Learned the hard way about purging gas lines on a big refinery job

Was working on a 6 inch pipe last month over in Baton Rouge and skipped the full purge step cause the foreman was rushing us. We fired it up and the weld blew a pinhole about 3 hours later. Had to cut it out and redo the whole section which took an extra 8 hours on site. Now I ALWAYS double check my purge flow even if the boss is yelling. Has anyone else had a weld fail cause you got pushed to skip steps?

2 comments

2 Comments

cooper.reese13d ago

Eight hours to redo that whole section, that's a rough way to learn it but you got it right in the end. A lot of guys don't realize purging ain't just about keeping oxygen out of the pipe. You also got to make sure the flow rate is high enough to move any moisture or debris that's sitting in the line, otherwise it'll cause problems sooner than later. Next time you're in a hurry, try using a flow meter to set your purge exactly right instead of just guessing on the regulator. It's saved my butt on tight deadlines more than once.

drew_thomas96d ago

Purging ain't just about keeping oxygen out of the pipe" - that line hits hard, man. Too many guys skip the flow rate part and end up with contamination they can't see until it's too late. A flow meter ain't expensive either, worth every penny for the peace of mind.