ASSESSMENT OF BOILER TUBE STRESSES AND
THERMOMECHANICAL FATIGUE DUE TO FREQUENT CYCLING
IN THE PLF OF A THERMAL POWER PLANT
1. OBJECTIVES
Problem statement: To assess the stresses induced and the corresponding creep and thermomechanical
fatigue in superheat outlet header of thermal power plant during frequent cycling in the PLF (40-100%)
with unit start and stop conditions and different ramp rates. Data from TPCL, Trombay will be used as
the test bed for model development and validation.
Following specific objectives have been identified for successful delivery of this project:
● To develop 3D models with weld joints of the critical boiler parts identified by TPCL
for finite element analysis
● Develop fully coupled thermomechanical finite element models of critical boiler parts
● Validation of mod using field data and test coupons
● Assessment of dynamic stresses in the boiler components based for the temperature-
pressure DCS data provided by TPCL
● To assess dynamic stress variations under 40%-100% cycling of PLF at desired
frequency and ramp rates
● Developing ultra-low cycling frequency S-N curves
● Developing life cycle predictions at different operational parameters
2. METHODOLOGY, APPROACH AND RESEARCH PLAN
A phenomenon that is frequently observed in superheater headers after long-term operation is the
formation of cracks on their inner surfaces. This is generated due to the thermal and mechanical stresses
and also fatigue due to load cycling. To study this, a 3D model of the part will be created as per the
dimension of the superheat outlet header provided by TPCL. The FE model of the TPCL boiler
superheater header in the form of a thick-walled cylinder with holes for nozzle/tubes will be prepared
in ABAQUS. Weld seams in header and weld in stub tube will be incorporated, however the
microstructure will not be included explicitly in the model. The effect of slagging and fouling will be
reflected in temperature difference between inner and outer surface and the pressures that is obtained
from the DCS. These effects will be considered implicitly in the model. The modeling will involve
solving a fully coupled thermomechanical three-dimensional problem with appropriate boundary and
loading conditions. Using the heat transfer coefficient of the inner wall and outer wall, thermal analysis
will be performed to study the temperature at the position of thermocouple. Heat transfer coefficient at
the outer wall can be taken as a constant value and time dependent heat transfer coefficient can be
1
estimated at the inner wall. This heat transfer coefficient will be used for assessment of the stresses
under different operational conditions. Temperature predictions form FE model are compared with the
measured values for thermocouple to validate the model.
Figure 1 Methodology and Research Plan
Once the model is validated, transient analysis is performed (thermal and pressure load varies in time)
to measure the stresses at different PLFs and ramp rates. The temperature and pressure collected from
the plant superheat outlet header which is monitored at selected points will be used for the study. The
temperature-dependent thermophysical properties (specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal
expansion coefficients) will be used in the model for accurate predictions. Mechanical properties for
selected temperatures are presented in the form of cyclic stress-strain curves (material properties to be
given by TPCL). A thermo-elastic-plastic model of a kinematic hardening material will be employed.
Dynamic stress predictions from the model will be used to identify the critical points. The stress at PLFs
where temperature and pressure data are not available could also be assessed using this model. Figure
1 shows the methodology graphically.