Argweld - Inflatable Weld Pipe Purging Dams System

Inflatable Dams are manufactured from advanced low outgassing rate materials and are ideal for applications where Argweld® Tandem Pipe Purging Systems or the older style Purge Bladder Systems are less suitable.

These simple to use, easy to insert Argweld® Inflatable Weld Purge Dams can be purchased for any diameter within their manufacturing range and can be used in connection with other styles or sizes of dams elsewhere within the piping system.

Inflatable Weld Purging Systems have been specifically designed for tubes, pipes and pipelines to achieve oxide free, porosity free, clean, safe welds.

Old fashioned pipe purge bladders and tandem purging gas bags usually burst. Therefore our systems are specifically engineered with anti-burst features to avoid any risk of bursting. Our Pipe Purge Systems can be used time and time again.

Excellent Grip and Perfect Seal

Single Ended Dams for closing welds where retrieval is possible and other joints where a Tandem Pipe Purging System is not required.

Ideal for tight bends, T piece joints, dome end connections and so on, where an old fashioned Tandem Weld Purge Bladder Inflatable System or a modern Argweld® Pipe Purging System cannot be used.

This range of low cost, single ended Inflatable Weld Purge Dams is an innovative product, manufactured and designed by Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT®.

These Inflatable Weld Purge Dams provide an excellent grip in the pipe with an effective all-round seal.

Each Dam has a weld purge gas inflation hose, an exhaust port for exiting purge gas and a hose for extra gas input for higher speed purging, for weld cooling to reach interpass temperature specifications and for the assurance of obtaining a zero colour (non oxidised) weld. There is also an additional hose for a Weld Purge Monitor® to be attached.

Quick, fast, very simple to use use.

Argweld® is a recognised trademark in the industry and our family range of products is here to help you achieve that better weld and save money at the same time.

Standard and Custom Made Specials

Argweld® Inflatable Weld Purging Dams are a manufactured innovative designed and engineering solution to many welding problems, such as:

• Weld coking
• Oxidation
• Weld root contamination
• Weld cut-outs
• Loss of corrosion resistance 
• Other issues that might occur as a result of using plastic foam or other unsuitable materials that can release massive amounts of air, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, gases and water into the weld zone during the welding process.

Custom Made Specials

We can design and manufacture custom made special Weld Purging Dams for a variety of applications. One application included purging a pipe where one pipe was inside the other. Our design force got to work and manufactured a special ‘doughnut like’ Weld Purge Dam which fits on the inside of the larger pipe to go over the inner pipe so that the space between the two pipes can be protected.

These Argweld® Inflatable Weld Purging Dams are suitable for when it is not possible to use Argweld® PurgElite® or Argweld® QuickPurge® Tandem Style Weld Purge Systems or the old fashioned Purge Bladder Systems. 

Apart from the benefit of having a metallurgically sound weld, the difficulties of cleaning an oxidised weld are eliminated, saving vast amounts of money in labour and material costs as well as the disposal costs where acids are concerned.

Even today, in this quality controlled environment, many companies are still allowing their technicians to spend many hours fabricating dams made of foam, sponge, cardboard, adhesive tape, wood and so on. Like paper, these materials contain a high percentage of water and water is very undesirable to have in the presence of a weld.

As these poor materials are warmed by the welding operation, they start to outgas their water vapour, which begins to circulate around the weld joint and combine with the weld pool to cause porosity and oxidation.

Now there is no more reason to put welds at risk by using apparently cheaper materials, when for a very low cost, Argweld® Inflatable Weld Purge Dams can be purchased instead!

Technical Data and Specification

Size Range 6 to 88" (152 to 2,235 mm)

Manufactured for pipe diameters from 6 to 88 inches (152 up to 2,235 mm), these lightweight systems are easy to inflate using the purge gas and are heat resistant up to 90ºC (194ºF).

The Argweld® Weld Purge Dams are manufactured from the same material as our range of QuickPurge® Inflatable Tube and Pipe Purging Systems, which are rugged and can be used time and time again.  

Leak tightness

Once the Dam is inflated and seals all around the internal circumference of the pipe, the excess inert purge gas spills out and purges the space around the weld joint, which then pushes the air (oxygen) out into the open atmosphere.

Proper Use

Each Dam is equipped with a purge/inflation hose (black), an extra purge gas hose (blue) as well as an exhaust hose for connecting a Weld Purge Monitor® (red).

The blue hose is suitable for passing extra gas into the weld zone at any time to cool welds and meet interpass temperature specifications, or to provide extra inert gas in the event of titanium, zirconium or special stainless applications needing a guaranteed zero colour weld.

Four pull tags are located around the circumference of the Weld Purge Dam, so rope, pull wires or slings can be attached for retrieval of the deflated system, if required. 

By producing bright shiny welds, there will be no porosity and no loss of corrosion resistance caused by oxidation.