How Much Do Underwater Welders Make

Unknown to many people, underwater welding holds a lot of fortune for those working. Just like most marine jobs, it is lucrative too.

Advertising

But then, before we proceed to talk about how much underwater welders make, we should actually understand the concept of underwater welding first.

What is Underwater Welding and How Does it Work?

Also known as hyperbaric welding, underwater welding involves welding at elevated pressures.

The term ‘hyperbaric welding’ is usually used when referring to dry welding and ‘underwater welding’ for wet environments.

The welding can either take place in the water itself (known as wet welding) or in a dry, pressurized enclosure (known as dry welding), with steel being the most commonly welded material.

Advertising

Dry welds tend to be better quality than wet welds because of the greater control over the welding conditions and the ability to perform pre and post-weld heat treatments.

Hyperbaric welding was invented in 1932 by the Russian metallurgist Konstantin Krenov and has since found applications across the world, including repairing ships, pipelines, and offshore oil platforms.

When is Underwater Welding Needed?

Underwater welding work is needed when there are any structures or ships that require salvage.
It is also needed whenever there are urgent repairs required.
Underwater welding is used in the repair of offshore structures and pipelines, ships, submarines, and nuclear reactors.
Current techniques that are generally used are wet underwater welding and hyperbaric welding.

Types of Underwater Welding

1. In dry welding, a hyperbaric chamber is sealed around the structure to be welded.

The chamber is then filled with gas (usually a mixture of oxygen and helium) to expel water and create dry air for heating.

Why the chamber is always pressurized to the right level to prevent welders from suffering from decompression sickness while working.

Advertising

Nevertheless, there are instances where welder divers don’t have access to a hyperbaric chamber or when urgency means that a repair needs to be done immediately. In these instances, wet welding may be used instead.

Types of Dry Welding

Shielded metal arc welding
Flux-cored arc welding
Friction welding

2. Wet welding depends on the release of gas bubbles around the electric arc to prevent overheating and to prevent any electricity from passing through the water.

This insulating layer of bubbles protects the diver but also obscures the welding area, making it harder to complete the weld correctly.

The bubbles can also disrupt the welding pool, and the heated joint can cool quickly due to the heat dissipating in the surrounding water.

This increases the risk of disability such as fractures.

Underwater welding uses direct current settings rather than alternating current, as it is safer for underwater welders to work with.

Types of Wet Welding

Habitat welding
Pressure welding
Dry spot welding
Dry chamber welding
Gas tungsten welding
Gas metal arc welding
Plasma arc welding