Damage

Sr. Mechanism as per Evidence by Corrosion Rate/

Damage Cause Susceptible Area Mitigation/ Preventions
No. API 571/API RP Inspection Susceptibility
573
 The rate of creep deformation is
a function of material, load, and
 Using alloys with improved creep resistance
temperature. The rate of
may be required for longer life.
damage is sensitive to both load
Creep & Stress  Heaters should be designed and operated to
and temperature.  Super heater Coils
1. None Susceptibility Low minimize hot spots and localized
Rupture  Increased stress due to loss in  Furnace wall tubes overheating.
thickness from corrosion will
 Minimizing process side fouling/ deposits
reduce time to failure.
and fire side deposits/scaling can maximize
 In creep damage, there is
tube life.
usually a deformation of
material before failure.
 Erosion-corrosion is a damage
that occurs when corrosion
contributes to erosion by  Feed water inlet
removing protective films or nozzle  Properly monitor the velocity and reduce
Erosion/ Erosion scales, or by exposing the metal flow rate to avoid erosion.
2.  Desuperheater None Susceptibility Low
Corrosion surface to further corrosion nozzle area  Streamlining bends to reduce impingement.
under the combined action of  Super heater  Using hard facing or surface-hardening
erosion and corrosion.  Main steam line treatments.
 Velocity of impacting medium
 Concentration of medium
 Corrosion growth rate
 A form of carburization
 There is currently no metal alloy that is
resulting in accelerated
immune to metal dusting under all
localized pitting which occurs
conditions. Materials selection must be made
in carburizing gases and/or  Furnace wall tubes
3. Metal Dusting None Susceptibility Low based on the specific application and
process streams containing  Super heater environment.
carbon and hydrogen.
 An aluminum diffusion treatment to the base
 Depending upon the type of
metal substrate can be beneficial in some
alloy temperature range starts
applications.
from 427 C to 760 C.
Caustic Corrosion  Caustic corrosion or caustic  Water Wall Tubes
4. gouging can occur from  Screen Wall Tubes None Susceptibility Low  Damage can be minimized by taking
Caustic Gouging following steps:
deposition of feed water  Evaporator Tubes
Ductile Gouging corrosion products in which  Steam Drum  Reducing the amount of free caustic.
 Damage
Sr. Mechanism as per Evidence by Corrosion Rate/
Damage Cause Susceptible Area Mitigation/ Preventions
No. API 571/API RP Inspection Susceptibility
573
sodium hydroxide can  Mud Drum  Ensuring adequate water flooding and water
concentrate to high pH levels. flow.
 At high pH levels, the steel’s  Ensuring proper management to minimize
protective oxide layer is soluble hot spots on heater tubes.
and rapid corrosion can occur.
 Deposits normally occur where
flow is disrupted and in areas of
high heat input.
 Poor boiler water circulation
 Occurs usually as localized
corrosion.
 Minimize localized temperature excursions.
 Permanent deformation  Proper burner management to avoid flame
Short term occurring at relatively low impingement
stress levels as a result of  Fouling / deposit control to minimize hot
5. overheating -  Furnace tubes None Susceptibility Low
localized overheating. spots and localized overheating.
stress rupture  Superheaters Tubes
 This usually results in bulging  Utilize burners which produce a more diffuse
and eventually failure by stress flame pattern.
rupture.  Maintaining refractory in serviceable
condition in refractory lined equipment.
 High temperature hydrogen
attack results from exposure to
hydrogen at elevated
temperatures and pressures.
High temperature  Super heater  Use alloy steels with chromium and
6.  Hydrogen reacts with carbides None Susceptibility Low
hydrogen attack  Main Steam Line molybdenum to increase carbide stability
in steel to form methane (CH4)
 Steam Drum thereby minimizing methane formation.
which cannot diffuse through
the steel.
 The loss of carbide causes an
overall loss in strength.
 Super heater  Controlled rates of heating and cooling
7. Thermal fatigue  Due to cyclic stresses caused None Susceptibility Low
 Feed water inlet during startup and shutdown of equipment
by variations in temperature.
nozzle can lower stresses.
 Damage
Sr. Mechanism as per Evidence by Corrosion Rate/
Damage Cause Susceptible Area Mitigation/ Preventions
No. API 571/API RP Inspection Susceptibility
573
 Occurs at minimum  Desuperheater spray  Differential thermal expansion between
temperature difference of 93 nozzle adjoining components of dissimilar materials
0
C. should be considered.
 In some cases, a liner or sleeve may be
installed to prevent a colder liquid from
contacting the hotter pressure boundary wall.
 Thermal shock results when
boiler firing rates change
 Feed water inlet  Prevent interruptions in the flow of high
rapidly and large temperature
nozzle temperature lines.
differentials exist between heat
 Desuperheater spray  Install thermal sleeves to prevent liquid
transfer surfaces. This
8. Thermal Shock nozzle None Susceptibility Low impingement on the pressure boundary
thermally induced overstress is
 Super heater and components.
caused by the inability of the
main steam line at  Review hot/cold injection points for
internal boiler structures to
start up potential thermal shock.
adjust to the immediate

temperature conditions and can
lead to mechanical damage.
 Cracking may occur due to
thermal expansion of the
equipment.
Refractory  Softening or general  Proper selection of refractory, anchors and
9. degradation from exposure to  Burner Refractory None Susceptibility Low fillers and their proper design and
Degradation moisture during shutdown.  Manway refractory installation are the keys to minimizing
 In erosive environment, refractory damage.
refractory may be washed
away or thinned, exposing
refractory anchors.
 Failure due to hoop stress in the  Proper burner management should be
tube from the internal steam practiced to minimize flame impingement.
pressure at the elevated  Water Wall Tubes  Proper BFW treatment can help prevent
10. Steam Blanketing  Screen Wall Tubes None Susceptibility Low
temperature. some conditions that can lead to restricted
 DNB is the main cause of steam  Evaporator Tubes fluid flow.
blanketing and finally tube  Tubes should be visually inspected for
rupture. bulging.
 Damage
Sr. Mechanism as per Evidence by Corrosion Rate/
Damage Cause Susceptible Area Mitigation/ Preventions
No. API 571/API RP Inspection Susceptibility
573
 Flame impingement from
misdirected or damaged
burners can provide heat flux
greater than the steam
generating tube can
accommodate.
 A deaerator removes most of the oxygen in
 Oxygen attack is a kind of
feed-water however, trace amounts are still
corrosion on a metal surface
present and can cause corrosion-related
caused by dissolved oxygen in
problems.
water.
 Oxygen scavengers are added to the feed-
 Oxygen forms localized
water, preferably in the storage tank of the
corrosion areas referred to as
11. Oxygen Attack  Steam Drum Susceptibility Low feed-water, to remove the trace amount of
pits. As oxygen corrodes the
oxygen that escapes from the deaerator. The
boiler metal, it dissolves the
most commonly used oxygen scavenger is
iron surface and sends
sodium sulfite. In Current Boiler, Cortrol
dissolved iron into the boiler.
OS5300 is used as an oxygen scavenger
 This dissolved iron can deposit
which is a blend of Diethylhydroxylamine
onto boiler tubes, causing
(15-40 w%) and Hydroquinone (1,4–
overheating and tube failure.
Benzenediol) 1-5 w%.
 Carbon dioxide (CO2)
corrosion results when CO2  Boiler feed water
dissolves in water to form system  Corrosion inhibitors can reduce corrosion in
carbonic acid (H2CO3).  Steam condensate steam condensate systems.
12. CO2 Corrosion Susceptibility Low
 The acid may lower the pH and return system /  Increasing condensate pH above 6 can
sufficient quantities may condensate lines reduce corrosion in steam condensate
promote general corrosion  Steam trap lines systems.
and/or pitting corrosion of
carbon steel.
 Carbon is absorbed into a
material at elevated  Reducing the potential for carburization
13. Carburization  damage includes reducing the carbon
temperature while in contact
with a carbonaceous material or activity of the environment through lower
carburizing environment. temperatures and higher oxygen and sulfur
 Damage
Sr. Mechanism as per Evidence by Corrosion Rate/
Damage Cause Susceptible Area Mitigation/ Preventions
No. API 571/API RP Inspection Susceptibility
573
 Carbon from the environment partial pressures. Also, the addition of H2S
combines with carbide-forming in the process stream inhibits carburization.
elements (i.e. Cr, Mo, Nb, W,
Mo, Ti, and Fe) in the alloy to
form internal carbides. These
carbides precipitate at the grain
boundaries of the alloy or
inside the grains.
 Graphitization is a change in
the microstructure of certain
carbon steels and 0.5Mo steels
after long-term operation in
the 800°F to 1100°F (427°C to
593°C) range that may cause a
loss in strength, ductility,
and/or creep resistance.
 At elevated temperatures, the  Furnace Wall Tubes
 Steam Drum  Graphitization can be prevented by using
14. Graphitization carbide phases in these steels Susceptibility Low
 Mud Drum chromium containing low alloy steels for
are unstable and may
 Main Steam Line long-term operation above 800°F (427°C).
decompose into graphite
nodules. This decomposition
is known as graphitization.
 Temperature has an important
effect on the rate of
graphitization. Below 800°F
(427°C), the rate is extremely
slow. The rate increases with
increasing temperature.
 Spheroidization is a change in
the microstructure of steels  Super heater Tubes
after exposure in the 440°C to  Furnace Wall Tubes  Spheroidization is difficult to prevent
15. Spheroidization  Steam Drum Susceptibility Low
760°C range, where the except by minimizing long term exposure to
carbide phases in carbon  Mud Drum elevated temperatures.
steels are unstable and may  Main Steam Line
agglomerate from their
 Damage
Sr. Mechanism as per Evidence by Corrosion Rate/
Damage Cause Susceptible Area Mitigation/ Preventions
No. API 571/API RP Inspection Susceptibility
573
normal plate-like form to a
spheroidal form, or from
small, finely dispersed
carbides in low alloy steels
like 1Cr-0.5Mo to large
agglomerated carbides.
 The loss in strength is usually
accompanied by an increase in
ductility which allows for
deformation at stress
concentrations.