Lay-up Protection for Boilers

and HRSGs
APPA E&O Conference
APRIL 2005

FOR SALE: 250 MW 2-on-1 Natural Gas Fired

Combined Cycle Plant
Completed in 2000, lightly used, left full of water
with no lay-up or preservation.
Make Offer

Goals of Proper Lay-up

Minimize Downtime
Corrosion
Eliminate Corrosion Product
Transport on Startup
Reach Chemical Operating
Limits Quickly
3

Lay-up the Entire Steam

Cycle!
LP
Turbine

HP Turbine
IP
Turbine

Condenser

Vent

Vent

Deaerator

Boiler
HP
Heaters

LP
Heaters

Condensate
Polisher

Lay-up is Critical for HRSGs

Cycle frequently
Faster heating cycles
Complex circulation
Often stand-alone (no source of aux.
steam)
Chemical cleaning more complicated
5

Your Choice
Rust and Corrosion

Your Choice
Passivation and Protection

Failure Mechanisms Affected

by Poor Lay-up
Oxygen Pitting
Corrosion Fatigue
Under Deposit Corrosion
Hydrogen Damage
Caustic Gouging

Oxygen Pitting
Causes:
Downtime Oxygen
Dissolved oxygen on
Startup
Corrosion Products
Location:
Anywhere where water
and oxygen coexist
9

Oxygen Pitting
Starts with a deposit
Driven by oxygen in the water/air versus
no oxygen under the deposit
Heating increases corrosion rate
Chloride increases corrosion rate

10

Normal Passivation
Half Reactions
Fe Fe+2 + 2e-

1/ O
2 2

Fe (OH)2

Fe+2 + 2 OH2 Fe(OH)2 + O2

Fe2O3 + H2O
Fe3O4 + H2

3 Fe(OH)2

Fe2O3
Fe+2

Fe(OH)2

Fe 0

+ H2O + 2 e- 2 OH-

(<300 F)
(>300 F)

O2 OH-

Fe3O4

2eSteel

Anode

Cathode
11

Normal Passivation

Random anodic and cathodic sites create a passivation layer

AC

AC AC
0
A C Fe

AC AC AC AC
AC
AC AC
AC AC
A C A CA C
A
C
A
C
A
C
AC
2e
AC

Steel
A- Anode

C- Cathode
12

Oxygen Pitting
Deposits create a localized cathode and anode
that form a corrosion pit

High dissolved oxygen

Fe2O3

Oxygen-deficient area

O2 OH-

Fe(OH)2
Anode

Steel

Cathode

13

Corrosion Fatigue

1. Stress cracks protective oxide

2. Oxygen pits form

Fixed point

14

Corrosion Fatigue
Causes:
Oxygen plus Stress
DO on startup
Affects:
LP Economizer and
Evaporator
Fixed points, headers
15

Under-deposit Corrosion
Steam out

Conc. chemicals

Heat
Boiler water in
16

Underdeposit Corrosion
Causes:
Deposits
High heat flux
Improper Chemistry

17

Lay-up Considerations
Not Time Dependent
Good Lay-up must work
for a day or a year

18

Lay-up Considerations
Quick return
OR
Scheduled return

19

Lay-up Considerations
Breech
OR
No Breech

20

Corrosion Triangle

21

Dry Lay-up Exclude Water

22

Wet Lay-up Excludes Oxygen

23

Lay-up Options
Dry Lay-up
Hot Drain
Dehumidified Air
Desiccants

Wet Lay-up
Nitrogen
Steam
24

Design Issues Affecting Layup

Can all headers and piping be drained
completely?
How quickly can it be done?
How accessible are drain valves?

25

Design issues: headers

Cannot be drained : Wet Lay-up only

Dry Lay-up will work

26

Dry Lay-up
Advantages
Only option when repairs are required
Requires less time and cost to
maintain

27

Dry Lay-up
Disadvantages
Need to get systems dry and keep
them dry
Requires considerable time and water
on startup

28

Steps for Dry Lay-up

Drain HRSG hot (some drain
under nitrogen pressure)
Drain out associated feedwater
equipment and piping
Drain and dry out condenser
Make sure ALL drains are opened,
including header drains

29

Maintaining Dry Lay-up

Use continuous dehumidified air
circulation
OR
Close drains/drums and use desiccant
30

Dehumidified Air
Air must circulate though all equipment
High flows to achieve dew point of 10F
as quickly as possible
Continue to circulate 1% system volume
per hour

31

Silica Gel

Use 5 lbs. silica gel/100 ft3 of panel volume

Place in each accessible drum
Use indicating type
Check regularly
At least twice during first week
Once per week for first month
Once per month thereafter

32

Vapor Phase Inhibitors

Used on clean metal surfaces
Addition rate- ~3 lbs per 1000 gallons
capacity

33

Vapor Phase Inhibitors

Volatile at ambient temperatures
Destroyed in steam blow or operation
Treatment can be repeated if needed

34

VPI Preservation

After 30 days

After 106 days

35

Wet Lay-up
Advantages
Quick restart
Minimizes corrosion product transport

36

Wet Lay-up
Disadvantages
Requires freeze protection
More time and cost to maintain properly

37

Wet Lay-up

Hot
Uses Auxiliary
Steam
Reduces Thermal
Cycling Stresses

or

Cold
Nitrogen
Simple to maintain
No fuel costs

Faster Starts
38

Nitrogen Cap
Cap should be applied to:
Steam Drum(s)
Deaerator (if separate)
Condenser

39

Danger:Nitrogen
Nitrogen lay-up is designed to prevent
oxygen from entering the boiler
Nitrogen will NOT support life
All confined spaces MUST be clearly
marked
Confined Space Entry Procedures
MUST be followed
40

Nitrogen Addition Points

LP
Turbine

HP Turbine
IP
Turbine

Condenser

Vent

Vent

Deaerator

Boiler

HP
Heaters

LP
Heaters

41

Drain
Drain

Feedwater Preheater

LP Evaporator

To LP Turbine

IP Drum

HP Economizer

IP Economizer

HP Economizer

IP Evaporator

LP SH

To IP Turbine

HP Drum

IP SH

HP Econmizer

HP Evaporator

HP SH

To HP Turbine

--Nitrogen Addition Points

DA

LP Drum

From HP FW Pump
42

Nitrogen Cap- Drums

Enters the drum through
connection on vent line
Nitrogen feed started while drum
is still hot (~212F)
Less than 5 psig of pressure is
applied
43

Nitrogen Cap - Condenser

Addition starts while while steam
turbine is still spinning down
Added quickly at first, then slowly
as the vacuum approaches zero
Constant flow of 20 SCFH is
maintained while the unit is down

44

Wet Chemical Lay-up

pH of water 9.8 with ammonia or
amines
Hydrazine or other scavenger may be
added
Need to circulate and test

45

Drain
Drain

Feedwater Preheater

LP Evaporator

To LP Turbine

IP Drum

HP Economizer

IP Economizer

HP Economizer

IP Evaporator

LP SH

To IP Turbine

HP Drum

IP SH

HP Econmizer

HP Evaporator

HP SH

To HP Turbine

--Nitrogen Addition Points

--Chemical Sampling Points
DA

LP Drum

From HP FW Pump
46

Wet Chemical Lay-up

Requires significant amounts of chemical
Must add nitrogen or steam provide adequate
protection above the water line
May create an environmental issue if you
have to drain the HRSG (particularly if
hydrazine is used)

47

Transitions
Dry To Wet
Need a source of deoxygenated water
Add chemical treatment during fill
Cap with Nitrogen

48

Transitions
Wet to Dry (Cold)
Drain under nitrogen pressure
Continue to blow nitrogen until water is
gone
Dry out with dehumidified air
Use dry air or silica gel to maintain
49

Transitions
Wet to Dry (Better)
Fire boiler to 25 psig
Drain under nitrogen pressure
Dry out with dehumidified air
Use dry air or silica gel to maintain

50

Startup Chemistry
Dry Lay-up
Boiler/HRSG fill-water should be:
Hot
Deaerated
Chemically Treated

51

Startup Chemistry
Treatments
Feedwater
Amine
Scavenger

Boiler
Phosphate
Caustic (if needed)
52

Startup Chemistry
Wet Lay-up (Nitrogen)
Chemistry from the lay-up predominates
Treat with a heavier than normal dose
of amine and scavenger to account for
high make-up rates

53

Reference Document
ASME CRTD-Vol. 66
Consensus for the Lay-up of Boilers,
Turbines, Turbine Condensers and
Auxiliary Equipment
Available at the www.asme.org
54