Boiler tubes operate under arduous conditions that make them susceptible to damage in a variety of ways, including:
- High temperature – creep damage
- Cyclic operation – fatigue and corrosion fatigue
- Fuel containing non-combustible components – erosion and corrosion
- Fuel containing contaminants – salt and sulphide corrosion
- Water side chemistry control – aqueous corrosion, fouling, localised corrosion caustic corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, pitting
Quest Reliability has over 25 years of experience investigating boilers in the Process (petrochemical, refining) and Power Generation industries for fitness-for-service, problem solving and root cause failure analysis. Quest Reliability provides a comprehensive service addressing all aspects of boiler tube integrity and remaining life assessment. The wide range of damage mechanisms applicable to boilers means that an equally wide range of assessment codes and methodologies can be brought to bear depending on the issue to be assessed. Quest Reliability staff are expert in the assessment of each of the damage types listed above, and of the codes that address them. The primary codes that apply here are:
- API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 “Fitness For Service”
- ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
- BS 7910 “Guide on methods for assessing the acceptability of flaws in metallic structures”
- British Energy R5 Procedures “Assessment procedure for the high temperature response of structures”
- Industry manuals and practices for assessment of corrosion product, fouling and risk of flaking
Assessment of magnetite layer on bore of water wall tubes: condition of tube and assessment of chemical clean requirements.
Deposits from fuel oil leading to molten salt corrosion
Waste Heat Boiler