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Coal Ash Corrosion Failure of a Boiler Burner Corner Tube Made of Carbon Steel

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Abstract

This paper highlights the systematic techniques for failure investigation of a boiler tube from a fossil fuel-based power plant and discusses the mechanisms of the failure. Failure investigation was carried out through visual examination, dimensional measurements, chemical analysis, microstructure investigation, mechanical property evaluation, corroded surface analysis by scanning electron microscope with EDS (SEM-EDS), and deposits/reaction products analysis using x-ray diffraction technique. The burner corner bend tube failed due to coal ash corrosion at elevated temperature. The presence of corrosive elements like S, P, Na, and K, and their complex compounds like iron trisulfates of sodium (Na3Fe(SO4)3), potassium (K3Fe(SO4)3), and iron phosphate oxide (Fe2(PO4)O,) on the damaged surfaces confirms the hot ash corrosion. Ash-induced corrosion of the boiler tube caused substantial thinning in resulting leakage from the tube. Ash-induced corrosion was accentuated due to the deposition of ash on the bend portion of the burner corner tube. The upright concave side of the bend region of the tube acted as a pocket for ash collection and deposition. Prolong residence of the deposited ash on the bend region of the tube and high temperature (~540 °C) provided the necessary environment for ash-induced corrosion of the burner corner tube.

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Acknowledgement

Authors are thankful to the Director, CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, for his kind permission to publish this research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Engineering Division, CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, India

    Parikshit Munda, Murtuja Hussain & V. Rajinikanth

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  1. Parikshit Munda
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  2. Murtuja Hussain
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  3. V. Rajinikanth
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Correspondence to Parikshit Munda.

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Munda, P., Hussain, M. & Rajinikanth, V. Coal Ash Corrosion Failure of a Boiler Burner Corner Tube Made of Carbon Steel. J Fail. Anal. and Preven. 23, 1393–1401 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-023-01688-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-023-01688-7

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