BOILER WATER SYSTEMS

(Date: 14 Dec 2003)

OUTLINE:

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES INTERNAL TREATMENT

Corrosion

Types of Corrosion Corrosion Controls Effects of Deposition to Circulation Control of Deposition Causes of Carryover Effects of Carryover Prevention of Carryover

Deposition

Carryover

BOILER BLOWDOWN

Definitions:

Corrosion: Corrosion is the deterioration of metal by chemical or electrochemical reaction with its environment. Deposition: Accumulation of material on boiler surfaces that causes overheating and/or corrosion.
Carryover: Any solid, liquid, or vaporous contaminant that leaves a boiler drum w/ the steam

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Deaerator Cracking Feedwater Line Erosion Economizer Tube Pitting Failures Due to Overheating Failures Due to Corrosion Superheater Tube Failure Boiler Design Problems

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Deaerator Cracking

Common Points where Cracks Develops:

Welds Heat Affected Zones near the Welds

Mitigating Measures:

Stress relieving of Welds Minimize thermal and mechanical stress during operation &

* PROPERLY DESIGNED WATER CHEMISTRY *

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Feedwater Line Erosion:

Cause: High-velocity Water / water-steam

mix

Commonly seen @:

Hairpin bends in steaming economizers

Feedwater line thinning pattern due to

High-velocities

Mitigating Measures:

Maintaining the tenacious oxide layer in the line through a * PROPERLY DESIGNED WATER CHEMISTRY *

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Economizer Tube Pitting:

Most severe damage occurs @:

Economizer Inlet, and, when present,

Tube weld seams

Deaeration Oxygen Scavenger Fatigue Cracking at the rolled tube ends Fireside corrosion

Mitigating Measures:

Other Common Failures:

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BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Failures Due to Overheating:

Commonly associated with DEPOSITION

Failures associated are:

Thin-lipped Bursts due to rapid

escalation of Temperatures

Thick-lipped Fissure or opening

due to long-term scaling condition

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BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Failures Due to Corrosion:

Stress Corrosion Cracking May result in either intercrystalline or transgranular cracking of Carbon Steel due to a combination of metal stress and the presence of corrosive Caustic Embrittlement (i.e. specific form of stress corrosion) A result of intercrystalline cracking of steel due to the presence of (1) specific conditions of stress; (2) mechanism for concentration such as leakeage; and (3) free NaOH in the Boiler Water Failures commonly occur @ points where tubes are rolled into sheets, drums, or headers. Fatigue and Corrosion Fatigue Generally due to cyclic stress (i.e. mechanical in nature) Stress-Induced Corrosion Portions susceptible are those exposed from mechanical forces applied during manufacturing and fabrication processes

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Failures Due to Corrosion (contn):

Dissolved O2 Corrosion (please see PITTING)

link

Chelant Corrosion (i.e. the attack is of dissolving or thinning in nature due to chelant use) link Caustic Attack (or Caustic Corrosion)

Encountered in Boilers w/ Demin water and most often occurs in phosphate-treated boilers where tube deposits form Caused by localized concentration of NaOH under porous boiler deposits on heat transfer surfaces The localized high pH environment continuously dissolves away the protective magnetite layer to create a broad area of wall thinning (i.e.gouge)

Tube Thinning due Steam Blanketing

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Failures Due to Corrosion (contn):

Acidic Attack

link General thinning of all surfaces due to depress boiler pH cause by (1) acid leak from demin treatment plant that goes along w/ the FW makeup; or (2) condensate Cl- contamination

Corrosion Due to Copper Hydrogen Attack or Embrittlement

link Usually occurs only in units operating at pressures of 1500 psig or higher H2 generation from localized low pH excursions. This can happen due to acid contamination, sea water leaks at condenser, MgCl2 decomposition to form HCl

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

Failures Due to Corrosion (contn):

Superheater Tube Failures

Oxidation due to high gas temperatures, usually occurring during transition periods (i.e. startup and shutdown) Oxygen pitting, that is usually occurring during downtime. Certain flaws on design can contribute to tube failures and may also be intensified by poor boiler water chemistry.

Boiler Design Problems

To Internal Treatment

BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

LINKS

Hydrogen Attack:

Acid Corrosion

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BOILER SYSTEM FAILURES

LINKS

Caustic Attack:

Back

INTERNAL TREATMENT

The last line of defence targeting:

Corrosion Deposition Carryover

INTERNAL TREATMENT
Formation of a Protective Oxide Films:

Clean mild steel readily reacts with water to form Magnetite (Fe3O4) through a series of reaction as follows: Fe (metal) + 2H2O -> Fe2+ + 2OH- + H2

then

3Fe2+ + 4H2O -> Fe3O4 + 4H2

INTERNAL TREATMENT

Corrosion:

Types:

Galvanic Corrosion
-

occurs when a metal or alloy is electrically coupled to a different metal or alloy anything that results in a difference in electrical potential at discrete surface location can cause Galvanic corrosion which includes

Caustic Corrosion (as discussed)

Acidic Corrosion (as discussed)

Oxygen Attack (as discussed)

INTERNAL TREATMENT

Acid Attack:
1) Hydrolysable Chlorides (seawater

ingress):
MgCl2 + H2O MgO + 2HCl

Caustic Attack

INTERNAL TREATMENT

pH Control:

pH = 8.5

pH = 12.7

INTERNAL TREATMENT

pH Control:

Volatile Alkali Treatment (@ Feedwater & Demin Makeup): Ammonia (NH3) NH3 + H2O NH4+ + OHPhosphate (@ LP Drum): Trisodium Phosphate (Na3PO4) Na3PO4 + H2O Na2HPO4 + NaOH Chemical De-aeration: Hydrazine (N2H4): N2H4 + O2 N2 + H2O 3N2H4 4NH3 + N2 Physical De-aeration: De-aerator

Oxygen Control:

(@ temp above 1500C) or (@ higher temperature)

INTERNAL TREATMENT

Deposition:

Scale: is a deposited layer of slightly soluble salt formed on a heat transfer surface when solubility limit of the salt is exceeded. Fouling:

Particulate Matter
Corrosion Products Hydrocarbons Microbiological Ca and/or Mg combined w/ sulphates, carbonate, or phosphate; SiO2 ; and oxides of Fe

Normal Scale Constituents are:

INTERNAL TREATMENT

Effects of Deposition to Circulation:

The fluid density difference from the cold to the hot side produces a driving force for flow. Tubes with deposits have greater friction resistance to flow than clean tubes. When circulation is decreased, the following can occur:

LIGHT HOT STEAM/WATER MIXTURE

COLD HEAVY
WATER

HEAT

Flow direction

increased deposition premature steam/water separation dry-out of tube wall Overheating (related to DNB) link

LARGE STEAM SURGE BUBBLE

HEAT

INTERNAL TREATMENT

Control of Deposition:

Phosphate Treatment (TSP - Na3PO4)

As it maintains the right level of boiler water alkalinity, phosphate also rapidly converts Ca2+/Mg2+ salts ingress or traces into a relatively insoluble Ca2+/Mg2+ phosphates thus can be easily removed by blowing down.

INTERNAL TREATMENT

Carryover:
Is any solid, liquid, or vaporous contaminant

that leaves a boiler

steam drum with the steam.

INTERNAL TREATMENT
Steam Purity vs Steam Quality: Steam purity is the measurement of solid, liquid, or vaporous contamination in the steam (eg, SiO2, Na, or Fe) Steam quality is the measurement of moisture in steam Effects of Carryover: Superheater Tube Deposits Turbine Blade Deposits Turbine Blade / Steam Line Erosion Thermal & Mechanical Shock Chemical Factors: Causes of Carryover: Mechanical Factors: High total solids concentrations (dissolve &/or suspended) Boiler Design Inadequate or leaking separating Excessive alkalinity equipment Presence of Oily Materials and other organic contaminants High water levels Load Characteristics Selective vaporous carryover

INTERNAL TREATMENT

Prevention of Carryover:

Mechanical Control:

Secondary Separation:
Steam
Screen Enlarged Section Through Screen

Primary Separation - the means of separation is the difference in density between water and steam

Secondary Separation (aka steam scrubbing) - by the use of closely fitted screens or corrugated plates
Steam & Water

INTERNAL TREATMENT

Prevention of Carryover:

Chemical Control:

Limiting the principal chemical factors that causes carryover within set limits Ensuring that the effect of mechanical factors are kept to minimum (i.e. relating to design, operational, and maintenance approach) Boiler Blowdown

Boiler Blowdown

Boiler Blowdown is the removal of concentrated water (i.e. due to cycling) from a Boiler.
The primary purpose is to control boiler water parameters within prescribed limits to minimize scale, corrosion, carryover, and other specific problems.

Boiler Blowdown

Manual Blowdown:

Intermittent manual blowdown is designed to remove suspended solids, including any sludge formed in the boiler.

Continuous Blowdown:
As the term implies, is the continuous removal of water from the boiler. This ensures that proper boiler water quality can be maintained at all times

THANK YOU!
Team Members: Charley M. Montero Jr. Jessie Alarcos Ganesan Selvakumar