Over the last year we have seen the successful launch of our new online Technical Group events as webinars, amassing over 900 registrations and reaching over 60 countries. Our eight Technical Groups promote presentations and discussions around the latest developments in the technology, standards, practices and standards relevant to their specialist subjects and the needs of industry.

An overview of the events so far:

PRESSURE AND PROCESS PLANT

Welding and Related Standards and their Application in Pressure Equipment - 29-30 October 2020

The debut of this first online Technical Group looked at how standards for pressure equipment are developed, their interdependencies, relationship with PED and the process of harmonisation, particularly in the light of Brexit.

It hosted presentations from industry speakers including Pressure and Process Plant Technical Group Chair, John Marlow, Sperko Engineering Services Inc President, Walter Sperko, NACE International European Area Manager and Technical Advisor, Stuart Bond, Welding Consultant, Gene Mathers, Bygate Manufacturing and Quality Solutions Ltd Consultant, Phil Bygate, TWI Principal Project Leader, Marcello Consonni, Shell K Senior Materials and Corrosion Engineer, Kevin Millican, and TWI Technology Fellow, Isabel Hadley.

More about our Pressure and Process Plant Technical Group.

JOINING PROCESSES

Welding and Repair of High Temperature Plant – 16 March 2021

In this event, we were joined by a panellist of speakers including Joining Processes Technical Group Chair, Gene Mathers, Mark Golding Consultants Ltd Director, Mark Golding, Uniper Materials and Corrosion Technical Head, Scott Lockyer, BAE Systems Welding Engineering Manager, Michael Skyrme, Doosan Babcock Head of Welding Engineering, Neil Bennett, and TWI Principal Project Leader, Marcello Consonni.

The online event looked at the welding and repair of high temperature steels covering topics including the cladding of pressure vessels; welding and weld repair of creep resistant steels, including the P/T91and MarBn steels; welding repair strategies for high temperature plant; orbital welding for repair and replacement, and the welder apprenticeship “Trailblazer” standards for the next generation of welders.

More about our Joining Processes Technical Group.

STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

Latest Developments in Fitness-for-Service Procedures in BS7910, R6 and ASME/ API579 – 15 April 2021

This event looked at the application of fitness-for-service procedures in different industries worldwide being heavily dominated by three key codes and standards: BS7910, R6, and ASME/ API579. With a focus on all three of these important documents, which had either been revised recently or were in the process of being revised, our panel of speakers delivered presentations highlighting the most significant changes being or having been made. This panel included TWI Technology Fellow, Isabel Hadley, EDF Energy Materials Engineer, Cory Hamelin, Ninth Planet Engineering Limited Consultant, Andrew Cosham, Jacobs Senior Consultant in Materials Science and Structural Integrity, John Sharples, and Valero Mechanical Reliability ASME Fellow Technology Advisor, Benjamin Hantz.

More about our Structural Integrity Technical Group.

MATERIALS

Metallurgical Impact of Minor Elements in Steel Welds – 18 May 2021

This Technical Group event focused on elements in steels that are present in small quantities but whose impact can be highly significant with problems often only coming to light at the stage of weld procedure qualification or, worse still, during construction or service.

The speakers included Materials Technical Group Chair, Dr Peter Boothby, TWI Materials and Structural Integrity Team Manager, Joanna Nicholas, Micro-Met International Ltd Managing Director, Dr Phil Kirkwood, AKD Materials Consulting Ltd Consultant Metallurgist/Welding Engineer, Eur Ing Alan Denney, Liberty Steel Hartlepool Technical Director, Martin Connelly, and Cranfield University Senior Lecturer, Dr Graeme Barritte.

More about our Materials Technical Group.

STRUCTURES AND INFRASTRUCTURES

Structural Steelwork - Specifying the Future – 22 June 2021

With the changes seen this year within steelwork specifications for both building and bridges in the UK, this event reviewed these new specifications with presentations from those involved in drafting the specifications and those who use them, including Structures and Infractures Technical Group Chair, Julian French, BCSA Welding Engineer, Tom Cosgrove, Arup Associate Director, Dominic Munro, Sandberg LLP Welding Engineer, Yohann Guellil, Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd Welding Engineer and Quality Manager, Dean Baker, and William Hare Limited Group Welding Manager, Phil Nicholson.

More about our Structures and Infrastructures Technical Group.

NDT AND CONDITION MONITORING

Enhancing the Inspection Process using Advanced NDT Methods – 6 July 2021

Our most recent online Technical Group event highlighted the benefits of a variety of advanced NDT systems and methods and how they may be used to improve the efficiency of inspections, both during fabrication and in-service.

The speakers included NDT and Condition Monitoring Technical Group Chair, Peter Mudge, Baker Hughs Wygate Technologies Digital Solutions Digital Filed Radiography Senior Sales Operations Manager, Johan Grauls, TWI NDT Team Manager, Channa Nageswaran, TWI NDT Product Development Team Manager, Miles Weston, Eddyfi Technologies Technical Sales Specialist, TWI Training and Examination Services NDT Training Programme Manager, Alex Tsougranis, Larbi Hallal, TWI Training and Examination Services Chief Examiner/Examination and Quality Team Manager, Michal Sherik, and University of Bristol Professor of Dynamics, Professor Paul Wilcox.

More about our NDT and Condition Monitoring Technical Group.

With the move of our Technical Group meetings to online events over the last year, The Welding Institute would like to thank and commend the adaptability demonstrated by all those involved including our Members, guest speakers and the Technical Group Committee for their joint support in making these Technical Group events a success!

More online events are scheduled for the remainder of the year and will be published shortly.