Failure evaluation of steam‐side oxide scales in superheater tubes during unsteady thermal processes: A probabilistic method

Abstract

Issues resulting from failure of steam‐side oxide scales in boiler superheater or reheater tubes seriously influence the safety of coal‐fired power plants. In this work, an analysis model for the failure of steam‐side oxide scales during unsteady thermal processes is established. This model employs the advanced oxide scale failure diagram as the failure criterion, and also takes into account the influence of temperature on the coefficients of thermal expansion of both metal substrate and oxide scale. Since the stochastic nature of related geometrical, mechanical, and thermophysical parameters may hinder the usual deterministic investigation from obtaining a reliable evaluation, probabilistic failure evaluation which is not based on bivalent logic is thus performed. Focusing on the unsteady thermal processes induced by the variation of steam temperature, effects of oxide scale thickness as well as different steam temperature variation processes on the failure probability of steam‐side oxide scales are analyzed. It is found that the failure probability of thicker steam‐side oxide scales is higher, while through reasonably selecting steam temperature variation mode and appropriately lengthening variation duration, lower failure probability can be achieved. Feasible measures are presented with the aspiration to solve the steam‐side oxide scale failure issues.