Boiler tube failures are the principal cause of loss of power plant availability worldwide. A significant proportion of the failures in the furnace wall and pendantlplaten superheater and reheater stages are the result, either directly or indirectly, of excessive metal loss by fireside corrosion. Despite fundamental differences in the corrosion mechanisms active on furnace walls (gaseous) and superheater/reheater stages (molten salt), much of the worsening fireside corrosion problems experienced in both sections on UK plant in the 1960s and 1970’s was attributed to fuel chemistry, in particular tha coal chlorine content. This paper explores the more recent history of fireside corrosion in CEGB and PowerGen Stations and details the current view of the impact of coal chlorine on the wastage mechanisms concerned in each boiler stage.
Keywords: boiler, tireside corrosion, chlorine, furnace wall, superheater/ reheater