Boiler Tubes are metal tubes located inside of boilers that heat water in order to produce steam. There are two major types of tube boilers: water-tube boilers and fire-tube boilers.
In water-tube boilers, water circulates inside the tubes and is heated externally by hot gases generated by the furnace. With fire-tube boilers, hot gas passes through one or many tubes, which through thermal conduction, heats the water surrounding them. Boiler tubes are susceptible to certain damage mechanisms, including:
In order to help prevent boiler tube failures, in 1985 the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) developed the model for a Boiler Tube Failure Reduction (BTFR) Program. The implementation of this program has greatly reduced the costs associated with failures.
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July/August 2012 Inspectioneering Journal
By Kent Coleman at Electric Power Research Institute
Boiler and heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) tube failures have been the primary availability problem for operators of conventional fossil-fueled and combined-cycle power plants for as long as reliable statistics have been kept for each generating source. |
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May/June 1995 Inspectioneering Journal
By James L. Doyle at Quest Integrated, Inc.
Over the past ten years a broad family of laser-based nondestructive testing systems has been in development. These tools are used for the inspection and measurement of internal surfaces of tubes ranging in size from 5/8-inch to 3-inches in diameter. |
This webinar discusses the particular aspects involved in obtaining accurate and repeatable infrared temperature measurements of fired heater tubes, as well as a wealth of diagnostic information that may be used to evaluate the performance and reliability of major fired heater parts (e.g. tubes, tube supports, burners, refractory and structural systems).
