Prevent boiler tube failures--Part 1: Fire-side mechanisms

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Chemical Engineering Progress; (United States)

OSTI ID:5828952

Colannino, J

A boiler tube fails when the structural integrity of the tube is compromised. For boilers that have been previously operating, some change must occur to effect tube failure. Usually this change is wrought through some combination of corrosion and erosion acting on the boiler tube to weaken it. Boiler tubes depend on a complex metal oxide layer for protection from the hot furnace environment. Fire-side corrosion and erosion remove or alter the oxide layer, rendering the tube vulnerable to attack. Corrosion and erosion are destructive mechanisms that ravage boiler tubes. They are distinguished by the cause of the destruction--corrosion is caused by chemical or electrochemical attack, whereas erosion is caused by abrasive action of a moving fluid or solid. Both mechanisms can and often do operate simultaneously. This article focuses on the fire side of the tube. It explains the major mechanisms responsible for fire-side boiler tube failures, how to recognize the underlying cause of the failure, and how to avoid such problems. Fuel oil, coal, and municipal solid waste boilers are discussed.

• OSTI ID: 5828952
• Journal Information: Chemical Engineering Progress; (United States), Journal Name: Chemical Engineering Progress; (United States) Vol. 89:10; ISSN 0360-7275; ISSN CEPRA8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
014000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Combustion
02 PETROLEUM
025000 -- Petroleum-- Combustion
09 BIOMASS FUELS
092000 -- Biomass Fuels-- Combustion-- (1990-)
ASHES
BOILERS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COMBUSTION
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
CORROSION
ENERGY SOURCES
EROSION
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
FAILURES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL OILS
FUELS
KINETICS
LIQUID FUELS
MATERIALS
MUNICIPAL WASTES
OXIDATION
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
REACTION KINETICS
RESIDUES
SOLID WASTES
SYSTEM FAILURE ANALYSIS
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TUBES
WASTES