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AnatomyofaBoilerFailureADifferentPerspective
09/30/2008|ByGaryJ.Bases

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SavetomyPOWER

ThepowerindustrysoperatingandmaintenancepracticeswerehelduptointenseregulatorandpublicscrutinywhenonNovember6,2007,aMassachusettspower
plantssteam-generatingboilerexplodedandthreemendied.

TheDepartmentofPublicSafetysIncidentReportinvestigation(http://www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/dps/inf/salem_harbor_boiler_3_failure_nov2007_redacted.pdf)(PDF)
determinedthattheprimarycauseoftheDominionEnergyNewEnglandsSalemHarborGeneratingStationUnit3explosionwasextensivecorrosionofboilertubesin
thedivisionwallattheeastfurnacelowerslopedeadairspace(Figure1).Thethreeoperatorswereworkingdirectlybelowthefurnaceonapulverizersealairfanwhen
theexplosionoccurred.Theydiedofburnsandrelatedcomplications.Theboilerwasoperatingat1,900psiatthetimeofthefailure.Acompletesetofphotosofthe
failureisincludedintheIncidentReport.

1.AtuberuptureonNovember6,2007,atDominionEnergyNewEnglandsSalemHarborGeneratingStationUnit3causedafurnaceexplosionthatkilledthreemen.
Source:CommonwealthofMassachusetts,DepartmentofPublicSafetyIncidentReport:DominionEnergyNewEngland-SalemHarborStationBoiler#3Failure,dated
July31,2008

Thereportconcludedthatwhenthetubesfailedwithinthedeadairspaceformedbythedivisionwallanareanormallyunderaslightnegativepressurethevestibule
wasinstantlypressurized,causingasecondaryruptureoftheboilercasingaroundthebottomofthefurnace.Ashand600Fsteamwasthenreleasedintotheareawhere
thethreeworkerswerelocated(Figure2).
2.TheMassachusettsDepartmentofPublicSafetysofficialIncidentReportfoundthatextensivecorrosionoftheboilertubes,causedbyashcapturedinthelowerslope
airspacethathadmixedwithwaterintroducedbyfurnacewashes,wasthecauseoftheexplosion.Source:CommonwealthofMassachusetts,DepartmentofPublic
SafetyIncidentReport:DominionEnergyNewEngland-SalemHarborStationBoiler#3Failure,datedJuly31,2008

Thereportalsosummarizedinterviewswithplantoperationsstaffonstandardplantoperatingandmaintenancehabits.Becausetheplanthasoperatedasacyclingunit
forthepast10yearsorso,plannedoutagesweresoreducedinlengththatrequiredmaintenanceactivitieswerenotcompleted.Atthetimeoftheaccident,
approximately2,500workorderswerepending.

Thereportalsonotedthatthedeadairspacehadnotbeenopenedorinspectedinatleast10yearsandwasfullofashatthetimeoftheexplosion.Thereportconcluded
thatthetubeexplosionthatblewouttheouterwallofthefurnacewascausedbyashandwaterfromboilerwashing,comingintocontactwithtubes.Thatmixture
causedcorrosionthatresultedinexcessivetubemetalloss.

Thereportheldthechiefengineerandtheoutsideboilerinspectordirectlyresponsiblefortheexplosionbecausetheyfailedtoperformacomprehensiveinspectionas
requiredbyMassachusettslaw.Inotherwords,thecatastrophecouldhavebeenpreventedifproperinspectionshadbeenmadeoftheentirefurnaceandmorethan
visualinspectiontechniqueshadbeenused.TheOccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministrationsincehasfound10serioussafetyviolationsattheplant,includingfailure
toenterandinspecttheareawherethetuberuptureoccurred.

Wemustnotclosethebookonthistragedyandchalkituptobadluckonthepartofthisplantsstaff.Thereismuchmoretothestorythanwhatiswritteninthe
IncidentReport.Hereisthekeyquestionthatthereportfailedtoanswer:Whatcausedthevestibuletofillupwithflyashinthefirstplace(Figures3and4)?

3.Typicalvestibulelocatedbehindthesteamdrum.Notetheflyashbuildup.Courtesy:BRILInc.

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Jointhediscussion

Daryl7yearsago
isitcommontousetouseachillringforawatertube.Itisshowninpicture31oftheIncidentReportinvestigation.
Reply Share

chetan9yearsago
Bygoingthroughthereport,thisisthefirstkindofexplosionthatihaveseen.
Inourthermalplantstheimportancegiventorefractorymaterialsanditsproperuseinthe
fieldisnotseriouslyviewed.Butonlygoodpracticethatwehaveisaftereveryannualoverhaulingrefractoryliningwillreplacedwithnewone,thiswillbeinsured
bythemaintenancestaggaswellastheboilerinspector,whoseclearanceisamustinstartingtheplant.
Ithankuforeloboratereportthatupeoplemade,whichwillmakeusemoreconscious.
Reply Share

JoeHoffmann9yearsago
Thereiseveryreasontopromotethecorrectinstallation,maintenanceandrepairofrefractory,butthebestofrefractorywillneversealatangetialtubeboilerfrom
gas,flyashorwaterleakage.Thebuildupofflyashinthedeadairspacescannotpracticallybeavoided(sealairjustificationexcluded).Withacyclingdutyboiler,
youdowhatyoucantokeepithot.Ineverycaseyoumustdoallpossibletokeeptheentireboilerdryfortheveryreasonsmentionedinthearticle.Itwouldseem
difficulttoenvisionsufficientcauseforaboilerwashdownitisworryenoughfortheexternalcorrosionofthelowerboilerintheeventofawaterwalltubeleak.
Reply Share

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