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Abstract

This article presents failure investigation on a high-strength alloy SA213-T91 super-heater tube. This failure is the first occurrence involving the material in Kapar Power Station Malaysia. The investigation includes visual inspections, hardness measurements, and microscopic examinations. The failed super-heater tube shows a wide open rupture with thin and blunt edges. Hardness readings on all the as-received tubes are used for estimating the operating metal temperature of the super-heater tubes. Microstructures of the failed tube show numerous creep cavities consisting of individual pores and chain of pores which form micro- and macro-cracks. The findings confirmed that the super-heater tube is failed by short-term overheating. Higher temperatures of the flue gas due to the inconsistent feeding of pulverized fuels into the burner is identified to cause overheating of the failed tube.

Keywords

high-strength alloy steel failure analysis hardness measurements overheating micro-structure examinations

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Failure Evaluation on a High-Strength Alloy SA213-T91 Super Heater Tube of a Power Generation

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