Due to environmental pollution, regulations on existing petroleum-based fuels are increasing day by day. LNG is in the spotlight as an eco-friendly fuel that does not emit NOx or SOx, but its boiling point is -163°C, so it needs to be handled with care. Materials that can be used at the above temperature are defined by IMO through the IGC Code. Among them, 9% nickel steel has great advantages in yield strength and tensile strength under cryogenic conditions, but it is difficult to use in arc welding such as FCAW for various reasons. This study is a study to apply fiber laser welding to solve this problem. As a previous study, this study conducted a study to find a welding heat source. After performing bead on plate welding, the optimal heat source was derived by analyzing the shape of the bead and adjusting the parameters of the heat source model. In this case, by applying the multi-island genetic algorithm, which is a global optimization algorithm, not the intuition of the researcher, accurate results could be derived in a wide range.
Natural gas is the most realistic fuel among eco-friendly fuels. Natural gas production is limited, and in Korea, it is supplied and utilized in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG). In the case of LNG, the vaporization point is 163 degrees below zero, so ordinary metal cannot be used due to its brittleness. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) defines metals that can be used in the IGC Code, and is used for storage containers, transportation containers, etc. based on the metals. Welding is essential in the manufacture of large structures such as LNG storage tanks. In this study, weldability studies related to cryogenic materials were conducted. In Part I of this study, high-manganese steel and part II were studied for two types of stainless steel (STS304L, STS316L), and in Part III, aluminum (AL5083). During laser welding, the shape of the Bead on Plate (BOP) was analyzed, and a total of nine cases were analyzed using laser power and welding speed as variables. It was confirmed that the penetration and the width of the welding width were linearly proportional to the amount of heat input. Based on this study, it is possible to conduct a follow-up study to find the optimal welding conditions for butt welding and fillet welding.
As the part of efforts to respond to the environmental pollution, the demand for clean energy is increasing. Natural gas is one of the most realistic alternatives, and interest in the storage and transportation containers to utilize the natural gas is growing. The production area of natural gas is limited, and in Korea, it is imported in the form of liquefied natural gas. LNG is a cryogenic state with a vaporization point of -163°C, so the ordinary metal cannot be used due to its brittleness. The international maritime organization (IMO) defines the metals that can handle LNG in the IGC Code, and the research is ongoing. This study was a preliminary study to check the weldability of related metals and confirmed the shape of bead on plate (BOP) during the laser welding for each material. In part I, a study was conducted on the high manganese steel, and in part II, a study was conducted on the materials of STS304L and STS316L among the stainless steel. Based on this study, it can be used as an optimal welding condition for the butt and fillet welding.
As demand for eco-friendly energy increases, demand for natural gas and Liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage technologies continues to increase. LNG is a cryogenic environment with a temperature of -163°C, so ordinary metals cannot be used due to brittleness. Accordingly, IGC Code designates the cryogenic materials such as Invar, STS304L, Al5083-0, and High Manganese Steel. For fabricating those materials, research on welding possibility is the most important. Thus this study focused on the possibility of laser welding of the cryogenic materials. The weldability of High Manganese Steel was researched in this paper, the shape and the dimensions of the beads after bead on plate (BOP) welding were observed. The experiment was conducted on a total of 25 cases with laser power and welding speed of 5 cases each, and the width, height, and penetration of the beads were confirmed. It was confirmed that the paramenter of bead increased linearly with the laser power, and the paramenters of bead increased linearly with decreasing welding speed. Based on this study, high manganese steel can be applied in various industries by applying it to butt welding.