Just like PWHT, preheat treatment can significantly reduce the risk of cracking in parent and weld metals.

Welding preheat treatment, not unlike PWHT, is a process that reduces the inherent risks of hydrogen cracking, shrinkage stress, and other damage mechanisms that regularly occur during the welding process. Welding preheat treatment works differently however by heating the parent metals (adjacent metals being joined) prior to the actual welding process. This minimizes the discontinuity of rapidly heated weld metals and slower heating parent metals; effectively leveling the heat across both materials involved in the welding process. Also, just like PWHT, not all instances require welding preheat treatment. Therefore, it is important to hire the experts that know when preheating is advisable, and when it is not.

In an effort to reduce hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) following the welding of a critical piece of equipment, TechCorr’s Thermal Divison promotes its post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) service. We adhere to all governing codes and standards in assisting when PWHT is necessary and what the recommended process is.

This process helps to reduce the risk of fracturing, cracking, and stress in the weld and parent metals of a piece of equipment. Because, not all materials require PWHT- some can be damaged by the process. Please consult one of our TechCorr Thermal Divison experts as it is critical to understand the material with which welding is occurring, the higher the carbon content in an equipment piece likely means a greater need for PWHT.

TechCorr offers combustion heat treatment which is used to determine the elemental composition of a pure organic compound by combusting the sample under conditions where the resulting combustion products can be quantitatively analyzed. Our Heat Treat division uses this same practice on a larger scale, testing industrial materials and metals by subduing those materials under heat stress. The combustion method is typically used in Refractory Dry Outs, Paint Cures, Furnace PWHT, and Post weld heat treatment of large vessels, towers, and reactors. The key here is functionality. Our team can determine if the metals or material will be functional using this technique.

TechCorr is the main player when needing to complete the heating cycle on your refractory.

With many large refractories rammed, cast, or gunned in the field refractories require “drying out” on location. The dry out constitutes a heating cycle that is applied to remove excess water/moisture from the thermal lining. Without which the potential for excess pressurization of steam trapped in the lining can cause catastrophic failure during the refractory’s working life.

In addition to the above-mentioned heat treatment methods, TechCorr offers Hydrogen bake out, Steam chest warming systems, Valve warming systems, Shrink fit and removal, and custom furnace applications.