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Dry underwater welding is a technology that can help improve maintenance of conventional off shore oil and gas facilities, as well as any other marine facility. Ordinary underwater welding technologies have traditionally provided only temporary solutions.

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.

This welding method uses a compact housing to enclose and fully isolate the area affected by heat from its surrounding environment. You should note that this housing needs only to be large enough for the 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.

Use of a habitat means that ideal welding conditions can be maintained. Delivering a heated inert gas into the habitat at an appropriate pressure makes the environment around the weld’s immediate area a lot more controllable. It eliminates a lot of the problems we usually 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.

The conditions around the heat affected zone are enhanced, since the habitat eliminates hydrogen from the weld vicinity and prevents the sea water around it from quenching the weld. Even distribution of heat is thus much 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.

Typical risks of conventional underwater welding include the risk of electric shock to the welder, decompression sickness, and the build up of hydrogen and oxygen pockets. In dry welding, these pockets are not a problem, and their potentially explosive danger is removed. However, properly insulated welding equipment and precautions against decompression sickness must still be taken.

Because this type of dry underwater welding costs less than conventional dry docking, hyperbaric welding methods, and other solutions, as well as being highly portable, it’s good for use in emergencies when you need fast response times. There are plenty of benefits to using dry underwater welding in commercial and noncommercial 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.