BOILER TUBE LEAKAGES

ADITYA JAIN ABHISHEK DE UJJWAL KUMAR

Types Of Tube Failures

Caustic Attack Oxygen Pitting Acid Attack Hydrogen Damage Stress Corrosion Cracking Waterside Corrosion Fatigue Superheater Fireside Ash Corrosion Waterwall Fireside Corrosion

 Fireside Corrosion Fatigue Short-Term Overheat Long-Term Overheat Graphitization Dissimilar Metal Weld Failure Erosion Mechanical Fatigue

Caustic Attack
Symptom Localized wall loss on the tube ID (increased stress and strain) Causes - Localized Concentration of caustic resulting in deposition of salts due to quick vaporization due to overheating . This causes dissolution of protective magnetite layer, loss of base metal and eventual failure. Control Phosphate/pH control method(DSP/TSP). Na2HPO4 + NaOH Na3PO4 + H20

Oxygen Pitting
Symptoms Aggressive localized corrosion and loss of tube wall, most prevalent near economiser FW inlet. Causes Presence of excessive oxygen in boiler water, specially during outage period in non-drainable portions of the boiler like superheater loops and sagging SH/RH tubes. Control Hydrazine used for scavenging of excess oxygen apart from oxygen control in deaerator.

Acid Attack
Symptom Swiss cheese appearance of the tube ID (Irregular Pitting). Causes Poor control of boiler chemistry and inadequate post cleaning passivation of residual acid. Control Proper cleaning of boiler post acid cleaning with alkali and water.

Hydrogen damage
Symptoms Inter-granular microcracking and embrittlement of tube material leading to brittle catastrophic rupture. Causes Low pH of boiler water resulting in production of hydrogen which penetrates the tube material and reacts with the combined carbon of steel(Decarburization) causing embrittlement and rupture along the grain boundaries. Control Alkaline pH of boiler water.

Waterside Corrosion Fatigue

Symptom ID initiated trans granular cracks typically adjacent to external attachments. Causes Occurs due to corrosion and thermal fatigue combined. Problem is most pronounced during boiler start-up cycles. Control Careful control of Start-up and Shut-down operations, minimizing thermal fatigue and corrosion control.

Super-heater Fireside Ash Corrosion

Symptoms OD loss having pock-marked appearance when scale is removed. Causes Function of ash character. Molten ash on super-heater tube surface can be highly corrosive. Control - Combustion gas and metal temperature in convection pass are important considerations. Soot blowing operations has to be carried out during start-up procedure.

Waterwall Fireside Corrosion

Symptoms External tube metal loss leading to thinning and increasing tube strain in waterwalls. Causes Occurs on external surfaces when the combustion produces a reducing atmosphere (substoichiometric). Boilers having mal-adjusted burners or operating with staged air-zone are more susceptible to local regions possessing reducing atmosphere. Control Proper combustion control in the furnace region and air draft control maintaining enough excess air.

Fireside Corrosion Fatigue

Symptom Typical Elephant Hide or Alligator Hide type craze cracking on the circumference. Causes Thermal Fatigue Stress cycles due to shedding of slag, soot blowing or from cyclic operation of the boiler initiating cracking followed by corrosion by ash.

Short Term Overheat

Symptom Typical Fish-mouth opening resulting in sharp fracture edges. Causes Most common during boiler start-up. Occurs due to extremely elevated metal temp. due to lack of cooling steam/water flow. Typical example is when superheater is not cleared of condensate during startup obstructing steam flow. Tube temperatures can reach 1600 degree F leading to tube failures. Control Controlled combustion, Drainage of non drainable portions, maintenance of cooling fluid flow.

Long Term Overheat

Symptom Heavy externals scale build-up and thick edged secondary cracking. Causes Long periods of operations and creep resulting in strain until the creep life of the tube is expended resulting in creep rupture. Control Superheater and reheater tubes eventually fail after years of service as a result of creep.

Graphitization
Symptom Brittle failure with thick edge fracture. Causes Due to long term operation at elevated temperatures resulting in dissolution of the Iron carbide forming graphite nodules resulting in loss of strength and failure. Control Sticking with the specified operation temperatures of the tubing.

Stress Corrosion Cracking

Symptom Thick wall brittle type crack may be found at locations of higher external stresses. Causes Common in austenitic superheater materials. Residual stresses induced in the material due to various works of machining along with presence of corrosive material is the major cause. The damage results from cracks propagated from ID. Source of corrosive material maybe carryover into SH from drum and acid cleaning contamination.

Erosion
Symptom Metal loss from OD. Ultimate failure results from rupture due to increasing strain. Causes Impingement on external surfaces by abrasive material in the combustion gas and sometimes soot blowing.

Dissimilar Metal Weld Failure

Symptom Materials fails at the ferritic side of the weld along the weld fusion line. Causes DMW describes the butt weld where an austenitic steel welds a ferritic alloy material. This failures are attributed to high stresses at the austenitic to ferritic interface due to difference in the expansion properties of the two materials. Control ASME welding specifications for materials in pressure vessels.

Mechanical Fatigue
Symptom OD initiated crack at localized areas of high stress or constraint. Causes Fatigue is the result of cyclic stresses in the component. Stresses maybe associated with vibration due to flue gas flow or soot blowers or boiler cycling.

Boiler Drum Parameters 1. pH- 9.1-9.5 2. Conductivity- 20S/cm 3. Silica - 100 ppb 4. TDS- 10 ppm

Main steam Parameters 1.pH - 9.4-9.7 2. Conductivity - 15S/cm Feed water parameters 1. pH - 9.3-9.7 2. Conductivity - 15-20 S/cm 3. Phosphte - 5-10 ppm 4. Hydrazine - 50 ppb 3. Silica - 0.020 ppm 4. NH3 - 2.5 ppm

CEP Discharge Parameters

1. pH- 9.3-9.5 2. Conductivity 15S/cm

HP Dosing
TSP

3. Silica- 20 ppb 4. NH3 - 2.5 ppm

LP dosing Deaeration Parameters Dissolved oxygen - 20 ppb(max.) Other paraneters remaining the same NH3, N2H4