Effect of coal chlorine on the fireside corrosion of boiler furnace wall and superheater/reheater tubing

EPRI studies have identified boiler tube failures as the principal cause of loss of power plant availability worldwide. A significant proportion of the failures in the furnace wall and pendant/platen 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 1970s was attributed to fuel chemistry, in particular the coal chlorine content. This paper explores the more recent history of fireside corrosion in CEGB and PowerGen Stations as extracted from a literature survey undertaken as the inaugeral exercise in a jointly sponsored EPRI/PowerGen project into the role of combustion parameters and fuel chemistry on fireside corrosion. The current view of the impact of coal chlorine on the wastage mech...