Dry underwater welding technologies have the ability to improve conventional offshore oil and gas facility maintenance, as well as maintenance in any other facility. Regular underwater welding technologies traditionally provide solutions that are only temporary.

That means that the existing welds would have to later be reworked, which might require dry docking. This can seriously disrupt operations, and cost a great deal. Fortunately, new low cost underwater welding systems, including Neptune Marine’s NEPSYS system, can provide a high quality permanent weld that’s as good as a weld done on dry land.

In this technology, a compact housing is used to fully isolate and enclose the zone affected by heat from the environment surrounding it. It’s important to note that this housing only needs to be big enough for welding electrodes to achieve complete runout.

When welding a complex structure, it’s sometimes appropriate to customize the enclosure to surround the entire weld area. That’s all that needs to be covered, however. There’s no need to enclose the diver or equipment, making this type of welding much cheaper than that which uses complete hyperbaric chambers.

This habitat is what allows the welder to maintain ideal conditions. The machinery constantly delivers a heated, pressurized inert gas to the habitat, creating a controllable environment around the weld’s immediate area. This eliminates many problems we traditionally associate with underwater welding.

The inert gas is delivered at a pressure above that of the water outside, which allows the welder to be sure that the area being repaired remains dry. This also allows for the area to be heat treated before and after the weld is made.

Conditions around the zone are better than in conventional welding, because the habitat keeps hydrogen from collecting around the vicinity of the weld, and it prevents sea water from reaching the weld and being able to quench it. This makes even heat distribution significantly easier.

Providing an ideal environment for dry underwater welding creates the possibility of a much higher quality weld, more consistently than can be achieved in wet underwater welding. This process creates a permanent weld that’s strong and stable, using only portable equipment. That means that repairs can be made without a serious impact on operations.

Risks of ordinary underwater welding include electric shock, decompression sickness, and buildup of pockets of hydrogen and oxygen. Dry welding prevents the creation of these potentially explosive pockets of gas. However, it’s still important to take precautions against decompression sickness and to maintain proper insulation on welding equipment.

Since dry underwater welding is less costly than conventional dry dock, hyperbaric, and other welding methods, and highly portable, it’s suited to emergency repair situations where a fast response time is desirable. That means that there are a lot of benefits to dry underwater welding, and significant commercial applications.

For those who need a fast, comparably less expensive solution for repairs in underwater situations, a dry underwater welding system is a good choice. It compares well to existing underwater welding technology, but is much easier, faster, and more portable. Consider this type of welding if you need a repair solution.