Abstract
In biomass boilers, corrosion is a prevalent concern that arises at high temperatures. This is mainly because the fuels consumed in these boilers have a high alkali, chlorine, and other molten salt content that has occasionally led to material depletion, leaks, and unforeseen plant shutdowns. Applying protective coatings using thermal spray techniques is a practical answer to this issue. The current work focused on applying powders of Inconel 625 and Inconel 718 to boiler steel using a high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying method. The samples after coating deposition were subjected to the conditions of a biomass-fired boiler for 15 cycles to study the performance of the coatings in a real environment. The decrease of thickness over time was used to evaluate the erosion-corrosion process. Various characterization techniques were used to examine the as-sprayed and eroded-corroded specimens. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was utilized to analyze the phases, while the surface characteristics of powders, coatings, and samples exposed to erosion-corrosion were investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). When exposed to the actual boiler environment, the findings showed that Inconel 625-coated steel performed better than Inconel 718-coated steel.
