FAMILIARIZATION WITH THERMAL

SPRAY SYSTEM
by MEHUL N. DAVE

INTRODUCTION
Wear and Tear caused due to abrasion,
corrosion and impact cause damage of
billions of money every year worldwide,
could be avoided if the proper preventive
measure of wear and corrosion protection
were taken. These preventative measures
also mean precautions to regenerate the
equipment, which means repair and reintegration into the economic cycle.

MAJOR INDUSTRIES SERVICED

Steel Industries
Paper Plants
Thermal ,Hydro Power Plants
Refineries
Sugar Industries
Chemical And Fertilizers Plants
Cement Plants
Mining Industries And Equipment
Manufacturers
OEMs Of Steel, Power, Cement,
General Engineering Industries

Applications
Circulating Fluidized Bed Boilers (CFB)
Pulverized Coal Fired Boilers Biomass
Boilers
Black Liquor Recovery Boilers Digesters
Evaporators Flash Tanks
Process Vessels Tanks
Roller Journal/Shaft Pump Sleeve
Steel Structures
Dimensional Restoration

WEAR
Wear is the progressive damage,
involving material loss, which occurs on
the surface of a component as result of
its motion relative to the adjacent
working parts.

OCCURRENCE OF WEAR DEPENDS ON

Geometry of the surface

Applied load
The rolling and sliding velocities
Environmental conditions
Mechanical, Thermal, Chemical and Metallurgical
properties

Physical, Thermal and Chemical properties of the lubricant

METHODS TO IMPROVE WEAR RESISTANCE

Geometry of the surface

Alloying
Heat Treatment
Weld Overlays
Surface Coatings (1) Cold Repair
Products
(2) Thermal Spray

PROBLEMS

Erosion:- Erosive nature of sorbent

Lime stone in fuel particles at high
velocity go and hit the combustor
major up to one meter & at the corners
of boiler at 18 to 22 meter elevation
above refractory transit zone during
the process of combustion leads to
sever erosion of combustor tubes. This
causing tubes failure at early stage.

WHAT IS THERMAL SPRAY

Thermal spraying, also known as
metal spraying or metallizing is a
surface engineering / coating process
where a wide range of metals,
carbides and ceramics can be
applied (sprayed) onto the surface of
a component.

CONVEYANCE TECHNOLOGY OF
THERMAL SPRAY
Oxygen/Acetylene Wire & Powder Process
TWIN Wire Arc Spray Process
Plasma Spray Process

HVOF (High Velocity Oxy-Fuel)

TWIN Wire Arc Spray Process

Two wires of desired materials act as electrodes
when they're fed thru a spray gun. The gun is
connected to a high-current (DC) power source to
facilitate an arc between them. An air stream thru
the back of the gun atomizes and propels the
molten particles towards a prepared surface. With
adjustable parameters including voltage and
amperage arc temperatures can reach 5000C,
enough to melt any material, at the same time the
part surface remains cool. The process is
considered energy efficient because all of the input
energy is used to melt the spray materials.

SCHEMATIC OF TWIN WIRE ARC SPRAYING SYSTEM

Steps of TWAS
Surface preparation
Thermal spraying

Surface preparation
Alumina Al2O3 Grit Blasting (16 Grit)
RLA (roughness value = 50 before blasting,
approx 250 after blasting of water wall tubes)
This stage involves exposure to high velocity
Alumina grit particles. This stage is essential to
remove the worn out tube particles and to judge
the adherence of the coating on the Boiler tube
material.
This also enables removing corrosive media from
the tubes. Alumina Grit Blasting is done by
projecting a stream of Alumina Grit with high
pressure compressed air.
Blast cleaned steel surfaces shall not be touched
by bare hands.

Image of surface
preparation/Blasting

ALUMINA GRIT IMAGES

ALUMINUM GRIT BLASTING

BEFORE BLASTING TUBE

FURNACE AREA WERE COATING

APPLY

Location where coating process

carriedout

Thermal spraying
Armour 63 Twin wire Arc Spray Coating
Chemical Composition:
Fe Bal C <5% B<3.7% Cr <29% Si<1.4% Mn<1.7%
Other<2%
Atomizing Air Pressure: 50-75 psi
Nozzle Cap: Blue
Nozzle Positioner: Long +
Arc Load: 29-32 V
Current: 175-250 A
Coating Thickness Per Pass: 1.2-1.3 mil
Coating Texture: < 300 -inch
Spray Rate: 16 lbs/hr.
Deposition Efficiency: <65%
Wire Size: 1/16
Coverage: 0.7 oz/ft2/0.001

PROCEDURE
3 layers applied with different concentration
of nickel 95 %,80 %, pure tungsten carbide
respectively.
Armour 63 coating applied on up to one
meter & at corners 18 to 22 meter elevation
above refractory transit zone of the boiler
tube by application of High velocity dense arc
coating @ 500 microns thick which is being
recommended mainly for very high erosion
wear taking place at the refractory zone.

Thermal spray

FINAL VIEW OF COATED TUBE

EQUIPMENTS: MINI SILO

AIR RECEIVER TANK

TWAS

SPRAY GUN

ID FAN COVER COATING

MUD PUMP BODY

THANK YOU