1

Introduction
The major problem that the power plants are facing today is the aging problem. With the
existing components getting old, the plants cannot deliver the desired output. The management
and engineers of all the power plants are working towards increasing the efficiency of the plants
by repairing the existing machine components or by replacing them with new technology which
can last long. Many Power plants have come up with numerous techniques to extend the plant
life.

Predictive Maintenance
Predictive maintenance is an option considered reducing the frequent machinery failures.
Today’s powerful predictive maintenance (PdM) tools are being combined with advanced
software to arrive at knowledge based asset management. If this is applied properly the cost of
the sophisticated tools is more than an offset by a reduction in machinery failures, an increase in
plant availability, higher efficiency and the elimination of unnecessary preventive maintenance.
A review of the latest offerings in PdM technologies includes vibrational analysis, Tribology,
thermography etc.

Vibrational analysis is the cornerstone of most PdM programs. It can identify incipient problems
in rotating equipment before they build into serious failures and unscheduled downtime.
Problems identified include deteriorating or defective bearings, mechanical looseness, worn or
broken gears, and misalignment or unbalanced shafts. Vibrational analysis can also identify
“soft foot” which results from the shims and hold-down bolts gradually loosening during long-
term service causing the grout under the base plate to turn to dust. Pumps are the usual victims
to “soft foot”. The vibrational analysis can be applied on continuous or periodic basis. In typical
power plant, turbines are monitored for vibration with a continuous on-line system, and other
major rotating machinery is monitored on a periodic basis-once a month or once a quarter.

Tribology is the collective for a variety of techniques that analyze the condition of the lubricants
and their ability for continuous use, the amount of wear on internal oil wetted components and
the presence of contamination which can lead to premature failure. Tribology is applied to all
the machinery which have circulating oil system, steam or gas turbines, diesel or gas engines,
gear boxes, boiler feed pump etc. The following are some of the Tribology techniques.
1. Spectroscopy is used to forecast useful remaining oil life by identifying deteriorated
lubricants and the presence of contamination.
2. Ferrography is another technique, which determines the severity of component wear. This is
more useful on ferrous-based systems.

Thermography is another important PdM technique. Thermography uses infrared scanners,

similar in appearance to video cameras, to detect differences in surface temperatures and then
displays them on the television screen. These images can then be recorded on videotape. Many
plants apply this technique to electric systems to identify poor electrical contacts or connections.
Infrared (IR) scanning is nondestructive and it can perform at a distance for machinery that is
difficult or awkward to reach. As the surveys are done when the machine is in operation so
downtime is avoided.
 2

Laser based surface mapping is the recent development in the PdM program, this is used to
inspect the inner diameter of boiler and heat exchanger tubing for such anomalies as pitting,
corrosion and deformation.

Borescope is another important PdM technology applied to gas turbines. This technique will
help to view the turbine components without actually opening it. This is also applied for steam
turbines.

Considering all the techniques and their importance, it can be concluded that the cost-effective
techniques, which are suggested above, should be applied to the components which are important
and whose failure would cost fortune. These should not be applied to every component in the
plant as it takes money and time to implement PdM program, which every component is not
worth. Care should be taken to see that the PdM tools do not generate heaps of data more than
the one assigned technician has time to evaluate.

Reference: “Total Payout from PdM takes total commitment”,Robert Swanekamp,PE. Senior Editor Power,
july/August 1998

New life for old Rotors

Steam Turbines predictably show natural tendency of aging as they reach life expectancy.
Utilities today are looking for cost-effective approaches to restore units to service. Various
choices that are put forth are to purchase new equipment, replace equipment with in-kind rotors,
or seek an unusual approach- life extension through partial rotor repair.

According to Westinghouse specialists, any utility plant owner with a sizable fleet of turbines
has probably needed to perform experienced weld repair of turbine rotors. With the range of
available weld techniques, including cold wire TIG and submerged arc, etc., it is possible to
improve the material properties or engineering requirements of almost any type of rotor.
Westinghouse has undertaken many projects since 1980’s including blade attachment area
restoration, reattaching severed shafts, journal restoration, coupling buildup, overhand welding,
gland restoration, and disk restoration. The advanced weld techniques will increase the life of
the rotor by manifold.

ABB Power Generation Inc. Turbine Services, Richmond, Va., has developed repair strategies
for critical components to make them stronger and more efficient. Often these techniques save
millions of dollars in replacement costs. Damaged rotor sections are removed and re-engineered,
and replacement stages are built and re-attached to the rotor. Functional components, such as
blades and shaft ends, are re-used to minimize cost and to speed up repair time. Repairs are
expedited, taking two and a half months Vs the 12-month lead-time required to procure a new
rotor. To illustrate an example for the ABB’s repairs strategy, At Comision Federal de
Electrcidad’s Monterrey station, Mexico, an aging 84-MW steam turbine experienced SCC in the
I-P rotor transition radius, which caused high vibration and led to forced outage. Repair was
performed on the 14th rotor stage, including blade attachments. The governor end was severed,
blades removed from row 14, and welds used to rebuild the control stage to an as new condition
with a proprietary 12% Cr weld material. Also a new generator end forging was reattached.
 3

It is always an accepted fact that by applying proper maintainance techniques, the life of rotor
can be increased, this part of it was already discussed in Predictive maintenance section. EPRI in
particular has developed several assessment tools to evaluate critical turbine components. One is
Blade Life Algorithm for Dynamic Evaluation, which is used to evaluate blade stresses, leading a
cause of unplanned outages. In addition, the program can charecterize system vibrations and
predict remaining life. An algorithm calculates mean and local stresses at certain points on the
rotor through geometry and operating variables-such as pressure, speed, and temperature. The
application of these techniques not only prevents the unnecessary outage problems but also aides
in improving the performance of the aging plants.
Reference: “Explore opportunities from today’s steam turbine”,CarolAnn Giovando, Associate Editor, Power,
July/August 1998.

Generator upgrades produce operational dividends

While generators rewinds are to be used to increase unit reliability and for life extension,
additional economic benefits of stator improvement can be significant. Advances in the area of
nonmetallic materials, insulation systems and composites allow significant reliability
improvements and life extension to be achieved through replacement of old materials. One such
example is replacement of asphalt-insulated stator winding with a modern epoxy-based
insulation system. Significant reliability improvement can also be obtained by upgrading the
design of winding support systems and by improving the rotor’s cooling arrangement. Stator slot
wedging systems can be upgraded to use modern wedge designs, thus reducing the damage
potential created by winding movement in the slot. Conversion of an indirectly cooled rotor
winding to direct-cooled can reduce winding stresses caused by cyclic duty and temperature
differentials.

When an emergency situation arises due to forced outage or a maintenance high-potential failure,
a variety of generator repair options are available. Leaks on water-cooled generators is the major
problem faced by the electrical units, the major leak locations include brazed joints, most of
them were repaired by brazing or TIG welding. Because brazing repairs do not offer reliable
long-term repair. GE turned to new technologies that had proven successful in the nonmetallic
field namely epoxies. An epoxy which had been used previously for its qualities of bonding to
oxide layers on copper was selected as the best overall repair that addresses the issues of
effectiveness, reliability, ease, safety and speed. Using this approach, all work is done remotely
without removing the clip. Two layers of epoxy are applied to provide a barrier to water flow
and prevent leaks. The inside surface of the clip is also sealed with epoxy at the window to
prevent any potential leak sites. This method is proved to be permanent solution to clip-to-strand
water leaks and crevice corrosion and offers an alternative to stator rewind for those units that do
not have wet bars. To date this technique has been proven to be 100 percent successful on more
than 20 units and more than 900 clips during the past two years.
Reference: “Generator Upgrade produces operational dividends”,R.A. Halpern, GE Power Systems, Power
Engineering, May 1997

Retrofitting for the future

 4

The Energy Information Administration predicts that 403GW of new electric capacity will be
needed in United States by 2020 to meet growing demand and replace retired capacity, this has
increased the pressure on aging plants to maintain mechanical viability in the near term.
Retrofits-the addition, upgrading or replacement of equipment in existing power plants- provides
a relief mechanism for these stresses. The Retrofits can be divided into two categories those that
have to be done to keep the plant operational and those that have to be done to improve the
plant’s competitive position. First category includes emission control equipment installations
and safety renovations and the second category include steam and gas turbine upgrades to
increase capacity.

Control system upgrade has long been staple of the power plant retrofit business. As old systems
aged and become absolete, digital technology, accessorize with the latest bells and whistles, took
their place. Control retrofits are quite attractive and offer cost-saving opportunities with respect
to labor, fuel, maintenance, emission and plant flexibility.

A number of equipment or operational characteristics can lead to the need of steam turbine
retrofits. For fossil steam turbines, solid particle erosion is the major problem. Exfoliated
particles from boiler tubes (principally magnetite) are carried over in to the steam path and cause
erosion. In fossil plants where poor boiler design necessitates re-heater desuperheating sprays to
prevent excessively high reheat temperatures, a turbine retrofit offering higher efficiency
(leading to reduced steam temperatures at cold reheat) can permit the sprays to be turned down.
All types of steam turbines suffer from steam loss. Steam escapes around the valves, inlet and
exhaust sections, crossover piping, and blade and tip seals. Obsolete seal designs, non-optimized
flow paths and inadequate fastening are some of the fundamental reasons for excessive steam
loss and diminished turbine life. Steam turbine retrofits are commonly referred to as partial or
full. Partial retrofits include the replacement of rotating blades or fixed blade diaphragms. Older
LP turbines, for example, can be retrofitted with advanced diaphragms (tilted tangentially from
the radial plane that more effectively accommodate the high degree of radial swirl in the later LP
stages. Full retrofits offer greater performance improvements, involve the replacement of the
HP, IP, HP-IP or LP cylinders modules (comprising inner casing shells diaphragm carrier rings,
nozzle boxes, rotor and fixed blade diaphragms). Because the investment cost per kW is
normally lowest for the HP turbine, full retrofits are more readily justified while partial retrofits
are more common for IP and LP turbines.

Reference: “Asset Managers can select from a variety of Retrofit options to best position their plants for long term
mechanical releability and comperitive generation”, Power Engineering, June 1998.
“Steam Turbine Retrofits upgrade reliability and performance”, power engineering, june1998.

Boiler Tube Failure Prevention

The technical knowledge on the boiler tube failure has improved drastically in the recent years.
By detecting the mechanism of failure and applying appropriate corrective actions the boiler
tubes can be prevented from failure. The following paragraph illustrates some the boiler tube
failure mechanisms.

The waterside underdeposit corrosion mechanisms are

1. Hydrogen Damage
2. Caustic gouging and
 5

3. Acid Phosphate corrosion

The above three corrosion mechanisms are superficially similar in appearance. They are all
waterside mechanisms, found in waterwall tubes, generally initiating on the fireside (hotside) of
the inside surface.

Macroscopically, hydrogen damage produces a thick –edged, “window opening” failure

appearance. This is the result of the weakened base material and a resultant brittle final failure.
In contrast, caustic gouging and acid phosphate corrosion are not accompanied by
microstructural degradation, which means that the final failure is most often ductile and will
produce a thin edged or pin hole failure. Hydrogen damage affects both the mechanism and rate
of magnetite growth. The rate of magnetite growth changes from parabolic to linear, resulting in
the formation of thick, multilayer scale of porous and dense magnetite.

Both caustic gouging and phosphate corrosion mechanisms occur via a fluxing of the protective
magnetite and underlying tube material. It is necessary to determine the composition of the
deposit via an analytical technique, such as energy dispersive X-ray or the equivalent key
elements like sodium ferroate or maricite (NaFePo4). A distinctive Na:P:Fe ratio is the
indication of the acid phosphate corrosion damage and Na-containing sodium ferroate and/or
sodium ferroite will indicate that caustic gouging is the underlying case.

The sources of chemical concentration that eventually leads to the corrosion damage by each of
the above mentioned mechanisms are distinct. The sources of the Hydrogen damage include.
1. Small condenser leaks over many months.
2. A large condenser leak leading to a large ingress of contaminated water, such as seawater.
3. Breakdown of the water treatment plant, such as improper valving or rinsing following
regeneration of ion exchange resins, leading to an ingress of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid.
4. An improper chemical cleaning process where incomplete removal of deposits occurs.

Caustic damage sources are

1. An excessive level of caustic with caustic boiler water treatment.
2. An excess addition of caustic added to neutralize an acidic contamination with all-volatile
treatment.
3. Too high a level of caustic as a control chemical under phosphate treatment or
4. Ingress of caustic as a result of a water treatment plant or condensate-polisher regeneration
breakdown.

Acid phosphate corrosion occurs because of improper phosphate cycle chemistry controls,
particularly “chasing” of phosphate hideout by adding mono-sodium phosphate or excess di-
sodium phosphate.

The above mentioned deposits must be avoided as they can lead to boiler tube failures by
chemical cleaning at the optimum time.

Common economizer inlet header tube failure mechanisms in the boilers are
1. Thermally induced corrosion fatigue.
2. Flexibility-induced cracking and
 6

3. Erosion or corrosion

Primarily cyclic or transient thermal loading induces thermal fatigue cracking. Cracks can begin
to form at any location along the header where the cyclic thermal stress is high. The first
appearance of thermally induced damage is often a pinhole leak in the toe of the weld at the
header to-stub tube attachment weld of economizer inlet headers.

Flexibility-induced cracking occur because of stub tube leaks, in that care the damage will
generally appear above the fillet weld, and the cracks will propagate in the circumferential
direction. Failures by corrosion or erosion will be manifested as tube wastage and an “orange
peel” appearance on the inside surface. Progressive wall thinning eventually leads to failure by
ductile overload. The most common location for this failure mechanism is in economizer inlet
header tubes nearest to the point of the feed water inlet.

Avoiding repeat failures through the proper determination of the root cause, choice of the proper
corrective action and proper execution of the strategy for correction are but one aspect in
reduction of the boiler tube failure.

Reference: “Don’t let these boiler tubes fail again”,Barry Dooley,EPRI

Warren P. McNaughton,Cornice Engineering Inc.
Power Engineering, Aug 1997.

Controlling wet abrasion in power plants

Wet abrasion is the condition that effects the life of plant components. Many plants
which operate under wet sliding conditions can be lead to accelerate wear of equipments.
Especially, coal plants are often subjected to wet sliding conditions. These plants can have
serious problems if components can not resist the ravages of corrosion and wear. Plant life and
productivity can be maintained by solving this problem.
Under wet sliding conditions, the comnbined effects of subsequent sliding of solids and
corrosion extremely accelerate metal wastage. This problem is not necessarily caused by severe
corrosive conditions for low pH, high temperature, and the presence of chlorides. The real effect
is the cathodic reaction-the reduction of oxygen in the water.
The rate controlling step is the diffusion of oxygen to the metal surface where a film of hydrous
iron oxide is the main diffusion barrier. To prolong the equipments life is to eliminate or slow
down the reaction. Althrough there are environmental effects as well as material effects on the
wet sliding conditions, however material construction is easier to change. So this paper will
concentrate on material selection.
Stainless (304) mostly have been used in coal plant operators to resist corrosive and
slideable conditions while carbon steel can be effected to cause degradation by moisture in the
coal. By using chemical inhibitors such as sodium nitrate and sodium chromate to test materials
and labs tests, the following results were achieved.

1. NITRONIC 30 is austenitic stainless steel with different work hardening capacities from
AISI 4340, Hadfield Mn steel, and stainless alloys.
2. NITRONIC 30 has a very high work hardening rate which allows the surface layers to be
strained by the abrasion. While S17400 and type 304 have not same wear resistant as
NITRONIC 30.
 7

3. Lab tests which were conducted to demonstrate the controlling of oxygen diffusion process,
have proved that NITRONIC 30 is the best stainless steels as it had in the synthetic Ni-Cu
mine water tests.
4. NITRONIC 30 has corrosion resistance five time better than cast iron

Case historic study:

NITRONIC 30 has been proved in labs tests with good results, it has also been used in
equipments such as coal buckets, hopper car chutes, coal bunkers.
1. According to Van Den Boss Inc.’s investigation, It was used as coal buckets for two years in
the coal –fired powerplants without any sign of corrosion.
2. In Detroit Stoker, Monroe, MI, NITRONIC 30 has proved as an excellent replacement for
type 304 as well as for liner materials.
3. In MN, NITRONIC 30 is now being used as an replacement of type 304 at five mines. It
cause to double the life of 304 in heavy medium vessels.

NITRONIC 30 stainless steel is the best corrosive resistance of all alloy investigated which
can be selected as a proper material as reliable and cost effective way to control the problem in
the plants construction.

Reference:
1. J. William, “Controlling Wet Abrasion in Power Plants” American Power Conference Vol. 59-II, 1997, pp.624-
629
2. G. Hoey, J. Bednar, Materials Performance 4(1983), p.9
3. J. Postlethwaite, Corrosion 30(1974), p.285
4. J. postlethwaite, E. Tinker, “Erosion-Corrosion in Slurry pipeline, report No.8, “Saskatchewan Research
Council, 1973

Flash drying protects standby plant

In electric utility industry, a lot of money is used for corrosion protection, once it is
recognized that the corrosion is the major problem. Operating units are always protected while
standby units are not protected as should to be. This paper will provide a technique to protect
standby units from corrosion. The Jacksonville Electric Authority(JEA) has developed an
efficient technique (special fast-drying technique) to protect corrosion in the standby units that
wil be shutdown for a short time. JEA has problem with dehumidification technique to reduce
corrosion in standby units which shutdown for a few days of a week. Dehumidification require
four or five weeks to dry the system using two dehumidifier (DH) systems.This technique is not
appropriate for several units with short shutdown for a week which ongoing extended coal
storage or on standby. To protect the corrosion in these units, JEA employ the process to dry out
a complete unit by “flashing off” the boiler in less than three days .

This technique can rapidly dry out the boiler as an effective corrosion protection by
taking advantage of heat in the boiler water after the unit is released from operation.
The technique employ heat energy to accelerate water draining instead of the previos method of
cooling the boiler before draining it. Each unit has the inside DH unit which dehumidifies the
boiler tube, the turbines, stream lines, the condenser, the condensate system, and the feed water
system. The process to use inside DH unit in service are follows steps:
1. Leave the DH returns disconnected after opening the low-point drain on condensate and
feedwater systems
 8

2. When venting has stopped, close boiler vents and drains, and connect the DH supply with the
DH running. Draining water from water system must be done while it is hot to get most of it
out.
3. Keep all low-point drains open for the first three days to let water be drained When there are
no water to comes out of the vents and drains, it is considered flashed off.
4. Close all drain lines after it dry, and daily check until no water found.
5. Weekly check the drain lines

The results
1) Reduce boiler tube failures, corrosion, and iron problems during startup.
2) Reduces water-treatment chemicals such as hydrazine and ammonia.
3) Reduce water conductivity problems
4) Reduce the time that required for chemical residual testing during wet lay-up of the boiler.
5) Improve startup performance by better protecting shutdown.
6) Improve corrosion protection for standby units.

Once corrosion is recognized as a major effect to the plant life, Flash drying technique can be
performed as an effective technique to protect corrosion in standby units.

Reference:
1. E. mallard, “Corrosion protection for standby plants”8, 1996, Power Engineering, pp.40-43

Advanced weld repair technology extends plant life

Many components in fossil- fired plants operate under high pressure and temperature such as
turbine casing, piping, header, and main stream piping. Common damage mechanisms of these
components such as creep, fatigue, emblittlement can lead to major damage and may even lead
to major shutdown. To prevent failure, weld repair method can extend the life of aging or
damage components. However this technique require improvement to increse reliability.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has developed guidelines to perform reliable weld
repairs of critical components and estimating the extended lifetime afforded by these
procedures. The results from many experiments demonstate that welding can be an effective
method for reliable repair and refurbishment of powerplant components when technicians follow
good repair procedures which produce clean welds.
The guidelines that EPRI developed include up-to-date information on damage mechanisms, life
assessment methods and codes, repair methods and techniques, PWHT, welding management
and material specifications.

Advanced welding technology

EPRI has developed an automated orbital technique for weld repair of pipings and headers by
creating a better flux-cored arc welding (FCAW machine/automatic system). By integrating
thew power supply with an orbital welding system and applying stainless steel filler wires, a new
FCAW achieved welding challenges such as internal cladding of damage piping, water wall
repair and valve seat replacement. The results of EPRI’s development demonstate that present
weld repair technology can extend the life of aging or damaged stream piping and headers by at
least 20 years.
 9

Weld repair technology can extend the life of aging or damaged power plant components and
this also support further options for easier repair implementation.By applying welding
technologies, failure from damage mechanisms due to the life of components can be prevented.
Utilities can maximize utilization of existing generation assets, reduce maintenance and
replacement costs.

Reference:
1) Vis V., David W. Gandy, Shane J. Findlan, “ Advanced weld repair technology extends plant life”, Power
Engineering, Vol.100, No.13, December 1996, pp.39-42

Managing repair and part replacements To reduce cost while improving

turbine-generatorSystem reliability
Turbine units are critical components which operate under very high temperature. Many
turbine units are subjected to inspections according to their aging and to maintain their
reliability. This paper will present the program to reduce cost maintenance and improve
reliability. This program is performed to reduce replacement and repair costs while improving
reliable of turbine units by estimating the remaining lifetime of turbine-generator systems. A
stream path audit are conducted to determine the overall condition of the rotor, blading, and
sealing. The life assessments of particular components are performed to determine the remaining
life such as HP/IP rotors.
The life assessments analysis consists of three different processes
1) material sample removal
A sample of material from the hot section of the rotor is used to test current mechanical
properties.
2) Mechanical testing
Mechanical testing is conducted to determine the strength and other conditions of material which
yield the current condition of rotors. The information in this process is used to perform analytical
evaluation.
3) Analytical evaluation

This process evaluates the current properties of material. The properties are related to the
history of their operation such as load cycling, number of operational time, and number of hot,
warm, and cold starts.
The data from the rotor life analysis provides important information to manage cost maintenance.
Stream path audit is performed during all major inspections. The output is a recommendation for
repairing base on reliability and efficiency improvement.
According to the information from rotor life assessments and stream path audits, the turbines and
generators of plants should be catagorized based on their conditions. The priority for repair or
upgrade will perform to minimize cost while maximizing reliability.
Units with good remaining life are repaired or upgraded to improve reliability and efficiency.
Components with little remaining life and in poor overall conditions receive minimal repairs to
maintain overall system reliability.

The goal of this program is to manage cost maintenance for maintaining reliability and
thermal efficiency of turbine-generator systems. Rotor assessments and stream path audits
processes provide essential information to manage repair costs while optimizing the cost
 10

maintenance. This information also allows economic analysis to determine if the components
should be replaced, or repaired regarding to the reliability and efficiency of the systems.

Reference:
1. G. Tracy, “Managing Repair and Part Replacements Reduce Cost While Improving Turbine-Generator System
Reliability”, American Power Conference, Vol.60, 1998.
2. V. Berlyand, A.Pozhidaev, A. Glyadya, “Experience of stream turbine extension at fossil power plants of
Russia and Ukrain”, American Power Conference, Vol.60,1998
3. Cotton, Ken C., “Evaluating and Improving Stream Turbine Performance” , Cotton Fact Inc., Rexford,
Newyork,1993
4. Sanders, William P., “Turbine Stream Path Engineering for Operations and Maintenance Staff”, Aurora,
Ontaripo, Canada, 1988.

Conclusion
The problems faced by power plants because of aiging should be dealt with care by applying the
proper cost effective corrective action or by replacing the aged components,thus extending the
plant life. Application of corrective action is totally dependent on the existing problem in the
components. The plant life can also be extended by adopting good maintenance procedures.
Predictive maintenance has proved to be the best option. With the development in the
technology, many new techniques have come up which can assist in the prevention of the failure
of the component by predicting the problem in right time. Though the replacement of the
components is another option, it needs lot of scrutiny before a decision is taken based on the
investment needed to replace and on the severity of the existing problem.