Failure analysis of boiler tube at a petrochemical plant

Abstract

This research aims to assess the failure analysis of a boiler tube of a steam generation system at a petrochemical plant. To achieve this goal, firstly visual observation and thickness measurements were made to detect different features of failure. Secondly optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used observing the microstructures and also hardness measurements were carried out for metallurgical evaluation. Additionally, phase composition of deposits was studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Also, the on-site water composition of the boiler was taken into consideration. Finally, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was performed to model the condition of the tube before failure. Based on the results, “short-term overheating” was recognized as the root cause of the boiler tube failure.