Abstract
Failure analysis of a water wall tube of a once-through Benson boiler after 100,000 h of use of service is presented. A 15Mo3 material was used in the manufacture of the tube. In order to identify the root cause of the rupture, visual inspection, optical emission spectroscopy, microscopic examinations, mechanical strength measurements, and tube wall thickness measurements at various locations were performed on the failed tubes. Visual inspection revealed a fish mouth puncture opening with thin lips. As a result of optical spectroscopy, mechanical testing, and hardness measurements, the material was found to meet the requirements. Based on microstructure analysis, it appears that the pearlite spheroidized near the rupture site as a result of localized high temperatures. The failure mechanism of the tube was identified as a localized short-term overheating caused by high heat flux based on the results of all the tests and analyses conducted in this study.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
