MEG-5 AUX BOILER AND STEAM

PLANT
Boiler and Turbine defects and repair
 Boiler and Turbine defects and repair

• 1) Furnace construction, refractory inspection

and repair
• 2) Identification and plugging of leaking steam
generating tubes
• 3) Repair of turbine blades, bearing and glands
Refractories
 Refractories
A material in solid form which is capable of maintaining its shape at
high temp. (furnace Temp. as high as 1650oC) have been recorded.
Purpose
1. To protect boiler casing from overheating and distortion and the
possible resulting leakage of gasses into the machinery space.
2. To reduce heat loss and ensure acceptable cold faced temperature
for operating personnel
3. To protect exposed parts of drum and headers which would
otherwise become overheated. Some tubes are similarly protected.
4. Act as a heat reservoir.
5. To be used to form baffles for protective purposes or for directing
gas flow.
 Properties

1. Must have good insulating properties.

2. Must be able to withstand high temp's
3. Must have the mechanical strength to resist
the forces set up by the adjacent refractory.
4. Must be able to withstand vibration.
5. Must be able to withstand the cutting and
abrasive action of the flame and dust
6. Must be able to expand and contract without
cracking
Note: no one refractory can be used economically
throughout the boiler
 Types

1. Acid materials- clay, silica, quartz , sandstone etc

2. Neutral materials-chromite, graphite,

plumbago (black lead, graphite), alumina

3. Alkaline or base materials- lime,magnesia,zirconia

• Note that acid and alkaline refractories must be
separated as at high temperature they react to form
salt which reduces the effectiveness of refractory.
 Forms
1. Firebricks- these are made from natural clay
containing alumina , silica and quartz. They are
shaped into bricks and fired in a kiln
Monolithic refractories- These are supplied in the
unfired state, installed in the boiler and fired in situ
when the boiler is commissioned.
These can be subdivided as :
(A). Mouldable refractory- This is used where
direct exposure to radiant heat takes place. It must
be pounded into place during installation . It is
made from natural clay with added calcined (i,e.
roasted until crumbly) fire clay which has been
crushed and graded.
• Plastic chrome ore- This is bonded with clay
and used for studded walls. It has little
strength and hence stud provides the support
and it is pounded into place. It is able to resist
high temperatures
• Castable refractory-This is placed over water
walls and other parts of the boiler where it is
protected from radiant heat . It is installed in a
manner similar to concreting in building
 Insulating materials
• Insulating materials- Blocks, bricks , sheets
and powder are usually second line
refractories. i,e behind the furnace refractory
which is exposed to the flame.
• Material : Asbestos millboard, magnesia ,
calcined magnesia block, diatomite blocks,
vermiculite etc. all having very low heat
conductivity.
 Furnace linings
Studded tubes
- these are lined with plastic chrome ore
• The amount of studding and the extent of
tube surface covered with chrome ore is
varied to suit the heat absorption rate
required in the various zones of the boiler
furnace.
• Floor tubes may be situated beneath a 3" layer
of brickwork, the tubes are embedded in
crushed insulating material below which is a
layer of solid insulation and then layers of
asbestos millboard and magnessia.
PRESENT DAY TYPES

TANGENT WALL.
Membrane wall
• Furnace floors
• Two layers of 50 mm firebrick above the tubes and 100 mm
slab insulation below.
• Tubes in castable insulation are covered with crushed firebrick.
Note; Before castable insulation applied ,tubes coated with
bitumen to allow expansion clearance when tubes are at
working temp.
• Front walls
• In front fired boilers these need additional insulation (200 mm)
made up of 125 mm mouldable refractory backed by 50 mm
castable or slab and 25 mm of asbestos millboard.
• Burner openings
• These have specially shaped bricks called quarls or have plastic
refractory
• Brick bolts
• There are two basic types;
• 1. using a hole right through the brick
• 2. Using a recess in the back of the brick.
• A source of weakness is where bricks crack, bolts will
be exposed to the direct heat which leads to failure.
• Adequate expansion arrangements must be provided.
For floor tubes a coating of bitumastic is first applied
before the castable refractory is applied.
• When the boiler is fired the bitumastic is burnt away
then a space is left for expansion
• Refractory failure
• This is one of the major items of maintenance
costs in older types of boiler
• SPALLING
• This is the breaking away of layers of the brick
surface. It can be caused by fluctuating
temperature under flame impingement or
firing a boiler too soon after water washing or
brick work repair. May also be caused by
failure to close off air from register outlet
causing cool air to impinge on hot refractory.
• SLAGGING Refractories
• This is the softening of the bricks to a liquid state due to the
presence of vanadium or sodium ( ex sea water ) in the fuel.
This acts as fluxes and lowers the melting point of the bricks
which run to form a liquid pool in the furnace Eyebrows may
form above quarls and attachment arrangements may
become exposed Material falling to floor may critically reduce
burner clearance and reduce efficiency
• Flame impingement may lead to carbon penetrating
refractory.
• SHRINKAGE CRACKING
• Refractories are weaker in tension than in compression or
shear thus, if compression takes place due to the expansion
of the brick at high temperature , if suddenly cooled cracking
may occur.
Repair to furnace
 Identification and Plugging of Tubes
• Besides being prominent elements for facilitating intended
heat transfer, boiler tubes are an integral part for retaining
pressure integrity in boilers
• Defective tubes induce the risk of the consequential loss of
main propulsion functions in propulsion, exhaust gas and
composite boilers, while they may interfere with auxiliary
and cargo-handling functions in oil-fired auxiliary boilers.
• The most preferable and instinctive repair method
undertaken by operators is the plugging of tubes to arrest
leaks and restore the boiler’s integrity.
Plugging of Tubes
 Common causes of leaks

• Active local pitting corrosion from the water side.

• Cold corrosion from the exhaust-gas side (operation at
reduced loads).
• Overheating due to deposits, oil, scales, high firing rates, low
water level and flame impingement.
• Poor workmanship at terminations (expanding, seal welding,
root pass corrosion)
• Soot fires on fin/pin type water tube EGBs (soot deposits +
poor circulation of water)
• Stress corrosion cracking near weld zones with high residual
stresses (butt welds).
 Impact of plugged tubes on boilers and
marine propulsion plants
• Water tube boilers:
Natural circulation:
• This is mostly applicable to oil-fired water tube type boilers which
rely on internal natural circulation of water for effective heat
transfer and to maintain the material temperature within acceptable
limits.
• Plugged water tubes interfere with the natural circulation to various
degrees, depending on their number and orientation in the boiler.
• The same number of plugged tubes could have a different impact
when closely located on one part of the steam/water drum adjacent
to the furnace than when scattered in different locations inside the
same drums.
 Water tube boilers
• This makes objective evaluation imperative prior to
commenting on the number of defective tubes which may
be accepted for repairs by plugging.
• Thicker pressure parts, ie drums, in close vicinity to
furnaces also depend on circulation in tubes for
maintaining acceptable temperatures.
• The plugging of multiple adjacent tubes in this area can
become detrimental if not evaluated.
• One of the most effective mitigating actions for
compensating the lost natural circulation involves
derating the firing rate.
Excessive local plugging in steam drum
Consequential “burn out” damage
• Plugged and uncooled water tubes left within
close proximity of the furnace have a high
probability of “burn out”, ie overheating and
melting leading to consequential damage to
the furnace wall and adjacent pressure parts.
• This requires additional evaluation and
consideration to mitigate similar risks,
including additional protection by boiler
refractory material.
Burn out of plugged tube
Soot fires on water tube exhaust gas boilers

• Plugged tube banks on water tube exhaust gas boilers

and economisers with extended heating surfaces (fins,
pins etc) remain uncooled and have a higher risk of
initiating soot fires if deposits accumulate.
• Slow steaming is also an important factor to be
considered in this regard.
• The local smouldering of soot involves a high heat
intensity that is capable of melting the uncooled metal
besides possibly adversely affecting adjacent tube
banks and the exhaust gas flow.
Soot fires on water tube exhaust gas boilers

• In the worst case, should it cause a leak in adjacent

tubes, the risk of hydrogen fires co-exists.
• Mitigating actions to rule out the above risks are
deemed required if the plugged tube banks are not
removed from the boiler.
• Similar risk on economisers installed in main
propulsion boilers also requires careful consideration
although the flue gas Oxygen content is comparatively
lower in boiler uptakes than in turbocharged diesel
engine uptakes.
Exhaust gas boiler soot fire: melted uncooled
fin tube elements
 Smoke tube boilers

• Exhaust gas back pressure:

• Plugged tubes reduce the effective area for exhaust
gas flow besides increasing the gas velocity (thermal
loads) through the remaining tubes if the load
remains unchanged.
• The impact of increased exhaust gas back pressure in
the furnace in the case of oil-fired boilers and in
main engine turbochargers in the case of exhaust gas
boilers is evaluated to discover probable adverse
effects.
Common factors relating to boilers
• Compensatory thermal loads:
• Plugged tubes put additional heat loads on the
remaining tubes if the same evaporation rate is
maintained in oil-fired boilers.
• The reduction in the heat transfer area is
compensated by a higher heat transfer rate
(firing rate), ie temperature gradient on the
remaining tubes and active heat transfer
surfaces.
 Mechanism behind the defects:
• Defective tubes reveal prospective mechanisms prevailing in the boiler
which might have an adverse impact on other tubes and pressure parts.
• The boiler’s condition is evaluated to the best possible extent prior to
commenting on repair proposals.
• Besides a visual inspection, NDT, hardness and hydrostatic pressure
tests and thickness mapping of tubes and other pressure parts form
additional means of assessing the condition.
• In addition to all leaks in propulsion boilers, leaks are also critical in
exhaust gas boilers, where leaking tubes in the uptake can lead to the
immediate disruption of main propulsion functions.
• Inferior boiler water management, poor heat transfer (scales, oil
contamination,etc), burner malfunction, cold corrosion, etc, are
common underlying mechanisms exposed by defective tubes.
Eroded tube terminations adjacent to
plugged tubes
 Conclusions
• The plugging of tubes requires prudent control and
evaluation of the local and global features of the boilers
and associated propulsion plants.
• Overlooking these factors leads to the risk of chronic and
consequential damage and to time-consuming and
expensive repairs in due course.
• Mitigating actions after evaluation may include but are not
limited to reducing the firing rate/engine load and derating
the pressure as applicable if proposals for repairs by
plugging are eventually considered for
temporary/permanent acceptance.
• If temporary/permanent repairs by plugging
are deemed acceptable to class, these are
expected to be in accordance with methods
(as applicable) that are acceptable to class,
involving as a minimum the maker’s
recommendations, materials/consumables,
welding procedures, qualified welders, NDT,
hydrostatic pressure testing and
safety/function testing.
 Procedure for Plugging of a Damaged /
Busted Smoke Tube

1. Hydrostatic testing to mark the leaky tubes.

2. Cut the tubes on one end and clear of the tube plate. At the other end
the tube is collapsed inside the tube plate.
3. Pull out the tube from the collapsed end.
4. Insert a short tube into the tube plate and weld it in place.
5. Lap the spare tapered plugs on both stud ends in the tube plates.
6. Insert the tube plugs and tack weld it.
7. Alternatively, the plugs can be held in place by a long steel bar threaded
and bolted at both ends.
8. Hydrostatic pressure test to confirm no leaks.
9. Flush up the boiler and re-inspect the plugs for leaks under full steam
pressure.