Condition Assessment of

Supercritical BoilersChallenges Ahead

Dr. S.K.Nath
Engineering
Officer

Central Power Research

Institute
Thermal Research Centre
Koradi
Nagpur-441111

Supercritical Technology in India

Availability of coal both in quality and quantity

Reduction in emission-environmental obligation
Low Average efficiency of power plants in India in
the range of 27% - 34%.
Achieving the required economic growth
Major Power Producer NTPC Ltd. has gone for
first Supercritical Units in India followed by
others.
Estimated 25 Nos. of SC projects are under
different phase of development while more than 35
projects are under proposal stage.

Rankine Cycle

Supercritical Rankine
Cycle
3740 C;
225
Kg/cm2

Enhanced steam
parameters require
superior materials

Requirements of
materials for hightemperature application

Adequate strength to resist

deformation-high temp. and pr.
2. Adequate fatigue strength against
vibratory stress
3. Sufficient ductility to accommodate
cumulative plastic strain and notch
strength against stress concentrations
Good resistance to service environment
to withstand oxidation, corrosion and
erosion
1.

4.

Requirements of materials
for high-temperature
application (contd.)

6. Ease in fabrication (machining, forging,

casting and welding)
7. Low coefficient of thermal expansion to
resist thermal stresses
8. Good thermal conductivity to minimise
thermal gradient
9. Low density to provide high strength-toweight ratio for last staging blading of large
steam turbine
10. Availability of long-term test data to

Comparison of allowable
stresses between conventional
and advanced materials

Supercritical Boiler
Item

Section

Material Specification
(ASME)

Water Wall

Tubing

SA213-T22

Header & Piping

SA335 - P12
SA335 - P91
SA213-T12

Superheater
Tubing

SA213-T23
SA213-T91
SUPER 304H
SA106-C

Header & Piping

SA335 - P12
SA335 - P91
SA210Gr.C

Reheater
SA213-T12

Tubing

SA213-T23
SA213-T91
SUPER 304H

Header & Piping

SA106-C

Tubing

SA210-C

Economiser
Seperator Storage Tank

SA302-C

Various damage
mechanisms in supercritical
boilers
Short term damage
mechanisms:

Erosion, Fireside corrosion,

shortterm overheating
Long term damage
mechanism:

Operational effects on
supercritical boiler
components

High temperature effect

(ageing)
High temperature corrosion
(ash attack)
High velocity flue gas with
particulate burden (erosion)
Thermal cycling
Steam side oxide scale
growth

Manifestation
Mechanical
Material loss
Wall thinning
Weld defect
Crack
Swelling
Slagging, fouling
Loss of material strength

Manifestation
(contd.)

Metallurgical

Creep life
Structural integrity

Steam Starvation
Sudden Rupture

Various damage
mechanisms and suitable
NDE
methods
Damage Mechanism
NDE Methods for detection
Erosion

Visual Examination (VE), Ultrasonic Thickness

Survey

Blockade in water circuit

Fibroscopy

Welding defects

Ultrasonic Test (UT), Magnetic Particle Test

(MPT), Dye Penetrant Test (DPT), Radiographic
Test (RT)

Creep

In-situ Metallography, Hardness Measurement

Oxide Scale growth

Ultrasonic Test (UT)

Thermal fatigue crack

detection and sizing

Ultrasonic Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD)

inspection, potential drop technique

Short Term overheating

In-situ Metallography, Hardness Measurement

Swelling

Dimensional Measurement (OD)

What is Creep?
-The time dependent,
thermally assisted
deformation of components
under load (stress) is known
as creep.

Structural
Classificati
on

Microstructure Action needed

features

Expended
life
fraction

Undamaged Ferrite &

pearlite

None

0.12

Isolated
cavities

None until next major

scheduled maintenance
outage

0.46

Oriented
cavities

Replica test at specified

0.50
interval preferably within 1.5
to 3 years

Linked cavities Limited service until repair

0.84
(micro cracks) and better to inspect within 6
months

Macro cracks

Immediate repair

1.00

In-situ metallography

Major Findings

Bulging

Damaged microstructure

Fatigue
Start-ups, load
changes

Crack initiation Stress

Analysis, Nf
Crack propagation

CRACK
PROPAGATION
Initial

Crack length
Assessed by a suitable NDE
technique (e.g. Ultrasonic)
Critical

Crack length
Assessed based on the
prevailing stress field and
geometry of the job.

Crack propagation
Paris Law:da/dN = c kn
material

c , n =

Ultrasonic Time of Flight

Diffraction (TOFD)
Inspection

TOFD - How it works

Configuration

PCS

Scan Motion

Positional Encoding

Successive position related

waveforms captured and
processed on-line .....

Tx
Rx

Wide Beam Coverage

Diffracted
Signals
Lateral Wave

..... for immediate graphical

presentation in meaningfull
thro' wall format

Backwall Reflection

RF Waveform

D-scan presentation of thro' wall condition

Tx Signal
Amplitude
Quantisation

WT

Phase Reversal
Time of Flight

Weld Length

COMPLEX WELD WITH DISSIMILAR

THICKNESS

Specimen simulating complex geometry weld

namely terminal weld between pipe and valve
containing various defects

t LW
t BW
t1

t2

S2 T 2

S x 2aZ
C

T H 2 x 2 a B 2
C

S2 d2

S 2 d h 2

d H 2 x 2 a B2
C

d h H 2 x 2 a B 2
C

Indian Boiler
Regulation (IBR)

Statutory Perspective
Objectives:
1. Safe Operation
2. Update Boiler memo

Statutory Perspective (Contd.)

Boiler Act
IBR- Rules & Regulations
Prescriptions
Authority Inspectorate of Boilers
Jurisdiction Within the State Territory
Boilers

> = 22.75 Litres

> = 1,00,000 Hours
> = 25 years old

Statutory Perspective (Contd.)

Agency: Approved as per Act

Methodology:

Table 1 and Table 2

NDT inspection of Drum, Headers, Pipes
&Tubes by Visual, UT,DPT, Replication, OD
& Thickness, Fiber optic inspection,
Hardness, Oxide scale thickness measurement.

TABLE -1
Component

Visual

Ultrasonic
testing

Magnetic
Particle
Inspection

Liquid/
Dye
Penetrant
Inspection

Replication

Sampling

Deposit
Analysis

Outside
Diameter
And
Thickness

Fibroscopic
Inspection

Hardness

Other

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

Drum(Steam)

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Water Drum

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Low Temp.
Headers

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Attemperator
Header

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

High Temp.
Economiser
tubes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Low Temp.
Economiser
tubes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Convection
Superheater
coils

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Primary
Super heater
coils

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Pre final
Super heater
coils

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Swell
measur
ement

TABLE -1 (Contd.)

Component

Visual

Ultrasonic
testing

Magnetic
Particle
Inspection

Liquid/
Dye
Penetrant
Inspection

Replication

Samplin
g

Deposit
Analysis

Outside
Diameter
And
Thickness

Fibroscopic
Inspection

Hardness

Others

Final
Super heater
coils

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Reheater coils

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

High Temp.
headers

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Final
Super heater
header

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Swell
measur
ement

Reheater
header

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Swell
measur
ement

Main steam
Piping

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Platen super
Heater header

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Primary super
heater header

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

TABLE -1 (Contd.)

Component

Visual

Ultrasonic
testing

Magnetic
Particle
Inspection

Liquid/
Dye
Penetrant
Inspection

Replication

Sampl
ing

Depo
sit
Anal
ysis

Outside
Diamet
er
And
Thickn
ess

Fibrosc
opic
Inspecti
on

Hardness

Economiser
Header

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Auxiliaries

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Boiler Bank
Tube

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Water Wall

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Furnace Water
Wall

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

others

Table 2.
Component

Visual

Ultrasonic
testing

Magnetic
Particle
Inspection

Liquid/
Dye
Penetrant
Inspection

Replicatio
n

Samplin
g

Deposit
Analysis

Outside
Diameter
And
Thickness

Fibroscopic
Inspection

Hardness

Drum(Steam)

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Water Drum

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Economiser
Tubes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Convection
Super Heater
coils

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Primary Super
Heater coils

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Final Super
Heater coils

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

High Temp.
Headers

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

Other

Non
destru
ctive
oxide
thickn
ess
inspec
tion

TABLE -2 ( Contd.)

Final Super
Heater Header

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

Economiser
Header

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Auxiliaries

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Boiler Bank
Tube

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

Water Wall

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Main steam
Piping

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Swell
measu
remen
t

Statutory Perspective (Contd.)

OUTCOME

Scientifically assured safe operation

for a specified period.

Role of Indian Boiler

Regulation (IBR)
With age of currently available
supercritical boilers in their
infancy, the deployment of NDE
will be limited to failure analysis
and condition assessment of the
component for quality control of
repair programmes during any
forced outage event and IBR
relevance may be seen here.

Issues of Supercritical
Technology in India

Critical issues to be resolved for faster development :

Technological issues :a) Water wall cracking
b) Negative flow characteristic
c) Slagging.
d) Designing as per Indian condition
e) Welding technology for new material

Issues of Supercritical
Technology in India
(contd.)

Operation & Maintenance Issues:

Availability of sufficient field data w.r.t. material
behavior, boiler tube leakage (BTL)
Availability of critical spares for supercritical
plants.
Availability of skilled manpower
Large number of foreign suppliers of SC Power
Plants , but have comparatively long delivery
period .
Availability of contractors for O&M activities

High Temperature Components, ASM International, Metals Park,

Chio 44073.
2. Arindam Sinha and Akhilesh Kumar Singh (2011), New Era in
Indian Thermal Power Sector-Evolvement of Supercritical
Technology, Workshop on Remnant Life Assessment (RLA) Study of
Boilers organized by Central Power Research Institute on 4-5th
March, 2011 at Raipur (CG)
3. Modern Power station practice, Boilers and Ancillary plant, BEI
Volume B.
4. Indian Boiler Regulation, Act 1923 & Regulations 1950, Akalank
Publications, Delhi-110 006, 9th ed., July 2007.
5. S.K.Nath et al (2011), Non-Destructive Evaluation in Remnant Life
Assessment (RLA) study of Boilers Workshop on Remnant Life
Assessment (RLA) Study of Boilers organized by Central Power
Research Institute on 4-5th March, 2011 at Raipur (CG)
6. B.J.Robbins, D.M.Farrell, J. Stallings and S. Cardoso, The
Monitoring of Circumferential Fatigue Cracking of Furnace Tubes in
Supercritical Boilers, Rowan Technologies Ltd., Manchester, UK and
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA, USA.