The document summarizes three notable accomplishments by Vlad Minea Manolachi:
1. Developing welding equipment for cold weather pipeline welding, including preheaters, enclosures, and cooling belts.
2. Designing an automatic welding device in 1989 for segmented pipeline curves that received an innovation certificate.
3. Designing cable pulleys that could resist tensions of 600,000 lbs for pulling a pipeline under the Danube River.
Belihul Oya Mini Hydropower Plant project under LTL holdings (Pvt) Ltd
Vlad Minea - Condmag
1. Vlad MINEA MANOLACHI Pag. 1 of 13
NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS @ CONDMAG SA
1- Cold weather welding preheater, welding enclosures, controlled cooling belts.
Idea description:
Welding is a major operation in the
Pipeline Contractor business and has to
be performed in the field, to form the
pipeline.
Weather conditions and temperatures are
a big factor in the quality of welding.
In the cold weather the material has to
be brought to a certain temperature
before welding, maintain the conditions
during the welding of the weld bead and
then have a controlled cooling process in
order to ensure a high quality weld
required for high pressure natural gas
pipelines.
Figure 1 - Pipeline welding area that
requires the special treatment. These pipe
are 3’ in diameter and have a wall
thickness of ½”
Figure 3 - Special enclosure that can be easily
placed over the pipeline, protects the welder
and the welding area from wind, rain and snow
and maintains the proper welding conditions.
Had to be dimensioned according to the health
and safety requirements
Figure 2 - Diesel Fuel flame heater. Using
diesel fuel and compressed air creates a
high temperature powerful flame that
allows and efficient and fast preheating
procedure.
Figure 1 - Controlled cooling belt. Thermal insulation was
applied over the fresh finished weld bead and maintained
there for a certain time depending on the outside
temperatures. Ease of installation is a major factor.
2. Vlad MINEA MANOLACHI Pag. 2 of 13
2- Designed an automatic welding device for segmented pipeline curves - awarded
with an innovation certificate in 1989.
Welding Head
Segmented curved pipe
Rotor body
Distance
D1
Angle
A1
Rotation
Axis
Welding Head
Segmented curved pipe
Rotor body
Distance
D2
Angle
A2
Position for
Weld 2
Position for
Weld 1
Welding path is
in a vertical plane
Welding path is
in a vertical plane
Protective Flux
Protective Flux
Rotation
Axis
Welding Head
Welding Head
Operators
Platform
Welding Head
Support Arm
Idea description:
Welding is a major
operation in the Pipeline
Contractor business but
some constructive
elements can be prebuilt
in factory environments
with higher efficiency
installations.
Due to the thickness of
the material of large
diameter pipelines,
submerged arc welding is
the desired process. The
process requires the weld
area to be covered by the
flux and that can happen
only in a condition in
which the gravity does
not remove the flux. This
is usually done by
rotating the pipe under
the welding head. The
joins of a segmented
curve are not round they
are elliptic, so this device
has to compensate for
the problems.
The rotating plan of the
weld had to be set
vertically.
Figure 1 - Diagram presenting the principle of mounting
and rotating a segmented curve so that the welding plane
is vertical during the process.
Figure 2 - Image of the installation functioning in factory
environment.
Figure 3 - Model presenting the
challenges of rotating a segmented
curve for welding purposes.
3. Vlad MINEA MANOLACHI Pag. 3 of 13
Welding Head
Motor wheel
Motor wheel
Support wheel
Protective Flux
Incline section
Rotary Plate
Pipe Holder
Pipe
Segment
Welding
Head
Rotary
Plate
Loading
Hook
Structure
Frame
Chain
Flux
Recycling
Container
Incline
Section
Idea description:
The process is sown for
half of the segmented
curve, after that the
curve is flipped in the
installation and the other
end is brought in the
welding area and the
whole procedure is
repeated.
Challenges of the project
were the sophisticated 3D
movement of very large
and heavy objects,
performed at controlled
speeds and zero
accelerations.
Project was finalized in
1989 and is still in use
today. Controls were
upgraded to
computerized systems
but the mechanics are
the same.
Figure 4 - Diagram with solutions of the challenges presented previously.
Figure 5 - Image of the installation performing
weld nr.2 as presented in the previous diagram.
4. Vlad MINEA MANOLACHI Pag. 4 of 13
3- Cable pulleys to resist tensions of 600,000 lb. for 2.5 inch diameter cables.
Idea description:
Undercrossing the river Danube was
done successfully twice in Romania with
this “pulling” solution. A critical element
of the solution were the pulleys that
were supposed to bear large forces
during the process.
Due to the powerful flow of the Danube
River the pulleys were subjected to
horizontal forces in addition to the
vertical ones.
Figure 3 - Engineering team at the site
photographed on the pipeline ready to start
the launching process. I am the one in the
middle.
Figure 1 - The pulleys before starting
the pull. Group of process
supervisors and the river Danube in
the back. 1986
Figure 4 - Disjoining the cable segments after
pulling stroke. Notice the dimension of the cable –
2.5" diameter.
Figure 5 - Diagram representing the process in a cross- section through the river in the
crossing area.
Figure 2 - Pulleys detail of the cross
section diagram.
9. Vlad MINEA MANOLACHI Pag. 9 of 13
First page:
ROMGAZ R.A. Medias
NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION BUCURESTI
GAS LICENSED PLUMBER LICENSE
Nr: 3979/ 1994
Second page:
Photo
Owner’s signature
Last Name: MINEA MANOLACHI
First Name: Vlad
Residence: BRASOV, Grivitei nr. 42
ID Series: B.T nr: 283530
Issued by: BRASOV
Third page:
Degree obtained through licensing
I - Design, manufacture and operation of all gas works. VOIDED
II - Design, execution and operation of utilization installations, operation and execution of all
works of distribution system – GRANTED.
Director: Illegible Signature Date of issuing: 12-07-94. Stamp.
III - Execution, operation and maintenance of all natural gas utilization installations. –
VOIDED
Forth page:
Annual visa
Year 1995 Director: Illegible Signature, Stamp
I certify hereby the concordance of this translation with the original document in Romanian
endorsed by me,
Translator: Vlad Minea Manolachi
11. Vlad MINEA MANOLACHI Pag. 11 of 13
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF ROMANIA
MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM
(Ministry or Central Body)
INNOVATOR CERTIFICATE
Number: 924
For innovation titled: AUTOMATIC FLUX CORED WELDING INSTALLATION FOR
SEGMENTED PIPE CURVES JOINS
Innovation was registered at the date: 1989
At: CGM-IAMCM Brasov
(Name of innovation registering company)
Acknowledges as author(s): ing. Minea Vlad
Through this certificate, granted under article 71 of the Law 62/1974, all privileges associated
with this accreditation are conferred upon the author(s).
Delivery date: 10.08.1989
Director: Ing. Val. Soare
Illegible signature
Stamp
I certify hereby the concordance of this translation with the original document in Romanian
endorsed by me,
Translator: Vlad Minea Manolachi
13. Vlad MINEA MANOLACHI Pag. 13 of 13
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF ROMANIA
MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM
(Ministry or Central Body)
INNOVATOR CERTIFICATE
Number: 558
For innovation titled: AUTOMATIC FLUX CORED WELDING INSTALLATION FOR
CIRCULAR AND ELIPTICAL JOINS AT METALLIC CONSTRUCTIONS AND PIPES
Innovation was registered at the date: 1984
At: Intreprinderea Antrepriza de Montaj conducte Magistrale Brasov
(Name of innovation registering company)
Acknowledges as author(s): CAPBATUT VASILE, PANAZAN TEODOR, MINEA VLAD,
KERTESZ PAVEL, NECULAE NECULAE, STOICA CONSTANTIN and COPOT ION
Through this certificate, granted under article 71 of the Law 62/1974, all privileges associated
with this accreditation are conferred upon the author(s).
Delivery date: 28.05.1985
Illegible signature
Stamp
I certify hereby the concordance of this translation with the original document in Romanian
endorsed by me,
Translator: Vlad Minea Manolachi
