Determining a course of action once in-service damage is discovered often requires applying a multi-disciplinary approach that utilizes Nondestructive Examination (NDE), analytical techniques such as stress analysis, and metallurgical lab examination. Such was the case recently for a combined cycle…
As plants age, the need for inspection for service related damage to ensure unit reliability increases. There are several approaches that plants can take to reduce the risk of premature failures and proactively manage their DMWs. First is metallurgical sampling.…
By: Wendy Weiss, Tony Studer, P.E. While hydrogen damage is most often associated with severe gouging on the internal surface of a tube, it can occur in the absence of gouging. Structural Integrity received four waterwall tube sections from a…
In the world of metallurgical failure analysis, areas of interest on broken parts can be colorful or drab, three-dimensional or flat, and most importantly, very big or very small. A big part of failure analysis work is telling the story,…
By: Tony Studer Flexible metal hoses exist in numerous configurations, lengths, and diameters and have found a wide range of applications. In general flexible metal hoses are used in five types of applications: To correct for misalignment To provide flexibility…
By: Tony Studer Slag consists of molten, partially fused or re-solidified deposits on furnace walls and other surfaces exposed to radiant heat in coal and other solid fuel fired boilers. Explosive deslagging is one method of dealing with slag buildup;…
By: Wendy Weiss Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. (SI) was asked to examine a section of a burner gas ring from a boiler located at a chemical plant (Figure 1) and determine the cause of the corrosion and cracking. The approximately…
By: Amanda Robinson, Tony Studer Modern nickel-iron superalloys have enabled certain high pressure components, such as gas turbine blades, turbine studs, springs, and nozzles to operate at higher temperatures. Many of these superalloys have been found to suffer from a…