If you have responsibility for one or more heat-recovery steam generators and film-forming amines (FFA) and film-forming products (FFP) are not yet in your lexicon, attending the upcoming HRSG Forum with Bob Anderson, March 5 – 7 at the Hyatt Regency Houston, offers a valuable introduction to what some believe is the next frontier in cycle chemistry.
Corrosion protection for HRSG internal surfaces traditionally has focused on a proper (read “high”) pH level, typically maintained by adding ammonia and perhaps neutralizing amines to the boiler water. Some plants have embraced oxygenated treatment with condensate polishers and other controls to provide a protective hematite layer on metal surfaces. More recently, some owner/operators have adopted various FFAs and FFPs to enhance the effort and extend protection during shutdown.
Don’t feel “left out” if FFAs/FFPs are new to you—unless you’re a water chemist, that is. The chemistry has been in development for years and some of the early beta testing in powerplants was conducted in Europe. This is why the first International Conference on Film Forming Amines and Products was held in Lucerne, Switzerland, last April (2017). The primary organizers were Dr Barry Dooley of Structural Integrity Associates Inc and Marco Lendi of SWAN Analytische Instrumente AG, two of the thought leaders on this important subject.
If you’re a plant owner/operator focusing on improving HRSG availability and reducing maintenance costs, you can benefit from the technology shared at that meeting by participating in the HRSG Forum with Bob Anderson. Dooley will be in Houston to share his knowledge, so will Anderson and EPRI’s Steve Shulder, both of whom attended the Lucerne meeting.
In fact, Shulder will be presenting on the topic Tuesday afternoon. Here’s an abstract of what he plans to talk about:
The use of film-forming products (includes film-forming amines) may have the potential to significantly improve water/steam-side protection of HRSG tubes during operation and layup. However, questions remain regarding unknown/unanticipated consequences of using these products, reliable monitoring/control of product feed rates, disclosure of product constituents, etc. This presentation will summarize the state of knowledge about these products and their use in HRSG cycle chemistry.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point, that’s understandable. A couple of minutes ago you hadn’t heard of FFA/FFP and now you’re concerned that the train may have left the station. “No problem” as people are fond of saying these days. The editors recommend getting some background on the subject by accessing a copy (at no cost) of the IAPWS (International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam) Technical Guidance Document “Application of Film-Forming amines in Fossil, Combined Cycle, and Biomass Power Plants” (TGD 8-16).
This is said to be the first public guidance document published for the industry. Completing the circle of knowledge, note that Dooley is executive secretary of IAPWS and Lendi is the chairman of the Swiss Committee reporting into IAPWS.
A thought: When you read through TGD 8-16, jot down your questions and bring them with you to Houston. You’ll get answers by participating in the HRSG Forum with Bob Anderson. Think of it as free consulting.
Finally, the second International Conference on Film Forming Amines and Products will be held in Prague (Czech Republic), March 20 – 22. Dooley is the conference chair.
