Beading, Rolling, and Welding Boiler Tubes - The Boiling Point
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Steve Taylor, director of the rental division, and Jimmy Kurtzinger demonstrate the intricate process of tube rolling, welding, and beating in boiler maintenance. They explain that rolling is essential for sealing tubes to the tube sheet, while beading helps dissipate heat and prevent cracks. The video showcases the technical steps, including using different types of rolls and the importance of not over-rolling to avoid thinning the tubes. The demonstration highlights the skill and strength required for beating, ensuring a smooth and secure seal.
Takeaways
- 🔨 Labor Day is a time to celebrate the hard work of those in trades, like tube welding and boiler maintenance.
- 🛠 Rolling a tube is essential for sealing it against the tube sheet, not the weld itself.
- 🌡 Beading is a technique used to prevent overheating and cracking of the tube ends, especially in high-temperature areas.
- 🔥 The hot pass, or the first pass of welding in a boiler, is crucial for heat management and preventing leaks.
- ⚒ Welding on the hot pass helps create a better seal and is often recommended by manufacturers.
- 🛡 Over-rolling a tube can thin it out, making it difficult to re-roll and repair if it leaks.
- 🔩 Proper tube rolling is vital as new boilers can sometimes leak until they are heated and fired for the first time.
- 🛠️ The rolling process involves using a tapered pin and rolls to press the tube against the tube sheet.
- 🛠️ After welding, a tube is re-rolled to ensure a tight seal, using a different type of roll known as a Collins roll.
- 🔧 Beading involves flaring the tube end and then beating it to create a smooth, sealed surface.
- 👨🏫 The process of beating requires skill and strength, and it's important for the final appearance and integrity of the tube end.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of rolling a tube in boiler work?
-The main purpose of rolling a tube in boiler work is to seal the tube to the tube sheet by pressing the tube out against the tube sheet. This process ensures a tight seal and prevents leaks.
Why is it important to bead the end of a boiler tube?
-Beating the end of a boiler tube is important to transfer heat away from the tube end and towards the tube sheet. This helps prevent overheating and cracking, which could lead to leaks.
What is the role of welding in the tube sealing process?
-Welding plays a role in the tube sealing process by providing a better seal from the end of the tube to the tube sheet, especially in the hot pass where temperatures can reach 1800-1900 degrees.
What is the potential issue with rolling a tube too much?
-Rolling a tube too much can thin out the tube material, making it difficult or impossible to re-roll if a leak occurs later. This could result in the need to cut out and replace the tube.
Why might a new boiler have leaking tubes when it first arrives on site?
-A new boiler might have leaking tubes due to the tubes loosening up during transit. Once the boiler is heated and fired for the first time, the tubes expand, and any leaks can be tightened up.
What is the difference between a straight roll and a beading process in tube work?
-A straight roll is used to seal the tube to the tube sheet without flaring, while the beading process uses a special roll to flare the end of the tube and then beat it to create a smooth, sealed surface.
How does the use of a collins roll differ from other types of rolls in tube work?
-A collins roll is used for a straight roll without flaring the tube end. It's typically used after welding to tighten the tube against the tube sheet.
What is the significance of the tube's curvature when beating the end of a boiler tube?
-The curvature of the tube when beating is significant because it determines the final shape and seal quality. A properly formed curvature ensures a smooth, tight seal against the tube sheet.
Why is it necessary to clean the inside of the tube before re-rolling after welding?
-Cleaning the inside of the tube before re-rolling after welding is necessary to prevent any weld splatter from getting caught in the rolls, which could compromise the seal and cause leaks.
What is the importance of speed when beating the end of a boiler tube?
-The speed when beating the end of a boiler tube is important for achieving a smooth surface. If done too slowly, it can result in an uneven and jagged appearance, which is not only unsightly but could also affect the seal quality.
Outlines
🔧 Labor Day Celebration of Boiler Tube Work
The video script begins with a Labor Day tribute to workers specializing in boiler tube work, emphasizing the importance of tube welding, rolling, and beating. Steve Taylor, the director of the rental division, shares his extensive knowledge on the topic, having spent 35 years in the industry. The script explains that the weld on the tube does not seal it but is part of a process to transfer heat. The actual sealing is achieved through the rolling process, which presses the tube against the tube sheet. Beading is highlighted as a method to prevent overheating and cracking by transferring heat to the tube sheet. The script also discusses the importance of proper welding techniques on the hot pass of the boiler to prevent leaks. The process is demonstrated by Jimmy Kurtzinger, who performs rolling, welding, and beating on a tube, with Steve providing commentary on the steps and their significance.
🛠️ Detailed Process of Boiler Tube Sealing and Beading
This part of the script delves into the technical aspects of sealing and beading boiler tubes. It explains that rolling is crucial for sealing the tube to the tube sheet, and if done excessively, it can thin the tube, making it impossible to re-roll and necessitating tube replacement. The video demonstrates the process of re-rolling after welding to ensure a tight seal. Beading is introduced as the next step, where the tube is flared before being beaten to form a smooth, sealed end. The use of specialized tools and the skill required for this process are emphasized, with Jimmy showcasing his expertise in beating the tube to achieve a perfect seal. The script concludes with a final touch-up using a straight roll to secure the bead and complete the tube sealing process. The segment ends with thanks to the participants and a teaser for the next episode of 'The Boiling Point.'
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Labor Day
💡Boiler Tubes
💡Welding
💡Rolling
💡Beading
💡Tube Sheet
💡Hot Pass
💡Sealant
💡Overheating
💡Leak
💡Morrison Tube
Highlights
Labor Day celebration for tube workers.
Introduction to the process of beating, rolling, and welding boiler tubes.
Steve Taylor, with 35 years of experience, discusses tube maintenance.
Explanation of why tubes are rolled: to seal them against the tube sheet.
The weld does not seal the tube; rolling is essential for sealing.
Beating and rolling prevent overheating and cracking of tubes.
Beading transfers heat from the tube end to the tube sheet.
Welding is typically done on the hottest pass to ensure a better seal.
Demonstration of the straight rolling process by Jimmy Kurtzinger.
Importance of lubrication during the rolling process to prevent tube damage.
Potential issues with over-rolling and how it affects future maintenance.
Common occurrence of new boilers leaking until they are heated and fired.
Seal welding after rolling to ensure a tight seal.
Re-rolling with a Collins roll to tighten the tube after welding.
Introduction to beading, a process to flare the tube end.
The use of a specialized tool and technique for beating the tube end.
Final touch-up with a straight roll after beading to secure the seal.
Conclusion and appreciation for the demonstration of tube maintenance techniques.
Transcripts
well happy labor day
make sure before we get this video going
that you like or you share or you
actually hit that little bell for the
notification when our videos come up
that you will be notified
now labor day is here and we want to
celebrate all those guys out there that
do tube work and these boiler tubes get
welded they get beaded
and they get rolled and today we're
going to be looking at that on the
boiling point
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welcome to the boiling point we're with
steve taylor director of the rental
division and we're going to be talking a
little bit today about beating rolling
welding the tube now steven's not um a
novice at this he's in the rental
division but he actually worked a lot of
time out here in the shop doing this a
long time
got a few years anyway steven's been
with us about 35 years so a lot of
knowledge here well let's talk a little
bit about the beating and rolling and
first let's just talk about um
rolling you know why are we actually
rolling a two well a lot of people think
that the weld that's on there actually
seals the tube it doesn't it has a
different process what it's there for
and we'll talk about that uh the sealant
of the tube in the tube sheet is done by
rolling in it so you're just more or
less you're pressing that tube out
against the tube sheet really really
hard with a roll and that's the entire
process that seals that tube to the tube
sheet the rest of this is superfluous it
doesn't do anything to seal the tube
okay so the uh the beading what is that
for the beading you know if you leave
that tube sticking out like this at
least on the hot pass which is the very
first pass where the the
you know the the hot gas of the fire
comes down through here by the time it
gets back here it's 2000 degrees hits
the rear
door or if it's a water back boiler the
water back and turns it goes back so
we're talking 18 1900 degrees here if
you leave it sticking out like this
that's going to overheat and start to
crack when it starts to crack it's going
to continue to go in until it cracks
inside then you're going to have a leak
in that tube you can't have that so all
this does we're trying to transfer that
heat we want to get the heat off the end
of that tube transferred to that tube
sheet and one of the ways to do that is
to bead that tube turn that over seal
that against the tube sheet and that
that transfers the heat straight to the
tube sheet protects the end of that tube
that's all it's for okay and sometimes
you see welding on one side
and then yeah
on the other right typically the the
welding is on the on the hottest pass
the very end of the boiler the the first
password starts back through from the
morrison tube back around and we like to
to weld the hot pass a lot of the
manufacturers do and we follow their
procedures it does a better job if
you're 18 1900 degrees here over time
you will have some of those tubes will
start to leak
they'll just overheat okay but if you
weld that and seal well that it just
gives you a better seal from the end of
that tube to the tube sheet and all
we're doing is trying to transfer that
heat that's what that's there for okay
we thought it would be kind of a good
idea to really go through each one of
these processes from rolling
to beating and the welding and really
how we do that steven's going to walk
through we're going to have our man
jimmy come in and he's actually going to
do that all right well we got my man
jimmy kurtzinger that's going to be
doing the hard labor for us here and
he's going to get started stephen why
don't you walk through the process as he
starts this uh the rolling process on
what he's actually doing okay what he's
going to do here is do a straight roll
on this tube these tubes we're going to
seal weld like this one is so you're
gonna do a straight roll
jimmy go ahead and show us what you're
gonna do
see he'll all at first get some oil in
there some lubrication so those rolls
don't lock up inside that tube
slide the tube in there this pin is
tapered all the way in so the further
that pin goes in the more it pushes
those rolls out against those that tube
you hear that road bogging down that
motor bogging down that's that roll
really tighten it up against that tube
and press it out
and that's pretty much it he's done the
roll what would happen now is he would
seal weld that and he would come back
and roll it again and that tube's done
that's how quick it happens now steven
can you actually roll that too much
yeah you can if you roll it too much uh
you'll thin that tube out and you'll
you'll keep somebody further down the
road if that tube was to leak uh they
they scaled the boiler up something
happened and they overheated it and
caused it to start leaking they shocked
the boiler pulled that tube a little bit
loose from that tube sheet they had to
re-roll it if you roll it too much then
they can't re-roll it they have to cut
the tube out put a new tube in there i
know and sometimes we sell a new boiler
um and they'll actually show up on the
job site and they're actually leaking um
you'll bring the roll out is that
typically what happens that's typically
what happens well a lot of times in
transit they'll get shook up and they'll
loosen up but it's real common for a
brand new boiler to have tubes leaking
in it until they heat it up and fire it
the first time everything swells up all
the tube stretches all the tubes stretch
get all that process going through then
you may have some tubes leak a little
bit you'll come in and tighten them up
just a little bit just to snug them
you're good to go okay
okay so the tube has been rolled and so
now we're just going to go ahead and
weld jimmy once you go ahead and start
that and get out of the way
so now he's going to take a quick a
pencil grinder clean the inside of the
tube so that when he re-rolls he doesn't
get any of that splatter in the rolls
themselves
so now he's going to re-roll that tube
to tighten it up after welding it this
time he'll use a collins roll just a
different style roll that doesn't flare
doesn't do anything to it just a
straight row go ahead jimmy
okay so now we're going to do a new
process it's called beading
and we're going to actually flare the
tube
first right yep and then he's going to
come back and he's actually going to do
the bead right yep he's using a
completely different type of roll it has
a
rollers on it that are at an angle and
that's going to put the flare to the end
of that tube so we'll do the same
process
you see that that roll is a combination
roll it rolls the tube into the tube
sheet and it flares the end of it at the
same time preparing it so we can beat it
like this one is
so now we're going to move on to
actually beating the end of that to that
tube this tool is a special tool they
use
and they'll form these themselves to get
the right curvature
exactly what they want to use use a
little air
hammer
to do it with and it's a technique that
requires a lot of skill it took me a
long time to learn how to do it
and it requires a lot of arm strength
that i don't have anymore so go ahead
jimmy show us how this is done
you saw there that that towards the end
jimmy was going around pretty fast with
it that's how you get that smooth
surface to it if you didn't do that if
you went real slow with it you'd have
jags in there and it would look like it
doesn't hurt it just looks awful
so jimmy's done a good job he's done
that a lot of times so you can tell by
the way he put that in there so it's
perfect perfect beaded tube
so he's beaded that tube the last thing
in this process is to touch that up when
you bead that tube there's a chance you
could loosen that tube up a little bit
so he'll go in with that collins roll
that straight roll touch it up just like
we did on the other end when we welded
it and that'll be the end of that tube
it'll be sealed up
all right well thanks jimmy thanks
steven for coming out here it's always
good to have one of these jigs these
guys actually practice this all the time
and i really just appreciate you taking
the time to show everybody this to
beating
rolling and welding and we'll see you
next time on the boiling point
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