Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.

3, Issue 3) December 2004

www.ommi.co.uk

UNIFUSE OVERLAY CLADDING FOR SURFACE PROTECTION AGAINST

CORROSION AND EROSION/CORROSION IN POWER BOILERS AND WASTE
HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEMS

George Y. Lai, Consultant to Welding Services Inc., 2110 Pebble Beach Drive, Suite 100,
Carmel, Indiana 46032, USA;
Neil Blogg, Welding Services BV, Hammerain House, Suite 12, Hookstone Avenue, Harrogate,
North Yorkshire HG2 8ER, UK

ABSTRACT

Heat exchanger tubes in power boilers and waste heat recovery systems are typically made of
ferritic steels. Ferritic steels provide strength and structural integrity for the system as well as
excellent resistance to high temperature, pressure water or steam. However, the fireside of the
ferritic steel tube components in these systems can suffer significantly higher metal wastage rates
on the tube wall due to high temperature corrosion and erosion/corrosion attack from the hot flue
gas stream. Without adequate surface protection, the plant can experience frequent shutdowns
and excessive maintenance costs. A bi-metallic approach utilizing Unifuse overlay cladding
technology employing the automatic gas-metal-arc welding (GMAW) process was developed to
deal with fireside corrosion and erosion/corrosion problems for power boilers and many waste
heat recovery systems. The technology has been successfully applied to protect boilers and
various waste heat recovery systems for more than a decade. A wide range of overlay alloys have
been successfully applied to provide protection against high-temperature corrosion and
erosion/corrosion attack in waste-to-energy, coal-fired and black-liquor recovery boilers, and
waste heat recovery systems such as basic oxygen furnace (BOF) hoods and electric arc furnace
(EAF) hoods. Application techniques, selection of overlay alloys, the properties of the weld
overlay products, major corrosion modes, and the success of the overlays in different systems are
highlighted.

INTRODUCTION

The heat transfer tubes in boilers and many waste heat recovery systems are typically made of
ferritic steels, such as carbon and Cr-Mo steels. Ferritic steels not only provide strength and
structural integrity for these tubes but also excellent resistance to high temperature, pressure
water and steam used in the heat transfer. However, the ferritic steels, in many cases, do not
provide adequate resistance to high temperature corrosion attack from the combustion products
in boilers or from the hot, exhaust flue gas stream in waste heat recovery systems. Weld overlay
cladding with a high-temperature corrosion-resistant alloy, using automatic overlay welding
machines, has been widely accepted to be a long-term, cost-effective protection method for

Unifuse is a registered trademark of Welding Services Inc.

Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 2

providing life extension for boilers and waste heat recovery systems. Technical discussion on
the application and the use of automatic weld overlay cladding technology for providing
corrosion and erosion/corrosion protection for boilers have been published elsewhere. (1-7) The
present paper reviews briefly the automatic overlay welding technology and highlights the
applications of weld overlay protection for power boilers; including waste-to-energy boilers,
coal-fired boilers and black liquor recovery boilers, and for some waste heat recovery systems in
steelmaking, such as basic oxygen furnace (BOF) hoods and electric arc furnace (EAF) hoods.

AUTOMATIC WELD OVERLAY CLADDING

In a power boiler, the waterwalls made of tubes and membranes (in few cases, just tubes with no
membranes a tangent tube design) are constructed around the furnace enclosure. High-
pressure water flows inside these tubes to extract heat from the high temperature combustion
gases on the fireside (outer diameter) of the tubes. The waterwalls, made of carbon or Cr-Mo
steels, are subject to high heat flux as well as high temperature corrosion and particulate
erosion/corrosion attack. BOF and EAF hoods in steelmaking are also of a tube-membrane
construction similar to the boilers waterwall.

Three application approaches have been successfully used to provide high temperature corrosion
and erosion/corrosion protection for boilers and BOF/EAF hoods employing automatic weld
overlay cladding technology. These three application approaches are (a) field application
performed inside the boiler or hood to apply a high-temperature corrosion-resistant weld overlay
on the waterwall area where tube wall thinning has taken place, (b) shop weld overlay
application on panels, which are then installed in the boiler or the hood to replace the worn
panels, and (c) use of spiral overlay tubes produced by a patented process involving
GMAW/GTAW process for the construction of waterwall panels or hood panels. These three
application approaches are briefly described below.

Field Application of Weld Overlay Cladding

Field application of a high-temperature corrosion and erosion-corrosion resistant alloy overlay

has accounted for the majority of overlay applications for furnace waterwalls. The automatic
gas-metal-arc welding (GMAW) overlay machine deposits weld beads in a vertical down mode
starting typically from the membrane and then moving to the tube section following a
preprogrammed weld bead sequence to achieve a uniform coverage of the waterwall (i.e.,
membranes and tubes). Each weld bead is overlapped by subsequent weld bead to ensure a full
coverage with no missing spots. A schematic of this process is illustrated in Figure 1. The
thickness of the overlay applied to the waterwall is typically 1.78 mm (0.070) minimum.
During overlay welding, a surface layer of the substrate steel is melted and mixed with the
molten weld metal of a corrosion-resistant alloy to produce a weld overlay cladding. As a result,
the concentrations of the important alloying elements in the weld overlay, such as Cr, will be
slightly lower than those of the weld wire due to this dilution effect. In order to maximize
corrosion and erosion/corrosion protection, the dilution is typically kept at less than 10% for
Unifuse overlays. The weld overlays, performed under WSIs QA/QC programs, meet ASME
Codes as well as similar codes and standards in Europe.
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 3

It is a common practice to use many welding machines, for example, 10 or more, at the same
time in the boiler to complete the project during a maintenance shutdown. A modern machine
can deliver a welding speed of approximately 0.14 to 0.19 m2 (1.5 to 2.0 ft2) per hour. Thus,
with 10 machines, a total area of about 16.7 to 22.3 m2 (180 to 240 ft2) of the waterwall can be
overlaid over a 12-h shift. Figure 2 shows a welder performing waterwall overlay cladding of a
coal-fired boiler, and Figure 3 shows the overlay welding in progress in a BOF hood.

Shop Fabrication of Weld Overlaid Panels

When the thickness of the badly corroded waterwall is reduced to below the ASME Code
allowable, a weld metal build-up using a matching filler metal to that of the tube material can be
performed to increase the wall thickness to meet the ASME Code before applying a high-
temperature corrosion-resistant overlay. Alternatively, the badly corroded waterwall areas can
be replaced with waterwall panels overlaid with a high-temperature corrosion-resistant overlay in
shop. The overlay procedures in shop are essentially the same as those applied in the field. The
weld overlays, performed under WSIs QA/QC programs, meet ASME Codes as well as similar
codes and standards in Europe. Figure 4 shows a welder performing panel overlay in shop.

Unifuse Overlay Tubing

The panel can also be constructed from individual ferritic steel tubes, which are weld overlaid in
a spiral mode to produce individual tubes with a high-temperature corrosion-resistant overlay
360 around the tube. A patented process, developed by Welding Services Inc., involves gas-
metal-arc welding (GMAW) for depositing a uniform layer of a corrosion-resistant overlay,
which is then followed by gas-tungsten-arc welding (GTAW) to smooth the overlay surface and
temper the heat-affected-zone (HAZ) formed in the substrate steel during GMAW process. As a
result, the overlay tube exhibits excellent ductility and toughness in the as-overlaid condition.
Figure 5 shows Unifuse overlay tubes. In addition to making panels, the majority of the overlay
tubes are being used as screen tubes, superheater/reheater tubes, and generating bank tubes in the
upper furnace of the boilers.

PROPERTIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF OVERLAY CLADDING

One of the important requirements for application of the overlay cladding, in order to achieve the
maximum high-temperature corrosion protection, is to maintain the lowest possible dilution for
the overlay chemistry. Unifuse overlays typically exhibit less than 10% dilution, with some
overlays achieving 5% or less. In addition, the major alloying elements, such as Cr, in the
overlay are maintained at a relatively constant level through the thickness of the overlay in order
to maintain the protection throughout the life of the overlay. This is illustrated in Figure 6. The
Fe concentration profile is shown in Figure 7. Keeping the iron content low in alloy 625 overlay
is desirable in certain applications, such as WTE boilers. Excessive dilution in overlay welding
that results in 15 or 20% iron content in alloy 625 overlay is known to significantly reduce the
overlays resistance to high temperature chloride attack in WTE combustion environments.
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 4

It is also important to ensure that overlay welding application does not result in embrittlement or
degradation in the mechanical properties of the overlay product. Table 1 shows the tensile
properties of Unifuse 625 weld overlay metal in the as-overlaid condition. The weld overlay was
found to exhibit excellent ductility. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the weld
overlay/substrate steel combined product were found to be excellent, as illustrated in Table 2.
The tensile properties of the Unifuse 625/SA210 A1 overlay tube samples in the as-overlaid
condition were compared with SA210 A1 steel tube samples (Table 2). The test results indicate
that the weld overlay not only does not cause mechanical property degradation, but, in fact,
provides strengthening to the ferritic steel tube. Similar results were obtained in other weld
overlay alloy products. This strengthening of the boiler tube, provided by the weld overlay,
helps increase its resistance to overheating and to falling clinkers. The excellent ductility of the
Unifuse overlay tube is also illustrated in Figure 8, which shows that the overlay tube in the as-
overlaid condition successfully passed the 1T (one tube wall thickness) flattening test. Other
issues related to the characteristics and properties of the weld overlay products have been
discussed in earlier publications.(1-5)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY (WTE) BOILERS

Municipal waste typically contains plastic materials, textile, leathers, batteries, food waste, and
other miscellaneous materials. These constituents are sources of chlorine, sulphur, sodium,
potassium, zinc, lead, and other heavy metals that form corrosive vapors of various chlorides and
sulphates during combustion. These chloride and sulphate vapors, along with fly ash, condense
and deposit on the cooler surfaces, such as waterwalls, which surround the combustion zone, and
heat exchanger surfaces in the convection path, such as screen tubes, superheater tubes and
generating banks. These metallic components are subjected to accelerated chloride corrosion
because many chlorides exhibit high vapor pressures and low melting points with some as low as
200C.

Wastage rates of 1.3-2.0 mm/yr (50-80 mpy) or higher have been observed for ferritic steel
waterwalls, and of 2.5 mm/yr (100 mpy) and higher have been observed for ferritic steel
superheater tubes. Flame impingement, higher gas temperatures and flow velocities, and higher
concentrations of chlorine and heavy metals in the feed, along with other factors, will further
contribute to increased wastage rates.

In 1984, WSI pioneered a field overlay technology by using automatic GMAW overlay
machines applying a corrosion-resistant alloy to the waterwall on site in a waste-to-energy boiler
in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The alloy selected for the overlay was alloy 625 (Ni-22Cr-9Mo-
3.5Nb). The overlay had proved to be so successful in its performance in the Lawrence boiler
that approximately 126,000 kg (280,000 lbs) of alloy 625 weld overlay metal had been applied
by WSI from 1985 to 1990 for about 30 boilers. (1)

Today, automatic GMAW applied overlay of alloy 625 has become a standard protection
cladding for waterwalls, against corrosion or erosion/corrosion in most waste-to-energy boilers
in the US. The alloy 625 overlay has proved to be successful in performance in both mass
burning (MB) and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) units. In Europe, this weld overlay technology has
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 5

been increasingly accepted as a reliable, long-term solution to the waterwall wastage problems
for waste-to-energy boilers. Alloy 625 overlay has been applied to many boilers in the
Netherlands, UK, France, Italy and other countries.

Many overlaid waterwalls have been in service for a decade or longer. Figure 9(a) shows an
overlaid waterwall after 10 years of service revealing no visible corrosion damage on the alloy
625 overlay. Figure 9(b) is an alloy 625 overlay that required minimal repair after 10 years of
service. The repair typically consists of grinding the corroded overlay surface followed by re-
application of alloy 625 overlay. Figure 10 shows a waterwall tube sample obtained from the
alloy 625 overlaid waterwall of a WTE boiler after 16 years of service. Figure 11 shows the full
cross-section of the overlay at the crown bead for the sample shown in Figure 10, indicating little
or no corrosion. Prior to the application of the 625 overlay, the waterwall of this boiler was
corroded through in a matter of months.

Unifuse overlay tubes with alloy 625 overlay have also been successfully used in screen tubes,
superheaters and generating bank, replacing problematic tube protection methods using stainless
steel tube shields or refractories. An example showing excellent performance of Unifuse 625
overlay superheater tubes in a WTE boiler in Europe is illustrated in Figure 12. No evidence of
corrosion attack after 4 years of service in a superheater producing 405C (761F)/42 bars (609
psi) superheated steam.

BIOMASS FIRED BOILERS

Superheaters made of carbon steels or Cr-Mo steels in boilers that burn wood chips, construction
wood waste, and hog fuel (i.e. bark and other wood waste materials) can suffer severe wastage
problems due to chloride attack. This is due to a mixture of plastic materials in the wood waste
materials or to bark from logs that were previously soaked in sea water, at the pulp mills. An
example is given here of a boiler burning hog fuel for generation of electricity and process steam
in a pulp mill. The superheater, made of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel (T22), had suffered severe high
temperature chloride corrosion, as shown in Figure 13. To solve this superheater corrosion
problem, the superheater tube bundle was replaced with Unifuse 625/CS overlay tubes, as shown
in Figure 14.

COAL-FIRED BOILERS

High-temperature corrosion of waterwalls made of ferritic steel is generally a form of oxidation.

However, for the last decade the industry has been reducing the boilers harmful emissions of
nitrogen oxides (NOx) by installing low NO x combustion systems. This has resulted in an
oxygen-poor, reducing environment in the lower furnace, thus suppressing NO x formation.
Complete combustion is achieved at upper levels in the furnace. As a result, waterwall
corrosion has changed from oxidation to sulphidation, thus resulting in a significant increase in
tube wall wastage rates. Wastage rates in many boilers have increased from 0.25 mm/y (10
mpy) or less to up to 2.5 mm/y (100 mpy) or more.
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 6

Automatic GMAW overlay has been considered by the industry to be the most viable long-term
solution to the waterwall wastage problems in coal-fired boilers. Common overlay alloys
include Type 309 SS (Fe-24Cr-13Ni), alloy 625 (Ni-22Cr-9Mo-3.5Nb) and alloy 622 (Ni-22Cr-
13Mo-3W). Up to 2001, approximately 21,000 m 2 (227,000 ft2) of waterwalls in more than 100
boilers have been overlaid by WSI, with roughly equal amounts of 309 overlay and 625/622
overlays. Figure 15 shows the approximate total area of waterwalls overlaid for three overlay
alloys as a function of year applied by WSI. With some of the overlays approaching 10 years of
service, overall performance of these overlays has been excellent in boilers (both subcritical and
supercritical units) of major designs (e.g., CE, B&W, Foster Wheeler, Riley Stoker).

BLACK LIQUOR RECOVERY BOILERS

The recovery boiler in the pulp and paper mill is used to recover liquor, discharged from
digesters and followed by a series of evaporators to increase its concentrations. This black liquor
generally contains about 50% or more of organic solids and approximately 6% total sulphur in
the form of Na2SO4 and Na2S2O3, along with some NaCl.(8) Combustion takes place under
reducing conditions, transforming sodium sulphate to sodium sulphide and also forming sodium
carbonate. Organic compounds are burned to generate heat for producing steam for various
processing applications within the mill. Inorganic solids, such as sodium sulphide, sodium
hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium sulphate, thiosulphate, sodium chloride and others, are
melted in the furnace bed. This molten smelt is then discharged from the furnace bed through
smelt spouts.

The furnace is constructed with waterwall tubes in the furnace floor as well as on the sidewall.
The furnace floor tubes are covered with a layer of solidified smelt, which protects the tubes
quite well from molten smelt attack. However, corrosion of carbon steel floor tubes can still be a
problem. As a result, co-extruded composite tubes with type 304L as an outer diameter cladding
have been used for floor tubes. In recent years, however, many of these composite floor tubes
have suffered severe cracking problems. Singbeil, et al(9) provided an excellent review on the
cracking of the 304L cladding, concluding that the mechanism of cracking to be a form of
environmentally assisted cracking. Alloy 625, known to be highly resistant to environmentally
assisted cracking and to thermal fatigue cracking, is a potentially excellent candidate overlay
alloy for floor tube applications. Several mills in the U.S. and Canada have used and tested
Unifuse 625 overlay tubes for furnace floors since 1995 with excellent performance. Unifuse
625 overlay tubes have also been used successfully for smelt openings. The alloy also works
well as a weld overlay for the water-cooled smelt spouts.

For the waterwall above the smelt bed, corrosion is primarily due to sulphidation.(10) Wastage
rates of carbon steel tubes have been reported to be 0.2-0.8 mm/yr (8-32 mpy).(11) Field
application of type 309 SS overlay using automatic overlay machines has been performed in
several boilers with great success. One boiler has had type 309 SS overlaid waterwall in service
for up to 16 years, so far, with no reports of materials problems. This successful application is
briefly described below.
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 7

A recovery boiler in a Midwest mill in the US, producing superheated steam of 8.79 MPa (1275
psi) and 482 C (900 F), had experienced severe corrosion problems for the lower furnace wall
above the floor bed since its commission in 1968. The lower furnace of the boiler, from the
furnace floor up to the 2.1 meters (7 ft) weld line above the primary air ports, was constructed of
studded carbon steel tubes. The waterwall was of tangent tube construction. The furnace floor
(a decanting design) was protected by refractories. After about 4 years of operation, the rear
wall just above the studded section and up to the liquor gun elevation had suffered severe tube
thinning due to corrosion, and had to be replaced with new panels. A year later, the pin studs
started to suffer severe corrosion also. Various protection methods including pad welds with a
stainless steel, thermal (flame and plasma) sprayed coatings and other protection methods had
been tried without success until 1987 when weld overlay applied by automatic overlay machines
was installed. During the trial of plasma sprayed coatings, severe sulphidation attack was found
to have taken place on the carbon steel tubes underneath the coating. Spallation of the sprayed
coatings was another major problem encountered for thermal sprayed coatings.

In 1987, WSI was contracted to apply type 309 overlay on site using automatic GMAW overlay
welding machines. The overlay was applied on the rear wall of the boiler from the furnace floor
below the smelt line up to about 2.1 meters (7 ft) in height including smelt openings and primary
air ports. The overlay proved to be so successful that in 1989 the front wall was also overlaid
from the floor bed up to about 2.1 meters (7 ft). And in 1992, the overlay was extended to 9
meters (30 ft) in height for both rear and front walls. In July 2000, all overlays were examined.
The overlays, applied in 1987, 1989 and 1992, exhibited excellent condition. No cracking was
observed on all the areas inspected. Figure 16 shows an overlaid waterwall panel sample on the
rear wall removed from the boiler for metallurgical examination after 13 years of boiler
operation, revealing no corrosion attack and no cracking. Also shown in Figure 16 is the
location of the overlaid waterwall where the panel sample was obtained. Prior to the application
of Unifuse overlay, the bare carbon steel rear wall had to be replaced by new panels every 4-5
years. Room temperature tensile tests were also performed to assess the mechanical integrity of
the weld overlay tube. The overlay tensile blanks were obtained from the crown bead location,
while the bare steel tensile blanks were obtained from the backside of the steel tube. The tensile
test results are summarized in Table 3. No degradation in the mechanical properties of the
waterwall was observed after 13 years of service.

The overlay on the primary air ports and smelt openings was generally in good condition.
Unifuse 309 overlay has provided excellent protection for the lower furnace wall from the floor
bed up to the liquor gun elevation, including primary air port openings and smelt openings. The
overlay was intact and was in good condition with no sign of mechanical degradation after
service for up to 13 years.

Superheaters in recovery boilers are also subject to high temperature corrosion. Unifuse 310
overlay tubes, manufactured by the patented GMAW/GTAW process, are a cost-effective, long-
term solution to this superheater corrosion problem. The performance of Unifuse 310 overlay
tubes in black liquor recovery boilers has been excellent. Recent success includes Unifuse 310
overlay tubes showing no sign of corrosion damage after two years of operation in a superheater
platen where the previous material, T11 tubes, had been suffering wastage rates of up to 3.9
mm/yr (154 mpy).
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 8

BOF AND EAF HOODS IN STEELMAKING

The basic oxygen furnace (BOF) hood is used to collect, direct and cool the furnace effluent gas
stream from the steel melting campaign before the flue gas stream is cleaned and discharged to
atmosphere. The hood, which is typically made of carbon steel and cooled by water, has to
handle a hot effluent gas stream with temperatures up to 1650C and, thus, is subject to severe
erosion/corrosion attack. Due to recent improved practices, the furnace life has significantly
improved. As a result, the hood has become a limiting factor in BOF campaign life and requires
an innovative protection method to improve the availability and productivity of BOF shops and,
thus, melting campaigns.

Since 1998, many US steel mills have relied on Unifuse 625 overlay to provide protection for
their BOF hoods against erosion/corrosion with great success. Prior to the use of this
technology, many of these steel mills had used hardfacing coatings, such as tungsten carbide
(WC) coatings, which frequently failed to provide adequate protection. One such example is
give here.

In a major steel mill in the Pittsburgh area, the BOF hood is made of carbon steel (SA192).
Without protection, the hood suffered a wastage rate of about 50 mpy (1.3 mm/y). A side-by-
side test was performed at a J bend area of the hood to compare the Unifuse 625 overlay with
an HVOF (high velocity oxyfuel) tungsten carbide (WC) coating. After 8 months of testing, a
panel containing both 625 overlay and HVOF coating was removed for examination. Figure 17
shows the removed test panel. The alloy 625 overlay on the middle three tubes along with the
membranes revealed no sign of erosion/corrosion attack, with the original weld bead ripples
being clearly visible. On the other hand, the tubes and the membranes on both sides of the
overlaid section were coated with an HVOF tungsten carbide coating. The coating was
essentially gone. The mills two hoods have since then been overlaid with alloy 625.

In electric arc furnace (EAF) melting, the scrap used in the charge is often contaminated with
both organic and inorganic compounds, such as oil, plastic, paint and others. Plastic is the major
source of corrosive constituents (chlorides). Steels are particularly susceptible to high
temperature chloride attack. With the high velocity flue gas stream containing particulates,
erosion/corrosion plays a major role in the degradation process. Unifuse 625 overlay has also
been very successful in mitigating the tube wall wastage problems in a number of major steel
mills. Figure 18 shows a section of EAF hood awaiting overlay welding in shop.

SUMMARY

Unifuse overlays, using the automatic GMAW process, have been successfully applied to
provide high-temperature corrosion and erosion/corrosion protection for boilers and waste heat
recovery systems, including furnace off-gas systems such as BOF and EAF hoods in
steelmaking. Depending on the combustion conditions in boilers and waste heat recovery
systems, a wide variety of corrosion and erosion/corrosion resistant alloys, which include
stainless steels and nickel-base alloys, have been used successfully. Applications and successful
performance of different Unifuse overlays for the protection of power boilers, such as waste-to-
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 9

energy boilers, biomass-fired boilers, coal-fired boilers and black liquor recovery boilers are
highlighted. Also highlighted are Unifuse overlays for protection of BOF and EAF hoods in
steelmaking.

REFERENCES

1. P. Hulsizer, Corrosion/91, Paper No. 246, NACE, Houston, TX, 1991.

2. G. Lai, M. Jirinec and P. Hulsizer, 1998 TAPPI Engineering Conference Proceedings, Book
2, p. 417, TAPPI Press, Atlanta, Georgia
3. G. Lai, P. Hulsizer and R. Lee, Presented at 1999 EPRI Fossil Plant Maintenance
Conference, June 21-23, 1999, Atlanta, Georgia
4. G. Lai and P. Hulsizer, Corrosion/2000, Paper No. 258, NACE, Houston, TX, 2000.
5. G. Lai and P. Hulsizer, Presented at TAPPI 2001 Engineering Conference, September 16-20,
2001, San Antonio, TX, and published in the Conference Proceedings, TAPPI Press, Atlanta,
Georgia
6. W. T. Bakker, J. L. Blough, S. C. Kung, T. L. Banfield and P. Cunningham, Paper No. 2384,
Corrosion 2002, NACE, Houston, Texas
7. G. Lai, Presented at EPRI Conference on Welding and Repair Technology for Power Plants,
June 26-28, 2002, Point Clear, Alabama, and published in the Conference Proceedings, and
also published in PowerPlant Chemistry 2002, 4(12), p.712.
8. Corrosion in the Recovery Boilers, in Metals Handbook, Ninth Edition, 13, Corrosion, ASM
International, Materials Park, Ohio, (1987), p.1198
9. D. Singbeil, et al., Conference Proceedings, TAPPI Engineering & Papermaking Conference,
TAPPI, Atlanta, Georgia (1997), p.1001
10. W. Sharp, Conference Proceedings, 7th International Symposium on Corrosion, TAPPI,
Atlanta, Georgia, p.23
11. D. Bowers, Pulp and Paper, 61(7), (1987), p.118
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 10

Table 1. Tensile Properties of Unifuse 625 Weld Overlay Metal* in As-Overlaid Condition

Test Temp, F (C) UTS, ksi (MPa) 0.2% Offset YS, ksi (MPa) %EL

70 (21) 114.1 (787) 66.7 (460) 54

600 (316) 95.8 (661) 55.6 (383) 45
800 (427) 93.9 (647) 54.6 (377) 53
1000 (538) 89.1 (614) 52.2 (360) 48
1200 (649) 87.1 (601) 51.4 (354) 42

--------------
* Overlay metal was applied to carbon steel plate, which was subsequently machined off.

Table 2. Tensile Properties of Unifuse 625/SA210A1 Overlay Tube Samples in As-Overlaid

Condition in Comparison with SA210 A1 Carbon Steel Tube Samples

Test Temp Material UTS, ksi (MPa) 0.2% YS, ksi (MPa) % EL

RT SA 210 A1 68.8 (474) 47.7 (329) 42

625/SA 210 A1 91.1 (628) 64.0 (441) 38

600 F SA 210 A1 74.3 (512) 35.1 (242) 34

625/SA 210 A1 87.2 (601) 58.1 (401) 29

800 F SA 210 A1 60.0 (414) 30.5 (210) 37

625/SA 210 A1 81.6 (563) 55.5 (383) 35

1000 F SA 210 A1 37.0 (255) 21.9 (151) 59

625/SA 210 A1 70.1 (483) 51.3 (354) 33

1200 F SA 210 A1 19.4 (134) 14.4 (99) 94

625/SA 210 A1 46.3 (319) 27.5 (190) 57
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 11

Table 3. Room temperature tensile properties of Unifuse 309 overlay specimens and carbon
steel specimens cut from the 309 overlaid waterwall panel sample removed from the boiler after
13 years of service in a black liquor recovery boiler. Carbon steel specimens were cut from the
unoverlaid side (backside) of the tube

Test Specimen UTS, psi (MPa) 0.2% YS, psi (MPa) % Elongation

Carbon steel specimen 52,100 (359) 32,900 (227) 39.0

Carbon steel specimen 52,800 (364) 30,700 (212) 42.0

Overlaid specimen* 69,900 (482) 38,100 (263) 38.0

Overlaid specimen* 69,700 (481) 36,100 (249) 45.0
--------------------------
* Overlay + carbon steel substrate (specimens were cut from the overlay side of the tube).

Figure 1. Schematic illustrating weld overlay bead overlapping to cover the tube-membrane
waterwall or hood construction in either field or shop applications
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 12

Figure 2. Automatic overlay welding in progress in field overlay inside a boiler

Figure 3. Automatic overlay welding in progress in field overlay inside a BOF hood
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 13

Figure 4. Automatic overlay welding in progress in shop fabrication of Unifuse overlay panel

Figure 5. Patented GMAW/GTAW Unifuse overlay tubes

Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 14

25
Cr Content (Wt. %) 20
15
10
5
0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
Distance from Fusion Boundary (in)

Figure 6. Chromium concentration profile across Unifuse 625 overlay at the crown bead
location on a Cr-Mo steel (T2) waterwall panel. The overlay surface is on the right-hand side
of the scale. Cr content was measured by SEM/EDX. Unit conversion: 0.02 in = 0.5 mm

30
Fe Content (Wt. %)

25
20
15
10
5
0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
Distance from Fusion Boundary (in)

Figure 7. Iron concentration profile across the 625 overlay at the crown bead location on a Cr-
Mo steel (T2) waterwall panel (same sample as Figure 6). The overlay surface is on the right-
hand side of the scale. Fe content was maintained at less than 5% (by wt.) for more than 60 mils
(1.5 mm) from the overlay surface. It was found to increase only slightly near the fusion
boundary. Fe content was measured by SEM/EDX. Unit conversion: 0.02 in = 0.5 mm
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 15

Figure 8. Unifuse 625/SA210 A1 overlay tube in the as-overlaid condition successfully passed
1T (one tube wall thickness) flattening test without cracking

(a) (b)
Figure 9. (a) Unifuse 625 overlay showing excellent condition after 10 years of service in a
waste-to-energy boiler. (b) In some cases, minor repair involving grinding the corroded area and
re-application of 625 overlay may be needed, such as in this case after 10 years of service

Figure 10. Unifuse 625 overlaid waterwall sample obtained from a WTE boiler after 16 years of
boiler operation
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 16

Figure 11. Optical photomicrograph showing the full cross-section of the overlay at the crown
bead for the 625 overlaid waterwall tube sample, as shown in Figure 10, after 16 years of
operation in a WTE boiler

Figure 12. Overview (left) and close-up view (right) of Unifuse 625 overlay tubes after 4 years
of service in a superheater bundle of a WTE boiler. Weld bead ripples were still clearly visible
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 17

Figure 13. Close-up view of the severely corroded T22 superheater tube in a biomass boiler
burning hog fuel (bark and other wood waste materials) in a pulp mill

Figure 14. Installation of Unifuse 625 overlay tubes to combat high temperature corrosion attack
in a boiler burning hog fuel, where T22 tubes suffered premature failure as shown in Figure 13
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 18

Total Overlay Area (ft2)

60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
Y93 Y94 Y95 Y96 Y97 Y98 Y99 Y00 Y01
Year Overlay Performed

Figure 15. Approximate total overlay areas of waterwalls for Unifuse 309 SS, 625 and 622
overlays performed by Welding Services Inc. as a function of year applied in coal-fired utility
boilers. (1 ft2 = 0.093 m2)

Figure 16. A Unifuse 309 overlaid waterwall panel sample (left) was cut from the overlaid
waterwall at the location as shown in the photograph (right) after 13 years of service in a black
liquor recovery boiler
Overlay Cladding in Power Boilers OMMI (Vol.3, Issue 3) December 2004 19

Figure 17. Photograph showing a small test panel with HVOF tungsten carbide coating on both
sides of the Unifuse 625 overlay (center) installed for testing in a BOF hood and removed for
evaluation after 8 months of service in a major US steel mill. The HVOF coating was
completely gone, while the overlay exhibited no sign of high temperature corrosion or
erosion/corrosion attack.

Figure 18. A section of EAF duct awaiting Unifuse overlay welding with alloy 625 in shop