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Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage and Measures
June 2017
Thermal Power Plant Engineering Group,
Power Plant Engineering Unit,
Technical Service Department
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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
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1. Classification of Causes of Tube Leakage 2
Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage
Creep Fatigue Erosion Corrosion
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2. Creep 3
Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage
Creep Fatigue Erosion Corrosion
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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.
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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
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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
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3. Fatigue 7
Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage
Creep Fatigue Erosion Corrosion
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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.
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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)
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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.
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4. Erosion 11
Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage
Creep Fatigue Erosion Corrosion
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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
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5. Corrosion 13
Causes of Boiler Tube Leakage
Creep Fatigue Erosion Corrosion
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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