Indian Engineer · WPS Helper 2026
Welding Procedure Validation & Inspection Audit Report
Cross-code engine: ASME IX · AWS D1.1 · API 1104 · BS EN ISO 15614 · IBR
IEW-AUD-0005-20261022
Issued: 22 Oct 2026
QA/QC Controlled Document
| WPS Number / Rev | WPS-IEW-2026-105 · Rev. 0 | Governing Code | IBR |
| Title | SAW longitudinal seam, boiler drum shell course 50 mm (PWHT pending review) | ||
| Fabricator | Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., Trichy | Domain | Boiler Manufacturing |
| Prepared By | Er. S. Venkataraman | Registry Status | NON_COMPLIANT |
1 · Procedure Variables (QW-400 mapping)
| Variable | Declared Value | Variable Class |
|---|---|---|
| Welding process | SAW | Essential |
| Joint type / design | Single-U Groove — Single-U, R=8 mm root radius, backing run SMAW from ID | Non-Essential |
| Base metal | SA-516 Gr.70 (IBR Form IV-A) | Essential |
| P-Number / Group | P-No. 1 Gr.2 | Essential |
| Qualified thickness range | 50 – 100 mm | Essential |
| PQR coupon thickness | 50 mm | Essential |
| Diameter range | Shell ID 1600 mm | Essential |
| Filler spec / class | SFA-5.17 + flux IS:3613 / EM12K + F7A4-EM12K flux | Essential |
| F-Number / A-Number | F-No. 6 / A-No. 1 | Essential |
| Preheat minimum | 150 °C | Essential |
| Interpass maximum | 280 °C | Essential |
| PWHT | Not required | Essential |
| Current / polarity | DCEP | Essential |
| Amperage | 550 – 750 A | Non-Essential |
| Voltage | 28 – 34 V | Non-Essential |
| Travel speed | 400 – 550 mm/min | Non-Essential |
| Heat input ceiling | 4 kJ/mm | Non-Essential |
| Shielding gas / flow | N/A (flux) | Essential |
| Backing gas | — | Suppl. Essential |
| Position | 1G | Non-Essential |
| Notch toughness regime | Not invoked | Supplementary |
| Supporting PQR | PQR-IBR-2026-105 | Essential |
2 · Automated Compliance Verdict
FAIL
Non-Compliant
Engine run of 15 Feb 2026, 09:30 pm by welding.engg@bhel.in evaluated 30 cross-code rules against IBR with clause-level evidence for every finding.
Passed: 29 · Warnings: 0 · Failures: 1 · Compliance score: 97 / 100
The procedure shall NOT be released for production welding until all essential and supplementary-essential deviations are dispositioned and the WPS is re-validated.
3 · Clause-Level Findings
| # | Variable / Rule | Class | Clause Ref. | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mandatory PWHT by thickness/code | Essential | Reg. 273 | FAIL | PWHT is mandatory: P-No. 1 at 100 mm exceeds the 30 mm threshold for boiler/IBR construction. |
| 2 | Supporting PQR referenced | Essential | Reg. 274 | PASS | Qualified by PQR PQR-IBR-2026-105. Traceability established. |
| 3 | Base metal P-Number assigned | Essential | Reg. 261 | PASS | Base metal group P-No. 1 Gr.2 — SA-516 Gr.70 (IBR Form IV-A). |
| 4 | Dissimilar-metal weld compatibility | Essential | Reg. 268 | PASS | Joint is between identical P-Numbers — no dissimilar-metal restrictions apply. |
| 5 | Thickness qualification range (coupon) | Essential | Reg. 271 | PASS | Range 50–100 mm within qualified 1.5–100 mm for 50 mm test coupon. |
| 6 | Thickness range sanity | Non-Essential | Reg. 271 | PASS | Commercial range 50–100 mm is within conventional procedure limits. |
| 7 | Small-bore thin-wall root control | Non-Essential | Reg. 267 | PASS | Small-bore root check applicable to piping only. |
| 8 | Minimum preheat temperature | Essential | Reg. 266 | PASS | Preheat ≥ 150°C satisfies the 65°C minimum for P-No. 1 base metal. |
| 9 | Interpass temperature ceiling | Essential | Reg. 266 | PASS | Interpass 280°C within 315°C ceiling. |
| 10 | Thermal window logic | Non-Essential | Reg. 266 | PASS | Thermal window 150–280°C is internally coherent. |
| 11 | PWHT cycle parameters | Essential | Reg. 273(3) | PASS | PWHT not required — cycle parameters not applicable. |
| 12 | PWHT soak window & hold adequacy | Suppl. Essential | Reg. 273(4) | PASS | PWHT not required — soak band check not applicable. |
| 13 | F-Number consistent with process | Essential | Reg. 264 | PASS | F-No. 6 (EM12K + F7A4-EM12K flux) is consistent with SAW. |
| 14 | Weld-metal A-Number compatibility | Essential | Reg. 264 | PASS | A-No. 1 weld deposit is chemically matched to P-No. 1. |
| 15 | Shielding gas / medium per process | Essential | Reg. 265 | PASS | SAW is flux-shielded; external shielding correctly marked N/A. |
| 16 | Root backing gas protection | Suppl. Essential | Reg. 265 | PASS | SAW — backing gas not driven by process. |
| 17 | Shielding gas flow rate | Non-Essential | Reg. 265 | PASS | Flux process — flow rate not applicable. |
| 18 | Current type & polarity | Essential | Reg. 265 | PASS | DCEP polarity consistent with SAW and EM12K + F7A4-EM12K flux. |
| 19 | Amperage operating window | Non-Essential | Reg. 265 | PASS | Amperage 550–750 A inside the SAW operating envelope. |
| 20 | Arc voltage operating window | Non-Essential | Reg. 265 | PASS | Voltage 28–34 V inside the SAW operating envelope. |
| 21 | Travel speed control | Non-Essential | Reg. 265 | PASS | Travel speed 400–550 mm/min is plausible for SAW. |
| 22 | Heat input ceiling (toughness) | Suppl. Essential | Reg. 266 | PASS | Computed worst-case heat input ≈ 3.83 kJ/mm (declared ceiling 4 kJ/mm) — no toughness restriction invoked. |
| 23 | Welding position qualification | Non-Essential | Reg. 272 | PASS | Position 1G is a recognised EN ISO 6947 / QW-461 designation. |
| 24 | GMAW metal-transfer mode | Essential | Reg. 265 | PASS | Transfer-mode variable applies to GMAW only (SAW exempt). |
| 25 | Process admissibility under code | Essential | Reg. 263 | PASS | SAW is an admissible process under IBR. |
| 26 | ISO 15614 impact-test mandate | Suppl. Essential | Reg. 270 | PASS | Impact regime not invoked for the declared thickness/application. |
| 27 | Storage-tank qualification route | Essential | — | PASS | Tank-specific routing not applicable. |
| 28 | IBR statutory governance | Essential | Reg. 274–283 / Ch. XIII | PASS | Prepared by Er. S. Venkataraman; welder must hold a valid IBR welder's certificate and records are subject to Inspecting Authority countersignature (Reg. 277–283). |
| 29 | Administrative data completeness | Non-Essential | Reg. 274 | PASS | Administrative header fields adequately populated for issue. |
| 30 | Group Number under toughness | Suppl. Essential | Reg. 261 | PASS | Group-No. split applies only when notch toughness is specified. |
4 · Traceability Excerpt
| Timestamp | Actor | Action | Details | Source IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No audit events recorded for this entity. | ||||
Prepared By
Welding Engineer (IWE)
Er. S. Venkataraman
Sign & Date
Reviewed By
QA/QC Manager
Sign & Date
Approved By
Client / TPI Inspector
Sign & Date