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High-Temperature Corrosion in Waste-to-Energy Boilers

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There are 88 waste-to-energy (WTE) plants in the U.S. and over 600 worldwide. In total, they combust close to 143 million metric tons of municipal solid wastes (MSW) and generate about 45 billion kW · h of electricity and an equal amount of thermal energy for district heating and industrial use. The presence of various impurities, especially HCl and chloride salts, in the combustion gases results in much higher corrosion rates of boiler tubes and has led to the development of special alloys and also metal protection techniques, including high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) sprayed coatings. This study examines the corrosion mechanisms in WTE boilers and summarizes the findings of a corrosion survey of several WTE facilities in the U.S. The study also examines existing and potential methods for reducing corrosion problems.

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Notes

  1. Waterwall: The wall of the main combustion chamber is covered by a gas tight membrane consisting of metal tubes joined by means of metal strips welded between the tubes. Water is flowing through the tubes that are heated mostly by radiation and convection from the combustion gases.

  2. Superheater: Steam running through the superheater tubes is heated to temperatures well above the saturation point. Therefore, metal temperatures are much higher than waterwall tubes.

  3. Passes in the boiler industry denote the interconnected heat transfer vessels, e.g., first pass is the waterwall surfaces in the combustion chamber.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth & Environmental Engineering, Henry Krumb School of Mines, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Shang-Hsiu Lee, Nickolas J. Themelis & Marco J. Castaldi

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  1. Shang-Hsiu Lee
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  2. Nickolas J. Themelis
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  3. Marco J. Castaldi
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Correspondence to Nickolas J. Themelis.

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Lee, SH., Themelis, N.J. & Castaldi, M.J. High-Temperature Corrosion in Waste-to-Energy Boilers. J Therm Spray Tech 16, 104–110 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-006-9005-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-006-9005-4

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