OMMI (Vol.4, Issue 1) April 2007 www.ommi.co.

uk

In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header

S J Brett, D L Oates and C Johnston, RWE npower, UK

Abstract

Extensive Type IV cracking has been found on branch and attachment welds on a modified
9Cr (Grade 91) header after 58,000hrs service. The header was a retrofit component installed
on a 500MW unit in 1992. Early inspection of the header was undertaken because it had been
established that a number of low nitrogen to aluminium (N:Al) ratio components had been
incorporated in its construction. This had been identified as a factor common to earlier
premature plant failures in this grade of steel elsewhere in the UK. This paper summarises the
background to the inspection of the header, describes the distribution of cracks found, and
considers the implications for other components of this type in service elsewhere.

Keywords: Type IV cracking, Grade 91steel, high temperature headers, high temperature
pipework, retrofit components

1. Introduction

Modified 9Cr (grade 91) steel entered service in the UK in the late 1980s, firstly as retrofit
high temperature headers on older coal-fired power plant and later as headers and steam
pipework on the newer generation of combined cycle gas stations. This steel is designed to
operate in a tempered fully martensitic condition, which presents a greater challenge to
fabricators than the earlier generation of low alloy steels. A significant number of problems
have arisen related to incorrect processing or heat treatment at the manufacturing stage both in
the USA [1] and in the UK. In the worst cases this has led to an inadequately tempered
martensitic structure, with very poor creep ductility, or, failure to achieve a martensitic
structure at all, resulting in very low creep strength.

However RWE npower has also been involved in a number of investigations of early failures
of Grade 91 components in the UK which cannot be attributed simply to inadequate
fabrication [2]. These examples have involved materials which, while meeting the chemical
compositional specification, and apparently fabricated correctly to produce a tempered
martensitic structure, nevertheless had lower than expected creep strength. The failures
occurred by cracking at the outer parent-side edge of the heat affected zone (Type IV
cracking). They have ranged from failures and cracking on transition bottles and header
endplates in the mid 1990s [3, 4] to the present example of cracking found on a header in
2004. Following the earlier failures it had been suggested that the formation of AlN in these
materials could have resulted in a depletion of the vanadium nitride-type MX precipitate
population, resulting in reduced creep strength. Subsequent investigations successfully
demonstrated both the presence of coarse AlN precipitates and low parent and Type IV creep
strength in Grade 91 material with low N:Al ratio [5].

As part of its response to this problem, RWE npower acquired a section of low N:Al ratio
forged grade 91 bar with low creep strength and investigated the Type IV strength. The weak
 In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 2

bar was also used as a reference material against which to compare the creep strength of
Grade 91 components sampled in service. This led to the conclusion that a number of in-
service casts could be at risk of early Type IV cracking. The case of the header discussed in
this paper is illustrated in Figure1, where it was assumed that the weakest casts present could
have a strength level similar to that of the weak bar material. On the basis of this the decision
was made to inspect at the next available outage.

1000

Grade 91
Mean
Grade 91
Stress (MPa)

Mean-20%
Parent
100
Prediction
Type IV
Prediction
Station
Operation

10
100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Life (Hours)

Fig. 1. Prediction of parent and Type IV life at 580C for a weak

Grade 91 cast investigated

2. Header Design and Construction

The header is shown schematically in Figure 2. It was designed to BS1113:89 with a design
pressure of 17.58 MPa and a design temperature of 580C. It was constructed from six ASTM
A335 P91 cylindrical barrel sections (450mm OD x 50mm t) separated by four ASTM A182
F91 forged T-pieces and a central circumferential butt weld. The ends of the header were
closed by forged domed ends and the header was fitted with four ASTM A182 F91 safety
valve branches (190mm OD x 57mm t), one ASTM A182 F91 main steam atmospheric pass
out branch (210mm OD x 54mm t), and two much smaller pressure tapping branches. A total
of 408 ASTM A213 T91 stubs (54mm OD x 8mm t) were distributed along the header body,
grouped mainly in 68 elements of 6 stubs (A-F) each. Most of the stubs were attached to the
barrel sections with a smaller number on the forged T-pieces. On the barrels the six stubs in
each element were arranged at 50 intervals around the circumference between 55 and 305
from top dead centre position, (Figure 3). A number of attachment welds were also present,
e.g. main hanger supports and anti-rotation lugs.
 In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 3

Main steam 4 Safety valve B2 Main steam 3 Safety valve B1

Pressure transmitter

Pressure gauge

Barrel section 1 Barrel section 2 Barrel section 3

Safety valve A2 Main steam 2 Safety valve A1 Main steam 1

Atmospheric passout

Barrel section 4 Barrel section 5 Barrel section 6

Fig. 2. Schematic arrangement of the header

 In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 4

Fig. 3. General view of the header, showing the stub arrangement

3. Distribution and Type of Cracking

Initial inspection was targeted on the largest welds which, it was considered, could potentially
experience the highest system stresses, the large branch welds and T-piece inlet and outlet welds.
Following the initial discovery of cracking however the inspection was extended and eventually
included all welds on the header. Cracking was found on all large branches, significant numbers of
small branches (stubs) and the majority of large attachment welds.

All large branch welds cracked were found to have cracking on both sides of the branch at the flank
position. All cracking found was on the header body side weld toe (Figure 4). The largest surface
length of cracking found was 185mm and the largest through-wall extent was 8mm. For cracked
stubs the crack position was the same, on the header body side flank weld toe, but almost half the
stubs affected were cracked on one side only. Cracking on attachment welds was generally confined
to header side weld toes with an orientation parallel to the long axis of the header. The longest
surface length of cracking here was 310mm.

Metallurgical replication of selected defects showed them to be on the outer edge of the weld heat
affected zone, the Type IV location. This was confirmed by sampling of one stub in the area of the
greatest concentration of stub cracking (Figure 5).

For stubs with cracking on both flanks the highest number of cracks were found on the F stubs,
those operating hottest, with a systematic decrease with temperature across the element. This was
not however true of stubs with single cracks, where the distribution of cracking across the element
was more uniform (Figure 6). This is an indication that an additional factor, such as a bending
stress, may have been acting on the single cracked stubs.
In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 5

Fig. 4. Type IV crack on the header side toe of a large branch weld

Fig. 5. Type IV crack sampled from the header side toe of a stub weld
 In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 6

25

20

15
Number

Single Cracked
Double Cracked
10

0
A B C D E F
Stub

Fig. 6. Distribution of cracks across stubs. Operating temperature increases from A to F

4. Factors Contributing to the Cracking

The distribution of cracking was considered in the light of the factors likely to have contributed:
stress distribution, operating temperature, and material strength.

4.1. Stress Distribution

No cracking, or evidence of creep damage, was found on any of the circumferential butt welds,
either the barrel to T-piece or domed end welds in the body of the header or the T-piece outlet
welds. There is therefore no evidence of significant axial loading either from inadequate support of
the header body or from system stresses arising from the steam pipework leading out from the
header. Cracking on the header stubs, which are distributed more or less uniformly along the header
body, provide additional evidence for this. Virtually all stub cracking was found on the barrel-side
flank positions, implying that the dominant stress present was the hoop stress on the header. Over
half of the stubs were cracked on both sides, again indicating a fairly balanced loading.

Any additional in-service stresses arising from a systematic movement of the header body relative
to the stubs would be expected to be reflected in the crack distribution. However analysis of the stub
crack positions shows little evidence of any tendency for cracking to occur predominantly on one
side of the stub rather than the other. This is illustrated in Figure 7 for a vertical header movement
and Figure 8 for a rotational header movement, with respect to the stubs. In both cases the crack
size distributions are similar, with no indication that crack development on one side of the stub is
lagging behind that on the other side. Where single cracks were present, which could be an
indication of a possible bending stress; this appears to be stub specific, with no overall pattern with
respect to the header body discernible.
In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 7

35

Numbers of Cracks 30

25

20
Top
Bottom
15

10

0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140

Length of Crack (mm)

Fig. 7. Distribution of cracks on stubs in terms of top or bottom of the stub

35

30
Numbers of Cracks

25

20
Low Angle
15 High Angle

10

0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140

Crack Length (mm)

Fig. 8. Distribution of cracks on stubs in terms of angle measured clockwise

from the top dead centre of the header
 In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 8

The cracking on attachment welds showed the same pattern. Cracking, where present, was
predominantly on barrel-side weld toes orientated parallel to the longitudinal axis of the header.
Although the numbers of cracks present on the three most affected barrel sections differ, the crack
size distribution is similar. This is illustrated in Figure 9, where the numbers of cracks found have
been normalised by the numbers of stubs present on each barrel. This is again an indication that the
rate of crack development on the three barrels is similar.

0.4

0.35
Proportions of Cracks

0.3

0.25
Barrel 2
0.2 Barrel 4
Barrel 5
0.15

0.1

0.05

0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140

Crack Length (mm)

Fig. 9. Size distribution of cracks on stubs on the three affected barrel sections

In summary there is no evidence of excessive stress arising from external loads on the header and
only limited evidence of additional bending loads on individual stubs. The pattern of cracking
suggests that the dominant in-service stress is the hoop stress on the header body arising from
internal pressure.

4.2. Operating Temperature

The effective metal temperature of the hottest outlet steam branch on the header, derived from
thermocouple data, is 570C, compared to a design temperature of 580C. As with all headers
however, some temperature variation along the header in service is inevitable and it must be
accepted that some parts will have operated at higher temperature. An estimated temperature profile
was derived from oxide thickness measurements on the hottest (F) stubs and is shown in Figure 10,
where it is compared with the distribution of cracked stubs.

The profile shows three peak temperature positions along the header. One of the two worst cracked
barrels (Barrel 2) extends from element 10 to 22 which corresponds fairly closely to one of the
temperature peaks. The other worst cracked barrel (Barrel 5) extends from element 47 to 59
however which only partly corresponds. Although there is a temperature peak here, the temperature
profile shows a gradient across the barrel which does not match the observed crack distribution. In
 In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 9

fact the highest incidence of cracking appears to correspond to the cooler part of the barrel, and the
lower cracking incidence to the hotter part.

1.2

1
Proportion of stubs cracked

0.8

Temperature
0.6 Profile
Cracked
0.4 Stubs

0.2

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Element Number

Fig.10. Comparison of temperature profile along the header (estimated from oxide thickness
measurements) with distribution of cracked stubs

A significant temperature peak was found at the centre of the header, extending from element 30 to
40 which is about halfway across the barrels either side of the central butt weld located between
elements 34 and 35. In this case, although the adjacent barrels are experiencing similar operating
temperature, there is a marked difference in the numbers of cracks found. Cracking was present on
24 of the 36 stubs in the hot region of Barrel 4, but on only 2 out of 30 stubs in the hot region of
Barrel 3.

In summary, while operating temperature has clearly had an affect on cracking, the detailed
distribution of cracks cannot be explained by operating temperature alone.

4.3. Material Composition

Earlier investigations had demonstrated that casts with high aluminium and low nitrogen could
contain coarse AlN precipitates and have poor creep properties [5]. A survey of RWE npower casts
was therefore carried out to look for evidence of either high aluminium or low N:Al ratio.
Inspection of this header was recommended because a survey of the manufacturers material test
certificates had established that the header contained casts of this type.

Prior to the inspection of the header, all known failures in service in the UK had involved casts with
aluminium >0.02 wt% (against a specified maximum of 0.04 wt%) and N:Al ratio <1.5. Other casts
demonstrated to be weak, although not associated with failure incidents, had aluminium >0.02 wt%
and N:Al ratio <2.0.
 In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 10

The cracking found in the present case was overwhelmingly associated with three barrel sections.
The two worst cracked of these, Barrels 2 and 5, come from the same cast and have aluminium
>0.02 wt% and N:Al ratio <1.5. The third cracked barrel, Barrel 4, has aluminium >0.02 wt%, but
N:Al ratio 2.8, which is significantly higher than problem casts encountered previously. The
adjacent Barrel 3, with only very limited cracking, and remaining Barrels 1 and 6, had much lower
aluminium levels (<0.015 wt%). The distribution of cracked stubs across the six barrels, ranked in
order of decreasing N:Al ratio is shown in Figure11.

90
80
70
60
Numbers

50 Total Stubs
40 Cracked Stubs

30
20
10
0
Decreasing N:Al Ratio >>>

Fig. 11. Distribution of stub cracking on barrels, ranked in order of N:Al ratio

5. Conclusions and Implications for Other Grade 91 Components

The header cracking described has occurred early in service life in Grade 91 components which
have apparently been fabricated correctly, but which have high aluminium and/or low N:Al ratio.
While both operating stress and temperature will have contributed to the cracking, the chemical
composition appears to have been a dominating factor. Other retrofit headers operating in the UK,
purchased to the same design philosophy, as well as components operating elsewhere with similar
chemical composition, may also be vulnerable to early Type IV cracking.

Because the worst cracked items were P91 (pipework) components, there is a wider implication for
Grade 91 piping systems. Operating temperature on pipework is unlikely to vary as much as it does
on headers and the most vulnerable areas will therefore be likely to be welds experiencing the
highest stress levels, e.g. branch welds and circumferential butt welds with high system stress. On
the basis of the evidence discussed in this paper, welds in casts with high aluminium or low N:Al
ratio will be likely to crack earliest and this should be reflected in inspection strategies.
 In-Service Type IV Cracking in a Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Header, S J Brett et. al. 11

6. Acknowledgement: The authors would like to thank RWE npower for permission to publish
this paper

7. References
1. M. J. Cohn, J. F. Henry, and D. Nass. Fabrication, Construction, and Operation Problems for
Grade 91 Fossil Power Components. ASME/JSME-PVC Conference, La Jolla, July, 2004.
2. S. J. Brett. In-Service Failures of Modified 9Cr (Grade 91) Components. IMechE Seminar:
Forensic Investigation of Power Plant Failures, London, March 2, 2005.
3. S. J. Brett, D. J. Allen, and J. Pacey. Failure of a Modified 9Cr Header Endplate. Conference:
Case Histories on Integrity and Failures in Industry, Milan, 27th September 1st October, 1999.
4. S. J. Brett. Identification of Weak Thick Section Modified 9Cr Forgings in Service. EPRI 3rd
International Conference on Advances in Materials Technology for Fossil Power Plants, Swansea,
April 4 6, 2001.

5. S. J. Brett, J. S. Bates, and R. C. Thomson. Aluminium Nitride Precipitation in Low Strength

Grade 91 Power Plant Steels. EPRI 4th International Conference on Advances in Materials
Technology for Fossil Power Plants, October 25 28, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, 2004.