P91 in Service Experience

Plant Experience with Grade 91
S. J. Brett RWE npower
RWE Power International
PAGE 1
Grade 91 Background
> Used widely in the UK from 1989 onwards for retrofit superheater outlet headers delivering steam at ~568C > Later (early 1990s) used for HRSG headers and HP pipework on CCGTs with steam temperatures typically 540C > More recent application has been on CCGTs operating, or planned to operate, at 568C > Cracking in the UK to date has mainly been Type IV and mainly on retrofit headers (but at least one example had been found on a CCGT operating at 568C) > Thermal fatigue cracking has been found on endcaps (HRSG) > Examples of aberrant material have been found on both retrofit and CCGTs
PAGE 2
Grade 91 Failures
PAGE 3
Grade 91 Issues
> Why do we have a grade 91 problem? > For normal (martensitic) grade 91: The grade 91 Type IV shortfall in creep strength is substantial and has generally not been fully exposed by test programmes An inherent low Type IV strength is further exacerbated by low nitrogen : aluminium ratio > Grade 91 steel is vulnerable to incorrect heat treatment with the consequence that aberrant non martensitic material can, and has, entered service: Components may be supplied in the incorrectly heat treated condition Components may be supplied in the correctly heat treated condition and subsequently mistreated during PWHT after welding
PAGE 4
Grade 91 Issues
> Why is the grade 91 Type IV zone weak? The grain size is very small (<5m) The Martensite lath structure is suppressed (because of the small grains) The precipitates will be largely unaffected by the short heating cycle (but may coarsen slightly) > Aluminium nitride, if present, will not dissolve therefore any vanadium nitride lost to it prior to welding will remain lost
PAGE 5
Grade P91 Type IV Cracking Schematic

Variation with temperature (1) Relative shortfall decreases with decreasing temperature
180 160 140 Parent & Type IV at 650C Parent & Type IV at 600C Stress Difference
Stress (MPa)
120 100 80 60 40 10 100 1000 10000 100000
Time (Hrs)
RWE Power International PAGE 6
Grade P91 Type IV Cracking Schematic

Variation with temperature (2) Relative shortfall increases with decreasing temperature
180 160 140 Parent & Type IV at 650C Parent & Type IV at 600C Stress Difference
Stress (MPa)
120 100 80 60 40 10 100 1000 10000 100000
Time (Hrs)
PAGE 7
Timescale of Cracking vs Composition

0.05 All Items Cracked <36kHrs Cracked <78kHrs 0.04 Bar 257 N:Al = 1.5 N:Al = 3.0
Aluminium (wt%)
0.03
0.02
0.01
0 0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08
Nitrogen (wt% )
Aluminium Nitride
TEM & FEGSEM images John Bates, Loughborough
0.05 High AlN Low AlN No AlN 0.04 N:Al =1.5 N:Al = 3.0 0.03
Aluminium (wt%)
0.02
0.01
0 0.02
0.03
0.04
0.05
0.06
0.07
0.08
Nitrogen (wt% )
PAGE 9
Aluminium Measurement
0.05 0.045 0.04 0.035 Al (wt%) 0.03 0.025 0.02 0.015 0.01 0.005 0 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 Al (wt% ) measured by OES
y = 1.408x y=x
y = 0.9467x
wt% Al (Soluble) wt% Al (OES) wt% Al (MDM)
Grade 91 Issues
> As end users of grade 91 components, generators need to know: Will cracking/failure occur within the operating lifetime? If so, when will it start to become a problem? Once started, how large a problem will it be? > If grade 91 cracking/failure does occur, what are the optimum remedial methods: If cracking is ground out, how quickly will it reappear? If cracking is weld repaired, how quickly will re-cracking occur?
PAGE 11
UKHTPPF P91 Programme (600C)

200 180 160 Bar 257 Parent Bar 257 Crossweld Grade 91 Mean Grade 91 Mean-20% KA817 Crossweld
Stress (MPa)
140 120 100 80 60 40 20 10 100 1000 10000 100000
1000000
Life (Hrs)
UKHTPPF P91 Programme (600C)

180 160 140 Grade 91 Mean Grade 91 Mean-20% 2CrMo (N&T) Mean+20%
Stress (MPa)
2CrMo (N&T) Mean 120 100 80 60 40 20 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 Bar 257 Type IV KA817 Type IV
Time (Hrs)
GENSIP Crossweld Creep Tests in New Material

> The UKHTPPF tests will be extended to a total of six grade 91 parent materials and their respective crossweld specimens > The aim is to establish the relationship between parent strength and Type IV strength > This will allow an estimate of Type IV cracking susceptibility from an estimate of parent strength (obtained from eg small scale sampling and testing or hardness/strength modelling)
PAGE 14
Prediction of Type IV Cracking (580C)
PAGE 15
Inspection Recommendations
General estimate for the onset of Type IV
130 120 110
590C 580C 570C 560C 540C
Stress (MPa)
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Life (Hrs)
Inspection Recommendations
Particular problem areas requiring special attention
> Terminal welds and branch welds > Non 90 branches (offset branches, welded Y pieces) > Endcaps (fully or partially welded) > Seam welds (whether renormalised or not) > Thermocouple pockets (specific arrangements) > Dissimilar metal joints
PAGE 17
Type IV Crack - Grade 91 Stub Weld
PAGE 18
Type IV Cracking Grinding at Stub Toes
PAGE 19
Stub Weld Re-Cracking in 2006 (after 11kHrs)
PAGE 20
Header Stub Cracking in 2008 (all cracking cleared in 2004)
PAGE 21
Grade 91 Final Superheater Outlet Header

Removed from service in eight sections
PAGE 22
Ground Stub Branch Recracking
PAGE 23
Ground Stub Branch Recracking

Cavitation ahead of a Type IV crack
PAGE 24
Aberrant Material
Simulated to match the microstructure observed in service
Normal martensitic structure (VHN 203) Non martensitic structure (VHN 151)
PAGE 25
Aberrant Material (Tests at 600C)

Simulated to match the microstructure observed on-site
200 180 160 Grade 91 Mean Grade 91 Mean-20% Bar 257 Type IV Weak P91 parent
Stress (MPa)
140 120 100 80 60 40 1 10 100 1000 10000
100000 1000000
Life (Hrs)
Conclusions (1)
> The grade 91 story continues to develop and still has some way to run with more widespread cracking likely to occur > In the UK, GENSIP (Generators Safety & Integrity Programme) is sponsoring work to enable operators of aged coal-fired plant to operate grade 91 components safely > This is a global issue and collaboration with others (eg VGB, Vrmeforsk, EPRI) will be a key factor in meeting the structural integrity risks associated with the use of this material
PAGE 27
Conclusions (2)
> Will similar problems occur with grade 92? Probably
PAGE 28

P91 in Service Experience

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P91 in Service Experience

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Plant Experience with Grade 91

S. J. Brett RWE npower

RWE Power International

RWE Power International

RWE Power International

RWE Power International

RWE Power International

Grade P91 Type IV Cracking Schematic

120 100 80 60 40 10 100 1000 10000 100000

Grade P91 Type IV Cracking Schematic

120 100 80 60 40 10 100 1000 10000 100000

RWE Power International

Timescale of Cracking vs Composition

0 0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08

RWE Power International

RWE Power International

UKHTPPF P91 Programme (600C)

140 120 100 80 60 40 20 10 100 1000 10000 100000

UKHTPPF P91 Programme (600C)

GENSIP Crossweld Creep Tests in New Material

RWE Power International

Prediction of Type IV Cracking (580C)

RWE Power International

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 1000 10000 100000 1000000

RWE Power International

Type IV Crack - Grade 91 Stub Weld

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Type IV Cracking Grinding at Stub Toes

RWE Power International

Stub Weld Re-Cracking in 2006 (after 11kHrs)

RWE Power International

Header Stub Cracking in 2008 (all cracking cleared in 2004)

RWE Power International

Grade 91 Final Superheater Outlet Header

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Ground Stub Branch Recracking

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Ground Stub Branch Recracking

RWE Power International

RWE Power International

Aberrant Material (Tests at 600C)

140 120 100 80 60 40 1 10 100 1000 10000

RWE Power International

> Will similar problems occur with grade 92? Probably

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