This article addresses the major heat-transfer components of the water-steam loop of a power plant. It describes the various types of condensers, including water-cooled condensers and air-cooled condensers. The article explains the corrosion mechanisms encountered in the condensers, including erosion-corrosion, galvanic corrosion, and pitting corrosion. It discusses the types of deaerators and deals with their corrosion problems. The article provides a discussion on two types of feedwater heaters: channel feedwater heaters and header feedwater heaters. It summarizes the corrosion problems associated with common feedwater heater tube materials.

Dew-point corrosion occurs when gas is cooled below the saturation temperature pertinent to the concentration of condensable species contained by a gas. This article discusses dew-point corrosion problems in the susceptible areas of dry flue gas handling systems. The corrosion problems associated with the nitrate stress-corrosion cracking in heat-recovery steam generators are also discussed. The article presents general comments on the materials selection; plant operation; use of neutralizing additives; and maintenance, good housekeeping, and lagging (insulation). It concludes with information on guidance for maintaining specific sections of the plant.

Heat exchangers are devices used to transfer thermal energy between two or more fluids, between a solid surface and a fluid, or between a solid particulate and a fluid at different temperatures. This article first addresses the causes of failures in heat exchangers. It then provides a description of heat-transfer surface area, discussing the design of the tubular heat exchanger. Next, the article discusses the processes involved in the examination of failed parts. Finally, it describes the most important types of corrosion, including uniform, galvanic, pitting, stress, and erosion corrosion.

This article describes the characteristics of tubing of heat exchangers with respect to general corrosion, stress-corrosion cracking, selective leaching, and oxygen-cell attack, with examples. It illustrates the examination of failed parts of heat exchangers by using sample selection, visual examination, microscopic examination, chemical analysis, and mechanical tests. The article explains corrosion fatigue of tubing of heat exchangers caused by aggressive environment and cyclic stress. It also discusses the effects of design, welding practices, and elevated temperatures on the failures of heat exchangers.

This article briefly describes water and steam chemistry, which influence the effect of corrosion in boilers. The appropriate control measures to prevent corrosion in boilers are also presented. The article provides a discussion on the common causes of fluid-side corrosion such as flow-accelerated corrosion, oxygen pitting, chelant corrosion, caustic corrosion, acid corrosion, organic corrosion, phosphate corrosion, hydrogen damage, and corrosion-assisted cracking.

This article explains the main types and characteristic causes of failures in boilers and other equipment in stationary and marine power plants that use steam as the working fluid with examples. It focuses on the distinctive features of each type that enable the failure analyst to determine the cause and suggest corrective action. The causes of failures include tube rupture, corrosion or scaling, fatigue, erosion, and stress-corrosion cracking. The article also describes the procedures for conducting a failure analysis.

Failures in boilers and other equipment taking place in power plants that use steam as the working fluid are discussed in this article. The discussion is mainly concerned with failures in Rankine cycle systems that use fossil fuels as the primary heat source. The general procedure and techniques followed in failure investigation of boilers and related equipment are discussed. The article is framed with an objective to provide systematic information on various damage mechanisms leading to the failure of boiler tubes, headers, and drums, supplemented by representative case studies for a greater understanding of the respective damage mechanism.

This article discusses the applications and tensile properties of selected copper tube alloys, as well as the methods for producing copper tubular products, namely extrusion and rotary piercing. It explains the methods available for the finishing of copper tubular products, such as tube welding, cold drawing, and tube reducing. The article lists the standard dimensions and tolerances for several kinds of copper tubes and pipes in the ASTM specifications, along with other requirements for the tubular products.

Copper and copper alloys are widely used in many environments and applications because of their excellent corrosion resistance, which is coupled with combinations of other desirable properties. This article lists the identifying characteristics of the forms of corrosion that commonly attack copper metals as well as the most effective means of combating each. General corrosion, galvanic corrosion, pitting, impingement, fretting, intergranular corrosion, dealloying, corrosion fatigue, and stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) are some forms of corrosion. The article also lists a galvanic series of metals and alloys valid for dilute aqueous solutions, such as seawater and weak acids. It provides useful information on the effects of alloy compositions, selection for specific environments, and atmospheric corrosion of selected copper alloys. The article also tabulates the corrosion ratings of wrought copper alloys in various corrosive media.

This article presents the primary considerations and mechanisms for corrosion and explains how they are involved in the selection of materials for process equipment in refineries and petrochemical plants. It discusses the material selection criteria for a number of ferrous and nonferrous alloys used in petroleum refining and petrochemical applications. The article reviews the mechanical properties, fabricability, and corrosion resistance of refinery steels. It describes low- and high-temperature corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, and cracking such as stress-corrosion, sulfide stress, and stress-oriented hydrogen-induced cracking. The article considers hydrogen attack, corrosion fatigue, and liquid metal embrittlement and the methods of combating them. It explains the causes of velocity-accelerated corrosion and erosion-corrosion. The article summarizes some corrective measures that can be implemented to control corrosion. The applicable standards for materials used in corrosive service conditions in upstream and downstream petroleum service are presented in a tabular form.

This article describes the corrosion mechanisms, challenges, and control methods in service water distribution systems. It provides a discussion on typical designs and water qualities for distribution systems used in fossil-fueled and nuclear power plants. The article also explains the techniques for controlling corrosion in service water systems.