0

Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage and Measures

June 2017
Thermal Power Plant Engineering Group,
Power Plant Engineering Unit,
Technical Service Department

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 Contents 1

1. Classification of Causes of Tube 5. Corrosion

Leakage
5-1. Principle of Corrosion
2. Creep
5-2. Causes of Corrosion and Measures (1)
2-1. Principle of Creep
5-3. Causes of Corrosion and Measures (2)
2-2. Causes of Creep and Measures (1)
5-4. Causes of Corrosion and Measures (3)
2-3. Causes of Creep and Measures (2)
5-5. Causes of Corrosion and Measures (4)
3. Fatigue
3-1. Principle of Fatigue
3-2. Causes of Fatigue and Measures (1)
3-3. Causes of Fatigue and Measures (2)
4. Erosion
4-1. Causes of Erosion and Measures

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

1. Classification of Causes of Tube Leakage 2

Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage

 Creep  Fatigue  Erosion  Corrosion

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2. Creep 3

Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage

 Creep  Fatigue  Erosion  Corrosion

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2-1. Principle of Creep 4

 It is a phenomenon in which an object deforms as time passes when

a certain load (stress) is applied to it under a high temperature.

Primary
creep Secondary creep Tertiary creep
Elongation

Fracture

Elastic elongation
Time

 There are two types of creep damage: short-time creep and

long-time creep.
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2-2. Causes of Creep and Measures (1) 5

 Short-time creep

[Characteristics]
• Large deformation (large breach)
• Ductile fracture

Causes
 Obstruction caused by foreign objects entering inside a tube
 Obstruction inside a tube due to accumulation of SUS scale
 Loss of fluid inside a tube due to leakage at the upper stream side

Example of measures
 Thoroughly take measures for preventing entrance of foreign objects into
a tube at the time of an inspection
 SUS scale accumulation inspection
 Non-destructive inspection of attached metal materials
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2-3. Causes of Creep and Measures (2) 6

●Long-time creep

[Characteristics]
• Small deformation (small breach)
• Brittle fracture

Causes
 In a case where operation at a temperature higher than the design temperature is
conducted due to dirt in a furnace or an improper design
 Inhibition of heat transmission due to steam oxidation scale inside a tube
 Inhibition of heat transmission due to adhesion of scale inside a tube

Example of measures
 Life time management by means of creep life evaluation
 Remove scale from the inner surface of a tube on a regular basis
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Fatigue 7

Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage

 Creep  Fatigue  Erosion  Corrosion

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

3-1. Principle of Fatigue 8

 When repeated or variable stress is applied to a metal material, it

fractures with a stress lower than a certain stress.

Carbon steel S45C

Stress amplitude

Al alloy A5083-O

Number of repetition until a fracture occurs

Typical example of S-N curve1)

 Fatigue damage includes thermal fatigue and corrosion fatigue.

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

3-2. Causes of Fatigue and Measures (1) 9

 Thermal fatigue 拘束による応力発生

Stress caused by restraint stress

Small Large
Cause 伸び小
elongation 伸び大
elongation

 Expansion and contraction are restricted due to a difference in

temperature caused by start and stop, etc., and a difference in
expansion coefficient of materials.

Example of measure
 Preventive diagnosis by means of non-destructive inspection (PT, MT)

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

3-3. Causes of Fatigue and Measures (2) 10

 Corrosion fatigue Inner surface

A crack occurs

Welded part of
adhesive metal
Outer surface material
Macro structure of a cracked part of corrosion fatigue Tip of the crack
corrodes

Depth
A crack occurs at the
corroded part

Micro structure of a cracked part of corrosion fatigue

 When the fatigue test is conducted under a corrosion environment, a crack

occurs with fewer repetitions compared to under normal environment even when
the same stress is applied.
 Corrosion fatigue occurs due to layered action of stress and corrosion.
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. Erosion 11

Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage

 Creep  Fatigue  Erosion  Corrosion

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

4-1. Causes of Erosion and Measures 12

Principle
 It is sequential weight loss of the surface of a metal material
caused by friction.

Causes
 Fly ash contact friction at a combustion gas high flow rate area
 Friction of a furnace bottom tube caused by falling of furnace
slag
 Friction of a tube caused by sootblower

Example of measure
 Life time management based on the thickness measurement
result by means of a non-destructive inspection (UT)
 Install a protector at a location of erosion
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5. Corrosion 13

Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage

 Creep  Fatigue  Erosion  Corrosion

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 5-1. Principle of Corrosion 14

Principle
Corrosion = electrochemical reaction

Atmosphere Dissolution of oxygen

Base O2
material • Cathode reaction
(iron) Diffusion
O2 O2+2H2O+4e-→4OH-
H 2O Cathode …an electrode which
2e- OH-
Rust Fe(OH)2 receives electrons

Fe2+ • Anode reaction

Dissolution Fe→Fe2++2e-
Anode … an electrode which
releases electrons

©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

5-2. Causes of Corrosion and Measures (1) 15

Cause
 A variety of types of corrosion can occur depending on
combinations of environment, material, and structure.
• Crevice structure
• Overall corrosion • Stress condition
• Pitting corrosion • Bimetallic contact
• Crevice corrosion Structure • Shape, etc.
• Stress corrosion crack
• Alkali corrosion, etc.

• Carbon steel Material Environment

• Stainless steel
• Copper alloy, etc. • Dissolved oxygen, oxidant
• Impurities (Cl-, SO42- , etc.)
Example of measures • Anticorrosive, etc.

 Create a proper water supply environment and conduct daily

control
 Select proper materials and structure
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5-3. Causes of Corrosion and Measures (2) 16

 Corrosion of tube inner surface

(1) Elution of iron (3) Increase in tube wall temperature

Temperature rise

Boiler thermal load

(2) Generation of scale (4) Tube leakage

Generation
of scale

Source: Thermal and Nuclear Power Plant

Cause Vol.59 No.1

 Iron which dissolved out due to controlling water supply with acidity higher than
the proper value leads to a supersaturated condition, and it is deposited as scale.

Example of measures
 Review for a water supply treatment method to control iron elution
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5-4. Causes of Corrosion and Measures (3) 17

Inner surface corrosion of tube (resulting from phosphating)

(1) Alkali corrosion

Corrosion caused by sodium hydroxide free
from phosphoric acid
Na3PO4+H2O→Na2HPO4+NaOH
Fe+2NaOH→Na2FeO2+H2

(2) Acidic phosphate corrosion

3NaH2PO4+Fe3O4→3NaFePO4+1/2O2+3H2O

Causes
(1) Due to improper molar ratio of phosphoric acid, sodium hydroxide is
generated and causes corrosion.
(2) Excessive injection of phosphoric acid causes accumulation of acidic
phosphate, and thereby causes corrosion.

Example of measure
 Proper control of phosphoric acid injection volume and molar ratio
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5-5. Causes of Corrosion and Measures (4) 18

 Outer Sectional side view of boiler

Water wall tube

base material
surface
corrosion
of tube
←Stoke hold Groove
corrosion

Water wall tube in which groove Sulfidizing Ash

Burner corrosion emerged corrosion
Two-staged Cross sectional SEM picture of a water wall tube in which
combustion
Location where groove groove corrosion and sulfidizing corrosion emerged

Causes corrosion occurs

Source: Report of Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry [M16001]

 Change in temperature caused by attachment/detachment of clinker on

the surface of water wall tube at coal-fired power plant
 Sulfide corrosion caused by reduction environment → groove corrosion
occurs on tube surface

Example of measures
 Overlay welding of Inconel
 Injection of additive into coal
 Tube outer surface coating
©TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc. All Rights Reserved.