HRSG USERS GROUP

Cycling, P91/T91, valve issues dominate discussion at annual meeting

ampas spectacular Saddle- based combined-cycle and cogenbrook Resort was the venue eration plants. The organizations for the annual conference annual is a must-attend meeting for and exhibition of the HRSG many in the industry, its program Users Grouplike last year. One encompassing all equipment and has to wonder why attendees are so systems except for the gas turbine cussionsself-help clinics if you will. concerned at where this meeting is (GT) proper. The prepared presentations are sumheld, because other than a round of The meetings format is relatively marized in the four sidebars included golf for about 10% of the participants constant: prepared presentations with this report, the text that follows the day before the conference begins, from four industry experts on topics reports on the highlights of the Open nobody can be found outside the cav- critical to operational success, and a Forum Discussions. ernous meeting room and expo hall series of so-called Open Forum DisControls and supplementary firwhere the event ing were the only is conducted. Not two discussion subeven the venjects that did not generate many dors are tempted questionsperby the huge pool. Change of pace haps because many next year, howevof these issues were covered during er: early April at Merritt Browns the Broadmoor in (plant manager Colorado Springs. for Sempra GenGolfers should consider bringing skis erations Mesquite as well as clubs to Power facility) preavoid disappointsentation, Control logic isnt always ment. logical (see sideThe HRSG Users Group bar). Not a probhosts, perhaps, lem for the organithe worlds largest zations Chairman truly independent Bob Anderson, who and interactive skillfully modermeeting for ownates the give-anders and operators The 2005 annual meeting attracted more than 300 attendees for the take so all can paro f g a s - t u r b i n e - second year in a row ticipate and learn:
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Bob Anderson, chairman of the HRSG Users Group, skillfully moderates the meetings Open Forum Discussions so all can participate and learn

HRSG USERS GROUP

The need for good attemperator valves was mentioned by a participant who said he had seen valves break down within weeks because of excessive cycling. Trying to control temperature within excessively tight limits (5 deg F) was the problem. Duct burners can be another area of concern, especially if they are ramped up and down to control load. This can cause thermal cycling of HRSG components. Retrofit of a stack damper and insulation of the outlet breaching were suggested by another attendee, these to retain heat and minimize the number of cold starts. Discussion next focused on evaporators, with one user mentioning multiple failures of the feed piping between the downcomer and the lower headers in the intermediatepressure (i-p) section. Piping was reconfigured to provide the flexibility required during cycling operation. Cycling of HRSGs designed for base-load service consumed a significant portion of the first Open Forum Session. One user listened to more than a dozen of his colleagues discuss the mundane aspects of cycling before taking the microphone and saying, Im surprised nobody has mentioned thermal shock yet. That got attention. In any HRSG, he said, when its shut down and hot, the entire boiler reaches the high-pressure [h-p] saturation temperature. It heat soaks the cool areas in the back end until everything is about 400F, which is considerably hotter than it is during normal operation. When you restartspecifically, when you first need feedwater as you start using steam and drum levels dropyou open the feedwater valve a little bit, and immediately get a shot of cold water into the hot preheater [or the economizer, depending on how youre configured]. That quench is very damaging to any preheater. To avoid such problems, some plants that cycle have installed a recirculation loop complete with pump, valves, piping, and instrumentation to blend the cold feedwater into already warm water. An experienced consultant reflected that this was not a panacea. Reason: The converse also can happen. Consider the interruption of cold feedwater flow when the recirc system is operating: The cool inlet section of the preheater is suddenly shocked with recirc water at the preheater discharge temperature. Thats almost as damaging as the cold quench, he said.

The HRSG Users Group focuses on the entire integrated steam cycle for combined-cycle and cogen plants, not just the heat-recovery steam generator
He just moved on to the next topic. To quickly find the subject areas of greatest interest to you, scan the subheads. precipitated by cycling can take a while to appear. For example, the presence of oxygen at startup, difficult to avoid, eventually causes corrosion fatigue. A top engineer from yet another manufacturer urged paying attention to desuperheaters and recommended generous sizing of superheater drains; reheater drains, too. Arrangement of drains was mentioned as an important area that often is overlooked. Another tip offered: Have separate blowdown tanks for superheater and reheater drains. A user stressed automation of the drain system because operators cannot easily see when theres condensate and when theres not. Users were more graphic about their experiences with cycling than the OEMs. One Canadian engineer noted deterioration of low-pressure (l-p) evaporatorsmost probably caused by FAC (flow-accelerated corrosion) and some oxygen pitting. That plant had problems with its feedwater control valves and wound up replacing all of them with valves of higher quality to accommodate cycling. Another user had difficulties with MOVs (motor-operated valves): They would hang up. Additionally, he cited problems with drain-valve seats, motor operators, expansion joints, piping hangars, and feedwater control valves. Last had to be rebuilt and their controls retunedthe valves had been fighting each other. Even feedwater pumps required modification to prevent trips related to startup issues.

Heat transfer
This may not have been the best title for the first of the Open Forum Discussions because it covered so much more than heat transfera subject not known to create the dynamic interchange that this session did. Discussion began, however, with keeping HRSG heat-transfer surfaces clean to maximize efficiency. One West Coast plant engineer investigating the use of sonic horns for this purpose asked the more than 300 attendees for any experience they had or knew of. Only one responded, and the experience presented was for an HRSG serving a unit that burned heavy fuel oil. However, in this case, use of sonic horns did not eliminate the need for sootblowers. Another participant noted that sonic horns are more common on conventional fired boilers. The impact on HRSGs of cycling combined-cycle plants designed for base-load application produced considerable discussion. A senior engineer for one boiler manufacturer said he had not seen any problems except in the drain pipingfailures caused by inadequate allowance for thermal expansion. Several users thought the assertion suspect, given the number of HRSG problems reported at this and previous meetings. A manager from another OEM offered that failures
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One solution is to install a reli- Overuse of sparging was addressed. the need for them during overnight able feedwater control system that A lead engineer for an HRSG OEM shutdownseven longerto ensure is capable of operating over a wide called for intelligent designthat a hot or warm start. His contention: range, one that extends down to is, not overdoing sparging and driv- If the HRSG is shut down tightly trickle flow. The goal is a continu- ing system costs over the $1-million and h-p drum pressure maintained ous flow of cold feedwater, not on/ mark. Agreed, said another user high during the shutdown you might off, to avoid many damaging ther- from a plant in the northern climes. extend the time period for a warm mal cycles at each startup. Addition You have to be careful not to get start for a couple of days. of a special low-flow startup control carried away, he continued, because An OEMs engineer agreed, sayvalve in a bypass circuit around the youre diluting the water chemistry ing that the pressure you are holdmain valve is one way to accomplish and pH drops. His suggestion: Just ing in the boiler tells you if you will use enough steam to keep have a hot, warm, or cold start. A this. An alternative: Specify the unit warm. a control logic that closes rule of thumb: If you can hold from Use of mud-drum heaters half to two-thirds of the operating the recirculation flow conwas a logical next question. pressure you can start under warm trol valve when the feedwaOnly one attendee raised conditions. ter control valve closes. his hand. Reason, said a During the coffee break, Reason that basing the type of boiler designer, is that the start on shutdown hours is not Consultant J Michael Pearmajor HRSG OEMs dont accurate: Some plants do a better son (905-702-2719, michael. offer mud drums in their job of holding drum pressure than pearson@sympatico.ca) said latest designs. The sole user others. The consultant who initithat another potential probwas located at a plant that ated this part of the discussion said lemone revealed by therPearson had an old unit. A couple you can minimize pressure loss by mocouples attached to many of others said they had, or ensuring isolation of the h-p seclow-pressure (l-p) economizer/preheaters tubesthat occurs at had tried, heaters in the mud drums tiontight shutoff of feed, bypass, low feedwater flows and not men- of auxiliary boilers. One reported dis- drain, and other valvesand by tioned during the floor discussion is appointment and switched to sparg- topping off the drum when you shut tube-to-tube differential tempera- ers because more heat could be deliv- down so you dont have to tricklefeed the unit while youre out of ture. ered to the boiler. What happens, he continued, is The point and counterpoint of the service. He used a unit in North Carolina that at low flows, incoming feedwa- verbal exchanges at an HRSG Users ter just goes through the tubes clos- meeting is particularly valuable for as an example, saying that three or est to the header inlet. These tubes young engineers because it teaches four months after commissioning are then cooler than the others still that theres a solution to every prob- it was able to hold pressure in the at the heat-soak temperature. The lem but rarely one solution, and that h-p drum for more than 50 hours; a cooler tubes try to shrink, but tube- disagreement and discussion are a year later, only 14 to 15 hours. He to-header joints at the top and bot- necessary part of the engineering conceded that a warm start after a weekend shutdown could be hit or tom wont allow them to do so, creat- process. Regarding the use of spargers, a miss, depending on valve quality ing potentially damaging stresses. Preventing this condition with well-known consultant questioned and maintenance, and suggested certainty is difficult, Pearson said, and could require one or more of the following: multiple feedwater inlet pipes, larger-diameter headers, positioning of inlets on the side of the headers, specifying a minimum feedwater flow demand before allowing the feedwater flow control valve to open. International experience also was in evidence at the HRSG Users Group meeting. One European member of the group said his plant was considering two shifting (another term for cycling) and had initiated a comprehensive study that involved installation of many extra thermocouples to understand exactly what happens during startupincluding measuring actual tube temperatures relative to header temperature. Thinking is that the operating regime must be carefully matched to the specific HRSG design. The subject shifted to steam So, its not just about technology. Steve Wenger, managing director sparging as a means for keeping of Altair Filter Technology Ltds business in the Americas, accepts prize cycling HRSGs warm during off hours. A user asked how many of his from Rob Swanekamp, communications director of the HRSG Users colleagues employed sparging. The Group, for the longest drive in the golf tournament that preceded the question got about a dozen hands. meeting
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some sort of warming system to hold h-p drum pressurejust in case. What about shutdowns? One plant executive offered that the method of shutdown can be even more damaging than a cold start. He said that if you rapidly shut down the GT, the superheaters and reheaters will remain at rated temperature; as condensate forms it will drop into hot headers and use up a great deal of fatigue life. Your calculation of fatigue life, he continued, must include shutdowns, or your answer could be off by as much as a factor of 10. HRSG inspection. A question on inspection refocused the group. Here are some of the thoughts offered by various participants: Perform dye-penetrant tests in areas most vulnerable to fatigue cracking. It can ID cracks before leaks occur, allowing for repair. Check duct liners for creeprelated damage. At least one user in the room found a pretty severe case of creep and replaced the Type 304 stainless steel liner with ceramic modules.
Conduct a thorough inspection of the inlet and stack expansion joints when the plant is about 10 years old. You can expect some deterioration by that time, even at facilities burning natural gas. Avoid casing cracks and other structural problems by verifying periodically that the sole plates under support columns (primarily at facilities with F-class turbines) permit the sliding intended. Inspectors say its not unusual to find too-tight bolts and/or driedup grease restricting motion. Conduct material thickness checks in areas prone to flowaccelerated corrosion (see sidebar coverage of Barry Dooleys presentation). Ultrasonic testing is typically used for his purpose. Check roof penetration seals periodically. On units that cycle particularly those that are out of service for extended periodspoor sealing allows rain water to enter and corrode headers and liner plates, and piping where it passes through the roof. Important to clean out roof drains during each

inspection to prevent pooling of water that eventually will drip onto equipment. Pay attention to floor seals, too, particularly those in the back end of the HRSG where they are difficult to see. One suggestion: After about 10 years of service, remove some seals and check for corrosion of drain lines and pipe penetrations. And while youre at the rear of the unit, check to see that stack drains are clear and that theres no sign of corrosion at the base of the chimney. Remember to open stack drains when you shut down to avoid pooling of rainwater in units not equipped with a stack damper, stack cover, or balloon-type sealing device. Attention shifted to the type of damage for a few minutes. A consultant observed that the current trend is to look at the types of cracks that have occurred in cycling units. However, that alone will not be good enough as service years accumulate. Time-dependent properties and deteriorationsuch as under-deposit corrosion and creepare likely to

Maintaining HRSG availability

water circuit susceptibility to FAC attack, and ineffective aul R Fernandez, PE, who manages GE Internaarrangement and improper sizing of drains. tional Incs O&M Contractual Services activities Poor quality control and inspection practices were the in the western states and Canada, began his preprime failure-related deficiencies at the fabrication/erecsentation, Finding Tube Leaks Before They Find You, referencing research conducted by the Electric tion stage. Poor chemistry control, improper Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, cleaning of the steam/water circuit during startup, Calif, that indicates tube failures in heat-recovineffective operator training, and operation outery steam generators (HRSGs) are the major side recommended limits were the main operations-related causes. Poor repairs and inadequate cause of availability loss and lost capacity at root-cause failure analysis were the prime maintecombined-cycle generating facilities. Of course, he added, when youre not nance-related contributors to tube failures. operating, youre not making money. Other Heading Fernandezs list of best practices adverse impacts of HRSG tube leaks are to prevent tube failures was daily monitoring increased maintenance costs and a higher of plant performance and water quality and probability of accidents and/or injury because consumption. Trending of makeup flows was Fernandez of emergency outage response. stressed by Fernandez. EPRI studies, he noted, Fernandez addressed the primary modes of indicated that 70% of lost generation was influtube failure. In his view, they are: enced by poor cycle chemistry during startup, operation, Creep caused by high- and low-cycle fatigue. and/or shutdown/layup. Long-term proactive assessments, said Fernandez, Stress corrosion cracking, pitting, under-deposit enable you to find the failures before they find you. corrosion. Such assessments require integral inspection plans for Flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC). all structural and pressure-containment components. Short-term overheating, over stress caused by therAppropriate NDE processes, of course, enable accurate mal shock, overheating failures. Minimizing the potential for tube failure, he said, assessments. requires a proactive approach to HRSG condition moniFernandez then reviewed the NDE tools available to plant maintenance staffs. No need to reiterate those here toring and use of available NDE (nondestructive examisince they are described in appropriate detail for plant nation) tools to identify problems early and to determine use in Guidelines for the Operation & Maintenance of the extent of any damage done. HRSGs, available through the HRSG Users Group. For Fernandez categorized the causes of tube failure as more information on the guidelines and to order, visit design-, fabrication/erection-, operations-, and maintenance-related. Design-related causes include inapprowww.hrsgusers.org. Discussion of the various NDE alternatives includes applications for each, ability to identify priate materials selection despite their acceptance by specific imperfections, advantages, and disadvantages. the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, HRSG steam/
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DELTAK PARTS

1-800-752-HRSG 763-557-6966 (fax) parts@deltak.com

Deltak, L.L.C. 2905 Northwest Blvd., Suite 150

Plymouth, MN 55441

A Global Power Equipment Group Company

appear after from five to 10 years of operation, he opined, and the NDE (nondestructive examination) practices in use today will have to change. The consultant said he sees some plants planning ahead by retrofitting drums with access ports for video inspections but offered that, while video can locate deposits and cracks, they cannot reliably assess the extent of damage. Others agreed. But one attendee offered that the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, Calif, is in the late stages of developing a tool kit that will both inspect, using fiberoptics, and have the capability to take samples of deposits and make repairs. Thinking is that because of the limited access to damage in an HRSG, inspection and repair will have to be done from the inside. EPRI expects that at least some of the capabilities of this tool kit will be demonstrated by the end of the year.

Water treatment
You can consume a great deal of coffee and donuts listening to a group of plant operations people talk about

water treatment. Discussions just go on and on. Part of the reason for this is that most plant personnel do not have a formal education in water chemistry and they learn a lot of what they know from their colleagues at industry meetings like the HRSG Users Group. Nothing wrong with that, in general, but as pressures, temperatures, and steam flows increase, and base-load operation becomes the exception rather than the rule, having a water chemist on staff is a good risk mitigation strategy. Wet versus dry lay-up, and the tricks of the trade to ensure success with each method, monopolized discussion at one Open Forum Discussion session. It all began with a question from an engineer working at a plant up north who wanted to know if most of his contemporaries used wet or dry lay-up. Also, if he left his boilers in a wet condition, how would he control corrosion and prevent freeze-up? His plant has no stack damper. Someone else piggybacked this question with, Whats the most effective lay-up procedure for the short-term and the longterm, and how does the capability for fast dispatch factor into the equation? Right away, you knew

this would be at least a two-cup give-and-take discussion. An independent consultant (independent meaning he doesnt sell chemicals) snatched the microphone first. He began as a professor would. During HRSG lay-up were trying to split up the water, the air, and the metal, because if you have these three things in the same place at the same time youre going to get corrosion. Metal is a given, so you have to exclude either the water or the air. I dont buy into the idea that if Im down for two days Im going to do one thing and if Im down longer Im going to do something else, he continued. The problem with this idea is that when you get to the twoday point, everything is cold. If you drain then, its going to be very difficult to properly transition into a dry lay-up. Water is going to remain in the lower headers; water vapor will be present throughout the boiler. So before you shut down, the consultant recommended, know how much time you will have to restart. That will guide your decision. An example was offered: If you have 24 hours to restart and you have the water-treatment and/or storage capacity to fill the boiler
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within that time, you should drain the boiler hot. Specifically, let down the pressure until you get to 25 psig and then open drains and vents. All the water will drain and all the water vapor will evaporate; the unit should be dry. To be absolutely sure, consider a nitrogen blanket to purge any residual moisture. No chance of freeze damage now. If you have to get the unit started within a few hours, the consultant

Attemperation frustrationsa clinic on severe-service valves

alves were the subject of much discussion at the HRSG Users Group annual meeting both because of the challenges presented by inferior products in the demanding service environment of combined-cycle plants and the absence of a comparable forum for problem-solving. Company executives talk more and more about back-to-basics. But thats meaningless chatter for the most part. When critical auxiliariessuch as valvesare again given the respect they used to receive at the design stage, back-to-basics might gain some meaning. Plant personnel generally agree that if owners were willing to pay a relatively small premium for quality, many valve problems experienced today never would have existed in the first place. It was late in the afternoon on the first day of the meeting that Joe Steinke, a principal engineer at CCI, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif, and a valve expert with almost three decades of applicable experience under his belt, took the podium. Snooze time probably would have been a good bet for a typical industry meeting. But not at this conference. Rob Swanekamp, communications director for the HRSG Users Group, had the program choreographed perfectly: No one so much as blinked during Steinkes compelling 90-min presentation, aptly titled Attemperation Frustrations. The clinic on severe-service valves was conducted in two segmentsthe first on main and reheat steam attemperation; the second on turbine bypass systems. Steinke began by reviewing problems some plants have experienced in their efforts to control steam temperature. The most serious of these is the failure of superheater and/or reheater headers and/or tubes. The presentation moved quickly to the science and engineering behind effective and problem-free steam attemperation, which is discussed in detail in Tight specs, good engineering, quality manufacture ensure reliable control of steam tempera70

Joe Steinke, Valve Doctor.

ture, COMBINED CYCLE Journal, 1Q/2005; access at www.psimedia. info/ccjarchives.htm. Spray water challenges was an important part of Steinkes talk because it explained in simple terms why some plants are experiencing problems with their desuperheaters. Main-steam and reheat attemperation systems are challenged by the need for most combined-cycle facilities to cycle frequently, he said. Two significant issues caused by cycling, Steinke continued, are variations in the pressure gradients across the spray valve and the thermal shocking and quenching that result from on/off operation of the desuperheater. He examined the pressure-gradient issue first. Boiler-feed and condensate pumps for combined-cycle plants, Steinke said, usually are supplied with fixed-speed motor drivers (least-cost option) that produce a relatively constant output pressure over the entire load range. When a combined-cycle plant is operating in the sliding-pressure mode at reduced load, he added, both the main- and reheat-steam pressures are lower than they are at rated output. This means that the pressure drop across the spray system can vary from one thats relatively low at full load to one thats very high at reduced load. The variation in pressure differential places considerable strain on the spray system. Erosion and cavitation can occur when the pressure drop is high and flow low. Such damage to the spray-water control valve reduces its range of operation, makes control difficult, allows it to leak when closed, and contributes to premature failure. The proper control valve for this type of service is one of multistage design that has a modified or equal-percentage characteristic for good flow resolution at both high and low pressure drops. It also must provide tight shutoff to maximize maintenance intervals for both the spray-water control and isolation valves. Thermal shock. Cycling means there will be times when the spray water system is not in operation and components in contact with steam

will heat up and approach steam temperature. When spray water is reintroduced, those components are subject to significant thermal gradients. To minimize the impact of potentially damaging thermal stress, components exposed to high temperatures should be of simple design and fabricated from materials suited to the service. Also, the spray-water control valve should be mounted external to the steam line to isolate critical control components from thermal gradients and shock. The water header supplying the spray nozzles should be thermally isolated from the main steam line to minimize the potential for cracking of both it and the steam line. Nozzles best equipped to accommodate the demanding requirements of combined-cycle service, Steinke said, are of the spring-loaded type (Fig 1), which provide good atomization and spray penetration into the steam line over a flow range of 50:1 or higher. Figs 2-4 illustrate the effectiveness of the spring-loaded nozzle compared to conventional spray and whirl nozzles. Startup considerations. Proper operation of the best attemperator can be compromised prior to commercial operation unless appropriate precautions are taken during commissioning. For operating plants, similar precautions may be necessary before returning to service after a long lay-up. Steinke recommended removal of all spray-water components in the attemperators and thorough flushing of spray-water lines prior to startup of a new plant. He also suggested installation of temporary filters rated 100 microns or less. Spray-water control valves should be designed flow to close, Steinke said. This way contaminants must pass through the valve trim, which acts as a backup filter for the spray nozzles. After periods of long lay-up, products of corrosion may be trapped in stagnant pipe loops. Steinke advised a flush and flow checks prior to gasturbine (GT) startup to ensure that the spray-water system is free of contaminationor at least not blocked by

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said, then you have no choice but to leave the HRSG wet. And then youll have to exclude the airthe oxygen. This means a nitrogen cap. You often hear plant managers worrying about the cost of nitrogen, but the reason often is that the nitrogen pressure is too high. You only have to be slightly above atmospheric pressure to keep the outside air from entering the unit. No need for

corrosion products. Keep in mind that partial clogging of spray-water nozzles can alter the spray pattern and direct water flow at the inner surface of the steam pipe which can cause cracking.

safety function of the bypass system. Even fast-acting isolation valves are not a complete solution, because they cause thermal gradients in the bypass control valve.

Turbine bypass valves

Quality turbine bypass valves are critical to reliable operation of combinedcycle plants in cycling service. Function of the bypass system is to provide startup and trip protection, with the goal of keeping the GTs online. Fig 5 shows a typical arrangement of highpresssure (h-p), intermediate-pressure (i-p), and low-pressure (l-p) valves in a large plant with F-class GTs. Steinke identified the following problems associated with h-p and i-p bypass systems of poor quality: Failure of the bypass systems to operate when needed will cause a boiler-overpressure condition and trip the GT off-line. Poor control by the bypass systems can cause significant fluctuations in steam-system pressure; resulting fluctuations in drum levels could initiate a GT trip (high or low alarm). Leaking spray-water valves can lead to water accumulation in steam piping, making water hammer likely when the bypass valves operate. Leaking bypass valves can overheat downstream piping. If the temperature exceeds 800F, decarburization of carbon steel pipe is possible. High-temperature protection will trip the GT unless corrective action is taken. There are several ways a plant operator might prevent an over-temperature condition on the downstream side of the bypass systems. These include the following: 1. Operate the bypass system at 5% to 10% lift to maintain proper temperatures of plant systems. 2. Introduce spray water without steam-valve operation to reduce temperature. While this may be successful, it can cause cracking of downstream components because of thermal shock. 3. Close the upstream isolation valve to stop the steam leakage causing the temperature rise. However, when slow-acting isolation valves are installed, such action defeats the

1. Spring-loaded, variable-area nozzle provides efficient primary atomization regardless of steam flow

In wrapping up his discussion of turbine bypass systems, Steinke recommended use of the same high-integrity spray systems suggested above for main- and hot-reheat steam attemperation. He also urged design and operational reviews to ensure proper sequencing of steam and water valves to prevent water hammer and thermalshock issues. Finally, Steinke recommended (1) use of feedforward control logic both for steam-turbine trips and for spray-water desuperheating control on dump-tocondenser systems; (2) design of piping systems to ensure adequate distance for complete evaporation of the spray water; and (3) provision for proper draining of the turbine bypass system downstream of the bypass valve. Drains should be designed to accommodate some leakage from the spray-water valve, but they cannot be sized for an open spray valve.

2. Spray nozzle
HRSG

3. Whirl nozzle

4. Spring-loaded variable-area nozzle

Deaerator

H-p bypass Steam turbine Gas turbine HP IP LP Generator

L-p bypass

5. Steam/water circuit for a typical combined-cycle plant shows location of critical bypass valves

I-p bypass

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nitrogen at 5, 10, or 15 psig as some people believe. A user put his seal of approval on this plan, but added that many of his companys plants dont have the opportunity for dry lay-up because theyre on a day-to-day basis. Their philosophy for wet lay-up of HRSGs, he said, came from techniques used in conventional steam plants. His focus turned to water chemistry. When youre laying up wet, he said, youve got your chemistry charge in there. And by the way, there are a variety of opinions about what that chemistry charge should be. Im a proponent of the school that says you need the same things in the HRSG when in wet lay-up that you need when its operating. This means no oxygen scavenger, same phosphate level, etc. But regardless of what chemical charge you choose, you should be worried that you generally cannot get an accurate sample during wet lay-up. One way to ensure a proper sample is to install small pumps like those used on swimming pools to continually circulate water and prevent stratification. They also may allow you to adjust chemistry during a long lay-up. Keep in mind that these are lowpressure pumps, so they must be isolated from the steam system prior to plant startup. A couple of ideas here: Use spectacle flanges for connections so operators can see that the pumps are isolated and startup can proceed safely. Or you can use double-valve isolation arrangement with a quick-disconnect hose attachment. There are other ways, of course. Thoughts of others generally focused on particular aspects of the consultants and users recommendations. Heres a sample: Nitrogen. One engineer said his plant goes through a large amount of nitrogen so theyre installing an on-site generator to reduce cost. Another mentioned they had done that and were very satisfied. Yet another confirmed that onsite production is less expensive than shipping in nitrogen cylinders. A couple of plant representatives said they maintain a nitrogen blanket on the condensate storage tank as well as on the boiler and were pleased with the result. Alternatives to a nitrogen blanket for preventing oxygen from entering the steam cycle also were discussed. Mention was made of an ASME committees reluctance to endorse onsite nitrogen generators because they do not get the gas clean enough. The information they had suggested only 99% purity. A user countered saying they got four nines from their onsite equipment. A re-evaluation was recommended. Safety concerns also were brought to the floor. A suggestion was made to those purging a dry boiler with nitrogen: If there are any leaks from the water side to the gas side, you can create a lethal environment for anyone working on the gas side of the unit. A user asked what vents should be monitored to be sure all oxygen has been removed from a boiler during wet lay-up and that you have nitrogen coverage throughout the boiler. Reply: Dont open any vents. Connect the nitrogen

HRSG MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP

Hosted by the HRSG User's Group ~ December 6-7, 2005 Sands Expo & Convention Center ~ Las Vegas, Nevada In conjunction with POWER-GEN International 2005 MANAGING THE CHEMISTRY PROGRAM
No matter what water-treatment equipment is installed or what type of chemicals are injected, a combined-cycle plant's chemistry PROGRAM must be closely managed, if the steam systems are to provide long, reliable service life. Topics in this session include:

Sampling & trending techniques to monitor FAC Best options for chemistry-data collection and analysis Reducing chemistry swings during frequent starts and stops Meeting steam-turbine purity specs, from commissioning on

Steam systems outside the HRSG boundarysuch as steam turbines, condensers, and bypass systemsare equally important as those inside the boundary. Topics covered in this session include:

O&M PRACTICES FOR TODAY'S STEAM PLANTS Achieving reliable operation of attemperators Avoiding stress-corrosion cracking in steam turbines Optimizing steam-turbine and condenser performance Boosting the stability & durability of condenser-dump systems

Registration includes access to POWER-GEN exhibits & keynote Attendees also can participate in pre-conf seminars, tours & golf Visit www.HRSGusers.org or email Swanekamp@HRSGusers.org
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supply line to the drum via check valves and a pressure regulator. As boiler pressure decays below the regulator setpointfor example, 3 psig or lessnitrogen is drawn into the boiler and no air will be present. Freeze-up. Several alternatives were offered for preventing freeze-up: stack damper or stack balloon; a steam sparger supplied by an auxiliary boiler; closing of inlet and stack dampers and using the resistance heaters in the SCR ammonia circuit to keep the gas side warm; use of an air curtain in front of the gas-turbine intake (said to keep the HRSG warm for two or three days); keep small-bore drains on the preheaters, economizers, and even evaporators of older boilers clear of sludge by blowing periodically at moderate pressure (say 150 psig). Dry storage. Lay-up before construction (boiler components in storage) or onsite immediately after construction is a reality today for deferred projects. Layup begins after fabrication and before transportation. Seal up all openings on drums, headers, and tubes after placing desiccant or vapor phase inhibitor (VPI) inside. If the unit is installed and stored in place, a nitrogen blanket or hot dry air are alternatives to prevent metal attack. With respect to desiccant, dont leave any silica gel inside the boiler prior to startup. If boiler parts are stored prior to erection, pay particular attention to tubing. Maintain seals and internal treatments as outlined above to protect internal surfaces throughout the storage period. For finned tubes, be sure to protect the fins themselves from corrosion and physical damage. For all tubes, make sure you can ID them when they are withdrawn from storage for erection. One suggestion was to tack-weld a washer to one end of every tube and metal-stamp necessary information on the washerfor example, size, material, etc. And dont forget to keep materials inspection certificates in a safe place. The extensive discussions about water treatment during the annual conference convinced the HRSG Users Group Steering Committee to devote half of this years Winter Workshop to Feedwater and Boiler Water Chemistry. The meeting will be held Dec 6-7 in Las Vegas. Write Communications Director Rob Swanekamp (swanekamp@hrsgusers.org) to receive a copy of the meeting agenda when it is formalized.

Piping systems
Failures of the thought-to-be-infallible P91/T91 components for HRSG and steam-system components have engineers at combined-cycle plants with F- and G-class gas turbines very concerned (see Growing experience with P91/T91 forcing essential code changes, CCJ, 1Q/2005, available at www.psimedia.info/ccjarchives.htm). In fact, theyre so concerned that the subject consumed all 90 minutes of the Open Forum Discussion on piping systems. End user experience with P91/T91 will be covered in the next issue of the COMBINED CYCLE Journal, following the HRSG Users Groups workshop, Steam Plant Experience with High-Chrome Alloys, in Philadelphia, early July. A special report on that meeting is planned by the organizer. Write swanekamp@hrsgusers. org for details.

Ductwork, dampers, stacks

The Open Forum Discussion just before lunch on the second day of the meeting was supposed to cover controls and then ductwork, dampers, and stacks. But even the discussion facilitators transformation to personal trainer and impromptu deepbreathing and finger-wiggling exercises couldnt get enough adrenaline flowing to jump-start some give-andtake on controls. Only two questions and there was not much interest in answering them. No shock treatment necessary to get a discussion going on what was supposed to be the second half of the program but wound up running into the lunch hour because of the high level of interest. HRSG inlet ducts opened the dialog, prompted by a question on why hot spots occur and how to prevent them. Several in the audience knew why they occurred in their plants: Insulation got wet in construction and during operation slid down the vertical wall formed by the inside liner and exterior casing; difficult geometry to insulate; voids in insulation coverage. A service engineer suggested that when repairing insulation, be sure to overlap or straddle the insulation in place so theres no clear path for the heat to travel from the inner to the outer casing. He also recommended that you avoid overlapping the gas-

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COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Second Quarter 2005

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ket around access doors; hot spots almost always occur where the material is doubled. One consultant offered that one of the problem areas in the inlet duct is the transition between the expansion joint and the inner liner. For those unfamiliar with liner construction, it typically is composed of a set of plates that overlap, to allow them to expand with respect to the pressure boundarythe cold outer casing. The expansion joint generally is a monolithic piece of steel and the liner must be able to expand freely without damaging its inside surface. A utility engineer asked for an overview of the industrys experience with dampers and advice in selection and installation. On experience, attendees offered the following: Stack dampers sometimes bind up, a couple of users reported. Exercise them the night before use to ensure proper operability. Proper installation is particularly important to insure against vibration and the possibility of a sheared shaft. Youll probably have to trim up the damper occasionally to keep the clearances right. Another said the damper failed closed while the plant was operating at full load. Happened twice. Probable cause: damaged shaft and/or improperly set counterweights. Failure of limit switches also can present problems. Bypass dampers. Discussion next focused around the use of a bypass damper as a control mechanism for pressure and temperature during startup. A couple of people mentioned the potential for seating and counterweight problems but not much else. Few concerns on units below F class because size is not an issue. The lead engineer for a boiler manufacturer said his company had about 20 bypass damper installations in systems with 7FAs or 9FAs. However, it does not permit startup of an HRSG with the bypass damper cracked to slowly admit hot gas into the boiler while the GT is at full load. We require that the GT be backed down to full speed/no load and that there be a half-hour warm-up period for the HRSG. Most owners do not like this, he said, but the OEM was concerned about the impact of high temperatures, very low gas flow, and stratifications that do not normally exist on a GT start. On a normal start, he added, you have lots of flow, which generally keeps the uniformity of thermal distributions within reason. Another manufacturer concurred, saying Trying to modulate a damper with the GT at full load is a problem. Leakage around dampers also can rob efficiency. A consultant said he recently investigated the cost of leakage around a diverter damper for a 7F and found that 1% exhaust leakage is about equal to 1% of h-p steam production from the HRSG. Casing penetrations. As lunch approached, there was a bit of levity. An engineer from an independent generating company observed that the lower casing penetration bellows at his plant were starting to exhibit pinhole leaks and cracking

Optimizing control logic to maximize profitability,

ting a plant ready to meet the demands of the competitive ontrol Logic Isnt Always Logical, was a conmarketplace begins after the tail-light party. Brown and tent-rich formal presentation on the first day of Jeon stressed that their primary motivation for making the HRSG Users Group annual meeting that control-logic changes was to save fuel, which more than offered several practical ideas for improving plant performanceenhancements that can be implemented simply doubled in price between the time the plant was designed by changing control logic. and when it went commercial. Perhaps the presentations greatest value EPC (engineering/procurement/construction) to the audience at large was that it stimulated contractors, they continued, program control logic thinking on how each attendee might improve primarily to protect equipment during commissionoperations at his or her plant. A bonus for ing and through the warranty period. Such logic owner/operators of combined-cycle facilities often is over-conservative from the standpoint powered by 7FA gas turbines (GTs) manuof optimal plant operation. One reason for the conservatism, Brown said, is to reduce startup factured by GE Energy, Atlanta, was that the influences that might impact commissioning tarspecific control-logic changes described by co-presenters Merritt Brown, plant manager, getssuch as maximum steam turbine vibration Mesquite Power LLC, and David Jeon, a senior levelsby slowly bringing the unit into service. engineer in Sempra Generations Asset ManSaving fuel by improving control logic offers more than just the obvious reduction in the agement Group, could be replicated at their plants annual gas bill, which for a facility like facilities. Note that Mesquite, designed to produce Mesquite can be a significant portion of the budget. Better logic also reduces startup emisup to 1250 MW depending on ambient conBrown sions, thereby minimizing the possibility that the ditions, consists of two 2 x 1 power blocks equipped with 7FA+e GTs. To learn more about plant will exceed the annual emissions cap specified this innovative plant, see The future in plant knowledge in its air permit. Startup emissions were reduced further by removing misapplied control logic that contributed to management is now at Mesquite, COMBINED CYCLE Journal, Summer 2004, accessible online at www.psimeunnecessary unit trips. dia.info/ccjarchives.htm. Brown and Jeon spent most of their time at the podiMany of the control logic changes implemented at um describing well over a dozen specific control logic Mesquite were championed by Brown based on more changes made at Mesquite, including the reasons they were made and the results achieved. Bullet points below than two decades of experience in managing both plant reflect a sample of those logic changes. Keep in mind construction and operations for such leading companies that some changes must be programmed by the turbine as Duke Energy, Calpine Corp, Entergy Corp, and GE Energy. suppliers (gas and steam) or by the EPC. Others, such as Experienced managers know that the real work in getthose associated with the heat-recovery steam generator
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failures and he wanted to identify root causes. He also asked for experience with fabric expansion joints in that location. The second part of the question was answered first: Yeah, weve got a lot of experience with fabric expansion joints; we replace them nearly every other outage! They dont work. As for root causes, several possible reasons were suggested: buildup of ammonia salts on seals for units that have an SCR (selective catalytic reduction) and dewpoint issues; torsional or lateral movement of harps, panels, and piping caused by non-uniform steam and gas flows not anticipated by designers; pooling of moisture from the atmosphere during prolonged shutdowns in humid areas, particularly when chlorides are present. cial people who run the company usually know what youre talking about when you say the GT doesnt work and reluctantly accept the fact that it takes time to fix. But what happens when a valve malfunction plays havoc with your operation or shuts you down? Whom do you call for help? How do you explain to an accountant at headquarters that the failure of a $60,000 item that just opens and closesyou dont want to attempt explanations of flow control, pressure let-down, etcis costing the company $30,000 an hour in lost revenue? Fact is you cant explain it because no one wants to listen. With on-staff technical expertise in short supply at most small manufacturersincluding valve suppliersand product-line consolidations a fact of life, it often is difficult to get the answers you need to solve problems with auxiliaries. Knowing the answer yourself or knowing how to network into a solution is called job security. Value in attending the annual meeting is that the program goes way beyond the boiler itself. In fact, the HRSG Users Group conference may be the only major gathering of users that digs into the nitty-gritty of combined-cycle steam-plant problems and solutions. The Open Forum Discussion on valves, which lasted nearly an hour, alone was worth the registration fee for many users. Premature seat wear was on the minds of many participants. One said his plant had tremendous problems keeping seats in butterfly valves for reheater balancing service. Has anybody else come up with a solution for this? he asked, adding that the valve manufacturer claims we have the best there is. A muffled chuckle from the group was in evidence. The manufacturer of those valves and, ironically, all the other manufacturers mentioned in connection with specific valve problems at this meeting were not in attendance. Of course, some manufacturers also not present have supplied valves that

Valves
When you have a problem with a major piece of equipment you generally can buy a solution from the OEM or a consultant. Also, the finan-

improve long-term reliability

(HRSG) and attemperators, can be made by the owner/ operator after review of their impacts on plant operation. Reducing HRSG purge time. Control logic in place when the plant is turned over to the owner reflects the GT OEMs calculation of HRSG purge time required to ensure safe operation. Brown said this was a conservative 15 minutes because it is applicable to HRSGs built by any OEM. GE Energy recalculated Mesquites purge time using data for the as-built plant (HRSG volume is the parameter of greatest interest here) and was able to shave four minutes from the original 15. Benefits: less gas is burned, less NOx emitted, faster to market. Modifying logic to permit ramping of fuel-gas temperature as unit load increases allows the GT to reach its most efficient operating mode faster than when the gas temperature was increased at turbine-ramp hold points. Eliminating GT runbacks on short-term transients. Plant personnel reviewed operating conditions that precipitated runbacks and improved logic by building in a delay before the runback is initiated. Brown said that many operating transients are blips that you can recover from within a few secondssuch as an inadvertent operator action, loss of circulating-water pump, etc. No reason to go all the way back to a noload condition unless recovery is not possible within a specified time period. Initiating a GT runback instead of the trip programmed into the control system by the EPC or GT OEM also is recommended in some cases. Oftentimes, you can avoid what normally would have been a trip with a quick response by operators. If not, the
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Jeon

trip is initiated at a lower load, which consumes less material life. Increasing the warming rate for the HRSG h-p drum. Boiler OEMs provide a very conservative warming rate for commissioning based on annual starts (cold, warm, hot) expected by the owner/operator. After the unit goes commercial, the owner can request that the rate be recalculated based on better information. Jeon gave an example of a plant that was able to increase its HRSG ramp rate to 6 deg F/min from 2.5, knocking almost an hour off the time required to reach an h-p drum pressure of 450 psig. Temperature ramp is unrestricted above that pressure. Optimizing duct-burner operation to ensure good distribution of fuel and proper air flow over the expected range of operating conditions. There may be good reason to look at performing a CFD analysis and to making logic changes to duct-burner controls after gaining operating experience, Brown suggested. Jeon also explained that it may take as long as two hours to bring duct burners to peak load at Mesquite, which has only a 20-min window to adjust its power output for the hour-ahead market (10 minutes before the hour to 10 minutes after). Responding to a quick load ramp with a combination of GT and duct-burner capacity can improve the ability to take advantage of market opportunities. Confirming acceptable temperature-matching limits to enable faster startup of the steam turbine. Primary consideration before rolling the turbine should be to match reheat steam temperature to the inner-surface metal temperature of the reheat bowl. At Mesquite the acceptable limit ranges from -100 deg F to +200.
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are meeting expectations in cogeneration and combined-cycle plants. Valve manufacturers actively participating in the 2005 Annual Meeting: CCI, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif; Leslie Controls Inc, Tampa; and Valvetechnologies Inc, Houston. Discussion around valving for reheater balancing suggested several alternatives and stressed the need for specifying Class V shutoff to prevent leakage. Mention also was made of a bypass valve not operating properly because of a defective diffuser. The manufacturer said the diffuser had to be removed and new internals installedby the plant, of course. Suggestions on how to do this were requested. No one in the room had ever heard of the valve manufacturer. A Google search revealed that the valves probably were made in India or Bangladesh. Buying on price often is not the answer. Leakage from valves in startup drains at another plant have required seat repairs multiple times; metal-seated ball valves with pneumatic actuators were recommended as a fix. Someone followed with a caution on the temptation to specify a quality ball valve and then tack on a cheap actuator. If your actuator isnt getting that valve full-open or full-closed, youre going to have wear problems, he said.

FAC: Attention to detail, key to prevention

low-accelerated corrosion can be compared to a disease such as smallpox. Both are potential killers and both are preventable. Inoculation, of course, stops smallpox. Proper design and operation of the heat-recovery steam generator and associated steamsystem components can prevent FAC, which is the second leading cause of HRSG tube failures, according to data compiled by the Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif. Barry Dooley, an EPRI technical executive recognized globally for his leadership in guiding research that has identified conclusively both the causes of FAC and the steps required to avoid it, was an impassioned guest speaker on the first day of the HRSG Users Groups annual meeting. The research organization has invested more than $10 million in FAC-related research over the last decade to build the knowledge Dooley base necessary to eliminate this serious threat to the safety of personnel in gas-turbinebased cogeneration and combined-cycle facilities, as well as in fossil-fired and nuclear powerplants. Recall the five workers who died last year at Japans Mihama-3 nuclear plant as a result of an FAC-induced pipe rupture. Despite the availability of such information, Dooley said, the potential for FAC is unwittingly designed into many new plants. No reason for this, he believes. Dooley also is frustrated by the continued use of reducing agents in water treatment programs serving more than 60% of the multi-pressure HRSGs at combined-cycle plants, especially in feedwater systems with low dissolved oxygen levels (less than 10 ppb). Reducing agents in single-phase systems (water only)such as HRSG feedwater, economizers, boiler tubes, and headersvirtually guarantee the onset of FAC, he added. Dooleys presentation is not profiled in detail here because much of its background content has been covered recently in the pages of the COMBINED CYCLE Journal. Visit psimedia.info/ccjarchives.htm to access FAC and cavitation: Identification, assessment, monitoring, prevention, Spring 2004, and 7EA Users have HRSG concerns, too, Fall 2004). Heres a summary of Dooleys key points: FAC occurs in carbon-steel piping, valves, and vessels containing flowing water (single phase) or a water/steam mixture (two phase). It causes wall thinning by dissolving the porous, protective magnetite layer (Fe3O4) that coats carbon-steel surfaces. Maintaining close control of cycle chemistry is
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critical to prevention of FAC. For example, in singlephase flow areas, ORP (oxidation-reduction potential) should be positive, a condition characterized by the presence of some oxygen (nominally 10 ppb) and the absence of a reducing agent. In addition, the pH should be above 9.3 to minimize the rate at which magnetite dissolves. Running with oxidizing ORPs in two-phase flow regions will not address two-phase FAC. Thus it is critical that organizations have the ability to identify the key differences between single- and two-phase FAC so the optimum solutions can be applied. Alloying elements, especially chromium, are beneficial. They increase the stability of the magnetite layer even when present in small amounts. If retubing is made necessary because of FAC damage, consider a 1.25% Cr material as a replacement. Temperature greatly impacts the formation and solubility of the magnetite layer, which is most susceptible to dissolution around 300F. At operating plants you can eliminate destructive turbulent velocities and FAC susceptible temperatures by taking these steps: (1) Modify header/piping/tubing design to provide more uniform fluid flows and temperatures, and (2) Minimize the number of hours the plant operates at low load. Maintain a proactive monitoring and inspection program. Pay special attention to iron levels in boiler water. Usually levels less than 5 ppb in the feedwater and in each drum of a multi-pressure system indicate optimum performance without active FAC locations. Conduct periodic physical inspections of the HRSG, focusing on areas prone to FAC damage. When damage is identified be sure to address its root cause and to make appropriate repairs/replacements. Attention to detail at the design stage and during plant operation are critical to your success in preventing FAC and maintaining a safe plant. The recent experience of Jasper Generating Station, an 875-MW combined cycle owned by South Carolina Electric & Gas Co, is a case in point. Jasper followed EPRIs FAC prevention guidelines to the letter and has experienced no O&Mrelated tube failures to date. The plant recently received the COMBINED CYCLE Journals Best Practices Award for 2005 for its efforts (Best Practices Awards, 1Q/2005, p 73). For information on EPRIs FAC-prevention program, contact Dooley at bdooley@epri.com.
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Participants were reminded of a recommendation in Guidelines for the Operation & Maintenance of HRSGs, published in 2003 by the HRSG Users Group (details at www. hrsgusers.org), that a master/martyr valve arrangement gives best results for leak-free drain service. The valve that does the throttling across the seat is the martyr valvenot expected to have a long life. The other valve in that double-isolation pattern is the master. Control system governs the opening of the master valve first. There should be little or no differential pressure across it, so it should last a long time. On closing, the martyr is closed first. Seal ring leaks on valves with pressure seal heads was another problem plant personnel were dealing with. The person who raised this issue said that no problems were found on one such valve after disassembly and inspection. Loose bolts were thought to be the cause. But no torque values could be found and no amount of hammering could stop the leakage. A suggested solution from another plant: Change from the vendors silver-plated soft iron seal to a graphite one. The successful seals were purchased out of the UK and were said to have never leaked. Further, leakfree operation was achieved without hammering bolts tight, the audience was told. On the subject of motor-operated h-p and hot-reheat wedge-type gate valves, attendees were urged to check piping system design and installation. One consultant said that when hot piping grows it can squeeze the gate to the point were it cannot come off the seat. A parallel gate was recommended as an alternative. However, another participant said that you need bonnet drains on these valves to ensure against bonnet pressurization which also can prevent opening. refer to this component as a feedwater heater) when firing distillate. Burning oil is an area where theres a lot of uncertainty as to the actual dewpoint, offered one HRSG OEM. Knowing the percentages of sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide in the exhaust stream is part of the challenge; also, the reaction between ammonia slip and SO3, which reduces the sulfur in the exhaust. Such variables impact calculation of the minimum water temperature entering the unit to avoid corrosion. However, this participant said, doing the calculation is worth the effort because bypassing the economizer reduces efficiency. A solution offered was installation of an extractive dewpoint meter that gives a direct readout of dewpoint temperature. Suggestion was to operate this instrument in a closed loop, providing a partial control signal for the economizer recirculation valves. Another OEMs engineer offered the results of some interesting research with regard to dewpoint. He prefaced his remarks the statement: If youre firing oil below the calculated dewpoint, youre committing suicide. The industry has yet to identify a materialglass-coated tubes includedthat can withstand the acid attack. Interestingly, he continued, combustion of natural gas represents a special case because the sulfur content is so low it does not matter if you operate below the dewpoint of the flue gasprovided the SO3 content is less than 300 ppb (parts per billion). For example, if the calculated fluegas dewpoint is in the range of 160F to 180F, you can operate at 120F to 140F without significant corrosion. However, as soon as you go below the water dewpoint, he continued, youve got a series of acid reactions taking place that begin an aggressive rusting process on whatever material you have in there. He advised recirculating water from the outlet to the inlet of the economizer to maintain 140F. At this point, he said, you are safely above the water dewpoint even if you have steam injection or heavy fogging in the GT. A former plant executive familiar with how operators think offered this summary of the fast-moving discussion: Many times we look at stack temperature relative to the dewpoint, he said. Its clear that if the stack temperature falls too low youll create acid mist and thats something most everyone knows to avoid. But long before that happens, gas would contact other boiler metal at or below

Environmental systems
A clinic in resolving problems associated with control of emissions ran for more than an hour because of widespread interest. It all began with a question on experience firing No. 2 oil in a combined cycle with an SCR. Four attendees responded that they had such experience. Next question: Whats your dewpoint while firing fuel oil? No one could recall, two probably because they burn ultralow-sulfur (0.01% S) oil and one of those also because at his plant they bypass the HRSG economizer (some

the dewpoint temperatureusually that near the economizer inlet. So its feedwater inlet temperature compared to the dewpoint that really the critical thing, he stressed. About a dozen plants represented in the room recirculated water from the economizer outlet to the inlet to protect against corrosion. SCR catalyst life one could expect when burning oil relative to that for gas firing was another question. The engineer who asked the question said he was told that a 20,000-hr catalyst on gas would only last 2000 hours on oil. Interestingly, none of the catalyst manufacturers and SCR providers registered for the meeting jumped into the discussion with an answer or advice. A lead operator from a cogeneration plant offered this advice: We have NO x catalyst and have found that its life depends on how it is treated while the unit is shut down. If youre going to be down for more than a day, I suggest you get a dehumidifier and cover the catalyst charge with plastic to keep it warm. If you drop below the dewpoint, youre going to destroy the catalyst. Plugging of injection holes and other problemsparticularly fan vibrationrelated to the ammonia
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injection system was on the minds of several attendees. On the plugging of holes in the carbon steel ammonia grid plate, one attendee said the packing around the CO catalyst at his plant came loose during startups and shutdowns and the loose fibers would get sucked into the blower and be deposited on the metal flakes left over from when the holes were cut in the distribution grid. Another attendee thought he read something about the issue and that it was related to the use of aqueous ammonia rather than anhydrous ammonia. This was neither confirmed nor denied. Still another engineer suggested blowing plant air through the injection system following shutdown. They have avoided plugging as a result, he said. Fan vibration can come from many sourcesincluding marginal bearings, base resonance, and poor dampingsuggested the person asking for help. A participant with the same manufacturers injection system at two plants said his company had what appeared to be the same problem and found that additional concrete in the base helped to reduce the vibration. Their bearings kept burning up, he added, so they changed out the grease bearings to oil-bath and added heat shields. That seemed to work. Another plant that had blowers fail and result in an air-permit violation, reconfigured its system to eliminate the need for blowers. For aqueous ammonia systems, mention was made of tank rusting. The tank wasnt passivated very well, the audience was told, so each time it was filled, rust particles in the bottom were stirred up and they plugged injection nozzles. on RO units that start and stop frequently had been observed by that participant, who said that if the membrane moves enough it can tear and create the problem noted. Next question was an obvious one: How do you clean the E-Cells after contamination by hard water? Acid wash was one thought, but that didnt work at someone elses plant and full replacement was necessary. Returning to boiler operation, a gentleman from the South reported that during the winter months in southern Alabama they see high backpressure in the HRSGupwards of 18 to 20 in. H2O, or sufficiently high to limit output. Several thoughts from colleagues: Group consensus is that backpressure generally should be in the range of 12 to 14 in. H2O; might be a design limitation, such as too much surface in too little space; check pressure drops across various sections of the boiler to see if the problem can be isolated; check for fouling at the back end of the unit, which can be eliminated by cleaning; look for loose liner plates that could allow insulation to escape and block off downstream gas flowparticularly in the SCR or in finned-tube sections. Operating at less than base load popped up again in this session. One of the attendees said that he

Balance of plant
At HRSG Users Group meetings, the balance-of-plant session concludes the conference and offers the opportunity to raise questions on anything bothering you that had not been addressed in previous Open Forum Discussions. Almost hard to believe there were still more questions, but there were. On the subject of water treatment, a cogen-facility operator with a problematic RO (reverse osmosis) plant and E-Cells (never worked properly) reported leak-by of the membrane seals in the RO unit which caused hard water to migrate into the E-Cells and clog them. What to do? Check O-rings on the RO unit, was one reply, theyll often slip. Another was to check the membrane for tears. Shifting of the spiral wrap

HRSG User's Group presents . . . Guidelines for the Operation & Maintenance of HRSGs
Since 1993, the HRSG User's Group has brought together users, manufacturers, service providers, and consultants from around the world to discuss the design, operation, and maintenance of heatrecovery steam generators. Now, "best practices" learned during the Group's first decade have been captured in a comprehensive, practical reference.

"Today's HRSG is not the 'black box' that many of the developers, architect/engineers, and corporate owners consider it to be. In fact, it requires almost as much attention as the gas turbine, if it is to provide long-term reliability in cycling service." Robert W. Anderson, Chairman, HRSG User's Group
Guidelines for the Operation & Maintenance of HRSGs is based on proceedings from the Group's 10 technical conferences, articles and reports published in trade journals, and the contributions of a wide range of industry expertsincluding plant managers and supervisors, OEMs, service providers, water-treatment companies, and engineering consultantswho have actively participated in our meetings through the years. This authoritative, 180-page publication was just released in March 2003, and over 500 copies already are being utilized in 31 countries! Individual copies cost $295.00. Bulk discounts available for orders of five or more

For more details visit www.HRSGusers.org

Or email a request to info@HRSGusers.org

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COMBINED CYCLE JOURNAL, Second Quarter 2005

Coming in the next issue of the . . .

. . .COMBINED CYCLE Journal

2006 OUTAGE HANDBOOK

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didnt realize, until it was mentioned earlier in the meeting, that reducing GT load to say 60% of the unit rating could cause events in the HRSG. Question for the veterans: What should I be looking for? Talk about opening Pandoras box. The first suggestion was to talk to the GT and HRSG OEMs for operational guidance. Some specific things to pay attention to: Steam temperature: You can run out of desuperheater capability. Approach to saturation in the h-p superheater and reheater: Something to avoid to prevent a host of problems (refer to Avoid desuperheater problems with quality equipment, proper installation, tight process control, CCJ, Fall 2004, available at psimedia. info/ccjarchives.htm). Steaming economizer: Thats not where youre supposed to be generating steam. Emissions: Catalyst reactivity can decrease, causing emissions to increase. Steam turbine: Steam production must be sufficient to keep the unit from tripping. Valves again. Too bad the procurement folks dont get it. The penalty for accepting the low bidders offering on critical auxiliaries solely

because of price costs them dearly in the long run. A Japanese-made HRSG, one of reportedly only two installed in the world, has Korean valves. Where can I find parts? was the question. Someone suggested a supplier of soft-goods kits in Ontario. Imagine the amount of plant time spent on this task. Could have been avoided and the time dedicated to projects aimed at improving rather than correcting. The unnecessary valve problem opened the door for another user with a burr under his saddle to take a poke at engineer/constructors, Weve done a lot of work going

back and retrofitting and correcting some of the problems that EPCs left behind. There was no response. EPCs, of course, are required to manage a project within an owners budget and if the owner cant be convinced that quality is worth paying for initially, then it will be paid for later. Unfortunately, only a couple of EPCs attended this conference. One has to wonder if the mistakes of the past will be repeated in new plants because designers and constructors are not tuned in to the lessons that users and HRSG OEMs have been sharing for well over a decade. CCJ

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