Mitigating Corrosion/Erosion in Waste to Energy and Biomass Boilers
Boiler reliability has become one of the main
challenges with the advent of efficiency
advances in Waste to Energy industry. When
operated at low pressure/low pressurized water
temperature, the corrosion rate of the boiler
waterwall is low. As a result, boilers can operate
for decades without any corrosion protection.
In order to generate power efficiently, the
production of high-temperature steam with
the highest pressure/temperature possible is
required. The implementation of the Best Available
Technology (BAT) required by the Industrial
Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU under the EU
BAT reference documents (BREFs) pushes the
operators to optimize the performance of the
lines where reliability becomes a key factor.
This increase in temperature calls for a
selection of materials that can withstand higher
operating conditions in a more aggressive and
complex environment, including chlorine and
molten salts forming and condensing at various
temperatures. Many readily available materials
offer adequate resistance to high-temperature
service or certain corrosive agents; however,
few can perform reliably where a combination
of corrosion mechanisms affects the boiler.