Examination of cracked primary air ports fabricated from modified Alloy 825-based composite tubes

Twenty primary air ports fabricated from modified Alloy 825-based composite tubes underwent a metallurgical examination to document the mode and extent of cracking on the external fireside surface of a kraft recovery boiler. Collectively, the crack features found are most consistent with thermal fatigue, but corrosion fatigue cannot be ruled out. Regardless of the true cracking mechanism, temperature cycling is implicated as a critical factor for crack propagation. On the basis of the relative crack lengths observed, membrane welds and tube weld repairs, and their adjacent heat-affected zones, appear to be more susceptible to cracking than the cladding itself.