HRSG

Introduction
Today, many power plants are being forced to provide power in a
dispatchable mode. It is common for a power plant to shut down and
restart on a daily basis. Many users are asking how they can protect
themselves against problems in the future due to this cyclic mode of
operation.

In the highly competitive Heat recovery steam generator (HRSG)

marketplace of 2016, suppliers are faced with the dilemma of
furnishing the best equipment possible for the intended service life and
at the same time remaining competitive. The user or owner on the
other hand is concerned about initial cost, delivery, and reliable
operation. Therefore, it is important that both suppliers and users
understand factors that contribute to a good HRSG design under cyclic
service conditions and know what measures can be taken to ensure
that the equipment will perform as desired.

Failures from cycling can be the result of thermal expansion restraint

problems. Restraint problems are normally caused by improperly
designed or manufactured supports, header details, flow distribution,
or any other arrangement that prevents a component from
unrestrained expansion relative to another. The end result is failure
within a relatively short period of time. It is very important that
restraint problems be eliminated from the HRSG to ensure proper
mechanical reliability. Most HRSG suppliers from experience do a good
job in eliminating these types of problems. Therefore, this chapter will
focus on another main cycling issue: fatigue.
Transient operation is damaging to combined cycle plants due to
fatigue from temperature and pressure changes that take place during
startup, shutdown, and other modes of operation. Fatigue occurs when
material is subjected to cyclic or repeated stresses. The alternating
stress amplitude for a cycle is the most significant factor for fatigue and
not the absolute stress level. Most fatigue issues in HRSGs are
considered to be low-cycle fatigue, in which some plastic strain occurs.
An approximate border between high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue has
been found to be 10,000 cycles. Daily starts for 30 years would equate
to 11,000 cycles. A thorough knowledge of the stress and loading
conditions is necessary to perform a fatigue evaluation. A life
assessment in the time -independent regime is a fatigue evaluation that
considers the various operating cycles and computes an estimate of
unit life. It is important to recognize that failure in a life assessment is
commonly the point of crack initiation.

HRSG fatigue is related to stress associated with changes in

temperature and pressure. Factors that can significantly influence the
alternating stress amplitude of the fatigue evaluation include
construction geometry, construction details, material type, and
corrosion. Creep is the continuous and time-dependent deformation of
a material. At elevated temperatures, creep can become a significant
engineering consideration. These factors will be discussed in more
detail in the following sections. Continuous operation for 30 years
would result in 263,000 hours of operation. This amount of time
exceeds the 100,000-hour rupture life used as the basis for establishing
allowable stress values in the ASME code. Total operating hours should
be specified as part of the HRSG design criteria. There is an interaction
between creep and fatigue and it may be overly conservative to specify
for a unit both 11,000 cycles and 250,000 hours of operation.

Gas Turbines
For most large gas turbine frame units, high operating temperature is
the leading cause of premature turbine oil failure. Higher turbine
efficiencies and firing temperatures in gas turbines have been the main
incentive for more thermally robust turbine oils. Today’s land-based
large-frame units operate with bearing temperatures in the range of
160–250°F (71–121°C). OEMs have increased their suggested limits on
RPVOT ASTM D2272 (rotation pressure vessel oxidation test) and TOST
ASTM D943 (turbine oil oxidation stability) performance to meet higher
operating temperatures.

Changes in operating cycles are also introducing new lubrication

hurdles. Lubrication issues specific to gas turbines in cyclic service
started to appear in the mid-1990s. Higher bearing temperatures and
cyclic operation foul system hydraulics. This delays equipment startup.
Properly formulated hydrocracked turbine oils were developed to
remedy this problem and to extend gas turbine oil drain intervals.
Products such as Exxon Teresstic GTC and Mobil DTE 832 have
demonstrated excellent performance for almost five years of service
life in cyclically operated gas turbines. Conventional mineral oils had
failed in one to two years.

Aeroderivative Gas Turbines

Aeroderivative gas turbines require oils with much higher oxidation
stability. Lube oil in aeroderivative turbines is in direct contact with
metal surfaces ranging from 400–600°F (204–316°C) typically and sump
lube oil temperatures can range from 160–250°F (71–121°C). These
turbines’ cyclical operation imparts significant thermal and oxidative
stress on the lubricating oil. This then dictates the use of high purity
synthetic lubricating oils. Average lube oil makeup rates of 0.15 gallons
per hour help rejuvenate the turbo oil under these conditions.

Aeroderivative turbines operate with much smaller (than industrial)

lube oil sumps, typically 50 gallons or less.

Synthetic turbo oils are formulated for military aircraft gas turbo
engines identified in military (MIL) specification format. These MIL
specifications ensure that similar quality and fully compatible oils are
available throughout the world and as referenced in OEM lubrication
specifications.

Type II turbo oils were commercialized in the early 1960s to meet US

Navy demands for improved performance, which created MIL-L (PRF)-
23699. The majority of aeroderivatives in power generation today
deploy these Type II, MIL-L (PRF)-23699, polyol ester-base stock,
synthetic turbo oils. These Type II oils offer significant performance
advantages over the earlier Type I diester-based synthetic turbo oils.

Enhanced Type II turbo oils were commercialized in the early 1980s for
the US Navy’s demand for better high-temperature stability. This led to
the new specification MIL-L (PRF)-23699 HTS. In 1993, Mobil JetOil 291
was commercialized as the first fourth-generation turbo oil for
advanced high-temperature and high-load conditions of jet oils.

Generator bearings typically use an ISO 32 R&O or hydraulic oil. The

lower pour points of a hydraulic vs. an R&O oil may dictate the use of a
hydraulic oil in cold environments.

Severe Cyclic Service

What do the codes say regarding accepting severe cyclic service as an
analogy for vibration and establishing what that might be? First of all,
we will be mostly discussing what is said in B31.3, because it addresses
this aspect of the vibration problem most completely of all the ASME
piping codes.

There are numerous references to severe cyclic service regarding what

not to use for a component or feature of a component in a particular
service. There are some specific items that say what type of material,
such as piping, one may use in that service. There is also a table in the
code that addresses the acceptance criteria for types of welds in severe
cyclic service. While these admonitions may not be explicit in the other
books, they can be used as good guidelines in any application.

All books in their sections on pressure design assert in some manner

that the rules are for loads from pressure only. Any external forces
from things, such as thermal expansion and contraction, live loads, and
other special considerations, shall be given so the designer can make
that connection withstand such loads.
Again, B31.3 specifically addresses vibration in this manner. The piping
should be arranged and supported to eliminate excessive harmful
effects. The code points out that vibration may come from impact,
pressure pulsation, and turbulence in the flow; resonance with other
external sources such as pumps and compressors; and wind. An
earthquake is a shake or rattle event, but it is a subject unto itself.

So in essence the codes give guidance and admonish one to consider

higher-frequency vibration. So a design analyst is left with the question:
What do I do?

The business of vibration requires a great deal of expertise to be well

versed in it. Here, the intent is to give readers enough of a feel for the
requirements and rudimentary elements of the subject that one can do
elementary things in it, and have a filter for when dealing with experts.
The idea is that piping analysts should know enough to know what they
know and what they don’t know. When one is aware of what one
doesn’t know, then, as Lao Tzu said long ago, “When you know what
you don’t know you have genuine knowledge.” That is, if you are fully
aware of the limit of your knowledge you will ask questions.
Structural Attachments
External and internal attachments to piping should be designed so that
they will not cause undue flattening of the pipe, excessive localized
bending stresses, or harmful thermal gradients in the pipe wall. It is
important that attachments be designed to minimize stress
concentration, particularly in cyclic services.

Nonintegral Attachments
Nonintegral attachments, in which the reaction between the piping and
the attachment is by contact, include clamps, slings, cradles, U-bolts,
saddles, straps, clevises, and pick-up supports. If the weight of a vertical
pipe is supported by a clamp, it is recommended to prevent slippage
that the clamp be located below a flange, fitting, or support lugs
welded to the pipe.

In addition, riser clamps to support vertical lines should be designed to

support the total load on either arm in the event the load shifts due to
pipe and/or hanger movement.

Integral Attachments
Integral attachments include ears, shoes, lugs, dummy supports, rings,
and skirts that are fabricated so that the attachment is an integral part
of the piping component. Integral attachments should be used in
conjunction with restraints or braces where multiaxial restraint in a
single member is to be maintained.
Consideration should be given to the localized stresses induced into the
piping component by the integral attachments.

The design of hanger lugs for attachment to piping for high

temperature service should be such as to provide for differential
expansion between the pipe and the attached lug.

To prevent lines subjected to thermal expansion/contraction moving

off their supports, consideration should be given to the actual length of
the cradle or pipe shoes to be used.

Pipe stanchions, pipe dummies, and trunnions should have welded end
plates.

Weld-on support attachments, such as cradles or pipe shoes, pipe

stanchions, pipe dummies, trunnions, and lugs, should not be attached
to tees, reducers, and elbows. When stress analysis permits, pipe
stanchions, pipe dummies, and lugs may be attached to elbows.

Field welding to pipes for pipe supporting purposes should be limited as

far as possible. Field welding for pipe support purposes should not be
performed on the following pipe materials:

•
materials requiring post weld heat treatment;
•
lined carbon steel (glass, PTFE, rubber, cement, etc.);

•
nonferrous materials.

For pipes requiring postweld heat treatment, attachments required for

supporting purposes should be indicated on the piping isometric
drawings, and welding should be executed at the pipe shop before
postweld heat treatment.

All welds of support elements and of supports to piping should be

continuous. The fabricated and supplied supports should conform the
“Bill of Material for Supports” drawings and standards should be able to
withstand the allowable loads.

Welds should be proportioned so that the shear stresses do not exceed

either 0.8× the applicable S values for the pipe material shown in the
allowable stress tables, or the allowable stress values determined in
accordance with standards.

If materials for attachments should have different allowable stress

values than the pipe, the lower allowable stress value of the two should
be used.