Effects of phosphate environments on turbine materials: preliminary results

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is a serious hazard to large steam turbines. In many cases, this cracking is thought caused by concentrated deposits of caustics or chlorides, formed from the steam by concentrating mechanisms. To minimize the likelihood of forming these corrosive deposits, turbine manufacturers recommend that the levels of contaminants in the steam be maintained at low levels. The steam purity needed to prevent the formation of corrosive deposits is at present uncertain. As an aid in judging the steam purity needed to avoid corrosive deposits, the General Electric Company surveyed the utility industry to determine current feedwater practices, the levels of steam purity attained, and the nature of the corrosion problems encountered. One hypothesis to explain the lower corrosivity of steam from drum boilers concerns the sodium phosphate to compounds commonly added to drum boiler water for pH control. To test this hypothesis, the present program was undertaken to study the effect of sodium phosphate on the corrosivity of the two most common corrosive turbine deposits, sodium chloride and sodium hydroxide. Four turbine materials - a rotor steel, a disc steel, and two turbine blade steels - were chosen for this study. The results from the first half of a two-year project are described. So far the corrosivity of the deposits without phosphate has been determined. Work to determine the corrosivity of deposits with phosphate is presently under way and only the electrochemical test results are discussed