Can welding inside tanks be carried out on rainy days?
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I would like to ask the experts: we are constructing a carbon steel storage tank for chemical use at normal pressure at our construction site (with a capacity of 5,000 cubic meters). It is raining heavily outside, and the rainwater flows down along the outer wall of the tank. Welding is being carried out inside the tank, which is equivalent to watering the metal surface, resulting in white smoke being produced. Can welding operations be carried out inside the tank in this situation? I mainly want to know the answer from two aspects: does it work in practice based on experience, and are there any explicit regulations on this matter? Thank you for your advice! The attachment is a short video from the scene. The tank has reached its top height; the welds between the tank bottom plate and the outer side walls of the tank have been completed. The issue of water ingress is not considered, nor is the question of whether to weld the outer welds first or the inner welds first; safety considerations are also ignored. Ignoring humidity
On rainy and foggy days, the air is humid; the surfaces of electrodes and pipe fittings remain wet, which makes it easy to encounter welding defects. The welds become brittle and lose their toughness, and pores may form. If the electrodes and components to be welded are dried before welding, welding can still be carried out even on rainy days.
1 plus rainproof measures, 2 plus drying measures. If improvement is not achieved, stop work. Doing this results in issues with the welding quality. If safety and humidity are not taken into account, then it doesn’t matter.
There should be no problem; check what requirements the welding procedure sheet has regarding the interlayer temperature.
The provisions of GB 50128-2014 \"Code for Construction of Vertical Cylindrical Welded Steel Storage Tanks\" state:
Blow air in front before gas welding; welding with electric welding afterward should work fine. Otherwise, there will be water on the surface due to high humidity, and the welding rod should be dried.
If there is no leakage and the humidity is within acceptable limits, welding is possible
Are there any requirements regarding the preheating temperature? Is the interlayer temperature guaranteed? Does the material have a tendency to harden? What is the surface temperature of external welds exposed to rain?
Plan to consult the general contractor’s welding engineer for more in-depth information: D