TAPPI TIP 0416-22 PDF

Guidelines for operating and maintenance practices impacting an economizer on a recovery boiler

TAPPI TIP 0416-22 – Guidelines for operating and maintenance practices impacting an economizer on a recovery boiler

The economizer installed on a recovery boiler is the component responsible for the greatest number of tube leaksthat result in lost production for the pulp and paper industry. This technical information paper is based on acomprehensive study initiated by the AF&PA Recovery Boiler Committee (1). A condensation of the report waspresented at a TAPPI Conference in 2006 (2). The study determined primary causes of economizer tube damage arestress or fatigue cracks, poor quality welds, internal and external corrosion and thinning, and mechanical design. Theknowledge of failure mechanisms was applied to relate operating and maintenance practices that could contribute tofailures and then apply these in a review of economizer failure incidents to seek confirmation of practicesdetrimental to economizer integrity. These guidelines are a summary of those analyses.