Engineering economic analysis for application of automatic welding in long-distance pipeline

With high efficiency, outstanding quality and satisfactory reliability, automatic welding is extensively adopted in construction of long-distance high-strength steel pipelines with large diameters, thick wall and high pressures. In China, however, this technique fails to achieve its expected benefits in China. With consideration of relevant work team as the basic unit for construction of long-distance pipelines, management over automatic welding work team is analyzed. In accordance with input-output principles, economic workloads of automatic welding work team are proposed. Additionally, impacts of timely feedbacks related to quality of automatic welding to project execution are reviewed. Prospects of automatic welding applications in construction of long-distance pipeline construction projects are studied from the viewpoint of engineering economics.