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Review of a Refinery Boiler Tube Failure

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In late 2021, several leaks were observed inside the waste heat boiler coil of the steam reformer furnace at the refinery. The leaks were located in the first row of tubes of the hot bank in the vertically-oriented coil, where boiler water inside the tubes is heated via waste heat of the reformer stack. The waste heat boiler coil has a design duty of 69.59 MMBtu/hr (~20.4 MW), with design pressures and temperatures of 1010 psig (6.9 MPa) and 700°F (371°C), respectively.

Product Number: 51323-19067-SG
Author: Darrell Freeman, Ryan Horsley, David Whitt, Mel J. Esmacher
Publication Date: 2023
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$20.00
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Each boiler design presents its own challenges to ensure reliable operation, and some are more sensitive than others. A failure occurred in the finned, carbon steel tubing in the Waste Heat Boiler Coil at a large North American oil refinery. After witnessing several visible steam leaks in the hot bank, the coil was shut down. Testing identified 29 leaking tubes. Subsequent non-destructive testing indicated up to 58% wall loss in the cold bank tubes. This paper reviews the conditions leading up to those failures in the hot bank and identifies the primary causes and contributing factors, including coil design aspects, operational practices and others. Remedial measures taken to circumvent design issues and best practices implemented will be discussed that can benefit boiler operators in preventing costly downtime and safety hazards from boiler tube failures.

Each boiler design presents its own challenges to ensure reliable operation, and some are more sensitive than others. A failure occurred in the finned, carbon steel tubing in the Waste Heat Boiler Coil at a large North American oil refinery. After witnessing several visible steam leaks in the hot bank, the coil was shut down. Testing identified 29 leaking tubes. Subsequent non-destructive testing indicated up to 58% wall loss in the cold bank tubes. This paper reviews the conditions leading up to those failures in the hot bank and identifies the primary causes and contributing factors, including coil design aspects, operational practices and others. Remedial measures taken to circumvent design issues and best practices implemented will be discussed that can benefit boiler operators in preventing costly downtime and safety hazards from boiler tube failures.

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Failure analysis methodology is applied to the principal mechanisms by which boiler tubes fail during service.  sThe failure analysis procedure, or methodology for evaluation, is provided in a step by step approach.  Among the case histories discussed are: fatigue, erosion, short-term overheating, and hydrogen damage.
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