Metallurgical Failure Analysis of Steam Turbine, Compressor, and Hot Gas Expander Components
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Date
2018
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Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
Abstract
When components fail it is usually unexpected and the root cause is not always known. Downtime from failure can cost a company many thousands of dollars a day depending on the type of equipment. This cost can be magnified if the equipment failure becomes reoccurring. Identifying the root cause for a failure is paramount in preventing it from reoccurring. Components fail due to a number of reasons such as but not limited to improper design, poor material selection, off design and poor service conditions. In order to determine why a component fails one needs to perform a root cause failure analysis (RCFA). A metallurgical analysis is one of the key components of a comprehensive RCFA. This paper will outline the stages involved when conducting a metallurgical failure analysis. Details on the techniques used and the various damage mechanisms observed on failed components will also be presented. Other analysis used to support a metallurgical examination when conducting a comprehensive RCFA will be briefly discussed. Finally, several case studies involving failure of turbomachinery components will be shown. Subjects will include high temperature corrosion on hot gas expander blades and stress corrosion cracking of steam turbine disks and compressor impellers.
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