SUCCESS STORY

TVA USES NEW PRESSURE WAVE

TECHNOLOGY TO CLEAN HRSG
FINNED TUBES
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) demonstrated the use of an innovative new pressure
wave cleaning technology to clean the finned tubes in the heat recovery steam generator
(HRSG) of the utility’s Southaven Combined Cycle Plant. The cleaning technology was
shown to safely remove deposits in the HRSG tubes while reducing labor costs and outage
time. The pressure wave cleaning crew
outside the HRSG inserting and
FOULING OF HRSG TUBES performing pressure wave cleaning.

In today’s power generation market, the most efficient plants have a competitive advantage.

Over time, the finned tubes in HRSGs become fouled due to deposits on the tubes and in
between the fins. The most common deposits are ammonia salt deposits downstream of the TVA and EPRI have
selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and rust caused by dew point or off-line corrosion, successfully introduced an
mainly at the cold end. The corrosion is accelerated by the presence of sulfur. innovative HRSG cleaning
Fouled HRSG tubes penalize plant performance in several ways. Fouling of the gas side of method to the U.S. electric
HRSG tubes increases plant heat rate by reducing the heat transfer and increasing the back utility industry. Our first use
pressure of the gas turbine. Reduced heat transfer efficiency also reduces the output of the of this alternative method
steam turbine. supported TVA initiatives
Common cleaning methods include grit blasting, on-line acoustic horns, dry ice blasting, and for increased outage cost
chemical cleaning. Each of these methods has disadvantages, including high cost, outage time, savings and improved asset
waste removal, and the need for cleaning crews to have access to fouled areas. availability by providing
a quicker, safer, and more
PRESSURE WAVE TECHNOLOGY
effective means of
The pressure wave technology is based on pressure waves generated from small-dose, con-
cleaning our HRSGs.
trolled explosions caused by the ignition of a mixture of oxygen and a flammable gas such as
ethane. The technology is deployed by mounting a plastic-lined “balloon” on a long lance or
~ FRED VANNUCCI
flexible hose. The balloon is introduced near the area to be cleaned, inflated with the combus-
Plant Manager
tible mixture, and remotely ignited under controlled conditions. The resulting pressure wave TVA Southaven
and tube vibrations dislodge the fouling deposits, which are then removed from the bottom of Combined Cycle
the HRSG by means of a vacuum truck.
The pressure waves have the ability to
penetrate deep into the tube bundle to
achieve a very thorough cleaning. This
process is repeated at several locations along
the face of each HRSG tube bundle to create
the desired cleaning effect. The method is
suited to short outages (typically five days).
DEMONSTRATION AT
SOUTHAVEN COMBINED
CYCLE PLANT
TVA’s Southaven Combined Cycle Plant,
located in Southaven, Mississippi, consists of
three 295-MW units. Unit 3 was the site of
the demonstration. Prior to demonstration of
the pressure wave technology, no cleaning of
the finned tubes had been conducted in Unit
3 for 14 years since the plant was commis-
sioned. The four tube bundles downstream of
the SCR held the majority of the deposits,
which consisted primarily of iron oxides with
some light sulfur deposits present on the HP/
LP economizer and LP evaporator.
The pressure wave cleaning technology was
used during a seven-day outage. Seven tube
bundle faces were cleaned over four day
shifts, with vacuuming of the deposits
conducted on the last night shift.
RESULTS OF THE
DEMONSTRATION
The cleaning removed the majority of
deposits—four times the amount of deposits
removed by an alternative technique
performed on an identical Southaven unit.
The beneficial effects of removing the
deposits were a reduction in pressure drop
across the HRSG and increased unit heat rate
efficiency. No visible signs of damage were
observed on the tubes or to surrounding
structures and instrumentation.
Electric Power Research Institute
3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304-1338 • PO Box 10412, Palo Alto, California 94303-0813 USA
800.313.3774 • 650.855.2121 • askepri@epri.com • www.epri.com
© 2017 Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Inc. All rights reserved. Electric Power Research Institute, EPRI, and TOGETHER . . . SHAPING THE FUTURE OF ELECTRICITY are
registered service marks of the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.
The pressure wave technology also demon-
strated several advantages over other
methods:
• Less Pre-Cleaning Work. No scaffolding
was required to position the equipment.
No casing modifications, tube spreading,
or other modifications were necessary to
gain access for cleaning. Minimal site
support resources were needed.
• Less Cooldown Required. Cleaning could
be conducted before the HRSG was
fully cooled to ambient temperature.
• Ease of Use. The equipment is light-
weight, easy to use, and safe to handle.
The crew required only one day of
training to become proficient with the
equipment.
The delivery device for the explosion that
• More Access. The cleaning can extend
creates the pressure wave. It is a special bag
into areas that other cleaning technolo- that fills with gas then ignites.
gies cannot reach without providing a
specialized means of access such as Combined Cycle. “Our first use of this
scaffolding or man-baskets. alternative method supported TVA initiatives
• Reduced Cleaning Time. The technology for increased outage cost savings and
involves less cleaning crew work inside improved asset availability by providing a
the boiler and less work in confined quicker, safer, and more effective means of
spaces. Because the crew did not need to cleaning our HRSGs.”
enter the HRSG during the pressure
wave process, cleaning time was FOR MORE INFORMATION
significantly reduced—i.e., cleaning was For more information, contact the EPRI
accomplished in half the shifts required Customer Assistance Center at
for an alternative technique. The 800.313.3774 (askepri@epri.com).
reduction in cleaning time is especially
Bill Carson | Program Manager
beneficial for combined-cycle units, Program | Combined Cycle HRSG and
which typically have short outage Balance of Plant
windows and need to minimize labor Phone | 704.595.2698
activities and risks to units. Email | bcarson@epri.com
“TVA and EPRI have successfully introduced
an innovative HRSG cleaning method to the
U.S. Electric Utility Industry,” said Fred
Vannucci, Plant Manager, TVA Southaven
February 2017