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Engineering Failure Analysis 15 (2008) 913–921

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Failure analysis of a gas turbine nozzle

Z. Mazur *, A. Hernandez-Rossette, R. Garcia-Illescas, A. Luna-Ramirez
Instituto de Investigaciones Eléctricas, Av. Reforma 113, Col. Palmira, 62490 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

Received 2 August 2007; received in revised form 8 October 2007; accepted 12 October 2007
Available online 1 November 2007

Abstract

The failure analysis of the 70 MW gas turbine first stage nozzle made of cobalt-base alloy FSX-414 is presented. The
nozzle experience cracks in different vane airfoil sections assisted by base alloy degradation due to an operation at high
temperature. A detailed analysis of all elements which had an influence on the failure initiation was carried out, namely:
decreasing of alloy ductility and toughness due to carbides precipitation in grain boundaries; grain growing (coarsening)
and vane airfoil stress level. It was found that the vane crack initiation and propagation was drived by thermal fatigue
mechanism. The vane crack initiation and propagation were due to fatigue mechanism which was facilitated by grain
boundaries brittleness caused by formation of continuous film of carbides on grain boundaries, grains coarsening, and high
thermal stress level.
Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Failure analysis; Thermal fatigue; Gas turbine failures; Turbine nozzle failure; Metallurgical examination

1. Background

The nozzle under evaluation was the first stage nozzle of a 70 MW combustion turbine with gas inlet tem-
perature of 1086 °C. The full nozzle consists of 16 nozzle segments and each nozzle segment is composed by
two vanes. The nozzle is cooled by air extracted from compressor discharge, using mixed cooling system. The
internal surface of nozzle vane have impingement cooling system and the outer surface of vane and some parts
of nozzle shrouds have an air film cooling system. The evaluation was carried out after 54,000 h of nozzle
operation period in mode of base load. The nozzle is made of cobalt-base FSX-414 superalloy by means of
conventional investment casting (equiaxial grains) and without coating. The alloy composition (wt%) is shown
in a Table 1. The combustion turbine operates on natural gas and the power plant is located midland. The
general view of the nozzle segment is shown in Fig. 1.

*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +52 777 3623811; fax: +52 777 3623834.
E-mail address: [email protected] (Z. Mazur).

1350-6307/$ - see front matter Ó 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2007.10.009
914 Z. Mazur et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 15 (2008) 913–921

Table 1
Chemical composition of FSX-414 superalloy (wt%)
Alloy C Cr Ni Co W Fe B
FSX-414 0.25 29 10 52 7.5 1 0.01

Fig. 1. General view of the nozzle segment.

2. Microstructural characterization of nozzle vane

The microstructure of different zones of the nozzle vane pressure side at 50% flow channel height shown in
Fig. 2 was evaluated. Fig. 2 obtained due to numerical analysis using a computer fluids dynamics (CFD) code
Star CD V 3.150 A [1] shows the surface temperature distribution and temperature fields in the nozzle solid
body. The microstructure of the vane was evaluated in the cutting plane at 50% height of the flow channel;
section of vane maximum temperature (Fig. 2c). It includes characterization of grain type and size, and car-
bide precipitation. The vane surface was etched and then electro polished to reveal microstructure. The micro-
structure consists of equiaxed grains of c phase (alloy matrix) and dispersed particles of carbides in the grain
boundaries and matrix (Figs. 3 and 4). The average grain size and volume fraction of carbides in different
zones of the vane pressure side in the transversal section at 50% height is presented in a Table 2.
The volume fraction of carbides at each zone was determinate taking a relation of carbides area in lm2 to
the all measured area in lm2. In Fig. 5 the relation between the metal temperature and the grain size and vol-
ume fraction of carbides is presented. As it can be seen, the higher temperature found in the metal, the higher
grain size and volume fraction of carbides.
Fig. 6 presents the temperature distribution in the vane transversal section at the 50% of height from the
nozzle inner shroud. It is the hottest zone (see Fig. 2c) determined by numerical simulation.
As can be appreciated from Figs. 2–5 and the Table 2, the degree of nozzle alloy deterioration (grain grow-
ing and carbides precipitation) depends directly of metal temperature. Comparing alloy average grains size
and volume fraction of carbides presented in Table 2, and temperature distribution in the vane (Figs. 2
and 6) it is confirmed the direct relation of the degree of alloy deterioration and metal temperature. The big-
gest grains size and volume fraction of carbides corresponds to the highest metal temperature zones.
 Z. Mazur et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 15 (2008) 913–921 915

Fig. 2. Analysis regions on the nozzle vane concave side.

Fig. 3. Grain size and carbide particles precipitated in the matrix and grain boundaries.

3. Cracks evaluating

The cracks in the internal cooling holes and vane airfoil near to the nozzle internal and external shroud
were detected (see Figs. 7 and 8). Cracks initiate in cooling holes on the airfoil and at the trailing edge and
propagate into the solid body following through the grains trajectory. The crack size reaches 15–80 mm.
On the base of these evidences it was evaluated that the crack initiation/propagation was drived by fatigue
916 Z. Mazur et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 15 (2008) 913–921

Fig. 4. Grain size and continuous film of carbides in grains boundaries.

Table 2
Quantitative microstructure characterization in different zones of the nozzle vane
Microstructural parameter Zone A (693–720 °C) Zone B (560–587 °C) Zone C (880–907 °C) Zone D (907–934 °C)
Grain size [lm] 313 54 401 531
Volume fraction of carbides [%] 7.36 0.72 10.22 12.96

Relation between metal temperature and microstructure Grain size

parameters (microns)
600 14
Volume
500 12 fraction of
carbides (%)
Grain size (microns)

10
400
Volume fraction of

8
carbides (%)

300
6
200
4
100 2

0 0
550 650 750 850 950
Metal temperature (ºC)

Fig. 5. Relation between metal temperature and microstructure parameters.

mechanism. The crack initiation was probably due to thermal fatigue mechanism as a result of high thermal
transient loads (trips, start-ups and shutdowns).

4. Stresses evaluation

Because the gas turbines nozzle it is a stationary element, its operational stresses are generated only due to
gas flow pressure and thermal load originated by temperature gradients through the nozzle elements wall
thickness, which predominate.
Thermal fatigue-induced cracking finds its genesis in the operationally induced transient and steady-state
temperature gradients that are generally associated with cooled hardware. The significant consideration is
 Z. Mazur et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 15 (2008) 913–921 917

Nozzle Temperature Distribution

950
Suction side Pressure side
900

850
Temperature [ºC]

800

750

700

Calculations
650
Reference [2]
Trailing edge Leading edge Trailing edge
600
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Cross section perimeter of the nozzle

Fig. 6. External surface temperature distribution on the nozzle vane transversal section in the cutting plane at 50% height compared to a
similar vane [2].

Fig. 7. Thermal fatigue cracks on the nozzle vane near to the internal shroud.

the thermal gradients in the part in combination with the temperature. Both the thermal stress and the tem-
perature associated with this gradient cause fatigue damage during both transient and steady-state operation.
Fig. 9 [3] illustrates a strain-versus-temperature trajectory (cycle) for a cooled nozzle after normal operation of
a gas turbine from start-up through full load to shutdown. It can be appreciated that during turbine one
operation cycle of start-up – load-shutdown the nozzle is experiencing significant compressive-tensile strains
918 Z. Mazur et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 15 (2008) 913–921

Fig. 8. Thermal fatigue cracks on the nozzle vane near to the external shroud.

Fig. 9. Strain-temperature variation on the nozzle surface during start-up and shutdown [3].

(stresses) which can lead to thermal fatigue-induced crack initiation and propagation if number of cycles of
strains/stresses reaches of fatigue life limit of nozzle alloy. Analyzing the nozzle operational history, it was
found that it experience 258 cycles of start-ups and shutdowns approximately during its operational period.
Thermal stress analysis was carried out on the first stage nozzle by means of the FEM (finite element
method) using commercial code ANSYS. The maximum tension stresses at the vane airfoil during steady-state
 Z. Mazur et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 15 (2008) 913–921 919

Fig. 10. Nozzle vane stress distribution near to the internal shroud.

operation were approximately 424 MPa (see Figs. 10 and 11) and were located at internal cooling holes and
vane airfoil on the pressure surface near to the nozzle internal and external shroud.
These thermal stresses were developed due to high temperature gradients across the airfoil wall (between
vane external surface and surface of internal cooling holes). It can be seen a very good agreement of the pre-
dicted stresses distribution and cracks location comparing Figs. 7 and 10 and Figs. 8 and 11.

5. Discussion of results

The presence of continuous film of carbides of 2–4 lm thickness in a grain boundary (Fig. 4) and volume
fraction of carbides increment about 10 to 18 times (Table 2) is a result of transformation of carbides M6C
type to carbides M23C6 type due to high temperature operation of the nozzle.
This dense and continuous net of carbides reduces ductility and toughness of alloy to about 30% of initial
value and facilitates cracks initiation and propagation which leads to reduced lifetime [4–7]. Also, the average
grain size increment in the vane body about 6 to 10 times (Table 2), reduces alloy fatigue life.
The cracks initiation in internal cooling holes was due to probably thermal fatigue mechanism and its envi-
ronment attack.
The vane through the grain crack initiation and propagation is an evidence of fatigue failure mechanism.
This is supported too by the stresses distribution. The predicted vane maximum stresses location in the zone of
the internal cooling holes surface near to the nozzle internal shroud is congruent with cracks location
registered.
The nozzle vane crack initiation and propagation is facilitated also due to grain boundaries brittleness [4]
caused by formation of grain boundary continuous film carbides as it was mentioned before (see Fig. 4) and
due to alloy deterioration in form of grain growing (Table 2).
920 Z. Mazur et al. / Engineering Failure Analysis 15 (2008) 913–921

Fig. 11. Nozzle vane stress distribution near to the external shroud.

6. Conclusions

The failure analysis of the 70 MW gas turbine first stage nozzle made of cobalt-base alloy FSX-414, after
54,000 h of operation at high temperature was carried out.
The microstructural investigation of the nozzle hot section (vane airfoil) revealed the presence of continu-
ous film of carbides of 2–4 lm thickness in a grain boundaries of the base material and volume fraction of
carbides increment about 10 to 18 times (Table 2) as a result of transformation of carbides M6C type to car-
bides M23C6 type due to high temperature operation of the nozzle.
This dense and continuous net of carbides reduces ductility and toughness of alloy to 30% of initial value
and facilitates cracks initiation and propagation which leads to reduced lifetime.
The degradation of alloy (matrix c) due to grain coarse growing originates a reduced alloy fatigue lifetime.
The average size of matrix c grains in the nozzle vane hot zone was from 6 to 10 times bigger than the same
grain size in the cold zone.
They were found cracks in the vane cooling holes zone they reach 15 to 80 mm length. It was evaluated that
the crack initiation/propagation was drived by fatigue mechanism. The alloy crack initiation and propagation
was facilitated due to grain boundaries brittleness caused by formation of grain boundary continuous film of
carbides. The cracks penetrate the vane body in highly stressed areas; vane airfoil cooling holes zone.

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