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Energy Materials

Materials Science and Engineering for Energy Systems

ISSN: 1748-9237 (Print) 1748-9245 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/yema20

Repair welding technologies for heat recovery


steam generator tubing

D. Gandy, G. Frederick & K. Coleman

To cite this article: D. Gandy, G. Frederick & K. Coleman (2006) Repair welding technologies
for heat recovery steam generator tubing, Energy Materials, 1:2, 127-135, DOI:
10.1179/174892306X99714

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/174892306X99714

Published online: 20 Nov 2013.

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Download by: [Florida Atlantic University] Date: 16 April 2016, At: 05:02
Repair welding technologies for heat recovery
steam generator tubing
D. Gandy*, G. Frederick and K. Coleman
A number of premature failures have been observed in heat recovery steam generators, both
along the length of finned tubes and at attachment locations where tubes are joined to the upper
or lower header. Such failures are expensive to correct; furthermore, poor welding access and
repair practices often result in recurrence of the failures with existing welding technology. Two
separate welding technologies under development to address tube failures are described. In the
first, for failures along the length of the tube, damaged sections are severed from the existing tube
and replaced via gas metal arc welding from the inside of the tube. A welding head has been
specifically designed to perform this inside out ‘window weld’ repair. The second technology
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addresses tube to header attachment damage via removal of the existing stub from the inside of a
header and its replacement with a slightly oversized and tapered tube. The two technologies
identified have the potential to give significant improvements in repair of heat recovery steam
generator tube failures by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and repair organisations.
Keywords: Repair welding, Finned tubes, Heat recovery steam generators, Heat exchanger tubing

Introduction Background: boiler waterwall window


Tube failures in heat recovery steam generators welding
(HRSGs) are often the result of high thermal stresses Replacement of tube sections in boiler waterwall
or thermal shock associated with cyclical plant opera- applications (often referred to as window welding) is
tion. Premature failures have been observed both complicated by limited access to the rear or casing side
along the length of finned tubes and at attachment of the tubes during welding/tube replacement. Limited
locations where tubes are joined to the upper or lower access often results in poor weld quality because the
header. welder cannot see the rear of the tube. As a result, in
Finned tube repair in HRSGs requires that the welder 2001 EPRI initiated work to develop an automated
gain access to the damaged tube by cutting into the tube welding device to improve weld quality for replacement
bundle, repair the damaged tube by replacing a short waterwall tubing. A patented prototype device was
section and close the access window by rewelding subsequently assembled.2,3
(replacing short sections of) each tube in the bundle as The novel design utilised prefabricated 16 in
he or she works backwards to final tube replacement. (406 mm) long sections that were prepped on both ends
These time consuming and costly repairs have a high and contained an access window (Fig. 1). Tube welding
rate of repeat failures as a result of both the welder’s was performed from the inside diameter (inside out) of
limited access to the damaged tube and the lack of the tube, as opposed to conventional outer diameter
welding technologies specific to the task. Moreover, welding. Actual welding was performed remotely using a
undamaged tubes have to be severed to gain access to two piece weld head that could be consistently preplaced
damaged tubes deep in the tube bundle. inside of the tube at a specified distance from the weld
EPRI has recently embarked on a programme to joint location. The access window can be completed
review existing and commercially available tube welding using gas metal arc welding (GMAW) or gas tungsten
equipment and to identify an improved technology for arc welding (GTAW).
performing HRSG tube repairs. Previous efforts to After the prototype was assembled, the device under-
develop an automated window welding device1 have went additional testing at a midwestern power plant.
provided the basis for addressing finned HRSG tubing Three limitations were immediately identified:
repairs. (i) the copper tube through which the wire was fed
was not sufficiently rigid to allow repeatable field
welding
(ii) the electronics of the device could be improved
Department of Materials and Corrosion, EPRI, 1300 West HT Harris Blvd, considerably
Charlotte, NC 28262, USA (iii) the wire feed through was difficult and required
*Corresponding author, email gavgandy@epri.com special attention.

ß 2006 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining


and W. S. Maney & Son Ltd
Received 8 December 2005; accepted 6 January 2006
DOI 10.1179/174892306X99714 Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2 127
Gandy et al. Repair welding technologies for heat recovery steam generator tubing
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1 Prefabricated tube including inverted weld preps (weld


from ID) and along with window in centre of tube

In spite of these shortcomings, the prototype concept


was considered sound and the device was deemed a
viable option for future tube repairs. The device was
then further developed and refined in collaboration with
Carolina Energy Solutions and its equipment manufac-
turing service arm, Aggressive Equipment Inc. This
involved reconfiguration from a two piece to a single
piece welding head, as is described in detail below.

HRSG repairs
Concurrent with the development of the prototype 2 Single piece ID tube welder inserted into tube for
welding device, EPRI began to develop material welding
selection and repair guidelines for HRSGs.2 Tubing
repair was identified as an area requiring better welding was believed the window welding device could, with a
equipment to improve the quality of installation and few modifications, be employed for HRSG tube to tube
repair. (replacement of a tube section) welding applications.
Two types of tube repairs were identified. First, During the first half of 2004, improvements in the
repairs on tubing away from the upper or lower headers window welding device and conversion into a single
require welders either to cut their way in and weld their piece welder suitable for use in HRSG tubing and boiler
way out or to plug and abandon the tube. The result is water wall applications were undertaken.
often poor quality tube welds owing to access limitations In April 2004, conceptual work began on a method
on the rear side of each tube. Mirror welding is for repair of tubing to header attachments. A repair
commonly used on the back side of each tube; however, approach was identified and a welding equipment
this repair technique requires a highly skilled welder and vendor (Encompass Machines Inc.) selected to develop
still often results in poor quality. Replacement sections, a second welding device, which was made available in
in which at least two OD welds are required, are early 2006. The repair approach for header to stubtube
commonly used. Second, repairs at tubing to header damage repair is described below.
attachments require a similar approach in cutting in and
welding back out. Another approach often used is to
plug the tube from the inside of the header. This
ID tube welder
approach, however, reduces plant efficiency because the The redesign of the ID tube welder retained the
plugged tube is essentially removed from service. prefabricated replacement tube (including the preplaced
Improved means of addressing these forms of repair window, see Fig. 1), along with the GMAW process.
were investigated. For the tube welding application, it The weld was completed from the inside diameter of the

128 Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2


Gandy et al. Repair welding technologies for heat recovery steam generator tubing
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3 Another view of ID tube welder after removal from tube

tube (welds at top and bottom). By reconfiguring the adjustments can be made to ¡0.375 in (9.5 mm) for
welding head to a single piece design, the prefabricated multipass welding applications. Gas coverage is pro-
replacement tube length could be reduced to 12–14 in vided for high alloy welding applications via the collet
(300–360 mm). As before, an inverted (inside out) weld just below the weld head. Gas coverage can be
prep was employed. maintained from prepurge to post-purge and through-
The single piece welding device shown in Figs. 2 and 3 out the welding process. Rice paper can be placed within
makes use of alignment collars that are secured within the existing tube to provide a boundary outboard of the
the replacement tube both above and below the window. weld region.
These collars can be sized for 1 in (25 mm) i.d. to 3 in Easy use of the ID device issue was actively promoted
(75 mm) o.d. tubes, thus offering a wide range of in several ways, including minimising the weight,
capabilities regardless of HRSG or water wall tube size. prefabricating the tubes with standardised windows
Once inserted into the tube window, a novel handle and keeping the operation requirements simple.4 The
design enables the bottom collar to be centred and lighter weight enabled the welder to carry the system
secured (or retracted) in a single motion. The handle is directly to the repair location. The weight of the overall
spring loaded for easy insertion or retraction. This system was minimised by using a lightweight GMAW
feature allows a reduced working envelope and enabled power supply that could be placed within 10 ft (3 m) of
the device to be reduced to a single piece design. the weld region, a push wire feeder, a compact pendant
Another feature is height adjustment. A height board and a lightweight, aluminium based ID weld
indicator enables the user to determine vertical position head.
of the weld head, thus allowing incremental changes The use of the GMAW process and prefabricated
when necessary to better position the weld torch. Height tubes with standardised windows enables the welder to

Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2 129


Gandy et al. Repair welding technologies for heat recovery steam generator tubing

5 Failed HRSG tube at header location


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are performed (one at the top location and the other at


the bottom) to secure the replacement section of the
tube. Owing to the small thickness of the existing tube,
one pass welding is typically used for both welds.
4 Premachined oval shaped insert used for window
On completion of the two welds, the final weld to
replacement
close and seal the access port is performed. A
premachined oval shaped insert (see Fig. 4) is used for
this replacement, the weld being performed manually by
generate repetitive welds with few changes. Simplicity of
the welder using the GTAW process. Because the welder
operation was promoted by eliminating vision systems
has much better access to the front of the tube
and by using an up slope and down slope to taper for
appropriate weld conditions, a height adjustment feature (compared with welding using a mirror on the back
for incremental position changes and an automatic lock side), high quality closure welds can be produced
that positions the weld head consistently within the consistently.
centre of the window, thus reducing the need for One goal of this effort was to provide utility
alignment. Single- or multiple pass welding is readily maintenance crews with a readily deployable welding
achievable. device that could be quickly mobilised and used. In
Another important objective was to keep the cost of addition, plants having premachined tube inserts on the
the system low, so that individual plants could afford to shelf can substantially reduce time to repair the
have a window welder on site to address tubing failures damaged tube and rapidly return the plant to service.
immediately. The ID tube welder was launched publicly
in June 2004. HRSG header to tube damage repair
The second form of repair identified2 was tube to header
HRSG tube to tube repairs attachment repair (see tube failure at header location in
HRSG tube to tube weld repairs are somewhat Fig. 5). Owing to limited access, this form of repair is
complicated by the fins around the diameter of the often more difficult to perform than that of conventional
tubing. Repairs are currently performed with the tube repairs; indeed, tube failures are often left in place
shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process, wherein a and simply plugged. Plugging requires:
short section of tubing is removed, fins are removed (i) removing a window within the header 180u
from the tube ends, the tube is machine prepped for away from the stub tube attachment location
welding, and an SMAW weld repair is completed. (ii) machining and inserting a plug into the
Limited access to the back side of tubing weldment often damaged tube bore
results in poor weld quality. In addition, the welder has (iii) welding the plug into place
to work through a small enclosure that is encumbered by (iv) reinstalling the window.
the finned tubing that surrounds the tube being repaired. The selection of a repair methodology is complicated by
Only a straight section of tube, which does not (usually) the number of attachment configurations used by
have fins, is used in the replacement tube. industry. Tube to tube attachment weld designs used
The ID tube welder approach still requires removal of by OEMs include:
the tubing; however, all welding is performed from the (i) partial penetration welds
inside of the tube. The new section of tubing, which (ii) full penetration welds
contains preps on either end of the tube and a machined (iii) forged nipples with full penetration welds
access port at the centre of the tube, is inserted into the (iv) separate nipples and full penetration welds
location where the original tube was damaged. Welds between nipple and header and to tube.

130 Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2


Gandy et al. Repair welding technologies for heat recovery steam generator tubing
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6 Example HRSG header attachment configurations

Examples of each of these weld designs are provided in in Fig. 7. The base plate is mounted 180u away and
Fig. 6 and the advantages and disadvantages of each centred axially along the header from the damaged tube
form of repair have been discussed elsewhere.5 An location.
approach applicable to all four designs was eventually Once the base plate is in place, the EDM assembly is
developed. mounted to it. An EDM electrode, fabricated to match
The methodology involves a more pragmatic the contour and diameter of the header, is inserted into
approach to HRSG header to tube damage than is the EDM assembly and a small plug is removed 180u
currently used by industry. Repair vendors and OEMs from the damaged tube location to provide access to the
currently address tube attachment damage from the inside of the tube. The diameter of the EDM hole is
outside of the header. This requires cutting past a ,0.25 in (0.64 cm) greater than the stub tube diameter
number of tubes in a tube bundle, performing the weld and ,0.5 in (1.3 cm) greater than the damaged tube (see
repair from the outside of the tube (often requiring step 5).
partial tube replacement) and rewelding all the tubes cut Step 2: align base plate
to gain access. This approach is not only time
Once the access hole has been fabricated and the EDM
consuming and costly but also often results in poor
assembly removed, the next step in the process is to
weld quality owing to the limited access. It also requires
release the base plate straps and recentre the base plate.
cutting and rewelding multiple tubes that otherwise have
no damage.
The new approach sought to address header to tube
damage from the inside of the header, which involves a
number of steps as follows.

Step 1: EDM access hole in header


The first step in the repair process involves the use of
electro discharge machining (EDM) to open an access
hole in the header. Conventional machining could have
been employed, but it was felt that EDM would
minimise the presence of machine shavings and intro-
duce only minimal particulate (which, hopefully, could
be trapped) into the overall machining process.
The base plate is the platform from which all major
steps are to launched, including EDM, cutting, tube
insertion, welding, etc. The base plate is mounted using
straps that can be secured around the header, as shown 7 Base plate mounted to header using straps

Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2 131


Gandy et al. Repair welding technologies for heat recovery steam generator tubing

the dual point machining to be performed in step 4. The


diameter of the flat bottom hole is slightly greater than
the new stub tube, which will be press fitted in step 5.
Therefore, the EDM assembly is reinstalled with a new
flat bottom electrode and the flat bottom hole is
machined. The EDM assembly is then removed.

Step 4: cutting operations


After securing the mandrel, the cutting assembly is
secured to the base plate. The assembly includes a drive
assembly made of a motor and gearing, a two post
design to rigidly secure the cutting assembly to the base
plate, and a cutter shaft assembly (that includes tooling)
mounted over the mandrel. The assembly utilises a
manual drive assembly to raise and lower the cutter
shaft and set tool bits in place. Another feature of the
cutter assembly is that it can be disconnected from the
cutter shaft and pivoted on only one of the two posts.
This enables rapid change out of the cutter shaft
assembly and/or tool bits.
The actual cutting operation is begun by lowering the
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cutter shaft/tooling to within ,0.125 in (0.3 cm) from


the flat bottom hole. The equipment is energised and the
cutter shaft/tooling is gradually lowered until contact is
made with the flat bottom hole. Plunge machining
begins at this point and is continued until a new
penetration is made on the opposite side of the header
(180u away from the access hole) and until the
8 Mandrel is inserted through mock-up header (no tube
damaged tube is machined to a sufficient depth [usually
attached)
1–3 in (2.5–7.6 cm) below the header OD] to facilitate
installation of the new stub tube. Note that by this point,
This is accomplished using an alignment plug and
all of the damage from the existing tube has been
centring ring. The realignment step is required to make
removed.
certain the entire device (and overall process) is centred
The next step in the process is disengaging the cutter
exactly over the damaged tube location. In step 1, the
shaft/tooling and removing it from the new hole, at
access hole is roughly placed along the header axis at a
which time a new end prep tool is installed. The new end
position 180u from the tube location. When working
prep tool is then relowered with the shaft to complete
under limited space conditions, centring the access hole the weld preparation on the end of the tube. A dual tool
accurately (step 1) is not easy. Therefore, step 2 allows cutter head is employed for both plunge machining and
for realignment and precise centring of the base plate, final end prep machining. Additional discussion of the
directly over (or under) the damaged tube location. weld joint configuration is provided in step 7.
Once the alignment has been completed and the straps
are resecured, the alignment plug and centring ring can
be removed. Step 5: insertion of new stub tube
The overall repair process makes use of a stub tube
(Fig. 9), which is somewhat greater in diameter and is
Step 3: mandrel insertion tapered to coincide with a slightly greater diameter of
Next, a mandrel is inserted into the existing damaged the existing tube. Also notable is that a specific joint
tube. The mandrel is made in two segments, each ,12 in geometry is used on the end of the tube, which allows the
(30 cm) long (lengths will vary depending on header stub tube section to slip over the existing tube (see lower
diameter). The mandrel is inserted into the tube to illustration in Fig. 9). Another feature of the stub tube is
capture the damaged tube so that it does not spring or that the upper profile of the tube has been fabricated to
get away during the repair process and to create a match the contour of the inside diameter of the header.
centring device on which subsequent cutting operations This facilitates header to tube welding, as discussed in
will be based. The mandrel is fabricated using a tighten- step 9.
up draw bar that expands to secure the grippers (located Insertion of the tube is accomplished using a tool that
at the end of the mandrel) within the tube section. An rigidly secures the tube as it is slipped over the mandrel.
example of the actual mandrel is shown in Fig. 8. This The insertion tool has been fabricated so that it
example illustrates the mandrel penetrating the header in automatically rotates the contoured stub tube to meet
the location where the tube would be. The damaged tube the contour of the inside diameter of the header,
is (obviously) not in place. assuring proper alignment each time; and enables the
The cutting operations (step 4) once again make use of stub tube to be press fitted into place within the header
the EDM assembly to generate a flat bottom hole inside penetration and over the existing end prepped tube. A
the header, directly over the tube location. The flat photograph of a stub tube pressed into place through the
bottom hole is necessary to provide a good surface for header and over the existing tube is shown in Fig. 10.

132 Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2


Gandy et al. Repair welding technologies for heat recovery steam generator tubing
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9 Tapered stub tube employed to join existing tube to


header

Step 6: preheating 10 Stub tube shown in final position after press fitted
into place
At this point in the process, all machining operations
have been completed and the stub tube is in place to
begin the preheating, welding and post weld heat requirements. The welding device must be capable of
treatment (PWHT) operations. Note that the entire both attaching directly to the base plate and extending
repair process involves P/T91 header, tubing and a stub down into the header to address contour type welds.
tube. P/T91 is a material that must be handled with Figure 11 demonstrates the actual welding in process
utmost care to avoid future damage. from the inside diameter of a header.
Before beginning welding operations, P91 materials
will require preheating to 204uC (400uF). A preheating Step 8: tube to tube welding
methodology was identified in early 2006 and demon- The tube to tube weld is next performed. As described
strated via an HRSG mockup. above, the new stub tube is configured to slide over the
outer diameter of the existing tube, to prevent the tube
Step 7: welding header to stub tube from swinging or moving, before and during the welding
Two welds must be performed to install the stub tube: to process, and to provide backing so that an open root
secure the stub tube to the header and (in step 8) to the type weld will not be required.
existing finned tube. As discussed in step 5, the new stub The present configuration makes use of a consumable
tube is press fitted, resulting in a tight fit with the header, insert that is tacked inside the stub tube and slid over the
and is also pressed into place so that it fits over the existing tube. A completed weld that has been cross-
existing stub tube to keep it from moving. The stub tube sectioned and polished is shown in Fig. 12.
itself is contoured and prepared for welding before its
insertion into the header. Step 9: closure weld (replace access hole)
Header to stubtube (HST) welding makes use of a gas Before completing the final, PWHT of the previous two
tungsten arc profile weld head that has been specially welds (steps 7 and 8), it is necessary to complete the
designed for this welding operation. Profile welding of closure weld that replaces the access hole generated in
abnormal geometries (such as saddle welds and elbows) step 1 of the repair process. The closure weld will also
is difficult and is normally conducted using manual require PWHT, so all three welds should be heat treated
welding processes. Though manual welding was con- concurrently.
sidered for the HST weld, the repair team believed the The closure weld employs the plug that was removed
process must be automated owing to the limited space to generate the access hole during the EDM process

Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2 133


Gandy et al. Repair welding technologies for heat recovery steam generator tubing

The weld build-up should be accomplished outside the


HRSG in a controlled area where the plug can be
effectively GTAW welded using a B9 type filler. The
build-up should be sufficient to allow a 30u weld prep to
be machined around its diameter to match the 30u weld
prep required for the access hole. The latter weld prep
could be performed before removing the weld base plate
by simply reinserting the tooling device.
Once the two weld preps (plug and access hole) have
been completed, the plug can be reinserted into the
header. This can be accomplished by tacking the plug into
place, continuing the welding preheat on the overall
header, and completing the final weld to secure the plug.
This weld should be straight forward, easily accessible
and easy to address with manual GTAW.

Step 10: post weld heat treatment


The final step in the overall repair process is to complete
the PWHT of all three welds and the surrounding repair
region. As mentioned in step 6 (welding preheat), the
preheating and PWHT methodologies were developed in
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early 2006 using an HRSG mockup.


11 Welding stub tube to header in process, as shown
from header inside diameter
Summary and conclusions
(step 1), to minimise costs and avoid potential delays. Tube damage and attachment damage have resulted in a
The plug diameter must be built up slightly (via welding) considerable number of failures in HRSG equipment.
to prepare the plug for reinsertion, because EDM This has led to demand for less obtrusive, more
removes material at a thickness equivalent to the repeatable welding methodologies to perform these two
thickness of the EDM electrode. forms of repair. Equipment capable of implementing such

12 Cross-sectional view of completed tube to tube weldment

134 Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2


Gandy et al. Repair welding technologies for heat recovery steam generator tubing

methodologies would benefit power plant personnel, Equipment for their input, insight and development
repair vendors, installers and OEMs. Equipment design capabilities in bringing the tube to tube welder to
and development during 2004 and 2005 has achieved market. Thanks are also expressed to members of the
significant progress towards this objective: EPRI Boiler Life & Availability program (P63), and to
1. A patented ID tube welder has been prototyped, R. Tilley who manages this programme for funding and
developed and commercialised for performing both water pursuing advanced welding technologies for water wall
wall window welds and HRSG tube to tube weld repairs. applications that eventually led to the development of
2. The ID Tube Welder significantly reduces the time the ID tube welder. The authors would also like to thank
required to perform window welds or HRSG tube to K. Spencer, P. Nusbaum and K. Brazzell of Encompass
tube welds compared with conventional SMAW type Machines for their assistance in bringing the HST repair
repairs. Furthermore, it provides power plants with a device to market. The collaboration of Specialty
consistent, rapidly deployable method to perform Welding and Machine as the primary contractor in
repairs and minimise welder error. development of the boiler water wall window welding
3. A tube to header attachment repair methodology device and of Mannings USA in development of PWHT
has been identified to address all four attachments now methodologies for finned tube repair is gratefully
offered by OEMs. Equipment development has been acknowledged.
completed for all machining steps involved in the repair
process (EDM and plunge type cutting). Development References
has also been completed for the two welding steps where
1. EPRI: ‘Boiler life and availability improvement’, Program 63, Palo
a new stub tube is attached to the header and a tube to Alto, CA, USA, available at: www.epri.com/portfolio.
tube weld is completed between the existing tube and the 2. ‘HRSG material selection and repair guidelines’, Report 1004875,
new stub tube. The new repair technology for attach- EPRI, Palo Alto, CA, 2004.
Downloaded by [Florida Atlantic University] at 05:02 16 April 2016

ment welds was made available in February 2006. 3. ‘Method and apparatus and prefabricated replacement tube for
localized waterwall repair’, US Patent 6,596,957 B2, EPRI, Palo
Alto, CA, 2003.
Acknowledgements 4. Aggressive Equipment, Inc. web site photographs, available at:
http://www.aggressive-equipment.com/new/idtubeweld.html.
The authors thank R. Bryant, R. Phillips, L. Tellone and 5. ‘Delivering high reliability heat recovery steam generators’, Report
D. Thorton from Carolina Energy Solutions/Aggressive 1004240, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA, 2003.

Energy Materials 2006 VOL 1 NO 2 135

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