Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Paper 3 Acid Dew Point Corrosion in HRSGs PDF
Paper 3 Acid Dew Point Corrosion in HRSGs PDF
A Maharatna Company
Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs and their
Remedial Measures
ASHWINI K. SINHA
AGM (NETRA)
ashwiniksinha@ntpceoc.co.in
ashwiniksinha@gmail.com
1
NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance (NETRA)
NTPC LIMITED.
E 3, Ecotech II, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida 201308 (UP) 14th Feb. 2012
FAX 0120-2350469
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Overview
Rankin
Efficiency & Availability Improvement and Cost Reduction:
Waste Heat Recovery, VFD Retrofit, Health Assessment,
Corresponding NH3/H2O Absorption Cycle
3
Temperature
8
1
7 2
Entropy
Cathodic
Protection
Corrosion of
Chemical
Turbines &
Development
Other
for CW System
Equipment
Health Corrosion
Assessment of Monitoring &
Boiler Tubes Corrosion Audit
Analysis,
Monitoring
& Control
Failure Laboratory Water
Investigations Management
1. Corrosion Assessment
2. Development of Chemical treatment for CW
3. Design of cathodic protection systems
(Condenser water boxes & underground
pipes)
4. Failure analysis (PA Fan blade, condenser
tubes)
5. Energy efficient coatings (Pumps, Ducts)
6. Control of corrosion of RCC structures
(cathodic protection of RCC structures)
7. Chemical cleaning of condensers & HRSGs
8. Corrosion audit (CW systems, Structures)
9. Development of water & waste water
treatment programs
10. Evaluation of Anti-Corrosive Coatings
L. P. Drum
DEAERATOR
FUEL H. P. Drum
(GAS / NAPTHA / HSD / NGL
Exhaust
COMBUSTION
CHAMBER
W.H.R.B.
AIR
GENERATOR
FLUE GAS
H.P.T.
L.P.T.
CONDENSER.
GENERATOR
CONDENSATE PUMP
COMPRESSOR GAS TURBINE
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
8
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Acidic particle emission, commonly termed "acid smut" or "acid fallout," is another
cold-end problem. It is caused by the production of large particulates (generally
greater than 100 mesh) that issue from the stack and, due to their relatively large
size, settle close to the stack. Usually, these particulates have a high
concentration of condensed acid; therefore, they cause corrosion if they settle on
metal surfaces.
10
The most common cause of cold-end problems is the condensation of sulfuric
acid. Sulfur in the fuel is oxidized to sulfur dioxide:
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
12
13
14
15
16
17
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
18
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
19
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
X-Ray Diffraction
20
Phases Identified FeO (OH), Fe2O3 (Sample amorphous in nature)
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Average Relative Humidity during the year: 79.4% (Min. 22.4%, Max. 96.9%)
24
Average Temperature during the year: 27.4 oC (Min. 16.4 oC, 35.8 oC)
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Gas-side layup
As ambient temperature increases during the daylight hours, the cooler HRSG
components, with their considerable thermal inertia, lag behind, and moisture
condenses on metal surfaces. Condensation typically occurs when the relative
humidity is more than 35%.
Also, when HRSG internal surfaces are cooler than ambient temperature,
reverse draft through the stack occurs. Air entering through the stack exits via
the gas turbine, open gas-side manways, and other leakage points.
Dewpoint corrosion of tubes, fins, headers, and casing can cause many
problems including particulate emissions at restart, piping and hanger corrosion,
increased gas-turbine backpressure, and reduced heat transfer in the HRSG.26
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Options for minimizing dewpoint corrosion include adding heat (1) by injecting
sparging steam on the water side, and (2) installing portable heating coils or
radiant heaters on the gas side. Another practical option is dehumidification. In
many cases, a combination approach may be required.
Finally, some plants that clean tube panels early in an outage see residual
deposits ―growing‖ as they absorb moisture. A good strategy for a long outage
may be to inspect the HRSG during the first five days of the outage, engage
heating or dehumidification, clean as close to restart as possible, and return to
the heating or dehumidification plan if startup is delayed.
27
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
28
Relationship between corrosion rate and the moisture content of air shows the
importance of maintaining relative humidity below about 40%.
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
29
The water vapour pressures from the water vapour table. A gas with 6.5 v% H2O has a
vapour pressure of 49.7 mm Hg (100 v% water has a vapour pressure of 758 mm Hg) and
a dewpoint of 38 °C.
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
31
Dew points of SO3 at various water contents of the gas, calculated from the formula
of Verhoff.
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
32
Dew points of SO2 at various water contents of the gas, calculated from the formula
of Kiang. The SO2 dew points for all gasses are lower than the water dew point of
the gasses.
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
33
Dew points of HCl at various water contents of the gas, calculated from the formula
of Kiang and the water vapour table.
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
34
Dew points of NO2 at various water contents of the gas, calculated from the formula
of Perry and the water vapour table
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
35
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
36
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Condensate Pre-heater (CPH), HP Evaporator and Stack liner of HRSGs are getting
affected by Corrosion by Condensed gases (SO2, H2O, NO2).
Corrosion products consists of iron oxides, sulphate , nitrate, and acid
insolubles and the products are acidic in nature.
Naptha contains around 0.01% sulphur and at around 6.5% moisture in flue gas,
the expected acid dew point is around 95 oC.
The flue gas temperature at CPH outlet is around 125 oC (rated 120 oC). This
suggests that flue gases are above acid dew point temperature during normal operating
period. However; the exit gas temperature is higher than the rated temperature,
suggesting that there is lesser heat transfer than the design in CPH region perhaps due
to fouling of tubes.
The deposit analysis indicates presence of sufficient quantity of sulphates (ranging
from 1000 -2500 ppm on boiler tubes & 58 ppm on stack liner), nitrates are
ranging from 4 ppm on stack to 22 ppm on boiler tubes and pH of 1% solution of
the deposit in water is ranging between 2.7 to 3.4.
The acid dew point of SO2 under the present conditions of operation is around 95
oC and dew point of NO2 is around 38 oC. These conditions can occur only when 37
the units are shutdown and the equipment are exposed to relative humidity of >
40% and ambient temperatures leading to corrosion from condensation of flue
gases.
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Control Measures
Application of Novolac Vinyl Ester Glass Flake coating 1000 – 1200 microns
DFT on Structures of CPH and Stack Liners to improve life of the
structures.
Prevent ingress of humidity & rainwater into the HRSG systems. One possible
method of keeping the gas side system dry is to install duct balloons at the
entrance of HRSG from gas turbine and in the stack.
Financial Gain
HRSG manhole
HRSG
42
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
44
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
45
Inflated Duct balloon inside stack
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Duct Balloons for isolating the gas path from atmosphere & humidity
46
Acid Dew Point Corrosion of HRSG NETRA
A Maharatna Company
47
Installation of dehumidifier in HRSG
Corrosion Monitoring NETRA
A Maharatna Company
V = I*R
Electrical
resistance
probe
R = ρ*l/A
Corrosion Monitoring NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Although still a time averaged technique, the response time for ER monitoring is
far shorter than that for weight loss coupons. The graph below shows typical
response times.
Corrosion Monitoring NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) and erosion corrosion (EC) are often used interchangeably
to describe similar material degradation processes. As a result, confusion exists regarding the
identification of FAC and the differences between FAC and EC. Both types of damage
involve destruction of a protective oxide film on the surface of a material (usually a
metal or metal alloy). The elimination or removal of the oxide film is generally referred to
as the "erosion" process. This is followed by electrochemical oxidation, or corrosive
attack of the underlying metal. Both processes involve a fluid that flows across or impinges
on a metal surface. The differences between FAC and EC involve the mechanism by which
the protective film is removed from the metal surface. In the EC process, the oxide film is
mechanically removed from a metallic substrate. This most often occurs under
conditions of two-phase flow (i.e., water droplets in steam, solid particles in water, or
steam bubbles in water). It is also possible, but less likely, for erosion to occur under single
phase flow conditions. For this to happen, the fluid velocity must increase the surface shear
stress to a level that causes the oxide film to breakdown. In addition to shear stress, there
must also be variations in the fluid velocity
In the FAC process, the protective oxide film is not mechanically removed. Rather, the
oxide is dissolved or prevented from forming, allowing corrosion of the unprotected
surface. Thus, flow-accelerated corrosion may be defined as corrosion, enhanced by mass
transfer, between a dissolving oxide film and a flowing fluid that is unsaturated in the
dissolving species.
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs
LP Feed Pipe
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs
LP Feed Pipe
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs
Water chemistry effects on FAC often are not well interpreted. The pH of feedwater and
steam droplets must be kept above a certain threshold, which depends on the pH agent
used and on temperature. For ammonia and amines, their effect diminishes with
temperature. For feedwater treatment with ammonia, a room-temperature pH above 9.5
is desirable.
Oxygen actually is good for preventing FAC. Experience indicates that 5 ppb of oxygen
in feedwater can practically stop FAC, while excessive concentration of oxygen scavengers
accelerates it. In most CC units that do not have copper-alloy tubing, oxygen concentrations
can be as high as 20 ppb without causing any problem.
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs
Any carbon- or low-alloy-steel component or piping system at a CC plant is a
candidate for FAC. These include:
1. Flowing water increases material loss rate exponentially with flow velocity. Data are for
neutral 580-psig/356F water with an oxygen content of less than 5 μg/kg. Exposure time is
200 hr
3. Oxygen content above 100 μg/kg gives maximum steel protection in neutral water
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs
This reaction is then followed by the Schikorr reaction where precipitated ferrous
hydroxide is converted into magnetite:
An effective FAC control program should include the assessment of the propensity of
different plant systems and components to FAC, the use of available software with
water and steam chemistry corrections and periodic inspections. Monitoring of iron
concentration around the steam cycle is also useful; elevated concentrations may
indicate ongoing damage in a specific subsystem. FAC and cavitation evaluation
procedures used include the combined effects of:
• Component geometry
• Flow velocity
• Material composition
• Operating experience.
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs
Notes: EI - economizer inlet, CPD - condensate pump discharge, DAI - deaerator inlet,
D - drum unit, O - once-through unit
* - Copper alloys may be present in condenser.
+ - These ORP values are meant to be indicative of a reducing treatment where a reducing agent
is added to the feedwater, after the CPD, and oxygen levels are less than 10 ppb at the CPD.
However, ORP is a sensitive function of many variables and may under these conditions be as
high as –80 mV.
For HRSG plants with all-ferrous feedwater systems the feedwater chemistry should be AVT(O)
to avoid single-phase FAC in the feedwater and LP evaporator circuit.
For both fossil and HRSG plants, the basic idea of AVT is to minimize corrosion and FAC by
using deaerated high purity water with elevated pH. The pH elevation should be achieved by the
addition of ammonia. The actual pH range depends on the cycle metallurgy. The use and application of AVT(R)
in either type of plant with all-ferrous feedwater systems can result in FAC
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs
Effect of pH on FAC
NETRA
A Maharatna Company
Flow Accelerated Corrosion in HRSGs
Recommendations:
1. AVT (O) water treatment should be continued with tighter control on water
chemistry parameters.
3. For new replacement and for new units material of construction may be
changed to P11 or P22.
83
83