6/20/23, 3:39 PM How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 2

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How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 2 Technical Articles

A Boiler: The Explosive Potential of a

William L. Reeves, P.E
Bomb
President, ESI Inc. of Tennessee
Acoustic Emission Examination of Metal
Category: Incidents 
Pressure Vessels
Summary: The following article is a part of the National Board Technical Series. This article
was originally published in the Summer 1999 National Board BULLETIN. (7 printed pages) Anatomy of a Catastrophic Boiler
Accident
 
Austenitic Stainless Steel

 The second article of a three-part series describing some potentially catastrophic events that
Auto-Refrigeration
power and recovery boilers are prone to if not properly maintained.
Basic Weld Inspection - Part 1
 
Basic Weld Inspection - Part 2
IMPACT DAMAGE TO TUBES
Black Liquor Recovery Boilers - An
When you take a look at a boiler under construction, it is clear that all parts are not created Introduction
equal. This is particularly true with the boiler tubes that make up the furnace and convection
sections. Just as a chain is no stronger than its weakest link, the failure of a single tube with Boiler Efficiency and Steam Quality: The
a value of only a few hundred dollars can easily require the shutdown of a multimillion Challenge of Creating Quality Steam
dollar boiler facility. Using Existing Boiler Efficiencies

When you consider that the tube thickness for the pressures commonly associated with Boiler Logs Can Reduce Accidents
many industrial boiler plants is often 0.120", 0.095", or less, it is easy to visualize how easily
these tubes can be damaged. Boiler/Burner Combustion Air Supply
Requirements and Maintenance
Common Causes of Tube Damage
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Preventable
Impact the tube with a sharp object - The tube material is fairly soft and even a cold chisel
With Complete Inspection
dropped from a few feet away can result in a gouge and a localized thin spot on the tube.
Any added stress can cause the unit to fail when it is pressurized and can also serve as a
Combustion Air Requirements:The
point of concentrated corrosion. This type of damage is common when boiler convection
Forgotten Element In Boiler Rooms
sections are mechanically cleaned of hard buildups, or when refractory repairs or repairs to
other tubes are made. The simple drop of a hand tool can result in thousands of dollars in Creep and Creep Failures
repairs as well as potential downtime of the unit.
Description of Construction and
Sootblower alignment - Sootblowers use high velocity jets of steam to blow the soot from
Inspection Procedure for Steam
the tubes. One of the pre-start-up checklist items for any boiler should be to verify the
Locomotive and Fire Tube Boilers
proper orientation and alignment of the sootblower lance to insure that the jets are blowing
between the tubes and not blowing directly on the tubes during sootblower operation. Ensuring Safe Operation Of Vessels With
Sootblower alignment is done when the unit is cold. Therefore, when aligning the Quick-Opening Closures
sootblower lance, the thermal expansion of both the boiler and the sootblower lance must
be taken into consideration. Environmental Heat Exchangers

Sootblowing with wet steam - Although a direct jet of steam striking the tubes as a result Factors Affecting Inservice Cracking of
of out-of-alignment sootblowers is bad enough, the damage is compounded if wet steam is Weld Zone in Corrosive Service
utilized. A direct blast of high pressure condensate can quickly cut through the thin tube
surfaces, resulting in tube failure. The most common cause of wet steam is inadequate Failure Avoidance in Welded Fabrication
warm-up and draining of the sootblower lines. Proper sootblowing techniques require that
the entire steam line supplying steam to the sootblowers be preheated to remove all
condensate from the lines.

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6/20/23, 3:39 PM How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 2

Corrosion - Fireside corrosion damage often occurs on a boiler that is in cold standby and Finite Element Analysis of Pressure
that has previously fired sulfur-laden fuels. There are, inevitably, areas of the boiler where Vessels Sign in/Create Account
ash is not removed from the tube surface during normal sootblower operation. One of the
most vulnerable areas is the interface where the tubes enter the drum at tube-baffle Fuel Ash Corrosion
interfaces and refractory-to-tube interfaces. When the boiler is hot, corrosion is generally
not a problem since moisture is not present; however, upon shutdown, this ash and Fuel Firing Apparatus - Natural Gas
refractory can absorb moisture and concentrated corrosive attack will occur over time in
Grain Boundaries
these areas. This will commonly cause boilers, which are subject to extensive periods of cold
storage, to be damaged to the point that retubing is necessary. Localized pitting can be
Heat Treatment - What Is It?
quite deep, rendering an otherwise sound tube in need of at least partial replacement.
How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 1
Preventive Measures

Make sure that all personnel who interact with boilers understand that thin tubes are How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 2
quite fragile. Encourage workers to report any accidental damage so that it can be
How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 3
inspected or repaired as necessary.
 
Identifying Pressure Vessel Nozzle
When possible, store a standby boiler in a hot condition to prevent fireside corrosion
Problems
of the tubes.
  Inspection, Repair, and Alteration of
Hot storage techniques, such as utilizing mud drum heaters or routing the blowdown Yankee Dryers
from an operating boiler through the inactive unit, are generally sufficient in keeping
the temperatures of the tubes above the corrosion dew point. Inspection, What Better Place to Begin

SEVERE OVERFIRING Laminations Led to Incident

One doesn't have to spend much time in manufacturing plants to realize that maximizing
Lay-up of Heating Boilers
production availability and output are some keys to profitability. This mindset requires that
every piece of equipment be pushed to its maximum capability right up to the point of its Liquid Penetrant Examination
self-limits or failure. Most equipment simply will not run any faster or produce any more
product due to physical limitations. Low Voltage Short Circuiting-GMAW

The operation of steam boilers beyond their Maximum Continuous Rated (MCR) capacity Low Water Cut-Off Technology
has long been an issue of heated discussion. For many years, boiler manufacturers have
rated their equipment to have a specific MCR on a continuous operating basis with a two- Low-Water Cutoff: A Maintenance Must
to four-hour peak rating, often times at 110 percent of MCR. The $64,000 question that is
always raised is, "If the boiler will operate at 110 percent of MCR for 4 hours, why can't it Magnetic Particle Examination
operate at 110 percent continuously?" The answer to this good question is complex and is
somewhat like trying to answer the question, "How high is high?" Maintaining Proper Boiler Inspections
Through Proper Relationships
In the design of a steam generating system, margins are built into the peripheral equipment
of the boiler to ensure the capability of meeting performance guarantees. These margins Microstructural Degradation
include such items as additional fan volume and static capability, pump capacity and TDH
(Total Discharge Head) margins, oversized material handling systems to accommodate Miracle Fluid?
operating logistics, etc. Any good designer/builder of steam generating systems wants to
Organizing A Vessel, Tank, and Piping
ensure that no piece of auxiliary equipment is the limiting factor to the boiler producing the
Inspection Program
MCR, or peak capacity, using the worse case contract fuels. Typically, the conservative
design of all equipment results in the capability of overfiring the boiler above and beyond
Paper Machine Failure Investigation:
the peak 110% MCR rating. Without the self-limiting capability of the auxiliary equipment,
Inspection Requirements Should Be
management demands put upon steam plant superintendents to maximize production
Changed For Dryer Can
often result in continuous and sometimes severe overfiring of the equipment.
Pipe Support Performance as It Applies to
Sometimes the physical limitations of the boiler, such as furnace size or steam piping, will
Power Plant Safety and Reliability
cause sudden and dramatic problems such as emissions or pressure drop problems that
limit the boiler operating capacity. However, other physical limitations of the boiler itself
Polymer Use for Boilers and Pressure
may not be so obvious. These limitations lead to other problems associated with severe
Vessels
overfiring, which may include:
Pressure Vessel Fatigue
short- or long-term overheating damage to refractory, tube metallurgy, breeching,
etc.;
Pressure Vessels: Analyzing Change
long-term erosion of boiler tubes, baffles, breeching, and particulate clean-up devices;
long-term corrosion of furnace wall and superheater tubes; and Preventing Corrosion Under Insulation
steam moisture and solids carryover causing problems with superheater tubes, steam
turbine blades, and other process equipment.

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6/20/23, 3:39 PM How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 2

Certainly, the fuels being fired have a dramatic effect upon the potential problems Preventing Steam/Condensate System
associated with severe overfiring in the list above. Erosion problems are typically associated Accidents Sign in/Create Account
with firing solid fuels such as coal, wood, sludge, plant waste, etc., that have ash and
particulate constituents. The overfiring condition increases the gas weights and velocities Proper Boiler Care Makes Good Business
which have a square function relationship to pressure drop and the effects of erosion. Sense: Safety Precautions for Drycleaning
Severe eddy effects can be generated in boiler back passes that result in dramatic localized Businesses
erosion problems.
Putting a Stop to Steam Kettle Failure
Boiler designers carefully consider the heat flux through furnace wall tubing and membrane
as well as the surface operating temperatures of tube walls, refractory, etc. Overfiring the Quick Actuating Closures
furnace results in higher heat flux through the furnace walls and higher surface temperature
of the refractory. The total steam flow relates to certain downcomer flows and pressure Quick-Actuating Door Failures
drops to ensure adequate cooling of furnace wall panels, etc. Overfiring the boiler results in
Real-Time Radioscopic Examination
higher flow rate demands in downcomer circuits which raises the pressure drop, thus
impeding flow. The combination of these two conditions can result in a substantial increase
Recommendations For A Safe Boiler
in the tube and membrane operating temperatures. The short- and long-term effects of
Room
running at higher temperatures can result in the degradation of the tube metallurgy and
strength. Recovering Boiler Systems After A Flood

Corrosion problems can be compounded when undesirable compounds in oil and solid
Rendering Plants Require Safety
fuels come in contact with tubes operating at higher operating temperatures. Also,
overfiring oil burners can result in flame impingement on furnace wall tubing, resulting in Repair or Alteration of Pressure Vessels
localized corrosion.
Residential Water Heater Safety
In summary, most well-designed steam generating equipment is capable of being operated
above MCR. Operating peripheral equipment at their physical limits does not often create School Boiler Maintenance Programs:
problems. Conversely, operating the steam generator continuously above MCR may cause How Safe Are The Children?
long-term maintenance problems resulting in associated costs that are not easily detectable
during the short term. In situations where the production demand warrants overfiring the Secondary Low-Water Fuel Cutoff Probe:
steam generating equipment, it may be a good business decision to suffer the short- and Is It as Safe as You Think?
long-term increased maintenance costs to get the extra production.
  Short-Term High Temperature Failures

Specification of Rupture Disk Burst

Pressure

Steam Traps Affect Boiler Plant Efficiency

Steps to Safety: Guide for Restarting

Boilers After Summer Lay-Up

Stress Corrosion Cracking of Steel in

Liquefied Ammonia Service - A
Recapitulation

Suggested Daily Boiler Log Program

 
Suggested Maintenance Log Program
CONTAMINATED FEEDWATER
System Design, Specifications, Operation,
Contaminated feedwater, which is a combination of both make-up and condensate returns, and Inspection of Deaerators
is a complex issue in this three-part series. Entire books have been written on this subject
and its effects. This article will only try to create an awareness of some common problems. Tack Welding
Common feedwater contaminants include:
Temperature And Pressure Relief Valves
Oxygen Often Overlooked
Excessive boiler treatment chemicals
Oils Temperature Considerations for Pressure
Miscellaneous metals and chemical compounds Relief Valve Application
Resin
The Authorized Inspector's Responsibility
Dissolved oxygen is a common and constant threat to boiler tube integrity. The use of for Dimensional Inspection
modern, sophisticated chelant water treatment programs has dramatically improved the
cleanliness of boiler heat transfer surfaces to such an extent that essentially bare-metal The Effects of Erosion-Corrosion on
conditions exist. Since only a thin magnetic oxide film remains on boiler metal surfaces, Power Plant Piping
oxygen control is extremely important. The typical boiler plant is equipped with a deaerating
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6/20/23, 3:39 PM How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 2

feedwater heater to remove the majority of oxygen. In boilers operating below 1,000 psig, The Forgotten Boiler That Suddenly Isn't
the oxygen scavenger, sodium sulfite, is continuously fed to the storage tank of the Sign in/Create Account
deaerator and the scavenger is necessary to ensure the absence of free oxygen. The Trend of Boiler/Pressure Vessel
Incidents: On the Decline?
One of the most serious types of oxygen corrosion is oxygen pitting, which is the
concentrated pitting and corrosion of a very small area. A tube failure can occur even The Use of Pressure Vessels for Human
though only a relatively small amount of corrosion and loss of metal has been experienced. Occupancy in Clinical Hyberbaric
Because of the rapid and catastrophic effects of oxygen corrosion, boiler feedwater should Medicine
be checked periodically to ensure that the deaerating heater and oxygen scavenger are
eliminating free oxygen in the boiler feedwater. Thermally Induced Stress Cycling
(Thermal Shock) in Firetube Boilers
A chelant boiler water treatment program that is not properly maintained to ensure proper
dosages of chelating chemicals can result in problems with the consequences that these Top Ten Boiler and Combustion Safety
chemicals are intended to prevent. Chelant corrosion or attack develops only when excess Issues to Avoid
concentrations of sodium salt is maintained many times above the control level over a
period of many months. The resultant attack is a dissolving or thinning of metal, unlike Typical Improper Repairs of Safety Valves
oxygen pitting. The attack concentrates on areas of stress within the boiler such as: rolled
tube ends, baffle edges, tube welds, threaded members, and other non-stress relieved areas. Wasted Superheat Converted to Hot,
Here again, proper monitoring of the boiler water treatment program dosages and residuals Sanitary Water
can prevent this type of problem.
Water Maintenance Essential to Prevent
The inadvertent introduction of acid and caustic can cause the most devastating immediate Boiler Scaling
damage to a boiler. The presence of either of these chemicals can cause a multitude of
different types of corrosion and destruction of metal integrity. These chemicals are Water Still Flashes to Steam at 212
commonly unintentionally introduced into a boiler for the following reasons:
Welding Consideration for Pressure Relief
Equipment failure or malfunction - A typical problem might be leaking regenerant Valves
isolation valves or failure of an automatic controller that results in an inadequate rinse
cycle. Welding Symbols: A Useful System or
Poor water treatment system design - Double block and bleed valve systems should Undecipherable Hieroglyphics?
be used wherever any regenerant chemicals are introduced into the water system to
What is the Best Welding Process?
protect against damage due to valve failure.
Poor water treatment system training and operations - If operators are not properly
What Should You Do Before Starting
trained and cognizant of the importance of operating these often sophisticated
Boilers After Summer Lay-Up?
systems properly, they could be responsible for pumping concentrated acid and
caustic into the boiler. A less likely problem might be improperly carrying out the Why? A Question for All Inspectors
regeneration of water treating equipment such as improper rinsing of residual acid
and caustic.

When operating a demineralized water treatment system, the importance of proper

maintenance and operator training to prevent these types of catastrophic events cannot be
overemphasized.

The undetected contamination of condensate returns is another common problem that

leads to boiler feedwater contamination. Contaminants can vary from metals such as copper
and iron to oils and process chemicals. Heavy metal contamination is usually a function of
the construction materials of the process equipment and the condensate system. Oils and
process chemicals are generally introduced into the condensate system due to process
equipment failures or corrosion-caused leaks in equipment such as heat exchangers, pump
and gland seals, etc. The biggest risk associated with condensate system contamination is a
catastrophic failure of a piece of process equipment, which results in the introduction of
significant quantities of undesirable chemicals or compounds into the boiler. For this reason,
prudent boiler operations should include continuous monitoring of the quality of
condensate being returned from the process.

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6/20/23, 3:39 PM How to Destroy a Boiler -- Part 2

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Another problem that sometimes causes severe boiler fouling is the introduction of ion
exchange resin into the boiler feedwater system. This is frequently caused by the failure of
the ion exchange vessel internal piping or lateral screens. Depending upon the operating
pressure of the boiler and type of resin, this problem can result in a severe coating of resin
material on boiler surfaces. An inexpensive and very worthwhile method to alleviate the
chance of this type of contamination is to install a resin trap on the outlet of any ion
exchange vessel. Resin traps not only protect the boiler from contamination, but they also
prevent the loss of very expensive resin in the event of a failure.

Boiler feedwater contamination can be a slow, degenerative process or an instantaneous,

catastrophic event. Routine and efficient maintenance procedures will greatly mitigate the
chances of both types of occurrences. Consistent boiler water and feedwater quality
monitoring and testing provides operating personnel not only with historical data, but also
with timely warning any time feedwater quality changes dramatically.

Editor's note: Some ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code requirements may have changed
because of advances in material technology and/or actual experience. The reader is
cautioned to refer to the latest edition of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code for
current requirements.

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