenne Plains Gas Pipeline, Lincoln
consumables also played a prominent
role. A CRC-Evans® automated pipe
welding system was utilized to automati-
cally weld the circumference of the
pipe using a gas metal arc process
for high productivity.
feedability and excellent arc characteris-
tics, a result of Lincoln’s manufacturing
which uses a strictly controlled chemistry
process. All mainline welds are inspected
using automatic ultrasonic tests.
Pipeline required a coordinated effort
between many Lincoln entities including
its International Division, the Cleveland
headquarters, and Lincoln’s Houston dis-
trict office.
“From a business perspective, it was a
good decision for us to work with a
domestic consumable supplier such as
Lincoln Electric,” said Brian Laing,
President of CRC-Evans. “From a techni-
cal standpoint, the mechanical property
requirements for the project were easily
met by the SuperArc L-56 wire. Our
direct customers, the construction con-
“Six months prior to the start of pipeline
construction, consumables were tested
in the Houston office to ensure the weld
procedures with the consumable com-
plied with the strict industry standards
for this job. Lincoln engineers worked
closely with CRC-Evans personnel to
ensure the right consumable for the
job was selected,” said Nicholson.
The system was used in combination
with Lincoln’s premium SuperArc® L-56
copper-coated gas metal arc wire for
welding the pipe’s outside diameter,
consisting of hot, fill and split cap passes.
This .040-inch diameter wire, provided
specifically for this project, offers superior
Featured Lincoln Products
Pipeliner G80M is designed to deliver high deposition rates
for low hydrogen semiautomatic fill and cap pass welding of
high strength pipe up to X80.
AWS Class:
LN-15 Semiautomatic Wire Feeder
E71T-1MJH8
& E71T-9MJH8
The LN-15 is one of the smallest and most maneuverable
wire feeders for the construction, shipbuilding and pipeline
industries available on the market today. Through the use of a
high temperature, abrasion resistant plastic case, aluminum
alloy roll cage and fully encapsulated PC boards, the LN-15 is
perhaps the most rugged, portable wire feeder in the world.
The LN-15 is available in both Across-The-Arc and Control
Cable versions. Both offer outstanding welding performance,
including pulse welding, on a wide variety of steel, stainless
steel, aluminum and alloy materials.
• Smooth, spray type arc transfer and low spatter level.
• Slag system provides excellent puddle support, good
wetting and good bead shape in all positions.
• Manufactured to actual lot control. Actual certificates of
conformance are available upon request.
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