Orbitalum P16 EVO Tube-to-Tube-Sheet Orbital Weld Head

Overview

The Orbitalum P16 EVO is a TIG tube-to-tube-sheet orbital weld head, the latest development of Orbitalum’s proven P series. It is built to weld tubes into the tube sheets of heat exchangers with high precision and efficiency, and Orbitalum says it delivers the highest weld seam quality, reproducible thousands of times. Compared with its predecessor, the Orbitalum P16 EVO adds tool-free balancing, a control keypad in the handle, a graphite rotary current coupling and higher-grade components. It is offered as P16 EVO without wire, P16 EVO KD with cold-wire feed and P16 EVO AVC with electric arc distance control.

Seven Star LLC supplies the Orbitalum P16 EVO and its arbors, centering cartridges and torch accessories to heat exchanger fabricators and plant maintenance teams in Oman and the GCC. As a trusted supplier with engineering support in Muscat, we help customers specify a complete, ready-to-work set.

How Tube-to-Tube-Sheet Orbital Welding Works

A shell-and-tube heat exchanger has hundreds or thousands of tubes passing through a thick plate, the tube sheet, and each tube end must be sealed to the plate with a leak-tight weld. In tube-to-tube-sheet orbital welding, the head is located inside the tube by a centering cartridge on an arbor, and the TIG torch rotates around the tube end while the power source controls current, speed, gas and, where fitted, filler wire. As general welding knowledge, the main benefit is that every joint across the bundle is made with identical parameters, which reduces leaks found at hydrotest and the repair work that follows.

The Orbitalum P16 EVO transfers welding current through a rotating clutch and passes gas and cooling water through a rotating coupling. Liquid cooling up to the torch head keeps the process stable over long runs and increases the duty cycle, while the graphite coupling makes current transfer more reliable. The torch head can be tilted continuously by up to 30 degrees, so complex joints in confined spaces can be reached.

Engineering Design of the Orbitalum P16 EVO

The housing of the Orbitalum P16 EVO is completely liquid-cooled. A freely adjustable balance suspension with an enlarged adjustment range lets the operator balance the head without tools, and a stainless steel three-point support, also adjustable without tools, sits the head squarely on the tube sheet. On the Orbitalum P16 EVO, manual electrode position setting gives a stroke of plus or minus 5 mm. Stainless steel screws are used for the fine adjustment of torch and wire nozzle, and an optimised quick-change system makes torch changes easier.

The Orbitalum P16 EVO can weld recessed, flush and protruding tubes and can be adapted to special torches such as box header or inner torches, with or without cold wire. On KD heads a cold-wire feed is mounted directly on the head with a holder for a standard 100 mm, 1 kg wire coil. The wire feeder follows the rotating axis of the TIG torch, which prevents the filler wire from twisting as it leaves the nozzle, and wire feed tension can be adjusted precisely. A 7.5 m hose package and tool set are included.

Key Features

For heat exchanger shops comparing heads, the datasheet highlights the following points for the Orbitalum P16 EVO.

• Current transfer runs through a rotating clutch, with gas and water through a rotating coupling.
• The control panel integrated in the handle gives flexible operation at the tube sheet.
• Toolless balance suspension has an enlarged adjustment range for precise, comfortable balancing.
• Liquid cooling extends to the torch head for consistent quality and a higher duty cycle.
• The torch head swivels steplessly up to 30 degrees in the reduced diameter area.
• Recessed, flush and protruding tube geometries can all be welded.
• A stainless steel three-point support adjusts to the tube sheet without tools.
• The AVC version adds electric arc distance control with the ORBIMAT 300 CA AVC/OSC.

Industrial Applications

Tube-to-tube-sheet welding is central to building and retubing heat exchangers, condensers, feedwater heaters, coolers and boilers. In Oman and the GCC that work arises in refineries and petrochemical complexes in Sohar and Duqm, in gas processing and LNG plants, in power and desalination stations along the coast, and in fertiliser and chemical plants. Workshops building new exchangers use the Orbitalum P16 EVO for production welding, and maintenance contractors use it during turnarounds when bundles are retubed under time pressure.

Seven Star LLC supplies the Orbitalum P16 EVO together with arbors and centering cartridges sized to the customer’s tubes and the ground cable that the head requires. Exchanger shops usually also need general fabrication equipment for nozzles, shells and supports, such as the Lincoln Electric Power Wave S500 or the ESAB Rebel EMP 285ic, and submerged arc wire like LongTeng EL8 for shell seams. Browse related heads and power sources under orbital pipe welding systems.

Technical Specifications

The figures below for the Orbitalum P16 EVO are taken from the attached Orbitalum datasheet, which covers the P16 EVO, P16 EVO KD and P16 EVO AVC. Orbitalum states that technical specifications are non-binding.

Accessories and Ordering Notes

For the Orbitalum P16 EVO, arbors with centering cartridges and a ground cable are mandatory and must be ordered with the head. The quick-change adapter for torch equipment carries code 831 050 019, and a retrofit cold-wire feed for heads without a wire unit carries code 831 001 116. Box header and inner torches for recessed tubes and rear sheet work are made on request. When requesting a quote, provide tube outside diameter, wall thickness, tube sheet material and joint geometry so the right arbor and cartridge sizes can be included.

Call To Action

To request the Orbitalum P16 EVO, send Seven Star LLC your tube sizes, joint geometry, quantity and whether you need the KD or AVC version, and our Muscat team will prepare a formal quotation for supply in Oman and the GCC. The manufacturer datasheet is attached to this page for download. Seven Star LLC supplies Orbitalum equipment as a trusted supplier with engineering support in Muscat, so contact us today.