Smelt spout corrosion in a recovery boiler

Abstract

Severe corrosion led to an in-service failure of one of the six spouts on a recovery boiler at Cenibra. The failure resulted in a large amount of cooling water entering the boiler and contacting smelt around the spout opening, but fortunately no smelt-water explosion occurred. An extensive investigation was conducted to determine the causes of the spout failure. The failure was caused by insufficient cooling water flow to the smelt spout, which, in turn, was caused by a sequence of events that occurred after a general blackout of an electrical energy system at the mill. The experience has led to the development and placement of operating and maintenance procedures that ensure adequate cooling water flows to smelt spouts to prevent future failures.