A Small Innovation in Offshore Oil Operations – The renovation of the welding gas station on the “Offshore Oil 202” vessel enables \"real-time stabilization of gas ratios\", thereby increasing the welding success rate

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This post was last edited by HaiChuan LaoYu on 2025-11-22 at 16:56. A minor innovation – the renovation of the welding gas station on the “Ocean Oil 202” ship. Challenges: During the fully automated welding of submarine pipelines, the stability of the 50% CO₂ + 50% Ar gas mixture directly affects the quality of the welds as well as the economic efficiency of the process. The traditional approach for the “Ocean Oil 202” ship involved using bottled gas mixtures that were prepared in factories, transported over long distances, and stored on-site; however, this method is limited by marine conditions and operational procedures. Innovation: This project focuses on “on-site dynamic mixing” to achieve two goals: maintaining a stable gas ratio in real time and optimizing costs. By ensuring consistency in the gas mixture from the outset, weld defects can be eliminated. Technical innovation: A “real-time mixing – precise control” system has been developed, creating a closed-loop system that involves pure gas input, distribution and pressure reduction, dynamic mixing, and direct delivery to the work site. The innovative functional feature adopts a \"real-time mixing + direct delivery to the work station\" approach, resulting in a short time interval between gas mixing and its use, and thus preventing layering of the gas due to differences in density. The innovatively modified gas system, adapted for use in this system, utilizes a combination of a distributor and a mixer to enable simultaneous gas supply to multiple workstations, meeting the gas requirements of different laying patterns and thereby enhancing the flexibility and efficiency of the production line. After the implementation of these improvements, the ratio of the mixed gases used remained stable; defects such as weld oxidation and pores decreased from 3.2% before the improvements to less than 0.5%. The product passed the inspections conducted by classification societies such as DNV and CCS