Process Piping

Plant and utility distribution built to specification.

Process Piping

Process Piping

Process piping carries the fluids your operation actually runs on. We install, modify, and repair distribution systems in live plants and occupied buildings, working around production schedules rather than through them. Our work is covered by TSSA certificate QA-01698 for ASME B31.3 process piping installation, shop and field.

What We Do

  • Plant and utility distribution systems
  • Steam, condensate, and chilled water
  • Stainless steel (304, 316/316L), carbon steel, and alloy
  • Tie-ins to existing in-service systems
  • System modifications and capacity upgrades
  • Pipe supports, hangers, and structural attachments

Why IMW

  • TSSA QA-01698 — ASME B31.3, shop and field
  • Alternate Piping Process (ALT) certified — QA-10894
  • Live tie-ins by hot tap where a shutdown is not viable
  • Prefabricated spools and pump skids to shorten field time
  • Coordination with mechanical, electrical, and controls trades
All-stainless cooling tower piping installed by International Mobile Welding

Stainless Steel Systems

Stainless is where sloppy welding shows. Contamination from carbon steel tooling, heat tint from an unpurged root, or the wrong filler will all pass a visual inspection and then corrode in service — usually somewhere you cannot reach.

We run dedicated stainless consumables and grinding media, purge the root on critical welds, and TIG the passes that matter. The cooling tower shown here is entirely stainless — built as prefabricated spools on our shop floor, then set and connected on a live rooftop.

  • 304 and 316/316L process and utility piping
  • Back-purged GTAW root passes on critical joints
  • Segregated stainless tooling to prevent carbon contamination
  • Sanitary and washdown environments — food, beverage, and water treatment
  • Dissimilar-metal transitions to carbon and copper systems
Hand-fed GTAW pass on a stainless steel elbow, welder in a CWB-stickered hood

The weld nobody inspects later

On stainless, the pass that decides whether a system lasts is the one on the inside of the pipe, where no inspector will ever see it. Shown here is a hand-fed GTAW pass on a stainless elbow — filler added deliberately, heat kept under control, and the back side purged so the root comes out clean rather than sugared.

It is slower than the alternative. It is also the difference between a joint that holds for decades and one that quietly corrodes from the inside out.

Prefabricated stainless steel pipe spools ready for installation

Built in the shop, not on your roof

The spools shown here are a single stainless job, cut, fitted and welded on our floor before anything went to site. Working in the shop means proper fit-up, controlled purging, and welds a person can actually reach — none of which is true at height, in the wind, over a live building.

What arrives on the day is a numbered set of finished assemblies. The site work becomes bolting and connecting rather than fabricating, which is faster, safer, and far easier to inspect.

Common Questions

What is ASME B31.3 process piping?

B31.3 is the ASME code for piping that carries process fluids inside industrial and processing facilities — process water and chemicals, chilled water, compressed gases and in-plant steam distribution. In Ontario, installing it requires a TSSA Certificate of Authorization. IMW holds QA-01698, shop and field.

Do you work with stainless steel process piping?

Yes — 304 and 316/316L process and utility piping, with back-purged GTAW root passes on critical joints and segregated stainless tooling and grinding media to prevent carbon contamination. We also make dissimilar-metal transitions to carbon and copper systems.

Can you tie in to an existing system that cannot be shut down?

Yes. Live tie-ins are made by hot tap where a shutdown is not practical, or by line stop where a section needs to be isolated.

What is the Alternate Piping Process (ALT)?

ALT — TSSA certificate QA-10894 — allows qualifying pressure piping installations to proceed under our own TSSA-accepted quality program rather than routing every joint through individual field inspection. On qualifying work it removes an inspection scheduling dependency from the critical path. More on our authorizations.

Can you prefabricate the spools rather than build on site?

Yes, and on most jobs it is the better answer. Spools are cut, fitted and welded in the Nobleton shop and delivered as a numbered set ready to hang. See pipe prefabrication.

Related Services

Work we are usually asked about alongside process piping.

Mobile Pipe Welding

  • SMAW, GTAW, and GMAW processes
  • On-site — no equipment transport
Learn more

Pipe Prefabrication

  • Spool work off the critical path
  • Delivered ready to install
Learn more

Hot Tapping Services

  • Most services and pressures, up to 12″
  • TSSA QA-03336 certified
Learn more

Need process piping?

Send drawings and specs, or just describe the system — our team will respond quickly.