HRSG Inspection Planning Guide
Inspection is part of routine maintenance for any Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG). Visual inspections are performed at regular intervals in accordance with the requirements of regulatory bodies and insurers.
The modern power generation market is very different to what it was ten or even five years ago. The requirement to provide network load flexibility is falling on combined cycle plants with HRSGs, they are having to fill the supply gap between base loaded nuclear and large coal plants and the highly variable renewable energy generators. The result of operating at lower loads means the HRSG operating conditions may be very different from what was envisaged in the design case. Equally the increased number of startups and shutdowns presents problems for components designed for baseload. The problems faced by plants that are cycling or operating at off-design conditions can include:
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Inspection is part of routine maintenance for any Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG). Visual inspections are performed at regular intervals in accordance with the requirements of regulatory bodies and insurers.
Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) or Erosions-Corrosion remains a common cause of failure in HRSGs and conventional boilers, yet the underlying causes and solutions have been well understood for more than 25 years.
Inspections of more than 500 units over the past 10 years reveals common challenges faced by mid-life HRSGs, particularly those used in combined cycle plants to offset renewable generation and other aggressive operating strategies.