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Alloy 430 ferritic stainless steel welds fail due to stress-corrosion cracking in heat-recovery steam generator

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Abstract

Alloy 430 stainless steel tube-to-header welds failed in a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) within one year of commissioning. The HRSG was in a combined cycle, gas-fired, combustion turbine electric power plant. Alloy 430, a 17% chromium (Cr) ferritic stainless steel, was selected because of its resistance to chloride and sulfuric acid dewpoint corrosion under conditions potentially present in the HRSG low-pressure feedwater economizer. Intergranular corrosion and cracking were found in the weld metal and heat-affected zones (HAZs). The hardness in these regions was up to 35 HRC, and the weld had received a postweld heat treatment (PWHT). Metallographic examination revealed that the corroded areas contained undertempered martensite. Fully tempered weld areas with a hardness of 93 HRB were not attacked. No evidence of corrosion fatigue was found. Uneven temperature control during PWHT was the most likely cause of failure.

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  1. Bechtel Corporation, 5275 Westview Dr., 21703, Frederick, MD

    H. Krafft

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  1. H. Krafft
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Krafft, H. Alloy 430 ferritic stainless steel welds fail due to stress-corrosion cracking in heat-recovery steam generator. Practical Failure Analysis 2, 39–46 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02715452

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02715452

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