Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
R.W. Haskell
GECompany
Schenectady, New York
O~
sulfate in m05l environ ments to resu lt in deposits
whi ch are am monium s ulfatC$, nitrates. and
A$ air goes un'Ough a compre$$or, its tempe nilure
ch lorides. Solutions orthes<: 5..~lts are acid ic.
will rise due to compression. Calculations show 'n le acidity of [he moisture o n the bl ading. an d
droplets will grow 10 aOOul a micro n in size before certainly pal1 of it5 COlTOsive characte r. is deter-
they begin to evapomle. O f COUT5C. the droplets mined by the partial pressures of the gases being
fonned from oondellJalioll wi ll impinge on the scavenged. Table 2 gives some idea of the magni-
blading and coll ecL F.ve ntually. larger dl'Ops wi ll wdel involved. He rc th e acidity of the moisture in
fonn o n the blading, be removed by aerodynamic equi librium with ceruin le\'Cls of a ga5eOUS specie
forces, :md tnwel furthe r into the compressor. It is has bee n cal culated. TIle two cases are for a gas
difficu lt to ca lculate the detai ls of Ihis process, bUI fonning a strong acid (hydrochloric) and a weak
field obselV. llions make it clear Ihat liule moist ure acid (sulfurous). In the C-dSC orS<>.!, "mbienllcvcls
5ulV;ves the eig hlh oo mllrcssor siage as liquid o f 100 ppo :.I'C not uncommon. which llCcording to
(Kolkman a nd Mom 1984). as oolTOsion is generAlly lhe table lead to a pH of ~5. For the strong :.cid-
nOI obscl>'ed be yon d Ihis stage in bascJoad fonner (HCI), even one PI'" can lead to extremely
machines. T he reaso n for Ihis becomes dear whc n acidic co nditio ns.
one plou the OOil ing temllCr.lIure of W3te rand stage The imponant l)(Iint to be made from these
tempcr~ture vc rsus Stage number. As shown in themlodyn:ul1 ic consider.otion5 is that low levels of
Figure l.the CUlVel cross al aOOutthe eighth stage. cen ain gases may result in very acidic cond itions:
Lhus, the imponance not only of where a tumine is
CORROSION, MOISTURE, AND sited. but in wh at direclio n it face s. It should be
DEPOSITS appreciated that the low le\'els o f 8".lSCOUI con-
tami n ants wh ich produce acidic moiSture C'..oll De
TII C £in c drops occuning because of oonde nsa- gene raled locally. T hus, ca reful conside rnt io n
tion of h umid air in the inlet, togel herwi\h Ihe ,,'ct should be give n 10 what is in the local e nvironme11l
b ladin g. make for a very high sUlface arca and a n ofthe lumin e. What chcmicalsare ncar the turbine?
ellCCllent scave nger (indeed Jeo,bber) for ...... riOU! Will Ihese c hem icals produce :m acidic d ew or
ga$CS emeri ng the oompres.sor. In scrubbing the air. moisture? As noted ill Table 2. even minute a,,)(IUllts I
ule moist surfaces and Ihe droplets almost ce n:linly ofsoL11e chemical s can result in a very acidic dew or
,
Table 2 by rillr"dlion and, ofcoursc, there i, no control O\"e~
AClDrIY OF AMBIENT GASES the moisture lirocl uced by condensation ....·hen
humid air enters the compressor as described
earlier.
Sulfurous Acid Deposits affect the colT05ion process b y COII-
Ambient Sulfur tributing Woller-soluble m:uerial snch as chl orides.
Dioxide Dissolved SO:! sulrates, and nitr~tes to the moistu re. In faCt, the
(ppb)- (ppm)- pH moisture is usually sa turated in these s,llts. Also,
1 0.20 55 dellOsit s sctup crcvices and baniers which promote
10 0.&1 5.0 elc<:trochc miea l activity.
11111 2.0 1.'
1111111 6.< <.0 MATERIALS AND COATINGS
10000 19.8 3.5
t ·OT handlin g l' wide vanety of e nvironmen tS, CE
Hyd roch loric Acid has used I he following ml.teri .. ls for the wet stages of
Ambient HCI Dissolved HCI co mpresso r bl:lding: nickd-cadmiulll (NiCd) or
(pp!» - (ppm)- pH Semtetcl cOlni ngs o n AISI4 03 stainless blades ;II1d
1 1600 1.44 unco:tteu GT I)-4~Oj , a precipiwtion-hardened
10 ';00 0.9-\ m:,"ensi,ie Ml.inle ss steel.
11111 17600 0.44 NiCd/ AlSI 403
'~""W"'K ·Ille nickcl-cadmium (NiCtI) ekClroplated coating
moiMure. Although there may not be mnch choke Ims been usc<i foraoout 20 yean; byCE.ltcombines
whe re a turbine is to be sited. a choice should exist a tough banier COining, nickel, with a Il:lCrificial
:10$ 10 what dirCt:tion il wi ll face and ",·hal chemicals cadm iu m layer. The coating is applied by first
will be pl:lced nearby. dCt:lroplating about 0.2 mil o f nickel followed by
The che mi stry of the moist ure enlering a com- 0.1 mi l o f cadmium. TIle plate is the n chromate-
presso r is dcte nnined not on ly by the gascs in the dipped and heatol.rcated at 650 OF for an hour to
environment, but also by th e parneulate prese nt. C\-<e n out the cadmium o'<er the n ickel and to
IndUMrial gas lurbi llcs ingest hundreds of pounds promote a diffu sion bond. °lll is heat treatment also
of:lireach second and ....ith il aboul 0.03 to 0.3 ppm drives off an y absorbed hydrogen. Although the
of dust (fatge 1983). Muc h of this dust is relmively chromate coating is resllO'15ible forthe color of the
inso luhle and ca n be filtered o ut. Thatpa" of the coating, it serves no role other than protCt:lion of
dust wh ich is W"~ter soluble will tr.l.vel"$(' the fihcl"$ the cadmium byer I)rior to heat treatment (Its
when they are weI a nd ultimately e nter the com- usefulness is destroyed by Ihe heat ,reatment. ) This
pressor. ·Ilt is i$Shown by Ihe observation of puddles coat in g has outsta nding COIT05ion resistance in
ialUr;ued in wate r-soluble salts on filter comp:ln- ncutral (pH · 7) and near_neutr.ll e nviron ments. It
men! nool"$ beh ind the high·dliciency fiiten;, cer- is excelle nt :'8"~inst sea salt environments. It is al so
t:linly a res ult of the water moving through the Illore erosion reSistantlhan most coati ngs.
Hitcl"$, :lIld di ssolving matenal up to the salUnuion
limit.
C E experien ce is that most fouling deposits on
Se ..metel 5380/ AISI 403
compressor blading consist o f SOOt, lube oil, w:uer-
solub le constituents, insoluble ditt, and rust. These The Senu ctcl 5380 coating is an lt luminum spray
foulin g depos its arc probably held together by coating which contains chromate an d phosphate
moiS1\1'·e and lube oil. If con"Osion has occurred. it corrosion inhibitors. The COilli ng is spmye d on and
wilt help in ho ldin g the deposit together by in- cured:ll 650 OF for 30 min and then burnisht."d to
creasing the adh esion with the substrdte. Ccnainly prolllote electrical conductivity. A ehromate-tfP<:
'he hulk of ,he pankulate which would enter a t0l'co:tt is applied :Uld abo cured :It 650 OF for 30
com pressor and foml deposits can be controlled by min. °111is co;lIiug has better colTOSion resiMance
f,ltr.ltion· but fine material « I"m) is not removed than NiCd in acidic ellvironmenlS. TIlis b a result of
th e hetter colTOSion resiMance o f alunlinum rdat;'·e
' 1I ~n<y fih ... ohouId . . - _ po".d•• p .......... "
......,.c """"""'"_t.. tO_ _ larJ«wilp«><Iw<- ...........
,
to cad'nium in acid e nvi ronments. An app roxi'nate sisted of Ihe ASfM 8 117 salt fog tesl (S% N..CI, ( '
represcnlalioll oflhe depellde nce oflhe corrosion '1' - 9S OF) .. nd a CE-devised acid salt im'ne rsion teSt
rolle on pH for thesc melals is shown in Figure 2. T he latler u:st in"olved the inl mersion o f specime ns
in S% NaCI wilh sulfurous acid 10 give p H _ 4 at
170 0.". A 2: I mixture of oxygen to nitrogen was
bubbled into the solution. This lest was considered a
,, I
worsH:asc compre$SOr environment.
Most coatings providedexcellelll re~ista nce in the
ASfM B 117 sa lt fog test Figure 5 shows Ihe
I
protection provided by NiCd ove~ AlSl 103 in this
test. The results of the acid Sollt l:lbor:l\ory te~s arc
\ I shown in Figure 6. Coatings were applied to both
\" I AISI 403 and GTD-450 in th"sc tests. It was found
~ ,,\
that uncoated GTD-450 was comparable or belle r
i
\
.I" than a ny coating applied to AISI 403, and W'dS
superior to coated GT M50 for aluminum .spray-
.. nd-hake-type coatings and NiCd.
1 Resuhs of (he acid sail exposure for NiCd and
,, • ! I 7 1011 un
Se rmelcl S3$O ove r AISI 403 arc shown in Figure 7.
ll1esc results show the limit:lIions of NiCd in an
eo acid environmetH. TIley also showlhat the Sermetel
PGA36OI ·2
cO:lIingisauacked in this e nviron ment. T he blisters
Figure 2. Re la tive corrosion rate of ca dmium shown on lhe Scrmelel coating arc sites where
a nd a luminum versus pH (adapted auackof the underlying AlS[ 403 has occurred. The
from Uhlig 1948, 842; Uhlig 1963, mst fonn;uion in the AIS! 403 produces a blister on
GTD·450
299). the surf<lce o f the Sennelel coating. Figure 8 shows
that pitti n g o f GTD-450 docs occur in Ihe add sa lt
test but the ,mack is minor, the pit size be in g about
C .
I mi l in 3000 hr.
GTD450 is an age-hardenable, marten~ilic slain- In St.,,"ere acid ic environments in the field the
less sleel, reccndy int roduced by CE for Ihe com_ NiCd coaling is u ndermined and a\lack o r the basc
presso r in the MS700 1F. It has the st renglh me.al occurs as shown in FigllTe 9. Our investiga-
characleristics o f a martensilic sla inlo:u steel tions show the NiCd coming Can endure loss of
comhined wilh a corrosion resiSlance comparable cadmium and nickel over $111all areas (al)proxirnately
to a n 18 Cr. 8 Ni stainless. 0.2S in.) 3S the surroun ding cadmium will sacrifice
Its excellent corrosion resistance derives from itselffor the eXllOscd steel. Cadmium loss o\'er largc
a composilion which incl udes IS% Cr. 6% Ni and areas is 1110re likelytooccll rin acid icenv;ronmen ts.
0.8% Mo. Its Slre ngth and corrosion-res istance If the nickel is breached in such e nvironments.
properties relative 10 other stainleu steels are scrious pitting corrosion C:UI occu r, dl;ven hy the
shown in Figure 3. GTD-450 o ffers imprm'ed stress- prcsence of a large cathode (nickel) and a sllmll
corrosion cracking resistance al higher strength anode (steel).
levels than docs a conventional man ensitic steel Although Sermetcl 5380 is more resistant than
such as AIS! 410. TIlis is shown in Figltre 4. NiCd in acidic e nvironmeuts. it exhibits 3 similar
GTD-450 has an advantage over coated AISl 403 attack, ;IS shown in Figure 10. Here Ihe coming has
becauscthecoali ngs wearawayon the pre$Sure side become !>re"ched or is penneable to the environ-
of the first stator and rotor bl:lding. Th is side oflhe ment, allowingallackofthe hase metal. FUlhe n nore,
bladi ng on the early Slages is subjt.'Ct 10 both erosion the cO<l ting must have become p;tss;ve, as it is no
and corrosion. Th is is tme eve n for turbines having longer sacrificing itself for Ihe AISI 403.
high-efficiency fillration. In add ition, the usc of Although il is e<lrly in our field (esting of GT D-
nutshelling 10 clean a C0111pres~r is acceptab le wilh 450, it is clear that CTD-450 provides corrosion
GTD450bul is nOI good prdclice where coati ngs are resistance al least equal to or belief than the
present co<ltings ove r AIS I 403staillless steel. Results from a (
Corrosion tests ha"e been 11m on the above Ihree TQl0rone rainbow test in a severce nvironmelll for a ' -
matcl;als a nd a variety of others. TIu'se tests con· domestic !{lIS turbine are given in Table 3. The
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BARE COATED AL MICtI + CEJU.MIC NICD BA.AE
COATINGS TOPCOATS
) GTO -4 50 A ISI4 03
rai nbow consisted of aluminum spray and bake condition ..... ith no obscrvable [lini ng.
comings (Serrnctech'$ Semletel 538() and Alloy A snide to mme rial selection has been cOll$lructed
SUlface'S Microfi n ish) over AISI 40l and uncoated ~nd is given in T~ble <I. The table is based on the
GTD-150. TIle NiCd va lue of 50 mil is b~d on material I'rollenies and environmemal factors
previous experie nce. A problem with the coatings al ready discussed. The mlUerial propcnics art:::
wh ich docs not :' ppocar in laoor.ltory corTQSio n leSUi CT 0-450 gives e1luivalent o r lleueT COfTOSion ....,..
is that the coatings arc removed from the pressure sismnce than Sc n netel !">380 over AIS I 403, and
si de of the rolorbladil 'g oc><:;l.USf! of erosion. 'nl is is supc riorCOfTOSion resismncelo NiCdoverAIS1403.
an added adva11lagc o f Gll)..450, as shown in lhe Ikinga base material, it is not su bject 10 the e ros io n
mule. restrninls of it coat ed m;uerial. TIle environm e ntal
Ex lledencc shows that inlet g\'idc va nes usually f"ctors ;Ire: compressors will llin wet when humi-
have more COlTOsive activity lhan olh er compressor dities exceed aoom 50%, a nd the :oggress iveness of
IIlading. It is bel ieved th is is bt:cause the residence th e moi ~lure wi ll depend on its acid ity, ltS deter-
time o r the moisture on th ese blade~ i~ the longest. mi ned from trncecontami n allt s in thee nviTon ment
Rece nt e~pt: rie nce o n ink"1 gu ide vanes for a ;lUd water-so luble species in the deposiu.
nondomestic nn it in a severt:: enviro nment sho ....-ed
that neither NiCd<oated nor Sennelel·538O<0at<.-d
AISI 403couJdgivc more than oneyear'sservice. ln CONCLUSION
the case o f NiCd, the blades were 5Cr.lppcd [n the
cue o f Sennele!, the blades wen: stripped and Site consi de ration s are most imponant in deter-
rccoated. Now after a year's sen; ce .....ith CTD450, mi n ing what environmenl a compressor will experi-
inspection has shown this material to be in excelle nt e nce. Th e consi der-uion. a re win d d irection ,
7
,
',-
•
:, ~' ...
.. ~
"
/, , '
l'
"
Figure 7. Results or acid salt immersion tesl. Tesl conditions: pH . 4.5 sulfurous
acid, 5% NaO, 170 of , immersion.
humidity, and what chem ica ls an: I)resent :u par- I>cllmouth and corrosion is possible. Nexl. olle
ticul ate or ~s.l..ocal condilions are imponarll. It should consider if the cnvirollnlC!n! will be acidic
has been shown thaI minute amOllillS of ([lain ' 11;s can be de te rmined by notin g the acidity of the
chemicals can Tl:sult in very acidic conditions and dews an d the r... ins in the areas. A knowledge o f
signifICantly comprom ise the life ort he compressor what add-fonnin g gases are prese nt in the air is also
blading. useful. Inform3tion about their con cenumion can
A way 10 dctennine if a site will Imvc (om:)5,ol1 give some idea o f their acidity as show n in TlIlll e 2.
problems is to conside r first Ihe humidity. As we
have ~ n , if hum idities an: above 50% fo r sub-
$tamial periods, Ih e n moisw re willl>e roml ed ;u th e
l.oeal co nditio ns, in temll o f emi:l5iolls o r ehemic:al
storage, should TlOI be O\'Criooked in dctennining
the suitability of a site. Corrosion experien ce 31lhe
<.
8
PGP3601·8
Figure 8. Fine black spots are corrosion pits which developed during 3000 he of
PGP3601-9
Figure 9. Corrosion pits und er cadmium-depleted NiCd coating (300X).
9
eorr()llon
Pili
PGP3601-10
Figure 10. Corrosio n pits underSermetel 5380 coating (500X).
Sile, if a .... ilable, should be collsidered. If lime " nd gases are nOi. Slopped by them.
penniu, corrosion specime ns shoul d be placed The results of corrosion les\s were TC\'iewcd. An
where Ih e lurbine will be siled and given a ye ar's acid s;oh cO'Tosion teM represe nti ng a worst-case
exposure. cO lnpressor e ' lVironmetlt was shown to cause scve re
We have JCCn that wme Ir.lses are greatly concen- piuingofNiCdlAIS I <l03 a nd bli ste ring of St:mletel
traled in moisture (iU shown by the examples in 5380/ AISI 403.
Table 2), causing quile acidic conditions for very low Examples from the field for severe e nvironments
concentr.lIioll5 in the .... por phase. Ifall e nviron- werc cited ill this repan and showed similar results.
ment conl:lim such If.ues, th en Ihe mOSI corrosion- GTl).450 showed minor pitting a!lack in the acid $lIlt
resistant materials should be se lected. However, il te51 and has show n superior IlCrfonmlllce in Ihe
sho uld be appr~iated Ih:1I ifp Hs drop bclow about field.
".0 for the condensing moisture. a colT05ion prob- To assist those involved in choosing com pressor
lem will exist. AI; mentioned previously, fihration b lade materials, a gu ide is prc5Cnted in T able <I
d~s nOt hal'e mueh efTecl on reducing corrosion. whi ch shows what materi:.ls co uld be used IInder
Watcr·wLubl e salIS are If"dnsllOncd through filters what e nvirol unenl:ll condilions.
Table'
COMPRESSOR BlADE RAINBOW RESULTS
l!<I,OOO·HR TFST IN MS7001
(SEVERE El'o.'VIRONMENT)
MateriaVCoating
AIS I <103" NiCd
Max. Pit Dia. (Mil)
50
,.
Erosion
PreS$ul"e Side ,
"ok
10
( Table 4
MATERIAL SELECTION GUI DE
Reco mmended II Relative Is Moisture Is High -
Mate rial' H umidily>5O% Acidity' Efficiency
(Mi nim um M05l o hhe pH>5? FIltration
corr~on/e~on Time? Present?
resistance required)
NiCd/AIS I 403 ITS vrs vrs
GTl}.450 vrs YES NO
Se nneld 5380/AIS1403 vrs NO ITS
GID<50 ITS NO NO
NiO:VA ISI 403 NO "'~ YfS
GTD-450 NO YfS NO
NiCdJAISJ 403 NO NO YfS
(;T045O NO NO NO
.om
'Corn>oIonruiow>< •• C1'f1.4.'.,O>_)3IIO > ~!Cd.~"" _ _ _ ,,",~_" ' Sl401
Anr ......".u,j in .... 1»1< rnooId ... ~od ...h "'" ......rn.I
- . _" M«>m>Iion ~ ~...".."., Ioodi"l"
01,...-
-....i_..,.
«>m>Iion ....nw-. dq><n<Ii", ....
fikr>lioft..,........ and_
~ <Ita"'n.-..kIio><l""' n """"'l~n .. l n ' h<l>D<r<aO<.C'ftl..4~hlh<~-nalun<l<f
011",,_..
'Co,up,,,,,,,, cIq>ooit 'h<mill'}';' ;m,_.'" In ....... iI_r. .. I~ ..1< """".'" d ....;....,. I, may<"'''r< """.ri..
«qui"" .. ,, .... No loCI mdOOd j, ....il..,.. fu< delermi"'"1 romf"l''''''- """ .. ,,,. _1'T.lonol pli ........ faJI<" ..
of "'I" ...... ,. 'kw. nlt<Hompa'UII<", pudd ..... ,ot! bb... dq>osit..... "oro to eotlm ...... 10... o.pooiI pi' ;, ,.I.e"
(
-,.
.. 'Il< I,ll of do.,..l,odW>lt,,,,,,,ihln<<<' wh ........... ror8 hr ... c""".nu'.oo., ofl pn old<pooitper loocc ol
II
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