AbstractThe increasing use of heavy oil as a fuel in power stations has given rise to intensified research in the field of fireside corrosion in Japan. The problems which have to be tackled are described in terms of experiences gained in the operation of oil and coal fired boilers. The main types of damage encountered are nonuniform wastage of tubes in connection with carburization. In this context significant interdependences have been found in connection with coal deposition (especially sodium and sulphur contents). On the basis of this experiences and of the results of corrosion tests in the laboratory and in the field it has been found that the measure offering the best prospect for corrosion control might be the use of coextruded tubing which would allow a combination of high corrosion resistance and high creep strength. In addition to that some modified alloys (e.g. Alloy 800 H, CR 30 A or NF709) offer an interesting potential whereby the high chromium content (more than 20%) is the main criterium.