Super-heater tube failure due to overheating when using bagasse as fuel
Mecanismo de falla de los tubos del sobrecalentador de una caldera acuotubular
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/ing.investig.v27n3.14853Keywords:
super-heater, failure analysis, bagasse, long-term overheating, creep (en)sobrecalentador, análisis de falla, bagazo, sobrecalentamiento de larga duración, termofluencia (es)
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A super-heater’s boiler tubes presented external longitudinal cracks. The tubes’ external surfaces presented a reddish-white layer consisting of paraffin chains: CH, functional groups: CO, NH and sulphur compounds. This brittle layer prevented heat transfer, thereby causing increased tube temperature. Creep led to failure due to long-term overheating. The steel tubes’ microstructure presented grain growth, cementite globulisation and intergranular cracks on the external surface. The foregoing observations support microstructure deterioration facilitated by the presence of unsuitable super-heater tube material when just using bagasse as fuel.
En este artículo se investigaron las causas de las fallas presentadas por fisuración longitudinal a partir de la superficie externa en los tubos del sobrecalentador de una caldera acuotubular. La superficie externa de los tubos presentó una capa de color blanco-rojizo que presentó cadenas parafínicas: C-H, grupos funcionales: C-O, N-H y compuestos de azufre, esta capa frágil impide la transferencia de calor, causando un aumento de temperatura del tubo. La falla se presentó por termofluencia debido al sobrecalentamiento de larga duración, la microestructura del tubo de acero en el lado externo presentó: crecimiento de grano, globulización de la cemen-tita y fisuras intergranulares que producen pérdidas de las propiedades mecánicas del acero. Las observaciones anteriores evidencian un deterioro de la microestructura facilitado por un material que no está en capacidad de operar usando exclusivamente bagazo como combustible.
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Copyright (c) 2007 John Jairo Coronado Marín

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