J. DuPont, A. R. Marder, R. Deacon, J. Regina, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
The operating conditions associated with Low NOx staged combustion often promote accelerated wastage rates of boiler tubes. Commercially available austenitic alloys have been evaluated for their use in this application under a wide range of test conditions, and these results will be presented. Gaseous corrosion environments were used to simulate situations where the corrosive gas and bare metal were in direct contact, and gas-slag corrosion environments simulated boiler tube conditions where solid slag was in contact with bare metal. The gaseous corrosion environments used during testing ranged from a highly sulfidizing environment to an oxidizing environment, and the simulated slag used during gas-slag corrosion tests consisted of various iron sulfide powders. Research is also being conducted to develop FeCrAl alloys for enhanced corrosion protection. FeCrAl weld overlays were prepared over wide range of Cr and Al concentrations to determine the influence of Cr and Al on both weldability and corrosion resistance. Weldability tests were conducted to determine the range of Cr and Al concentrations which can be deposited without occurrence of hydrogen cracking. Detailed microstructural characterization was conducted on the welds using X-Ray diffraction, and the corrosion products formed under various corrosion conditions were determined using a variety of electron microscopy results. The results of this research show that a balance of Al and Cr levels must be maintained to produce crack-free weld deposits. Subsequent corrosion testing on the weldable alloy compositions demonstrated that these alloys have excellent corrosion resistance under a variety of conditions. In general, it is demonstrated that the Cr and Al level must be low enough to prevent formation of the ordered phase (to prevent hydrogen cracking), but high enough to promote the formation of a passive Al2O3 scale for corrosion protection. The range of Al and Cr levels required for this balance will be presented.
Summary: A wide range of commercially available weld overlay coatings, and newly developed FeCrAl weld overlay alloys, were evaluated under a wide range of corrosion conditions in order to determine their potential use for corrosion protection in fossil fired power plants.