2 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008

SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS

T
he global economic downturn
will impose new challenges on
plant operations. Its difficult to
believe that you will be asked
to do more with a smaller budget,
but you will. However, approaching
these new challenges with a positive
mindset can yield significant ben-
efits. One might be that your junior
staff is forced to learn more about
power-generation processes, equip-
ment, and systems, thereby increas-
ing the level of expertise onsite.
An area of possible cost-cutting
at some gas-turbine-based cogen-
eration and combined-cycle plants
is in heat-recovery steam generator
(HRSG) inspection. Developing on-
staff capability to conduct base-level
HRSG inspections saves both money
and the need to schedule yet another
service organization into an already
complex outage matrix.
Most plants have considerable gas-
and steam-turbine expertise but many
do not have on-staff experts for HRSGs
and generators. Developing HRSG
know-how begins with understanding
the types of degradation/damage that
can occur and where to look
for each.
To compile the check-
list that follows, the editors
attended the HRSG Acad-
emy conducted by HRST
Inc, Eden Prairie, Minn.
The engineering services
firm focuses on inspection,
training, O&M, and redesign
projects for this special class
of steam generators. It con-
ducts two academies annu-
ally in North America and
periodically in international
locations. Each hosts up to
50 to 60 students, the max-
imum practical class size to
assure constructive interac-
tion among lecturers and
attendees while allowing all
an opportunity to have their
questions answered.
The HRSG Academy may
be the best program in the industry
for teaching plant personnel the fun-
damentals of heat-recovery steam
generators. A graduate who later
becomes his or her plants resident
expert on HRSGs is likely to attend
the Academy a second timeto dig
into specifics. Think of Shakespeare
here: You cant possibly understand
and absorb everything in one pass, or
even two.
The segment of the academy pro-
gram dealing with HRSG inspec-
tion was taught by Lester Stanley,
Scott Wambeke, and Amy Sieben,
all licensed professional engineers
with a wealth of experience in HRSG
design, inspection, and trouble-
shooting. Their course covered both
online and offline inspection. The
first encompassed data review tasks
conducted in and around the control
room and field tasks requiring a unit
walk-down. Offline inspection was
divided into gas-side, exterior, and
drums. Also included was a primer
on nondestructive examination
(NDE) techniques and on sampling of
deposits and pressure parts.
Online
inspection
Stanley opened the online segment of
the program by stating its goals:
n Identify poor operating practices.
n Identify areas requiring attention
when plant operation permits an
offline inspection and/or during
the next maintenance outage.
Data review tasks
The best place to begin your inspec-
tion, the three instructors agreed, is
in the control center where you have
access to personnel familiar with the
plants operational idiosyncrasies as
well as to historical data. This inves-
tigative work generally is done while
the unit is operating to be sure it does
not impact outage duration. HRST
uses a basic 10-point checklist for
the data-review task, but items may
be added and/or deleted depending
on plant design and other consider-
ations.
1. Feedwater control. Three
of the many questions you
should ask operations per-
sonnel are these:
n Do you see large fluc-
tuations in feedwater flow
during steady-state opera-
tion?
n Does feedwater flow start
and stop frequently during
startup?
n During overnight shut-
downs, is there frequent
topping-off of the drum to
maintain level?
A yes answer to one or
more of the questions means
theres risk of thermal-shock
damageespecially in the
coldest tube panel. These
actions cause thermal-stress
events to economizers and
feedwater heaters within
the HRSG. The number and
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4 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
duration of events influences how
quickly tube leaks and cracking will
occur.
2. Steam drums. First thing to
investigate is the consistency among
drum-level transmitters, level gages,
and probe indicators.
If all are not in agreement, con-
sider checking the calibration meth-
od and the pressure and
temperature compensation
settings for the level trans-
mitter.
Don t overlook asking
if the agreement among
level indicators differs at
high and low steam loads
and/or high and low drum
levels. Stanley said that
HRST often inspects high-
pressure (HP) drums with
water-level marks that are
several inches too high, yet
the operators say they are controlling
to the OEMs guidelines. This means
there is disagreement between the
indicated and actual drum levels.
Concern here is that if the opera-
tors experience a high-drum-level
event, they may think theyre operat-
ing below the high-high level (HHL)
but are actually above it and drum
water may be carrying-over into the
HP superheater.
Wambeke mentioned, You now see
that the value of a thorough annual
inspection goes well beyond identi-
fying wear and tear that requires
repair. It enables the operations
team to see whats really going on in
the HRSG and suggests fine-tuning
of controls and procedures to avoid
incidents that can damage equip-
ment unnecessarily.
Stanley continued, Ask if the
rates of pressure increase and/or
decrease during startup and shut-
down exceed OEM guidelines. If
yes, you should be concerned about
the possibility of fatigue damage at
manways and thick nozzles and care-
fully check those locations when the
unit is out of service.
HRST engineers are seeing more
and more HRSGs with crack indica-
tions on downcomer nozzle welds,
supporting what many in the indus-
try have been saying for years: HP-
drum nozzles are high on the list
of components most susceptible to
cycling stresses.
Sieben added that spin cooling
is hard on the HRSG too. Most
operations personnel dont seem to
approach shutdowns as carefully as
they do startups, she said, and a
fast cool-down can be just as damag-
ing as a fast start.
3. Desuperheaters get a significant
amount of podium time in virtually
every HRST presentation on boiler
health. Poor design, leaking valves,
ineffective spray nozzles, a lack of
instrumentation, and other factors
can wreak havoc at cogeneration
and combined-cycle plants, putting
personnel safety at risk and causing
equipment damage that should never
occur.
One of the first things to inves-
tigate is spray-valve behavior. Is
spray-valve position near constant
at steady load or does it fluctuate
sometimes closing entirely? If your
spray valve is continually hunting
that is, opening and closing dozens of
times each hourthe hot/cold cycles
eventually will stress desuperheater
nozzles to failure and possibly create
other damage as well. Control-logic
adjustments generally can rectify
this condition.
If your desuperheating stations
are properly designed and equipped
with thermocouples (TCs) upstream
and downstream, verify that both
are reporting about the same steam
temperature when the control sys-
tem indicates that the spray valve is
closed (Fig 1). If this is not the case
and the downstream TC is reading
lower than the upstream one, water
probably is leaking by the closed
valve.
Give this immediate attention.
Concern is that during startups and
shutdowns, water can dribble into the
steam piping, collect along the bot-
tom of the pipe, migrate downstream
to superheater and/or reheater upper
headers, and then run down
a few tubes. Cooling effect of
the water causes those tubes
to contract. Resulting stress
can cause tube bowing and
tube-to-header weld cracks.
Also check plant data to
identify times when spraying
to less than the saturation
temperature of steam in the
pipe plus 30 deg F. Do a thor-
ough review: startup, steady-
state full load with and with-
out duct firing, steady-state
low load (less than about 120 MW
for an F-class gas turbine), and dur-
ing transients. Desuperheating to
near-saturation temperature creates
the potential for damage like that
described above for a leaking spray-
water valve.
If your data review reflects the
possibility of desuperheater prob-
lems and you are unfamiliar with the
attemperation station, walk it down
while the plant is operating to see if
design/installation deficiencies exist.
Fig 2 shows a poor desuperheater
arrangement. When Stanley flashed
this picture up on the screen, he noted
the following:
n The thermocouple is so close to the
desuperheater it gets quenched by
water droplets, thereby provid-
ing erroneous data. Specifically,
operators dont know how close to
Desuperheater
nozzle assembly
Spray water inlet
Control
valve
Block
valve
High-temperature steam Desuperheated steam
1
TC TC

Upstream elbows
Thermocouple
No drain or drip leg at low point
Desuperheater
2
6 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
saturation temperature that the
plant is operating. An improved
pipe location for the TC is needed.
n The desuperheater is too close
to both the upstream and down-
stream pipe elbows. Problems cre-
ated: Steam flow to the attempera-
tor is not uniform and spray water
is not fully evaporated before
impinging on the downstream
elbow. Latter causes fatigue dam-
age to the elbow.
n There is no drain at the low point,
allowing water to pool and to cre-
ate water events during startup.
4. Stack temperature. Recall that
high stack temperature is indicative
of inefficient operation. Compare the
actual readings at high and low loads
and compare to known benchmarks.
A large difference between the actual
and known signals a problem. Check
common causessuch as debris
accumulation on finned-tube surfac-
esand take corrective action.
5. Water temperature at economizer
outlet. Compare the water tempera-
ture at the economizer outlet to the
saturation temperature of water in
the steam drum at the exact same
time. If the two are within a couple of
degrees, Wambeke said, then water
exiting the economizer contains
steam. Avoid this condition with
startups that are as short as possible
and maintain economizer feedwater
flow. Venting appropriatedly during
filling and startup also is important.
Keep in mind that air pockets
block water flow and once a circuit
is blocked it will steam up, making
it even more difficult to clear dur-
ing startup. If the temperature of the
water at the economizer outlet makes
several sudden jumps upward during
startup from a lower-than-expected
value, this generally means a vapor
pockets are being cleared and normal
operation is being restored. However,
such clearing events, similar to water
hammer, stress the economizer
unnecessarily.
Stanley also suggested that you
compare an operating point to a
known benchmark. A large difference
is cause for concern. Check for steam-
ing, gas-side fouling, vapor locking
from trapped air, gas bypass, etc, and
take corrective action.
6. Water temperature at economizer
inlet. Review data to identify any inci-
dences of rapid temperature change
(30 deg F/min, plus or minus) when
the unit is in operation or offline.
Such rapid change is viewed as a
thermal shock to the economizer.
Also verify that the inlet tempera-
ture doesnt drop below 120F. Low
temperature is the cause of dewpoint
condensation and tube wastage.
Dont be surprised if the data you
seek are not available. Sometimes
permanent TCs are located in places
that dont indicate what actually is
happening in the tube panel and test
TCs must be installed. Fig 3 shows
what an inspection team learned
about temperatures during startup
when test TCs were installed at stra-
tegic locations within an LP econo-
mizer.
7. Economizer recirculation pump.
Verify during your inspection that the
recirculation pump is operating early
in startup and before new feedwater
is added to the LP economizer. This
allows the recirc flow to buffer the
temperature difference between the
hot tube panels and the relatively cold
water being injected into the circuit.
When the pump starts, listen for
audible signs of cavitation. HRST
engineers have been in several plants
where poor design of the recirc sys-
tem has caused recurring cavitation
and pump damagein some cases so
severe that the plants no longer use
their recirc pumps. However, this is
not a solution because the economiz-
er can be damaged by thermal shock
and/or dewpoint corrosion.
8. Superheater and reheater drains.
Proper drain operation is critical for
protecting superheaters and reheat-
ers from large thermal shocks caused
by the failure to remove condensate
prior to startup. Stanley stressed
that your inspection should, at a min-
imum, confirm the following:
n Low-point drains are open during
startup to purge water/conden-
sate prior to admitting steam to
tube panels (harps). Its relatively
easy to check the timing of motor-
operated drain valves; for manu-
ally operated valves, verify that
proper procedures are in place and
followed.
n Drains are open sufficiently early
in the startup process to ensure
that all condensate actually will be
drained prior to steam admission.
Operators at some plants where
drains open to a funnel verify drains
are clear of water by sound: A drain
discharging steam makes more
noise. A more scientific approach
is to install TCs on the drain pipe
and monitor for a reading above the
saturation temperature.
n Drains are open during a trip,
restart, and purge.
n Panels do indeed drain completely
when drains are open. The ele-
vated drain tank in Fig 4 requires
Thermal shock caused
by topping-off drum prior
to warm start
Tube flow instability
caused by low load
and original
tube-panel design
0 30 60 90 120 150 180
Time, min
300
250
200
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
,

F



3
4
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8 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
sufficient pressure in the drain
system to push condensate up into
the vessel. Drain tanks located in
a pit are better because they allow
gravity draining.
Also check to see that HP, IP,
and LP drains are not combined in
a common collection pipe upstream
of the blowdown tank. Reason: Flow
through the HP drains could force
water back into the IP or LP system
if all the drains are open at the same
time. Guidelines for proper drain
system design can be found in the
HRSG Users Handbook, published
by the HRSG Users Group (details at
www.hrsgusers.org).
9. Selective catalytic reduction sys-
tem. Compare historical ammonia
consumption and outlet NO
x
read-
ings. Rapid changes to NO
x
emis-
sions or ammonia flow may iden-
tify catalyst plugging or poisoning or
ammonia supply issues. Catalyst can
be plugged by insulation released by
way of transition-duct failure; ammo-
nia injection nozzles can be plugged
by contaminants in the reagent or by
rust in lances; in oil-fired turbines,
unburned fuel sprayed on catalyst
during failed start attempts can
ignite later and sinter the catalyst.
10. Gas-side backpressure. Does
overall HRSG backpressure compare
with OEM predictions? If not, what
sections have more backpressure
than predicted? If you can determine
where backpressure is high, then
the boiler inspection can investigate
more carefully during the next out-
age. Gas-side cleaning of finned-tube
sections is one solution. More proac-
tive inlet-duct liner and insulation
maintenance may be another if foul-
ing by insulation fibers is to blame.
Online field tasks
Some key inspection tasks only
can be done while the HRSG is
operatingidentification of casing
hotspots, for example. Here are five
things Wambeke suggested that you
should be sure to accomplish during
your online walk-down:
1. Check the supplementary firing
system. Look through all view ports
to determine flame health and duct-
burner condition. Bullet points below
provide some guidance for this activ-
ity based on HRSTs experience.
n A flame length in excess of 12 ft
for an F-class HRSG is too long.
Reason: Long flames, typically
caused by low exhaust flow and/or
poor distribution of exhaust flow
across the burner, can lick tubes
in the first panel and cause local-
ized overheating.
n A bushy flame is desirablethat
is, unless it is angled upward
or downward, which indicates a
problem with exhaust flow to that
portion of the burner.
n A bright yellow flame is good; dull
orange indicates too little exhaust
flow.
n Monitor CEMS data as supple-
mental firing is initiated and shut
off. Noticeable step changes in
NO
x
and CO levels may indicate a
burner problem.
n Check the integrity of burner ele-
ments and baffles. If breakage
occurs, there is the possibility of
damage to firing-duct walls and
floors and to downstream tube
bundles.
2. Watch for deflection of superheater
and reheater floor pipe penetrations
during startup and shutdown. Tempera-
ture differentials across superheater
and reheater tube bundles can cause
the panels to bow, exacerbating
drain-line lateral movement. Drains
that collide with the floor liner or
casing often suffer stress-induced
cracking.
Stainless-steel bellows have dif-
ficulty moving laterally, while fabric
seals in high-temperature locations
typically stiffen-up. The extra motion
created by panel bowing often causes
bellows to crack and tear. On fabric
seals, bands pull lose and the fabric
kinks. Latter creates small holes
and leaks that propagate into fabric
blowouts.
Fig 5 shows a superheater drain
seal that has ripped loose from the
floor casing because of excess lateral
movement combined with the expect-
ed axial motion.
Stanley urged all attendees to also
look for stick and slip of pipes dur-
ing startupa sign of hard interfer-
ence with the floor. He said what hap-
pens is that drain lines dont move
much as the superheater warms up
and then suddenlybangthe pipe
drops an inch or so. A little while
later theres another bang and anoth-
er drop. Such hard contact/expansion
interference obviously places unnec-
essary stresses on drain lines.
3. Stop, look, listenfor vibration.
Listen carefully during your online
walk-down. When standing alongside
the transition duct connecting the GT
outlet to the HRSG, do you hear any
rattling or flapping sounds? They can
emanate from loose and vibrating (a)
internal liner sheets on walls, floor,
or ceiling, (b) flow distribution plates,
and/or (c) superheater baffles.
Recall that the perforated flow dis-
tribution plates even out flow across
the transition piece just upstream of
the duct burner; superheater baffles
prevent gas bypass around the tube
bundle.
Do you hear and/or see the casing
pulsing or vibrating? Pay particu-
lar attention to the inlet duct to the
HRSG, SCR cavity, and stack breech-
ing. Vibration can fatigue internal
liner support studs; if they fail, the
liner and insulation may be lost.
Sometimes a casing vibrates sim-
ply because it doesnt have a suf-
ficient number of stiffeners. The
inlet-duct sidewall panel in Fig 6 has
10 horizontal stiffeners. But looking
closely, note that the second, fourth,
seventh, and ninth stiffeners (moving
upward from the ground) were added
after startup to address repeat liner
failures attributed to casing vibra-
tion. The new stiffeners are larger
and painted a different color than the
originals.
Vibration of walkways and plat-
forms may be more obvious than cas-
ing vibration. If noted, look closely to
determine if the source of the vibra-
tion is the HRSG.
Stanley said to also check large-
bore piping for steady motion. If pip-
ing entering or exiting the HRSG is
constantly rocking, the source of the
disturbance could be the tube panels
vibrating in the breeze of the GT
exhaust stream. Repetitive motion
can cause fatigue damage. When the
unit is offline, push hard on tube pan-
els to see if they swing or sway. If so,
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10 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
install better tube-panel restraints
and guides.
In some cases, sophisticated analy-
sis is needed to determine the root
cause of vibration. A noise signa-
ture often can help in this regard.
Occasionally, vortex shedding in
the tube bundles can create acous-
tic resonance problems. These may
be noticed near the HRSG and/or in
nearby buildings. Comparing calcu-
lated and measured shedding fre-
quencies can give clues.
4. Identify hotspots. Begin with
a visual survey of the casing for
burned or discolored paintfor
example, the pink area in Fig 7 at
the lower portion of the inlet-duct
sidewall. Then use an infrared gun
to measure metal temperature; next,
map temperatures and prioritize
corrective action.
Stanley said that casing tem-
peratures above 350F are especially
problematic if several square feet of
casing are affected. Such high tem-
peratures combined with the affected
area cause restrained expansion
which, in turn, results in cracking
of casing steelsometimes severe.
Most paint will discolor above 350F
and cracking is a possibility, espe-
cially in areas where the casing is
stiffsuch as floors and roofs.
Dont forget to point the infrared
gun at pipe penetrations, expansion
joints, casing doors, field joints, and
duct corners. The stainless-steel bel-
lows seal under the HP superheater
in Fig 8 reveals a hot spot where the
seal attaches to the floor casing.
Probable cause is a lack of insulation
inside the bellows. High-temperature
areas of the economizer drain-pipe
penetration seals in Fig 9a pinpoint
leakage through torn fabric. R is the
reference temperature of 142F; Point
2 is at 519F, Point 3 at 390F, and
Point 4 at 589F. Wear and tear on the
seals is evident in Fig 9b.
5. Check pipe supports. First step
is a visual survey to confirm that all
supports are connected and not at
maximum travel in the hot condi-
tion. Record locations of all supports
for comparison purposes during later
inspections.
Also note damage to hangers, sup-
ports, insulation, and/or lagging that
may indicate transient phenomena
such as water hammer. Fig 10 shows
a guide for a reheater pipe that was
bent by a water-hammer event.
Spring hanger indicator in Fig 11
should be surveyed in both the hot
and cold positions. The red (hot)
and white (cold) diamonds indicate
as-designed conditions.
Offline
inspection
The HRST instructors divided the
offline inspection module into four
parts: gas side, exterior, drums, and
so-called extended scope focus-
ing on nondestructive examination
(NDE). Stanley handled the first two;
Sieben and Wambeke handled the
remaining two.
Stanley began by stating four pri-
mary goals of offline inspection:
n Document equipment condition.
n Identify items requiring immedi-
ate maintenance.
n Note emerging problems, thereby
allowing time for analysis.
n Begin planning and budgeting
maintenance activities for future
outages.

Gas side
Key to an effective gas-side inspec-
tion, the HRST instructors told the
group, are the following:
n Dedicated, meticulous inspectors.
They recommended a mixed team
consisting mainly of in-house per-
sonnel and some outside experts
with broad industry perspec-
tive. Also stressed was that any
inspection worthwhile undertak-
ing should be done properly; good
7
8
9a 9b
10
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12 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
inspections, Stanley continued,
take days, not hours.
n A detailed record of observations
and other facts. Take plenty of pho-
tos and measurements; describe
observations in detail using a digi-
tal recorder and transcribing/edit-
ing your voice notes. Critical mea-
surements might include material
thickness in areas experiencing
FAC (flow accelerated corrosion)
attack, length of any cracks iden-
tified, distances across any cracks
found, etc.
n Organize facts logically. Link
every fact to a specific location
in the HRSG. Editors note: Per-
haps this goal can be facilitated
through use of software custom-
ized for your specific boilers. To
learn more, access www.combined-
cyclejournal.com/archives.html,
click 3Q/2007, click Knowledge
retention: New software tools help
improve plant reliability, reduce
maintenance cost on issue cover.
Your ultimate goal should be to
provide a comprehensive follow-
up checklist with detailed notes
so someone else can conduct next
years inspection having the same
knowledge you possessthat is, to
pick up where you left off without
missing a beat.
n Recommend a follow-up NDE pro-
gram for areas where problems are
suspected. This might include one
or more of the following: borescope
examination, ultrasonic (UT) sur-
veys, dye-penetrant (PT) testing,
magnetic-particle (MT) examina-
tion, hardness testing (particu-
larly where P91/T91 materials are
used), etc.
For inspection purposes, Stanley seg-
ments the HRSG into three areas:
n Access lanesincluding inlet
duct, firing duct, SCR, between
tube bundles, and stack.
n Crawl spaces under and above
tube headers.
n Exteriorincluding roof casing,
floor casing, walls.
Your inspection should go beyond
what HRST would do under its
standard HRSG contract. Engage
other experts to examine your steam
valves, safety valves, silencers,
instrumentation, piping to/from the
HRSG, etc.
Inlet-duct checklist. Inspect the
liner system for loose plates, spinning
washers, exposed insulation, and
failed studs. Fig 12 is typical of what
you might find. Here studs failed and
washers were liberated leaving liner
plates with minimal support. Once
a liner plate moves and a gap is cre-
ated between it and adjacent plates,
insulation can be sucked into the flow
stream. This creates a hot spot in the
transition duct skin and allows liber-
ated insulation to blind a portion of
the SCR catalyst.
Be aware that problems often are
experienced with flow distribution
plates. Also, check harps for corro-
sion, warped tubes, and vibration
wear from tubes contactingthat is,
banging into or rubbing against
each other when the unit is in ser-
vice. Baffles and tube ties should
be inspected for vibration damage,
wear, expansion interferences, and
weld cracks.
Figs 13, 14 show failed tube-fin tab
welds that caused rattling. Some
failed tabs rub directly on tubes.
Although no gouges were identified
in this case, if condition is left uncor-
rected, tube wear will continue (tube-
tie components are harder than the
tube material). Such wear often is
worst at lower elevations, which is
convenient because they are easier to
access for inspection. Note that the
inlet-duct superheater panel in Fig 15
is missing center baffles.
Firing-duct checklist has five focal
points for your inspection:
n Liner system. Inspect the same
way you did for the inlet duct.
n Duct burner. Look for sag in ele-
ments or baffles, nozzle plugging,
and coke buildup; verify that
burner wing condition is satis-
factory.
12
Studs broken;
washers missing
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14 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
n Tubes and fins. Inspect the same
way you did for the inlet duct. But
also check for evidence of flame
impingement or local hot spots as
well as for tubes bowed because of
desuperheater issues.
n Baffles and supports. Look for
loose or missing baffles, plus over-
heated tube ties and baffles.
n Firing-duct TCs. Be aware that
most thermocouples are too short
to read representative tempera-
tures. Also, that TCs typically
have no radiation shield and they
are influenced by cool tubes and
burner shine.
Figs 16-21 illustrate what to look
for when inspecting the firing duct.
Bowed reheater tubes in Fig 16 are
downstream of the desuperheater,
which probably allowed wet steam
to enter the tubes. A Sky Climber
or scaffolding is needed to perform a
good duct-burner inspection (Fig 17)
and repair any cracking identified
(Fig 18).
Burner coking sometimes is found
when alternative fuels are burned.
Fig 19 shows coking on a duct burner
firing refinery gas. Olefins reportedly
were the cause in this case. Coking
can occur when burning natural gas
if there is poor mixing of air and fuel
at the burner.
An overheated liner protecting the
sidewall of a firing duct is shown in
Fig 20. Hot-spot indications on tubes
downstream of duct burners are
illustrated in Fig 21.
Tube-bundle access-lane checklist.
This list begins, like the inlet- and
firing-duct checklists above, with
the liner system. Same principles
apply. Next, tubes and fins should be
inspected for corrosion, warping, and
fouling. Warping of superheater and
reheater tubes caused by poor control
of the desuperheating process is rela-
tively common (refer back to Fig 16).
Warping is also indentified with LP
and IP economizers that share com-
mon headers with HP economizers
(for more detail, access www.com-
binedcyclejournal.com/archiveshtml,
click 1Q/2008, click Module, header
replacement. . . . on issue cover.
Look carefully for tube-to-header
weld cracking (Fig 22). It can accom-
pany tube bowing, but often is found
as well on tubes that have not bowed.
Tube bowing and cracking usually
are caused by the same problem: Wet
steam entering the tube field.
Tubes downstream of the SCR are
susceptible to fouling by ammonia
salts and by rust that flakes off car-
bon-steel fin and tube surfaces (Fig
23). The amount of sulfur in the fuel,
and in the inlet air, impacts the rate
of fouling; so does the amount of time
the unit is offline, particularly in a
humid environment.
Inspect bundles for wear caused
by tube vibration. This will be found
most often where tube-tie welds are
broken and tubes are free to rattle
around (refer back to Fig 14).
Fig 24 shows where baffles are
located to avoid bypass of gas around
heat-transfer surfaces. If metal dete-
rioration is identified, make a note
for maintenance follow-up. Also iden-
18a 18b
19
20
21
22
23
16 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
tify and correct areas where expan-
sion/contraction adversely impact
baffle function (Fig 25) and where baf-
fles have slipped down tubes (often
because fins have broken off) and cre-
ated openings for gas bypass.
As you move back through the unit,
Stanley said, look over the upstream
face of the SCR catalyst for fouling
typically caused by rust and/or insu-
lation fiber entrained in the hot gas
(Fig 26). Gas bypass around the cata-
lyst limits its effectiveness and could
possibly put the plant out of com-
pliance on NO
x
. Be sure to look for
poorly installed baffling, open space
around the perimeter of the catalyst
bed, and gaps between baffling and
catalyst frames.
Finally, look for openings between
catalyst blocks and between the
bl ocks and f rames. Insul ati on
between blocks has been known to
compress over time, allowing catalyst
bricks to settle. This can create gaps
between blocks, especially in the top
row of each module (Fig 27). Insula-
tion then is free to blow downstream
and plug LP heat-transfer surfaces.
Crawl-space checklist. Inspecting
the upper and lower crawl spaces in
an F-class HRSG may not be much
fun, but it certainly is where an
inspector proves his or her value.
Virtually everyone on the plant staff
can hear casing vibration or see dis-
colored paint at a hotspot, but only a
well-trained and physically fit inspec-
tor can slither around a cramped,
dirty crawl space and identify exist-
ing and possible future problems.
Inspectors examine floor debris for
evidence of problems, the liner, liner
fit-up around piping and hanger pen-
etrations, baffles, bent piping, header
corrosion, header/tube joint condition
where visible, dripping water or cor-
rosion/rust stains from tube leaks,
etc. The photos in Figs 28 to 35 show
some of the things you can expect to
encounter.
n A bent (and binding) liner donut
around a pipe penetration in the
floor liner is shown in Fig 28. A
donut in such poor condition allows
insulation to migrate upward,
thereby creating a hotspot in the
floor casing and limiting penetra-
tion seal life. It also allows debris
to enter the seal underneath,
accelerating damage to it and
increasing corrosion risk.
n Fig 29 is a reheater pipe penetra-
tion with no liner donut, a condi-
tion that hastens degradation of
insulation. A hotspot is created
around the stainless steel bellows
below because there is no thermal
barrier between the 1050F reheat
pipe and the bellows.
n Insulation slips down and out of
stainless-steel bellows located
Exhaust flow is into page Sidewall baffles
Center (laning)
baffles
Tubes
Header (bulkhead) baffles
Lower header
Upper header
24
25
26 27 28
29 30b 30a
COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008 17
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
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18 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
above roof casing because no liner
donut is present (Fig 30a). Roof-top
photo reveals casing rust and blue
tint to bellows indicative of opera-
tional hotspots (Fig 30b).
n Drain pipes under HP superheat-
ers and reheaters are notorious
for developing stress cracks
especially at the drain pipe-to-
jumper weld (Fig 31a). Inspectors
finger points to what he believes
is a crack (Fig 31b), later confirmed
with dye-penetrant test.
n Debris accumulation on roof allows
rainwater to pool (Fig 32a), leading
to corrosion problems inside the
HRSG. The result of long periods
offline and water leakage is shown
in (Fig 32b).
n Poor condition of drain line serv-
ing an LP economizer was found
during an inspection of the lower
crawl space below this HRSG
(Fig 33a). HRST engineers recom-
mended removing the stainless-
steel bellows expansion joint
around this drain, which had lost
about 25% of its wall thickness in
five years of service (Fig 33B).
n Gas bypass: Rust is swept away in
region of high gas velocity down-
stream of the small square dark
opening in Fig 34.
n Oversize gaps, which proper baffling
should prevent, may avoid interfer-
ence problems but they adversely
impact performance (Fig 35).
Exterior inspection
By this point in the session, attendees
were catching on to what they should
be looking for when inspecting an
HRSG. The checklist presented for
this module had a familiar ring:
n Casing hotspots and cracking.
n Piping penetration seals.
n Access-door condition.
n Pipe hangers.
n Expansion joints at the round-to-
square transition and between the
HRSG and stack.
n HRSG foundations.
Of course, this isnt all you should
be inspecting on the exterior of your
HRSG. Time limitations in the class-
room and space limitations in the
magazine militate against covering
everything. When developing an
inspection program customized to
your plant, dont forget such things
as burner hardware, valves, safety
valves and silencers, drum instru-
mentation, ammonia vaporizer,
ammonia injection grid and associ-
ated piping and nozzles, etc.
Once again, photos taken during
inspections conducted by HRST engi-
neers give you a good sense of whats
important:
n Fig 36 shows hotspot on access door
and adjacent casing caused by
leaking door seal and/or problems
with the internal insulation pil-
low.
n Rust that accumulates in a fabric
seal impedes its ability to flex and
eventually the material splits (Fig
37). Liner donuts that are main-
tained in good condition help pre-
vent rust from dropping into the
seal.
n Cracked stainless-steel bellows
in Fig 38 is a casualty of excessive
drain movement as discussed ear-
31a 31b
32a 32b
33a 33b
34
Opening
35
Gap
36
37
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20 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
lier. Mechanical seals are an alter-
native to fabric seals and bellows.
n Large casing hotspots can cause
walls and/or floors to expand more
than anticipated. Inflexible support
columns can create stress points,
cracks, and hot gas leaks at loca-
tions shown in Fig 39. One example
is foundation cracking in Fig 40,
caused by restrained expansion of
the inlet-duct support column. Such
cracking can be caused by hotspots
or by improper bolting of the col-
umn to the foundation base plate.
Drums
Amy Sieben took over for Lester Stan-
ley at the podium. First thing she
mentioned: Steam drums provide the
only non-intrusive access to the water/
steam side of an F-class HRSG. Thats
an important point. All boiler water
eventually passes through one or more
steam drums in a triple-pressure unit,
so a great deal can be learned from a
proper inspection.
Siebens checklist included the fol-
lowing:
n Inspect the drum internal sur-
face.
n Investigate any signs of distress on
steam separation equipment and
the belly pan which are caused by
thermal stress (cracks) or flow-ac-
celerated corrosion (FAC). If com-
ponents are worn, measure metal
thickness to quantify the extent of
material loss.
n Verify mechanical integrity.
n Determine if the actual waterline
is at the level designers intended.
n Scoop-up and carefully examine
drum debris. Run tests to charac-
terize the debris if necessary.
n Check the manway ring to see if
machining is necessary to restore
it to the desired flat condition.
A thorough examination of the
drum internal surface demands that
you get up close to the metal and look
for pits, nicks, cracks, tubercles, cor-
rosion, erosion, etc. Take notes and
pictures of anything that looks out
of the ordinary, Wambeke suggested
from the back of the room.
Begin with a color assessment: Red
is good in an oxidizing environment
(Fig 41), bad in a reducing environ-
ment. Next, assess overall drum con-
dition, tracking surface defects from
manufacturesuch as those created
while rolling steel for the HP drum
pictured in Fig 42. Scaling and lack of
passivation during operation is illus-
trated in Fig 43.
Has smoothness/roughness of the
drum surface changed during the
inspection interval? For example,
perhaps tubercles have formed (Fig
44). It is particularly important to
identify any pitting attack and to
inspect what the pits look like under-
neath. Keep in mind that pits may
corrode under pits, resulting in pits
larger than those at the surface.
Signs of distress to look for on
steam separators and the belly pan
include the following:
n Cracks in the belly pan (or baffle
plate), as shown in Fig 45.
n Cracks in the corners of the final
separator (Fig 46).
n Thinning caused by FAC, as evi-
denced by the loss of material on
the belly pan in Fig 47a and the
hole in the LP belly pan in Fig 47b.
Also, early FAC attack on the LP
cyclone in Fig 48a and advanced
attack (huge hole) on the Fig 48b
cyclone.
Ultrasonic (UT) thickness mea-
surements are useful for document-
ing the condition of drum internals,
as well as of tubes and piping. Keep
meticulous records to enable rate-
of- wear calculations and timely
maintenance planning. Standard UT
measurements are all thats needed
to quantify material loss.
Thickness testing of internals com-
pares original specifications of drum
components to data collected during
your inspection. More sophisticated
UTsuch as shear-wave and phased-
arrayare used to identify cracking.
The software described in last
years Outage Handbook (see itali-
cized editors note above) allows
direct capture electronically of thick-
ness measurements as the UT probe
38
Stress point (typical)
Expansion
39
40
41
42
43
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22 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
is moved across the surfaces of
affected components. Data are stored
in a manner that allows retrieval by
clicking on a particular tube, header,
etc, on drawings of your unit incorpo-
rated into the software package.
Mechanical integrity. Look for the
obvious: Broken U bolts, missing
nuts and other hardware, plugged
chemical-feed lines and separators,
etc. Fig 49 shows a fractured chemi-
cal-feed line found in the HP drum of
one boiler inspected by HRST engi-
neers; Fig 50 reveals a bolt missing
from a secondary separator; Fig 51a
is of a mesh separator failure; Fig 51b
shows a mesh-separator pad resting
at the bottom of the steam drum.
Water level. The primary cause
of faulty level indication is instru-
mentation that is out of calibration.
Sometimes, however, water level
falsely appears lower than actual
because the level transmitter is locat-
ed too near a downcomer or pump
intake. Their suction effect pulls on
the level sensing lines (Fig 52). Plug-
ging of sensing lines is another possi-
ble cause of false readings or sluggish
response. Fig 53 shows a pencil-type
magnet with debris pulled from a
lower-level tap for an HP drum.
Debris volume, if large, suggests
possible rethinking of blowdown pro-
cedures and/or the need to check for
iron transport caused by FAC. Fig 54
is a photo of iron debris found in a
stagnant area of an HP drum at an
end beyond the baffle. Also check for
this material in the blowdown tank.
NDE basics
Sieben suggested, Depending on the
HRSGs age, number and severity
of cycles, and past issues, intrusive
inspection techniques should be con-
sidered to more accurately assess
boiler condition. This might include
one or more of the following:
n Ultrasonic testing (UT) of tubes and
piping beyond spot checks; select
optimum technology from among
A-scan, phased-array, or shear-
wave as specific tasks dictate.
n Dye-penetrant (PT) or magnetic-
45
46
47a 47b
48a 48b
49
50
51a 51b
52
53
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24 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
SPECIAL ISSUE: OUTAGE HANDBOOK HEAT-RECOVERY STEAM GENERATORS
55
particle (MT) testing of suspect
areas.
n Removal and inspection of desu-
perheaters.
n Borescope examination.
n Sampling and analysis of pres-
sure-part materials.
Ultrasonic testing. Recall how UT
works: An ultrasound transducer
connected to a diagnostic machine is
passed over the object being inspect-
ed. The transducer typically is sepa-
rated from the test object by a cou-
plant. Reflection off the back wall
or imperfection records the
wall thickness or depth of
the discontunity.
A-scan UT typically is
selected for thickness test-
ing, especially where FAC or
external corrosion has been
identified. Its easy to use, fast,
and accurate. Sieben offered an
inspection plan thats easy to
customize for your HRSGs. She
stressed that inspections should
be prioritized based on risk.
n Examine LP evaporator circuits
(plus IP circuits up to 400-psig
saturated) and HP, IP, and LP
economizer tubes that operate
between 280F and 340F, the tem-
perature range that exacerbates
FAC attack. Wall thinning gener-
ally is experienced first after tube
bends near the upper headers.
However, the risk of two-phase
FAC is just slightly higher than
single-phase FAC, so the lower-
header inlets may be more conve-
nient to check. To access the tube-
bend area, remove header baffles
as necessary.
n Check pipe elbows (jumpers) at
the apex of the elbow; and straight
runs downstream of control valves
and orifice plates, especially where
temperatures are more than 280F
and less than 340F.
n Examine headers on HRSGs with
stick-through welds on the head-
ers directly across from the tube
inlet. To review basics of tube-to-
header joints, access www.com-
binedcyclejournal.com/archives.
html, click 3Q/2004, click article
title on cover.
Phased-array UT makes use of
multiple fixed-angle transducers in
a single probe to quickly and accu-
rately characterize flaws to provide
the depth of indications, which show
up as echo blips on the instruments
screen (Fig 55). It has become the
instrument of choice in GT inspec-
tions for its ability to identify even
small flaws in complicated geome-
triessuch as compressor airfoils,
blade platforms, disks, etc.
Leading technology has its price.
Phased-array instruments and probes
are more complex and expensive than
conventional UT and technicians
require more experience and train-
ing to use it. However, compared to
radiography (RT), the old standard in
boiler work, phased-array UT offers
several advantages, including:
n No work stoppage or welder relo-
cation is required to check work
because there are no safety haz-
ards with UT as there are with RT
(radiation).
n Inspections are conduct-
ed faster.
n Better suited for the detection of
planar, crack-like indications
such as lack of fusionwhich are
conducive to premature failure.
n The exact depth of a defect is
revealed, facilitating its removal
and rework. Digital RT is making
great strides to eliminate or mini-
mize this list.
Shear-wave UT is about two to
three times less expensive, but does
not give depth of indication. Best
applications for it are straight pipe,
elbows, and circumferential welds.
PT and MT methods are used to iden-
tify cracks at the surface of the base
tube material at or near a weld. They
also are used for regular checking of
tube/header joints at the economizer
water inlet when more than 500 start/
stop cycles have been accumulated;
to verify the integrity of superheater
and reheater tube/header joints where
warped tubes have gotten worse over
time; and to pinpoint suspect leaks in
vent and drain lines.
PT is a low-cost and widely applied
inspection method for locating sur-
face-breaking defects in all non-po-
rous materials (metals, plastics, and
ceramics). For inspection of ferrous
components, however, MT often is
preferred because of its subsurface
detection capability.
Dye-penetrant inspection is used to
detect casting and forging defects,
cracks, and leaks in new products, as
well as cracks on in-service compo-
nents not visible to the naked eye. It
is simple to use: Penetrant is applied
to the surface, excess penetrant is
removed, and developer is applied to
make the crack visible. Little train-
ing is required to develop proficiency
in conducting PTs.
The red dye used most often offers
a high visual contrast against a white
developer background. The developer
draws out the penetrant from the
flaw over a wider area than the real
flaw, enhancing its visibility.
Perhaps the biggest concern in con-
ducting a dye-penetrant inspection is
surface cleanliness, offered Wambeke.
But keep in mind that some cleaning
methods are detrimental to test sen-
sitivity. Occasionally, acid etching
is required to remove metal
smearing and to reopen the
defect.
Magnetic particle inspec-
tion processes make use
of an externally applied
magnetic field or dc current
through the material. They
are based on the principle that
the magnetic susceptibility of
a defect in a ferrous material
is markedly poorerthat is,
the magnetic resistance is greater
than that of the surrounding mate-
rial.
The most common MT method relies
on finely divided iron or magnetic iron
oxide particles held in suspension in a
suitable liquid (often kerosene). This
fluid is referred to as the carrier.
The particles often are colored and
usually coated with fluorescent dyes
that are made visible with a hand-
held ultraviolet (UV) light.
The suspension is sprayed or
painted over the magnetized speci-
men to localize areas where the mag-
netic field has protruded from the
surface. The magnetic particles are
attracted by the surface field in the
area of the defect and hold on to the
56
57
26 COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Third Quarter 2008
edges of the defect and define it by a
build-up of particles.
MT is used to inspect machined
parts before they are placed in service
and also to inspect parts in service for
fatigue cracking (Fig 56). The testing
method is easy to apply and takes less
time than UT and PT, but it does not
work well with complex geometries.
Attemperators in cycling service
should be inspected annually. Look
for cracking or distress on the desu-
perheater assembly; check nozzles
for plugging; confirm liner integrity
(see liner crack in Fig 57), and the
absence of pitting/wear at the down-
stream elbow. If data suggest over-
spray, inspect piping for cracks.
Borescope inspections commonly
associated with GTs, steam turbines,
and generators also find application
in some sections of HRSGs. The most
likely areas of use include the fol-
lowing:
n Economizer, cold end, when pit-
ting or cracking of the tube inter-
nal surface is of concern because
of cyclic stresses and/or water-
quality issues.
n Economizer, hot end, if damage
or deposits are suspected from
water-quality excursions in con-
junction with excessive steaming.
n HP evaporator, hot end, if water-
chemistry excursions make inter-
nal deposits a risk or iron levels
are above 1 ppm.
n LP evaporator tube rows most
susceptible to FAC damage based
on a circulation analysis or failure
history.
n First tube bundle of the super-
heater downstream of the steam
drum, if deposits from carryover
are suspected because of a steam-
separator failure.
Tube samples are taken to charac-
terize both hard scales that form in
LP boilers and magnetite and copper
deposits in HP boilers. Such deposits
reduce heat transfer and efficiency
and make the HRSG more suscepti-
ble to overheating and tube failures.
Tubes are sampled only when
available NDE methods are not able
to meet expectations. Tube sampling
is difficult, expensive, and has obvi-
ous inherent risks.
Laboratory analysis will suggest
corrections to water chemistry and
operating procedures and the most
efficient method for removing depos-
its. Base metal analysis will advise
on the condition of boiler tubes and
whether expectations of service life
must be revised downward. ccj
Visit booth 213 HRSG 2008