BOILER TUBE FAILURES IN

COAL BASED STATIONS

(2012-13)

BOILER TUBE FAILURES - Comparison with previous years

STATION

Cumulative till Jan'2013

LOSS OF AVAILABILITY (%)

TOTAL TUBE FAILURE

Best
Achieved

08-09

09-10

10-11

11-12

12-13

Best
Achieved

08-09

09-10

10-11

11-12

TF/100O HRS
12-13

Best
Achieved

08-09

09-10

10-11

11-12

12-13

SSTPS

21

29

15

26

21

1.13

1.86

2.72

1.60

1.67

1.83

0.20

0.45

0.62

0.31

0.62

0.57

KSTPS

14

12

16

14

0.41

0.93

0.93

1.46

1.10

0.39

0.10

0.34

0.29

0.40

0.36

0.33

RSTPS

14

12

10

13

14

0.73

1.09

1.02

0.67

1.35

1.36

0.14

0.30

0.25

0.21

0.25

0.27

FSTPS

12

11

11

10

1.09

1.26

1.51

0.87

1.73

1.19

0.28

0.37

0.35

0.22

0.29

0.35

RhSTPS

12

14

12

11

17

0.40

1.73

2.81

1.81

1.23

2.89

0.13

0.58

0.67

0.61

0.54

0.53

TSTPP

10

23

27

31

11

1.16

1.08

2.09

2.61

2.66

1.14

0.28

0.25

0.55

0.67

0.86

0.81

NCTPS

11

0.59

0.60

0.22

1.04

1.20

0.65

0.14

0.28

0.11

0.24

0.30

0.27

KhSTPS

10

16

13

17

0.65

1.29

0.59

2.04

0.66

1.11

0.19

0.32

0.20

0.36

0.35

0.31

FGUTPP

14

11

0.29

1.41

0.55

1.87

0.42

0.51

0.07

0.42

0.15

0.31

0.10

0.09

VSTPP

16

26

28

20

22

22

0.92

1.34

1.45

1.06

1.24

0.89

0.30

0.39

0.41

0.29

0.34

0.33

SMTPS

0.42

0.69

1.54

1.43

0.62

2.22

0.15

0.14

0.36

0.22

0.20

0.17

SIPAT

21

2.26

0.00

0.97

1.85

1.66

3.12

0.41

0.00

0.22

0.51

0.35

0.30

TnTPS

12

15

10

0.68

1.19

1.14

0.64

1.09

0.84

0.25

0.47

0.55

0.34

0.44

0.39

TTPS

10

15

28

19

18

14

0.73

1.15

2.32

1.39

1.21

0.78

0.30

0.37

0.70

0.47

0.48

0.45

BTPS

15

37

13

13

0.20

1.18

2.02

4.33

1.12

1.30

0.07

0.27

0.46

1.22

0.39

0.41

12

0.03

3.87

0.54

0.39

660 MW
500 MW

79

97

102

104

96

1.19

1.81

1.88

1.56

1.51

0.47

0.55

0.58

0.63

0.60

200/210 MW
<200 MW

71

66

84

0.96

1.2

0.32

1.16

1.49

1.00

0.77
0.84

0.27

32

0.92
1.11

0.37

47

57
28

1.15

36

63
36

0.26

0.54

0.37

0.25
0.45

0.24
0.42

NTPC

179

210

218

204

193

1.24

1.52

1.59

1.36

1.42

0.41

0.42

0.41

0.39

No of TF per Unit

2.32

2.47

2.56

2.4

2.14

0.36

BOILER TUBE FAILURES IN NTPC 2012-13 till Jan13

2010-11

2011-12

2011-12 TF
till Jan12

NTPC

2012-13
TF till
Jan13

TF after OH
in 2012
60

Total no. of TF

263

239

204

193

TF/1000 hrs

159

1.33

1.36

1.42

Loss of Av.

0.42

0.38

0.39

0.36

VINDHYACHAL

25

30

22

22

SINGRAULI

25

31

26

21

SIPAT

21

RIHAND

13

12

11

17

KAHALGAON

19

16

13

17

RAMAGUNDAM

12

14

13

14

TALCHER TH

25

21

18

14

STATIONS (No of TF)

BOILER TUBE FAILURES IN NTPC 2012-13 till Jan13

2010-11

2011-12

2011-12 TF
till Jan12

2012-13
TF till
Jan13

TF after OH
in 2012

BADARPUR

40

13

13

13

TALCHER - K

34

36

31

11

FARAKKA

11

11

10

SIMHADRI

TANDA

17

10

DADRI TH

11

11

11

KORBA

21

15

14

UNCHAHAR

12

BOILER TUBE FAILURES IN NTPC 2012-13 till Jan13

(LOCATIONS)
Total TF: 193

Hanger tube, 1,
1%
Steam cooled
wall, 13, 7%
Superheater,
38, 20%

Reheater, 41,
21%

Drain / Vent, 1,
1%
BB Tube, 1, 1%
Water wall, 57,
29%

Economiser,
41, 20%

BOILER TUBE FAILURES IN NTPC 2012-13 till Jan13

(MECHANISMS)
Total TF: 193

Longitudinal
Crack, 8, 4%

Overheating, 7,
Fatigue, 5, 3%
4%
Maintenance
damage, 2, 1%

Corrosion, 9, 5%
Attachment weld,
14, 7%
Short term
overheating, 21,
11%

Erosion, 88, 45%

Weld failure, 39,

20%

BOILER TUBE FAILURES IN NTPC 2012-13 till Jan13

(ROOT CAUSES)

Chemistry related, 8,
4%

Total TF: 193

Incomplete w ork, 7,
4%

Others, 17, 9%
Poor w orkmanship,
86, 44%

Operation related,
18, 9%

Inadequate
inspection, 23, 12%

Erection /
Manufacturing /
Design defect , 34,
18%

BOILER TUBE FAILURES IN NTPC 2012-13 till Jan13

(Details of poor workmanship)

Diversion of FG due
to foreign material,
3, 3%

Total TF: 86

Damaged
Non restoration of
refractory, 3, 3% guide vanes, 3, 3%
Fin undercut, 2, 2%

Missing fin, 4, 5%

Weld defect, 25,

30%

Dislocation of
shield, 6, 7%
Damaged shield /
cassette baffle, 8,
9%
Partial blockage, 9,
10%

Non restoration of
support/cleat/conne
ctors, 9, 11%

Misalignment, 14,
17%

TYPICAL BOILER TUBE

FAILURES

Reheater failure in Unit-1 of Simhadri on 09.10.12

Date of Overhaul: 08.10.12
LOCATION: Reheater front panel assembly no.- 25, tube no.- 11
Failure on next day after OH
MECHANISM: IPW joint failure
ROOT CAUSE: Water hammer due to flooding of
Reheater with RH spray.
Reheater spray ( around 84.2 T/hr ) was so high
that there was hardly any change in steam
temperature at RH De-Superheater inlet & outlet
and at RH outlet.
High rate of coal firing (100-110 T /Hr)
necessitated excessive spray in Super heater and
Reheater circuit.

Location of
failure

Two phase flow in reheater circuit and consequent

water hammer inside coils caused cracking of IPW
joint. IPW joint got completely sheared when unit
reached full load.
Action plan : Firing rate to be controlled such that there is no
Superheater and Reheater spray requirement till unit is
synchronized .
Unit # 1 Reheater IPW joints to be checked by DPT

RH steam parameters in Unit-1 on 07.10.12 after boiler

light-up
84.4 t/h
RH spray

84.5 t/h
84.5 t/h

84.2 t/h
CRH steam
256.5oC

RH
De-superheater

DSH O/L

HRH O/L
Reheater

254.0oC

254.4oC

255.9oC

253.9oC

253.8oC

255.7oC

253.7oC

253.1oC

254.7oC

253.5oC

253.3oC

Time

Coal flow

MS press

SH spray

Mill-A
current

Mill-B
current

13:48

104.0

116.6

150.1

136.2

136.3

13:49

104.6

116.7

150.0

131.7

135.3

13:50

105.2

116.9

150.1

133.8

133.3

13:51

105.8

115.5

150.1

136.0

131.7

Simhadri Unit #1 Boiler Lit Up after unit O/H 07.10.2012

Unit 1 Total MS
TOTAL
load Coal PRESS SH
Flow
SPRAY
FLOW
07-10-12 13:38
07-10-12 13:39
07-10-12 13:40
07-10-12 13:41
07-10-12 13:42
07-10-12 13:43
07-10-12 13:44
07-10-12 13:45
07-10-12 13:46
07-10-12 13:47
07-10-12 13:48
07-10-12 13:49
07-10-12 13:50
07-10-12 13:51
07-10-12 13:52
07-10-12 13:53
07-10-12 13:54
07-10-12 13:55
07-10-12 13:56
07-10-12 13:57
07-10-12 13:58
07-10-12 13:59
07-10-12 14:00

0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6

108.3
107.8
107.4
106.9
106.5
106.0
105.5
105.1
104.6
104.2
104.0
104.6
105.2
105.8
106.4
107.0
107.6
108.1
108.7
109.3
109.9
110.5
111.1

115.5
115.6
115.7
115.8
116.0
116.1
116.2
116.3
116.4
116.5
116.6
116.7
116.9
115.5
113.8
112.1
110.4
108.6
106.9
105.2
103.5
101.8
100.4

150.0
150.1
150.0
150.1
150.1
150.0
150.0
150.0
150.1
150.0
150.1
150.0
150.1
150.1
150.0
150.0
150.0
149.1
138.2
138.4
139.5
108.6
107.0

SH
HPBP CRH
OUTLET D/S
STEAM
TEMP-L Templ- PRESS
L
325.6
325.6
325.7
325.8
325.8
325.9
325.9
326.0
326.0
326.1
326.1
326.2
326.2
326.3
326.3
326.4
326.5
326.5
329.1
338.1
347.1
353.3
358.8

259.8
255.8
256.1
253.0
253.0
253.0
253.2
252.2
252.0
253.0
253.0
253.0
252.0
251.8
252.8
252.2
250.1
251.7
252.0
256.2
264.0
273.6
280.6

38.5
41.7
40.9
40.4
40.7
41.0
40.6
40.4
40.4
40.5
40.5
40.5
40.1
40.1
40.9
39.8
39.6
39.8
39.8
39.4
39.4
39.9
39.0

CRH
STEAM
TEMP AT
DSH
INLET -L
289.1
278.0
271.6
265.1
258.2
256.7
256.7
255.7
254.7
255.7
256.5
255.9
255.7
254.7
255.5
255.7
254.9
255.5
254.7
254.7
259.1
264.2
270.8

TOTAL
RH
SPRAY
FLOW
67.8
72.8
80.5
82.5
82.6
82.6
83.4
84.2
84.3
84.4
84.4
84.5
84.5
84.2
83.5
82.7
82.0
78.4
78.4
78.5
78.7
67.9
67.0

RH DSH HRH
OUTLET OUTLET
TEMP - L STEAM
TEMP-L
249.3
256.1
254.7
254.7
254.7
254.7
254.8
254.5
254.4
254.2
254.0
253.9
253.7
253.5
254.4
253.8
252.8
254.3
254.2
253.8
252.8
252.8
252.8

398.3
392.0
383.1
378.7
356.9
341.0
314.9
288.8
272.6
256.8
254.4
253.8
253.1
253.3
259.4
259.5
264.5
264.5
268.2
272.7
277.1
281.7
287.7

TSTPS STAGE I FAILURE IN HTRH

LOCATION: HTRH upper bank and lower bank at front bends (2 nos) and near rear wall (8 nos)
Total 10 nos in 2012-13
MECHANISM: Stress corrosion cracking
ROOT CAUSE: 1) Presence of chloride in
boiler water evident from deposit on turbine
blades
2) Presence of chloride in intergranular crack
deposits
2) Presence of chloride and free chlorine in
cleaning water
Location of failure
3) crack on the tube due to additional stress
due to improper loading of hanger tubes
Action Plan: 1) Water chemistry to be maintained.
2) Water having chloride and free chlorine should not
be used for cleaning/cooling during tube leakage.
3) Hanger scallop, hammer joints and attachments to
be restored as per original.
4) Bowed / sagged tubes to be replaced.

BTF IN UNIT- 1 OF RIHAND ON 19.04.12

DATE OF LAST OH: 10.09.10
LOCATION: Platen SH Inlet Header Stubs. Panel no 14 and 15 inside pent house
Failure after 19.3 months from last OH

Location
of failure

MECHANISM: Water hammer and

Thermal shock
ROOT CAUSE: Operation related
Water hammering and thermal shock in the
stubs of platen SH inlet header resulting from
water carry over from drum and high level of
SH spray during start-up.
Action Plan: 1) Drum level protection should
be kept in service all the time.
2) Rate of firing should be as per the curve
given by the boiler manufacturer.
3) All the header stubs to be checked for cracks
during unit overhaul.

BTF IN UNIT- 2 OF RIHAND ON 23.04.12

DATE OF LAST OH: 22.05.10
LOCATION: Platen SH Inlet Header Stubs Panel no 13 and 14 inside pent house
Failure after 23.1 months from last OH

MECHANISM: Thermal Fatigue

Location
of failure

ROOT CAUSE: Operation related

Very high rate of firing has caused sharp rise in
main steam pressure and temperature and
consequent increase in Platen SH metal
temperature. Excessive SH spray in this condition
resulted in thermal shock in Platn SH inlet header
leading to failure of stubs due to fatigue
Action Plan: 1) Drum level protection should
be kept in service all the time.
2) Rate of firing should be as per the curve
given by the boiler manufacturer.
3) All the header stubs to be checked for cracks
during unit overhaul.

Sequence of events before boiler stopped for

tube leakage (Unit-1)
Unit synchronised at 08:49:47 hrs
Coal flow increased from 41 T/hr at 09:09:00 hrs to 121 T/hr at
09:18:00 hrs within 09 minutes
SH spray increased to 105 T/hr at 09:29:00 hrs
Drum level crossed Hi-Hi level at 09:31:00 hrs and continued to
remain high till 09:35:00 hrs and went beyond scale. Unit did not trip
as Drum level protection is kept bypassed till unit is stablised
Drum pressure increased from 128 Ksc at 09:27:00 hrs to 183 Ksc at
09:34:00 hrs within 07 minutes
Platen SH outlet metal temp. increased to 636.35oC at 09:35:00 hrs.
Unit stopped at 10:00:51 hrs for tube leakage

Sequence of events before boiler stopped for

tube leakage (Unit-2)
Unit synchronised at 13:21:00 hrs
Platen SH metal temp. increased from 271oC at 11:07:00 hrs to 389oC
at 11:19:00 hrs in 12 minutes
Throttle pressure increased from 20.99 Ksc at 11:19:00 hrs to 66.98
Ksc at 11:21:00 hrs and 107 Ksc at 11:41:00 hrs (in 22 minutes).
Coal flow increased from 71 T/hr at 13:33:00 hrs to 137 T/hr at
13:43:00 hrs within 10 minutes
There has been sharp drop in temperature in Platen SH outlet metal in
following coils:
SHSTG6T8 14 MTL Temp has fallen from 317.89 at 10:34 to 222.9 at 10:42
SHSTG6T8 16 MTL Temp has fallen from 301.29 at 10:36 to 221.03 at 10:44
SHSTG6T8 18 MTL Temp has fallen from 307.96 at 10:36 to 256.03 at 10:48

BLOCKADE IN SH & RH
FROM ERECTION DEBRIS

Photograph Platen SH inlet header- Vindhyachal U-11

90o rod

Plate size 6 x 4

Photograph Front RH inlet header Vindhyachal U-11

Rod
Washer
Cut metal
chips

Photograph of Rear RH inlet header- Vindhyachal U-11

Rod

Washer

BTF IN UNIT-2 OF SIPAT ON 13.06.12

DATE OF COD: 25.05.12
LOCATION: SH Divisional panellete, assembly no.2, panel no.10, tube no.3.
Failure after 19 days from COD
MECHANISM: Short term overheating

ROOT CAUSE:- Inadequate flow due to

partial blockage

Location of
failure

(A pipe of approx. 100X300mm, 2 Nos tubes

of 50X100mm and number of filler wire were
found in inlet header during inspection of SH
divisional panel inlet header after BTL on
05.08.12).

BTF IN UNIT-1 OF SIPAT ON 15.09.12

DATE OF COD: 01.10.11
LOCATION: SH Divisional panellete, assembly no.2, panel no.5, tube no.5
Failure after 11.5 months from COD
MECHANISM: Short term overheating
ROOT CAUSE:- Inadequate flow due to
partial blockage
Location of
failure

One right angle tool in two pieces were found

inside LHS inlet header during inspection of
SH divisional panel inlet header

Rihand U-5