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Rapid water quenching and formation of thermal fatigue cracks on the surface of a tube

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Abstract

In the process of combustion of low-grade solid fuels with complex composition of the mineral part, the heat exchange surfaces of boilers are covered with rapidly growing slag and ash deposits. Water cleaning is one of the most efficient methods of removal of deposits of this sort from the heated surfaces of boilers. As a result of rapid cooling of the outer surface of the metal, the protective oxide coating is destroyed and this accelerates the high-temperature corrosion of the metal and the formation thermal fatigue cracks. The criterion of appearance and the intensity of growth of thermal fatigue cracks strongly depend on the temperature field in the outer layer of the metal. We present the solution of the nonstationary heat conduction equation under the conditions of rapid cooling. The coefficient of convective heat transfer from the heated metal surface to the water jet is determined experimentally. We also study the conditions necessary for the initiation of thermal fatigue cracks and the intensity of their growth under laboratory and industrial conditions. A special formula is deduced for the evaluation of the intensity of crack growth depending on the number of cleaning cycles.

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Authors
  1. A. Ots
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Additional information

Tallinn Technical University, Department of Thermal Engineering, Tallinn, Estonia. Published in Fizyko-Khimichna Mekhanika Materialiv, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 84–92, July–August, 1999.

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Ots, A. Rapid water quenching and formation of thermal fatigue cracks on the surface of a tube. Mater Sci 35, 541–551 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02365753

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02365753

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