BIOS, ABSTRACTS, PHOTOS

HOT TOPIC HOUR DECEMBER 19, 2013

“Selecting FGD Scrubber Components”

LUIS GRANES - SAUEREISEN

BIO: Born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1959, Luis has been working on Corrosion Control for nearly 29 years. He graduated from I.U.N.P. Caracas, Venezuela in 1981. As a Corrosion Specialist, he has been a Member of NACE since 1987.

Luis is a former Chairman of NACE Pittsburgh Chapter and a current Acting Chairman of NACE Corrosion Forum – Internet. He has been working for Sauereisen Inc. since 1999 as their International Sales Mananger. Luis is happily married and has four children.

ED WESSON – AOC RESINS

BIO: Ed Wesson works for AOC Resins and is a specialist in composite corrosion applications engineering. Possessing composites experience of over 30 years in aviation, automotive, chemical and power plant applications, Mr. Wesson has had numerous articles written on these applications and was awarded ACMA's  BEST Award in 2012 for design and manufacture of composite beams spanning 135 ft. in an FGD system design for 6 plants.

Prior to his employment with AOC Mr.  Wesson worked with NMR (later owned by RPS) and was key in the designing, manufacturing, erection, and maintenance of several large scrubbers for coal power plant FGD applications including Chiyoda, Mitsubishi, Alstom, and other type scrubbers.

It is well known that composites are very successful in slurry applications and flue stack liners in coal fired plants and are now being used for major structural elements too.

Mr. Wesson will present some applications and their manufacturing process covering topics in design and maintenance.

BIO:  JAMES R. CRUM - CONSULTANT

BIO: Jim Crum is currently a consultant at Special Metals Corporation where he has worked for over 40 years.   He assists the Research and Development group in technical service and marketing activities.  In the current position he is also responsible for development of new nickel alloys and improvement of older alloys for service in oil and gas, FGD, chemical process, automotive, and other applications. He holds twelve patents and has published 70 technical papers on nickel alloy development and application.  He is an active in NACE, ASTM and ASM and is a recipient of the NACE Technical Achievement Award.

ABSTRACT: Accelerated Crevice Corrosion of Duplex Stainless Steels in Wet Limestone FGD Environments

A variety of steels and alloys have been used in the construction of wet limestone flue gas desulfurization (FGD) air pollution control systems ranging from duplex and austenitic stainless steels to highly alloyed grades of nickel-base corrosion-resistant alloys. Many absorber vessels constructed of duplex stainless steel have experienced severe corrosion, often after less than one year of operation. This attack was explored and both laboratory and field tests were conducted. Localized corrosion, especially under mineral deposits, was detected and evaluated. Samples of several grades of stainless steels and alloys were exposed in an operating scrubber vessel to determine their response to the conditions experienced in the FGD system. While the attack of the duplex steel continued, super-austenitic stainless steels and some nickel-base alloys were found to be resistant. It is also likely that contaminants in the coal may be accelerating the corrosion.