Maintenance aspects of boiler tube failures

Technical Report · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:401960

Dooley, B ^[1]; McNaughton, W ^[2]

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1. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA (United States)
2. Cornice Engineering, Inc., Durango, CO (United States)

Boiler tube failures (BTF) remain the number one availability problem in the fossil-fueled power industry. The authors have recently prepared a three-volume book on all aspects of BTF. One of the key areas in the ultimate alleviation of tube failures is proper maintenance activities. This paper thoroughly reviews the areas where improper maintenance leads directly to repeat failures. Problems typically develop from: (i) improper chemical cleaning, (ii) improper repairs, such as the use of palliative or {open_quotes}band-aid{close_quotes} repairs: coatings, pad welding, weld overlay, improper welding activities etc., or (iii) improperly executed maintenance procedures such as can occur with sootblowing. The paper discusses these three topics as they pertain to boiler tube failures. Also discussed are five boiler tube failure mechanisms and how they are influenced by maintenance activities: (i) flyash erosion, (ii) waterwall underdeposit corrosion mechanisms, (iii) short-term overheating in waterwalls, (iv) short-term overheating in SH/RH tubes, and (v) damage directly induced by maintenance operations. A vision of where the authors expect the industry will move over the next five years is presented.

• Research Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., MD (United States)
• OSTI ID: 401960
• Report Number(s): EPRI-TR--106753; CONF-960719--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
BOILERS
CLEANING
EROSION
FAILURES
FLY ASH
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
MAINTENANCE
REPAIR
TUBES