VGB-Standard

Preservation of
Power Plants
VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN
(formerly VGB-R 116)

Publisher:
VGB PowerTech e.V.

Publishing house:
VGB PowerTech Service GmbH
Verlag technisch-wissenschaftlicher Schriften
Deilbachtal 173, 45257 Essen, Germany

Phone: +49 201 8128-200

Fax: +49 201 8128-302
E-mail: [email protected]
ISBN 978-3-86875-921-9 (Print)
ISBN 978-3-86875-913-6 (eBook)

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Copyright
VGB-Standards, hereafter referred to as “work”, including all articles and images, are
protected by international copyright. VGB PowerTech owns and controls the copy-
right.
The term “work” covers the publication at hand as printed hard copy and as digital-
ised version. The copyright covers the entire work and parts of it.
Any kind of use beyond the limits of copyright is prohibited without the prior written
consent of VGB PowerTech. Any unauthorised reproduction, translation, digitalisation
and modification will constitute an infringement of copyright.

Disclaimer
VGB-Standards are recommendations, the application of which is optional. VGB-
Standards represent the state of the art at the time of publication. No claim regarding
its completeness and correctness is made as a matter of principle.
Application of VGB-Standards is carried out at the user's own responsibility and risk.
VGB PowerTech accepts no legal liability in the event of any claim relating to or re-
sulting from the application of VGB-Standards.

Treatment of proposing amendments

Amendments can be sent to the e-mail address [email protected]. The sub-
ject line should contain the exact specification of the relevant document in order to
clearly assign the e-mail content to the appropriate VGB-Standard.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Preface to the third edition

The operation of numerous power plants has massively changed in the last years
due to various external influences. In the majority of power plants continuous opera-
tion or operation with several thousand operating hours per year is no more the nor-
mal case. On the contrary, the number of plants with frequent standstills at unknown
outage periods, but often required simultaneous start-up readiness has increased.
Furthermore, a lot of power plants has been put in the so-called cold reserve or is
increasingly at standstill during summer periods.
The subject of preservation or avoidance of damage-caused standstills and opera-
tional impairments has gained increasing importance for nearly every power plant
user.
Due to these varying standstill scenarios different approaches and considerations are
to be made to avoid damage on the one hand, but on the other hand the economic
efficiency of these measures is to be taken into account.
Preservation is not only limited to the usual avoidance of corrosion in the wa-
ter/steam cycle, but has to be extended, in dependence of the outage period, to all
plant components and areas, such as the complete fuel supply chain, all water treat-
ment systems, movable parts and lubricating systems as well as the complete flue-
gas side including all flue-gas treatment systems.
This 3rd edition of VGB-Standard VGB-S-116 (formerly VGB Guideline VGB-R 116)
was revised in this respect and extended to provide all agencies/firms participating in
preservation measures with comprehensive information on knowledge and methods
to the state-of-the-art such that these agencies/firms are able to manage the complex
preservation tasks.
This standard was established to the best of our technical knowledge and belief, but
does not claim to be exhaustive. In its essentials, it is a guideline and is not intended
to replace the technical knowledge of its users.
No liability will be taken for the correctness of its contents as especially plant-specific
requirements have to be taken into consideration.

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Authors
The following companies and associations participated in the establishment of this
standard:

Representatives of power plant users:

Eimer Grosskraftwerk Mannheim AG
Ertryckx ENGIE LAB Laborelec, Linkebeek/Belgium
Ferchhumer ENERGIE AG Oberösterreich, St. Pantaleon/A
Heinze Vattenfall Europe Generation AG, Cottbus
Herkelmann Uniper Technologies GmbH, Gelsenkirchen
Hirtz Stadtwerke Düsseldorf AG, Düsseldorf
Hoppe CURRENTA GmbH & Co. OHG, Uerdingen
Hülsmann Steag GmbH, Lünen
Kerber RWE Technology International, Essen
Kühnle EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, Stuttgart
Lormies Uniper Kraftwerke GmbH, Düsseldorf
Riether EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, Stuttgart
Reckers Fortum Service Deutschland GmbH, Hamm
Tietze Uniper Technologies GmbH, Gelsenkirchen
Brunne, Dr. Vattenfall Europe Generation AG, Cottbus
Puls Uniper Technologies GmbH, Gelsenkirchen
Eckert EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, Stuttgart
Schäper RWE Generation SE, Werne

Representatives of manufacturers, specialised firms and insurance companies:

Dreuscher Steinmüller Babcock Environment GmbH, Gummersbach
Günes Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe GmbH, Duisburg
Hater, Dr. Kurita Europe GmbH, Düsseldorf
Holl HYDRO ENGINEERING GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr
Kallweit Aqualitics Consulting UG, Moers

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Leidich, Dr. GE Power AG, Mannheim

Rziha Siemens AG, Erlangen
Schmitz FDBR Fachverband Dampfkessel-, Behälter und Rohrleitungsbau
e.V., Düsseldorf
Söllner, Dr. Siemens AG, Erlangen
Velte REMA TIP TOP AG, Wirges
Wagner REICON Wärmetechnik und Wasserchemie Leipzig GmbH, Leipzig

Representatives of VGB-Offices:
Hartwig VGB PowerTech e.V., Essen
Heiting, Dr. VGB PowerTech e.V., Essen
Wecker, Dr. VGB PowerTech e.V., Essen
Stolzenberger VGB PowerTech e.V., Essen

With this standard the authors hope to have made a major contribution to an
increased efficiency regarding the preservation of power plants.
Our thanks are due to all participants for their careful and thorough work which has
gone into the making of this guideline during numerous committee meetings.

Translated by Diplom-Übersetzer H.P. Schmitz, FDBR – Fachverband Anlagenbau e.V.

Essen, April 2016

VGB PowerTech e.V.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Preface to the second edition

Upon the initiative of power plant manufacturers and users the first edition was re-
vised to adapt to the state-of-the-art. The update is intended on the one hand to
adapt the guideline to new preservation methods and materials, and on the other
hand to give recommendations for preservation methods for the period of time start-
ing after manufacture until initial start-up. In addition, further relevant power plant
components were included in the guideline.
This guideline was established to the best of our knowledge and belief, but does not
pretend to completely cover all aspects or preservation. It is considered a practical
guide and is not intended to replace the technical knowledge of its users.
No liability will be taken for the correctness of its contents, since especially plant-
specific peculiarities have to be taken into account in each individual case.
Practical information was included in the detailed description of methods, planning
and execution of preservation. Special emphasis was placed on the control and proof
of the preservation measures and results.
The preservation methods shown shall not be understood to apply alternatively or
additionally to any other method. The complete or extractive use of the preservation
methods is left to the parties involved and shall be agreed between purchaser and
supplier in each individual case.
All preservation measures should be covered by, controlled and documented in a
quality management system.
Users of this guideline are therefore asked to inform the VGB on experience gained
with and proposals for improving this guideline so that the VGB, upon evaluation of
the information provided, may supplement or change this guideline appropriately.
We would also like to mention that the companies and associations having partici-
pated in the establishment of this guideline, especially the authors, are prepared to
proffer advice regarding the planning and performance of the various process steps,
but also in the case of divergent opinions and contract-related matters.

Essen, September 2009

VGB PowerTech e.V.

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The following companies and associations participated in the establishment of this

guideline:

Representatives of power plant users:

Eisert RWE Power AG, Essen
Heß VGB-Geschäftsstelle, Essen
Kröger VGB-Geschäftsstelle, Essen
Küster VGB-Geschäftsstelle, Essen
Paul Mark E Aktiengesellschaft, Hagen
Symaneck E.ON Engineering GmbH, Gelsenkirchen
Weiher VGB-Geschäftsstelle, Essen

Representatives of manufacturers, specialised firms and insurance companies:

Güneş Hitachi Power Europe GmbH, Duisburg
Herberg Therm Service für Kraftwerke und Industrie GmbH, Seevetal
Mikovics GEA Energietechnik GmbH
Rodriguez Alstom Power Generation AG
Rziha Siemens AG Power Generation, Erlangen
Schmitz FDBR, Düsseldorf
Schwevers, Dr. Alstom Power Systems GmbH, Mannheim
Sperling Alstom Power Systems GmbH, Stuttgart
Strohhäcker Allianz Zentrum Technik
Teutenberg Hitachi Power Europe GmbH, Duisburg

With this guideline the authors hope to have made a major contribution to the preser-
vation of power plants.
Our thanks are due to all participants for their careful and thorough work which has
gone into the making of this guideline during numerous committee meetings.

Essen, September 2009

VGB PowerTech e.V.

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Table of contents
1 Scope and introduction .......................................................................... 13
1.1 Scope ....................................................................................................... 13
1.2 Introduction ............................................................................................... 13
2 Fundamentals of off-line corrosion....................................................... 16
3 Fundamentals of preservation............................................................... 24
3.1 General ..................................................................................................... 24
4 Materials .................................................................................................. 25
4.1 Material surfaces ...................................................................................... 25
4.2 Material surfaces ...................................................................................... 26
5 Preservation methods for the water/steam side .................................. 29
5.1 Wet preservation....................................................................................... 31
5.2 Dry preservation ....................................................................................... 32
5.3 Inert gas blanketing (inerting) ................................................................... 34
5.4 Preservation with volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCI) .................................. 35
5.5 Preservation with filming amines .............................................................. 36
5.6 Oils, waxes and fat ................................................................................... 37
5.7 Temporary coating .................................................................................... 39
6 Plant value conservation and test plans for preservation .................. 40
6.1 Wet preservation....................................................................................... 41
6.2 Dry preservation ....................................................................................... 42
6.3 Inert gas blanketing (inerting) ................................................................... 43
6.4 Volatile corrosion inhibition ....................................................................... 43
6.5 Filming amines.......................................................................................... 43
7 Preservation of power plant components upon fabrication, during ......
transportation, and storage on plant site or in the power plant ......... 45
7.1 Specific requirements ............................................................................... 45
7.2 Preservation requirements ........................................................................ 46
7.3 Acceptance of preservation ...................................................................... 46
7.4 Removal of preservatives ......................................................................... 47
8 Storage classes and conditions ............................................................ 50
8.1 General ..................................................................................................... 50
8.2 Storage classes ........................................................................................ 50
8.2.1 Class A ..................................................................................................... 51
8.2.2 Class B ..................................................................................................... 51
8.2.3 Class C ..................................................................................................... 51
8.2.4 Class D ..................................................................................................... 52
8.2.5 Class E ..................................................................................................... 52
8.3 Storage categories.................................................................................... 52
8.3.1 Storage category 1: Fully air-conditioned storage room ........................... 52
8.3.2 Storage category 2: Closed (air-conditioned) storage room ..................... 53
8.3.3 Storage category 3: Covered storage area ............................................... 53
8.3.4 Storage category 4: Open storage area, material covered ....................... 53
8.3.5 Storage category 5: Open storage area.................................................... 53

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8.4 Other storage requirements ...................................................................... 53

8.4.1 Accessibility and stackability ..................................................................... 53
8.4.2 Fire protection and leanliness ................................................................... 54
8.4.3 Protection from insects and animals ......................................................... 54
8.4.4 Products with specific storage requirements ............................................ 54
9 Preservation of power plants during outages ...................................... 55
9.1 Start-up readiness/repairs/revision ........................................................... 57
9.2 Water/steam side wet preservation........................................................... 60
9.2.1 Wet preservation by maintenance of over-pressure ................................. 60
9.2.2 Wet preservation by means of oxygen scavengers .................................. 60
9.2.3 Wet preservation when conditioning with oxidising agents ....................... 61
9.2.4 Wet preservation by raising the pH value to support corrosion .....................
protection .................................................................................................. 61
9.3 Preservation by shutdown heating in steam generating plants ................. 62
9.3.1 Preservation by shutdown heating through direct steam injection ......... 62
9.3.2 Preservation by shutdown heating through feedwater recirculation .......... 64
9.4 Preservation through inerting steam generating plants............................. 64
9.4.1 Preservation with nitrogen of plant to be drained ...................................... 64
9.4.2 Preservation with nitrogen of already drained plant .................................. 64
9.5 Preservation by volatile corrosion inhibitors or filming amines .................. 65
9.5.1 Volatile corrosion inhibitor – VCI ............................................................... 65
9.5.2 Preservation by filming amines ................................................................. 66
9.6 Dry preservation of steam generators....................................................... 67
9.6.1 Drying of plants ......................................................................................... 67
9.6.2 Dry air preservation (adsorption dryers) ................................................... 68
9.6.3 Dry preservation by means of solid adsorbents ........................................ 69
9.6.4 Preservation with hot air ........................................................................... 70
9.7 Long-term preservation and/or measures to be taken during outages...... 70
10 Preservation of steam turbine-generator set ....................................... 72
11 Preservation of cooling systems and their components .................... 73
11.1 Main and service cooling water systems .................................................. 73
11.1.1 Condensers and intermediate heat exchangers ....................................... 75
11.1.2 Other heat exchangers ............................................................................. 76
11.1.3 Materials ................................................................................................... 76
11.1.3.1 Copper alloys ............................................................................................ 76
11.1.3.2 Stainless steels ......................................................................................... 77
11.1.3.3 Titanium .................................................................................................... 77
11.2 Preservation of intermediate cooling sytems ............................................ 78
11.3 Preservation of air-cooled condensers (ACC) .......................................... 78
11.3.1 Air-cooled condensers of high-grade steels .............................................. 78
11.3.2 Air-cooled condensers of carbon steel...................................................... 78
11.3.3 Preservation with dry air ........................................................................... 80
11.3.4 Other preservation methods ..................................................................... 80

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11.4 Flocculation plants and cooling tower make-up water plants .................... 81
11.4.1 Preservation methods in case of outage with permanent start-up ................
readiness .................................................................................................. 81
11.4.2 Preservation methods in case of extended outage without start-up..............
readiness .................................................................................................. 82
11.4.3 Filter units ................................................................................................. 82
11.4.3.1 Filter chamber press ................................................................................. 82
11.5 Cooling towers .......................................................................................... 83
11.5.1 Natural-draught cooling tower ................................................................... 83
11.5.2 Natural-draught cooling tower used in combination as flue-gas stack ...... 84
11.5.3 Mechanical-draught cooling tower/hybrid cooling tower ........................... 84
11.5.4 Dry cooling towers .................................................................................... 84
12 Preservation of components in water treatment systems .................. 85
12.1 Gravel filters/multi-media filters................................................................. 85
12.2 Ion exchanger units .................................................................................. 85
12.2.1 Cation exchanger resins (H and Na exchange resins).............................. 86
12.2.2 Anion exchangers ..................................................................................... 86
12.2.3 Mixed-bed unit .......................................................................................... 87
12.3 Membrane systems .................................................................................. 88
12.3.1 Reverse osmosis (RO) systems shutdown and lay-up consideration ....... 88
12.3.2 Ultra- and micro-filtration .......................................................................... 90
12.3.3 Membrane degasification ..........................................................................90
12.4 Electro-deionisation .................................................................................. 90
13 Fuel supply system ................................................................................ 91
13.1 Coal firing system ..................................................................................... 91
13.1.1 Coal handling system ............................................................................... 91
13.1.2 Coal bins and bunkers .............................................................................. 91
13.1.3 Feeders .................................................................................................... 92
13.1.4 Pulverising mills ........................................................................................ 92
13.2 Fuel supply lines ....................................................................................... 93
13.2.1 Pulverised-fuel supply line ........................................................................ 93
13.2.2 Oil supply lines.......................................................................................... 93
13.2.3 Booster pumps.......................................................................................... 93
13.2.4 Gas supply lines ....................................................................................... 94
13.3 Burners, firing systems ............................................................................. 94
13.3.1 Pulverised-fuel burners ............................................................................. 94
13.3.2 Oil burners ................................................................................................ 94
13.3.3 Gas burners .............................................................................................. 94
14 Air supply system ................................................................................... 95
14.1 External/internal combustion air intake ..................................................... 95
14.2 Steam air heater ....................................................................................... 95
14.3 Regenerative air heaters .......................................................................... 95
14.4 Forced-draught fans/primary air fans ........................................................ 97
14.5 Forced-draught intake ducts ..................................................................... 97

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15 Flue-gas system...................................................................................... 98
15.1 Combustion chamber, convective heating surfaces and 2nd pass ...............
or blank pass ............................................................................................ 98
15.2 Furnace bottom ash removal .................................................................... 98
15.3 Flue-gas recirculation ............................................................................... 99
15.4 Flue-gas ducts including dampers upstream of electrostatic ........................
precipitator ................................................................................................ 99
16 Flue-gas side preservation of steam generators ............................... 100
16.1 Preservation methods ............................................................................. 102
16.1.1 Thermal methods .................................................................................... 102
16.1.2 Dry air method ........................................................................................ 103
16.1.3 Blast cleaning and preservation with alkalised pressurized water .......... 105
16.1.4 Chemical methods .................................................................................. 105
16.2 Flue-gas side preservation of coal-fired steam generators ..................... 106
16.3 Flue-gas side preservation of oil-fired steam generators ........................ 106
16.4 Flue-gas side preservation of steam generators fired with ...........................
substitute fuels ........................................................................................ 108
16.5 Flue-gas side preservation of waste-heat recovery boilers ..................... 108
17 Flue-gas cleaning systems .................................................................. 111
17.1 NOx reduction systems ........................................................................... 111
17.1.1 High-dust catalyst ................................................................................... 111
17.1.2 Tail-end catalyst...................................................................................... 112
17.1.3 Ancillary DeNOx systems ....................................................................... 112
17.1.3.1 Storage of ammonium hydroxide ............................................................ 112
17.1.3.2 Storage of pressure-liquified ammonia ................................................... 113
17.2 Electrostatic precipitator (ESP) ............................................................... 114
17.2.1 Electrostatic precipitator casing with electrodes and rapping system, ..........
insulators ................................................................................................ 114
17.3 ESP ancillary systems ............................................................................ 114
17.3.1 High-voltage units ................................................................................... 114
17.3.2 Ash disposal ........................................................................................... 114
17.4 Fabric filter .............................................................................................. 115
17.5 Fabric filter ancillary systems .................................................................. 115
17.5.1 Cleaning system/compressed-air supply ................................................ 115
17.5.2 Ash disposal ........................................................................................... 115
17.6 Flue-gas desulphurisation system (FGD) ............................................... 115
17.6.1 Absorber inlet ......................................................................................... 115
17.6.2 Absorber with spray bank and mist eliminator ........................................ 116
17.7 FGD ancillary systems ............................................................................ 117
17.7.1 Absorber circulation pumps (large pumps) ............................................. 117
17.7.2 Suspension pumps (e.g. gypsum discharge pump) ................................ 118
17.7.3 Pumps, general requirements ................................................................. 118
17.7.4 Pipework and valves ............................................................................... 119
17.7.5 Compressors .......................................................................................... 119
17.7.6 Agitators ................................................................................................. 119
17.7.7 Measuring equipment ............................................................................. 120
17.7.8 Gypsum drainage systems ..................................................................... 120

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17.7.8.1 Hydrocyclones ........................................................................................ 120

17.7.8.2 Vacuum band filter .................................................................................. 120
17.7.8.3 Vacuum pumps ....................................................................................... 121
17.7.8.3.1 Stainless steel pumps ............................................................................. 121
17.7.8.3.2 Stainless steel pumps ............................................................................. 121
17.7.8.4 Gypsum silo ............................................................................................ 121
17.7.8.5 Absorbent supply .................................................................................... 121
17.8 Other flue-gas wetted plant components ................................................ 122
17.8.1 Heat transfer systems ............................................................................. 122
17.8.1.1 Steam gas heater ................................................................................... 122
17.8.1.2 Regenerative gas heater ........................................................................ 122
17.8.1.3 Preservation concept for hose-type heat exchanger systems ......................
with water as heat transfer fluid .............................................................. 122
17.8.2 Heat displacement system ...................................................................... 126
17.8.3 Flue gas ducts with dampers and expansion joints................................. 127
17.8.4 Air heater ................................................................................................ 127
17.8.5 Induced-draught fan with hydraulic station ............................................. 127
17.8.6 Seal air and cooling air fans ................................................................... 128
17.8.7 Silencers ................................................................................................. 128
17.8.8 Stack....................................................................................................... 128
17.8.9 Operational measuring devices .............................................................. 128
17.8.10 Emission measuring devices .................................................................. 128
18 Waste-water cleaning plant ................................................................. 129
19 Literature ............................................................................................... 130
20 Standards and Guidelines from Associations ................................... 133
21 Abbreviations ........................................................................................ 134
22 Examples for inspection plans ............................................................ 135
Part B 1: Actual condition after delivery .................................................. 137
Part B 2: Actual condition during storage period ..................................... 139
Part B 3: Measures after storage period/before erection ........................ 141

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1 Scope and introduction

1.1 Scope
This VGB Standard shall apply to:
 plants for firing fossil fuels
 plants for firing substitute fuels
 This standard comprises all essential process systems which are to be consid-
ered during plant outage or shutdown and have to be preserved.
 This standard neither explicitly deals with electrical systems nor instrumentation
and control equipment. Nevertheless, such systems require that adequate
measures be taken during long outages (e.g. standstill during summer or cold
reserve) so that the functionability of such systems and equipment is maintained.
To this end, specialists shall be involved prior to taking preservation measures
and the respective measures shall be included in the specific plant preservation
plan.

1.2 Introduction
Meanwhile, the preservation subject has become a question of major importance for
plant owners/users and component manufacturers.
Due to:
 long transportation routes (among others, world-wide manufacturing of compo-
nents by international manufacturers),
 intermediate and long-time storage in the case of new plant projects,
 extended revision periods (among others, due to long operational periods) and
 changed requirements (among others due to the “Energiewende”)
the requirements regarding type and extent of preservation measures have in-
creased.
Prevention of damage is only possible in case of early determination, detailed plan-
ning, implementation, and regular control of the respective measures.
Where new power plants are built or existing power plants are taken out of operation
(short and long outage periods) measures shall especially be taken to protect the
power plant from off-line corrosion and further plant-specific measures shall be tak-
en to avoid consequential damage.

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The corrosion of steam turbine blades or compressors in gas turbines may e.g. lead
to considerable efficiency losses and thus to high economic losses. Example: Blade
surface roughness with a centre-line average height from 5µm changing to 20 µm
will lead to an efficiency loss of 0.7 %. For a 550 MW turbine this results in a loss of
3.85 MW (Source: EPRI).
These measures and recommendations principally apply to all plants independent-
ly of plant size or individual design.
Preservation (or lay-up) measures principally are intended to counteract off-line cor-
rosion which is favoured by:
 humid air
 condensation water
 oxygen-containing water
 salt-containing water
 chloride-containing water
 acid-reacting layers
 hygroscopic layers
When selecting the appropriate preservation method, a variety of prerequisites and
conditions must be considered which are covered by this guideline.
Depending on outage periods specific measures shall additionally be taken to
protect components and systems against impairments and damage (e.g. lubricating
oil systems, rotating equipment, water treatment systems, etc.) which are not com-
pulsorily attributable to corrosion (e.g. microbiological fouling in water treatment
systems, in lubricating oil systems, damage on valve seats or on rotating equipment,
and the like).
A principal and decisive aspect for successful preservation is always subject to
complete consideration of all systems and components as well as of intersections
between sectional preservation measures and methods and consequently the result-
ing detailed planning and the required monitoring of such measures and methods.
The most critical power plant components (ordered to the exent of damage) with
regard of component failure due to corrosion are:
 boiler and boiler components
 turbines
 cooling systems
 other power plant components

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When handling the respective chemicals, the pertinent national workplace and
environmental protection regulations shall principally be observed. In Germany these
are, e.g. the Ordinance on Hazardous Substances, Classification and Labelling of
Chemicals (GHS) Regulation, European Classification, Labelling and Packaging of
Substances and Mixtures (CLP) Regulation, the Biocides Regulation, and many
others.
Where, upon consumption, the chemicals or residual matter have to be disposed off,
the local waste water/effluent disposal regulations as well as operating licences shall
be observed.

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2 Fundamentals of off-line corrosion

The materials to be used have been optimised for operation so that adequate
measures have to be taken to prevent off-line corrosion.
Off-line corrosion will be initiated and favoured by the simultaneous presence of
oxygen and water (humidity) or electrolytes and water.
It is useful to explain some principles of corrosion in order to be capable of selecting
the right preservation methods.
EN ISO 8044 defines corrosion as “Physico-chemical interaction between a material
and its environment that results in changes in the properties of the material, and
which may lead to significant impairment of the function of the material, the environ-
ment, or the technical system, of which these form a part. This interaction is often of
an electrochemical nature, in some cases, however, it may also be of chemical or
metal-physical nature”.
Corrosion processes are reactions at the interface between the material surface and
the surrounding corrosive medium which may be gaseous (high-temperature oxida-
tion) or liquid (electrochemical corrosion in aqueous solutions).
The cause of such corrosion effects is the thermodynamic instability of the metals
against oxidising agents, such as vapour-loaded air or aqueous fluids. Therefore,
metals tend to combine with the surrounding media to obtain a more stable thermo-
dynamic condition. Many metals show this behaviour already at room temperature.
Chemical corrosion is the direct reaction of metals to the environment (in the ab-
sence of an electrolyte). Electrons are exchanged directly between the metal and its
reactant, with the metal releasing electrons. In most cases, oxygen is the reactant in
chemical reaction, with the metal oxidising to form metal oxides. As this type of cor-
rosion is mostly found at high temperatures, chemical corrosion is not focussed in
this guideline on preservation of power plants. However, chemical corrosion may par-
ticularly change into the more dangerous type of electrochemical corrosion during
plant outages due to omnipresent air humidity.
During electrochemical corrosion two partial reactions occur which may be separated
locally and require the exchange of electrical charges being favoured by the metal’s
ability of conducting electrons. Outside the metal, the electric circuit is closed by an
electrolyte. As these reactions are comparable to those of electrolytic effects, this
type of corrosion is also called “electrolytic corrosion”.
An electrolyte is an aqueous solution containing ions and will conduct electricity if a
current potential is present. The strength of the electrolyte is determined by the num-
ber of ions, ionic radius and ionic valence.

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The electrolyte content means all ions contained in the water which originate from
dissolved salts, alkalising agents or acids, e.g. silica. The electrolyte content can be
roughly determined by means of conductivity measurements.
The electrochemical reaction can be examined on a half cell (this is a piece of metal
immersed in an electrolyte bath). Between the metal and the metal ions the following
interactive reactions occur at the electrolyte/metal interface:
anodic reaction: Me → Men+ + n e-
cathodic reaction: Men+ + n e- → Me
The decisive process initiating corrosion is the electrolytic dissolution of the metal at
the electrolyte/metal interface. The positively charged ions leave the metal whereas
the corresponding number of electrons remains in the metal until reaching a state of
equilibrium.
Two metals joined to each other to be conductive or areas of one metal with differing
potential will form a corrosion element when wetted with an electrolyte. Due to the
balance of charge via the electrically conductive connection and the electrolyte no
state of equilibrium can be obtained at the two electrodes. The less noble electrode
then becomes the anode, the nobler electrode becomes the cathode. The strong an-
odic reaction (Me → Men+ + n e-) gradually leads to the metal’s dissolution (oxida-
tion), i.e. the metal oxidises to form metal ions. The electrons then released flow
though the electric conductor to the cathode and are consumed for cathodic reaction
(reduction). The oxidation at the anode and the possibility of reduction at the cathode
are closely interrelated which also favours the corrosion rate.
The most important reduction reactions are the hydrogen reduction (as of pH < 5) =
hydrogen corrosion, the oxygen reduction = oxygen corrosion and the reduction of
metal ions, with the latter being of little importance to power plants.
In the following some factors influencing corrosion are mentioned:
 pH value:
Iron behaves relatively stable in alkaline solutions because protective cover layers
can be formed. At pH values of less than 7, however, there will be a strong corro-
sive attack.
However, in the case of copper alloys a pH value exceeding 9.3 shall be avoided.
Where aluminium alloys are present, an increase of the pH value for the purpose
of preservation is not possible. Usually, aluminium alloys are not subject to corro-
sive attack in a narrow range of pH values between 6.5 and 8.5.

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 Oxygen content:
The corrosion rate in oxygen-rich aqueous solutions is very low since the cathodic
reaction (2 H2O + 2 e- → H2 + 2 OH-) is very slow.
 Temperature:
With the increase of temperature chemical reactions and thus corrosion rates will
be accelerated.
 Ion concentration and type:
Especially chloride and/or sulphate ions, but also other ionic impurities will increase
the corrosion effect, e.g. where deposits, contaminants and/or ionic impurities (e.g.
cooling water leakage) in the water are present (increased conductivity), the risk of
off-line corrosion will increase.
Passive corrosion protection comprises all measures taken to prevent electrolyte
contact with the metal.
Among the types of corrosion without mechanical loading is the uniform corrosion
which considerably contributes to the iron load during plant re-starts thus causing
consequential damage (deposits, erosion, overheating, etc.), especially during fre-
quent start-up processes.
Great danger potential is caused by those types of corrosion that are based on the
formation of local corrosion elements. Locally limited corrosion is considerably more
dangerous and, as a rule, cannot be detected prior to the occurrence of damage.
The types of corrosion mentioned here do not compulsorily represent a complete list
of all operational impairments/damage, but as experience has shown most frequently
occur.

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The types of corrosion mentioned before may also appear in combination.

 Uniform corrosion (approx. 30 % of all types of damage)
o atmospheric corrosion

Typical uniform corrosion caused by high humidity, no preservation measures taken

 Types of local corrosion (approx. 70 % of any damage occurring)

o Galvanic corrosion
o Pitting corrosion
o Crevice corrosion
o Water-line corrosion
o Selective corrosion
o Microbiologically induced corrosion
o Intergranular corrosion
Contact corrosion:
Where two different noble metals come into contact with an aqueous electrolyte
present, the less noble metal will dissolve.

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Pitting corrosion:
This type of locally confined corrosion is due to increased electrolyte concentration
(e.g. chlorides) causing crater-shaped undercutting or pinhead type pits on materials
covered with porous or damaged corrosion-inhibiting passive layers.

Rupture of L-1 blade upon less than 5,000 operational hours

due to pitting causing the rupture (notch effect)

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Crevice corrosion:
This type of corrosion occurs at narrow gaps or clearances (e.g. tube expansions,
threads). The driving force is the difference in potential (differences in concentration)
of the substances causing corrosion. The natural concentration difference of oxygen
on the outside (high concentration) to the interior in the gap (low concentration) will
already suffice. Impurities that may have concentrated in the gap due to capillary
action will often intensify this effect.
Due to their design nearly all components in
the water/steam circuit show crevices
= > Immanent risk of crevice corrosion

Selective corrosion:
Under the influence of a corrosive medium individual alloying elements are dissolved
from the structure, and the final condition will be a porous spongy metal structure
consisting of non-dissolvable alloying elements. Selective corrosion may e.g. occur
on copper-zinc or copper-nickel-alloys (cf. VGB-R 106).
Acid corrosion:
When subjected to an acid, the metal will be dissolved directly and very quickly due
to the acid ambient conditions (pH value < 7, e.g. by CO2).
Microbiologically induced corrosion:
Microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC) will occur in power plants only during out-
ages or in stagnant operational sections. To initiate MIC, microbial contamination of
the respective system with bacterial strain is required. Corrosion will be initiated and
favoured by often acid metabolites. The most well-known bacterial strain causing
MIC are sulphate-reducing bacteria, iron and manganese bacteria.
MIC may not only occur in water-bearing systems, but also in oil-bearing systems.

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Microbial contamination of a lubricating-oil system

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC):

SCC always occurs where the corrosive system (material, medium, conditions) ex-
ceeds critical limits as regards susceptibility, concentration, temperature, pH value,
potential, as well as type and extent of mechanical loading. In practice, this type of
damage is extremely dangerous because it occurs without visible signs and detecta-
ble corrosion products.

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SCC may be initiated by various substances:

 on austenitic material e.g. by chlorides, caustic soda,
 on copper alloys e.g. by ammonia, nitrate, nitrite
 on carbon steels e.g. by caustic soda.

Tear-off of turbine blades due to stress-corrosion cracking, initiated by NaOH deposits

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3 Fundamentals of preservation

3.1 General
Water/steam carrying as well as flue-gas side power plant components will be sub-
jected to corrosion during plant outages. Corrosion during outage periods may occur
in the aqueous phase if oxygen or salts and acids are present (e.g. CO2 due to in-
gress of air). This locally occurring type of corrosion called pitting corrosion will par-
ticularly endanger plant parts).

Tube material

Resin embedment Water side

Oxygen corrosion. No protective function due to exfoliated structure of magnetite layer (active
condition)

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4 Materials
All commonly used ferritic boiler materials including martensitic materials may be
subject to the above mentioned corrosion processes. The materials primarily used
in steam generator construction can be taken from VGB Standard VGB-S-513.
Austenitic materials are corrosion-resistant in the event of most of the corrosion-
enhancing factors mentioned above. An exception to this rule is the presence of chlo-
ride ions especially at locations where these ions can accumulate due to evaporation
of water.
Other materials used for power plant components, e.g. copper or aluminium based
alloys are prone to off-line corrosion.

4.1 Material surfaces

As a rule, components that have been operated in compliance with the pertinent
guidelines will form protective oxide layers providing a proper basis for preservation
however will not provide protection against off-line corrosion.
Upon shutdown of a power plant, the existing protective layers will not remain free
from cracks and pores. The formation of aeration and/or local elements will therefore
be possible. Areas subject to different loadings such as the edges of openings,
necked-out openings, oval tube bends etc. are particularly endangered. If several of
these unfavourable factors of influence occur simultaneously, the extent of corrosion
may be exorbitant.
Surfaces subject to corrosion-enhancing layers, such as acidic-hydrolysing ashes,
should be cleaned prior to preservation.
New components will show protective oxide layers only to a restricted extent. There-
fore, preservation measures are indispensable for such components.

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4.2 Material surfaces

Off-line corrosion is subject to the simultaneous presence of water and oxygen.
Where both or one of these media can be safely excluded, corrosion cannot occur.
This leads to the differentiation between:
 Keeping away of water: “dry preservation”
 Keeping away of oxygen: “wet preservation”
Further possibilities are:
Keeping away of water and/or oxygen
 Rinsing and filling with inert gas: preservation with nitrogen
Keeping water away from the material surface
 Protective coating: preservation with oil, volatile corrosion inhibitors
Keeping away of water
 Packing, desiccants
The fundamentals of dry preservation have essentially been published by H. J.
Vernon as early as in 1935 and have been confirmed several times in the years to
follow. The corrosion rate of carbon and low-alloy steels under ambient conditions
essentially depends on humidity and is shown in the diagram hereafter.

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Corrosion rate

0 50 100
relative humidity in %

Diagram in correspondence with Vernon diagram

Source: W. H. J. Vernon, A laboratory study of the atmospheric corrosion of metals. Part II.—Iron: the primary
oxide film. Part III.—The secondary product or rust (influence of sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and suspended
particles on the rusting of iron), Transactions of the Faraday Society, vol. 31, 1935, pages 1668 – 1700, The Roy-
al Society of Chemistry.

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Starting with a relative humidity of approx. < 50 % the corrosion rates will attain such
low values that the beginning of corrosion protection can be assumed.
In practice, however, a relative humidity of < 40 % should be attained to safely obtain
and maintain system corrosion protection over the entire preservation period.
Where corrosive contaminations are present (e.g. SOx, or sea water atmospheres,
etc.) the corrosion rate will increase correspondingly. Then a relative humidity < 30 %
is recommended.
The Vernon diagram correctly describes the dependence of corrosion on relative
humidity, however in practice the absolute humidity shall be reduced in the respec-
tive systems such that the relative humidity safely remains below the critical limit irre-
spective of any possible temperature variations.
The exclusive reduction of the relative humidity without sufficient dehumidification is
technically possible and may be applied, under certain circumstances, over outage
periods strictly limited in time, however is principally not recommended since the risk
of local sub-dew point temperatures cannot be safely excluded.
Further details on the individual processes are described in the chapters to follow.

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5 Preservation methods for the water/steam side

The selection of preservation method depends on the respective case of application
such as
 fabrication,
 transport,
 storage,
 assembly and commissioning,
 interruption of operation or outage.
The decision matrix hereafter shows an example for the selection of the basic
preservation method. The application of this matrix to all plants and outages is gen-
erally not possible, but only indicates what should be considered prior to the begin-
ning of preservation.

Shutdown of boiler

for revision Short outage*)

Maintain overpressure
Preservation with steam or
Without draining With draining N2 cushion

Dry preservation
Preservation with
operational fluid

Inspection/repairs

Filling/Pressure testing

Yes Yes
Repair required? Repair required?
No No

Wet preservation

Operation

*) e.g. shutdown due to power grid demand, weekend outage, etc.

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The following items shall principally be considered when selecting the preservation
method:
 duration and frequency of outage,
 maximum time available for starting-up the plant again,
 handling and technical expenditure,
 secondary effects on plant components,
 disposal of preservation means,
 economic efficiency,
 frost hazard,
 safety at workplace and environmental protection,
 effects on re-start/operation.
 Remarks on the use of chemicals
o Where chemicals are used, all pertinent safety and water conservation
rules and regulations shall be observed.
o When the plant is re-started it shall be taken into account that preservation
solutions not meeting the requirements for permanent operation have to be
disposed off in total or in part upon finalisation of outage. Too high ammo-
nia concentrations in the start-up condensate will endanger copper alloys
in condensers and preheaters.
As regards the application, the following preservation methods have proved to be
effective:
 wet preservation (see 5.2),
 dry preservation (see 5.3),
 inert gas blanketing (see 5.4),
 volatile corrosion inhibition (see 5.5),
 preservation with filming amines (see 5.6),
 preservation with oil, wax, fat (see 5.7),
 temporary coating (see 5.8).

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5.1 Wet preservation

Where adequate corrosion protection measures are taken, wet preservation of plant parts
can ensure high plant availability with fast re-start capability. In addition, no further draining
and/or drying is required.
During wet preservation the system to be preserved should be completely filled and be
ventilated, as otherwise residual air cushions may initiate water-line corrosion. Where
complete filling of the system is neither possible nor appropriate, the steam space shall be
protected by inert gas or steam cushion.
Filling shall either be done with DI water, degasified DI water, alkalized DI water, or
the operational fluid (e.g. condensate, feedwater, boiler water, etc.). Alkalizing agents
and/or oxygen scavengers may be added to the filling medium in which case care
shall be taken to ensure that the fluids added are compatible with the material of the
system surfaces. Where the filling fluid is not degasified prior to filling, depletion of
oxygen (tolerable corrosion) will take place at the system surfaces to probably obtain
freedom of oxygen.
The limitation of both oxygen content and electrolyte content are the essential protec-
tive principles of wet preservation. An oxygen limit value of ≤ 0.05 mg/kg should not
be exceeded for an extended period of time. To limit the electrolyte content the con-
ductivity of the filling medium should be ≤ 5 µS/cm where DI water is used, and
≤ 50 µS/cm where an operational fluid with hydrazine added as oxygen scevanger is
used.
By increasing the pH value at 25 °C to a pH ≥ 10 the solubility of iron and its oxides
can be minimized if no copper or aluminium-based materials are used in the system
to be preserved.
Care shall be taken to ensure that system leakage is minimized to the extent possible
so that permanent make-up feeding of fresh filling and make-up water is prevented.
A leakage rate of ≤ 1 % of the filled volume is acceptable. Where greater amounts of
water have to be fed, care shall be taken to ensure that only degasified water with ox-
ygen content ≤ 0.05 mg/kg is used.
Wet preservation during frost periods requires sufficient heating of the plant.
The use of anti-freeze, e.g. on glycol basis is not permitted in the water/steam cycle (acid
decomposition products, no acid-proof gasket materials, disposal).

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5.2 Dry preservation

Dry preservation with air is based on the principle of reducing the absolute humidity
in the system to be preserved. As the formation of (microscopically thin) electrolyte
films is prevented, no corrosion will take place on the system surfaces even if atmos-
pheric oxygen is present.
The formation of electrolyte films also depends on the cleanliness of the system to be
preserved. Many salts and also particles contained in industrial exhaust gases are
hygroscopic. Therefore, the objective is to obtain a relative humidity ≤ 30 % in the
proximity of the sea and in industrial areas whereas otherwise a relative humidity
≤ 40 % will suffice under normal ambient conditions to prevent corrosion.
The basic requirement for the application of suitable dry preservation methods is the
removal of water from the system to be preserved. Under normal conditions, the par-
tial pressure of water will be close to the two-phase range so that condensation may
occur as soon as the dew point has been reached.
Humid air is defined by three parameters
 G total pressure
 T temperature and
 W defined water content
The water vapour portion of the air is generally given by the relative air humidity:

p ( t )  100 % 
  w

p S
(t )

φ = relative humidity, %
pw = partial pressure of water vapour, mbar
ps = saturation pressure of water vapour, mbar
t = temperature, °C
For unsaturated air φ < 100, for saturated air φ = 100.
During the cooling of unsaturated humid air the content of water vapour and, in a first
approximation, its partial pressure will remain constant until dew point is reached. On
the assumption that all water has been removed from the system, it can be deter-
mined, by measurement of the air temperature and of the relative humidity and by
means of the figure hereafter whether, under the temperature conditions of the shut-
down system, the temperature falling below dew point and thus condensate can be
expected.

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

60
5% 10 % 15 % rF
20 % rH
50
30 % rH

40 40 % rH
Temperature, in °C

50 % rH

30

100 % rH
20

10 Heating
Cooling
Drying, general
0 Drying with adsorbents
Drying with adsorption drier, (theoretical)
Starting point
-10
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Absolute humidity, in g/kg humid air

Dry preservation – Processes in the Mollier diagram at 1,000 mbar

A – B: Heating; A – C: Cooling to dew-point; A – D: Dehumidification with adsorbing substances; D – E: Cooling to dew-point (dehumidified)

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Atmospheric air always contains a certain amount of water (humid air) in dissolved
form (water vapour). The maximum absorbable amount of water (saturation, 100 %
relative humidity) depends on the temperature. Where the maximum absorbable
amount of water is exceeded – e.g. due to cooling of the air – condensate water will
be formed.
The figure above shows the processes that are found during heating, cooling and dry-
ing. When humid air is heated, the absolute water content will not change, and the
relative humidity decreases. When the humid air cools again or is cooled from the
starting point, the relative humidity will increase to attain the dew-point line. If cooling
continues further, condensate will be generated and the absolute water content will
decrease.
Corrosion protection by dry preservation can only be achieved with certainty if the
following requirements have been met:
 In dry-preserved systems the relative humidity at the air outlet of the system
should always be less than 40 % (see Figure on p. 29 “Vernon curve”). In prac-
tice, a relative humidity less than 30 % shall be obtained in areas with corrosive
ambient conditions (e.g. plants located at the sea, in industrial areas, or the like).
 No hygroscopic deposits, e.g. from salt-containing operational water or acidic hy-
drolysing layers shall be present on the walls to be protected. Prior to starting dry
preservation these deposits should be removed, if possible, because they may
affect preservation or impede the drying process.
 Where non-drainable components are present in the system to be dry-preserved
which are not sufficiently exposed to the drying air flow, they shall be dried prior to
the preservation process by special measures (e.g. heating and evacuation).
 All wall temperatures of the systems to be preserved shall be so high that at no
point of the system the temperature falls below dew point temperature. This may
be achieved by locally raising the ambient temperature.

5.3 Inert gas blanketing (inerting)

Inert gas blanketing means the introduction of inert gas into the shutdown plant for
the purpose of exchanging gas or reducing the oxygen content. When exchanging
the gas the residual moisture in the system can simultaneously be reduced.
The means of preservation primarily used is nitrogen (minimum purity > 99.95 %).
Inerting with nitrogen is especially suited for components, closed systems, e.g. tanks,
but may also be applied to complete plants.
Oxygen ingress shall be prevented to safely protect system surfaces against corro-
sion. This can be attained by maintaining a slight over-pressure in the system to be
protected.

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Besides easy handling and monitoring, inerting with nitrogen offers various applica-
tion possibilities.
In the case of branched systems that cannot be tightly sealed, additional cost expendi-
ture shall be considered due to increased nitrogen consumption.

5.4 Preservation with volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCI)

Where neither dry nor wet preservation can be performed, e.g. during fabrication,
transport and storage, preservation with volatile corrosion inhibitors is possible. It is
of advantage that VCI products are simply to use and highly efficient, however be-
sides a visual examination no other control of VCI product efficiency is possible by
simple measuring parameters.
VCI products are polar organic substances which slowly evaporate (sublimation)
and saturate closed rooms (also humid rooms) with their vapours. VCI molecules
attach to bare metal surfaces (adsorption).
VCI films automatically renew and will also penetrate through air humidity conden-
sate to attach to bare metal surfaces.
VCI products are offered in various forms; as foil, in bags, as oily emulsion etc. and
also as water-soluble powder for use in incompletely drained components.
When introducing powder into the system an as uniform as possible distribution (in-
jection) should be obtained; accumulated quantities of VCI powder tend to lumping in
the presence of water.
Upon injection of the VCI powder it is important to seal the component air-tight so
that corrosion protection is maintained. Air changes will eliminate this effect.
Modern VCI products are free from nitrites and are recognised as safe with regard to
toxic effects. However, harmful gases may form due to thermal decomposition (e.g.
during welding).
Prior to applying VCI products an large-area surfaces, the water-conservation rules
and regulations shall additionally be checked since VCI products may considerably
affect waste-water composition.

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5.5 Preservation with filming amines

The principle of preservation with filming amines is based on the formation of a very
thin protective layer on the surfaces to be protected. Filming amines, often also
called polyamines or fatty amines are defined chemical substances from the sub-
stance class of oligo-alkylamino fatty amines. Examples for this substance class are
oleylpropylendiamin and octadecylamin.
Filming amines are surfactant-like substances with affinity to adsorb on metallic sur-
faces thus forming a very thin hydrophobic protective film.
Contrary to conventional chemical preservation methods, filming amines will not react
with water constituents, but will form a physical barrier between the water phase and
the material due to the hydrophobic protective film.
The layer thickness of the protective film formed depends on the application concen-
tration of the filming amine and the material to be protected and usually can be up to
1 micrometer. The protective film will be formed both on steel and on copper or cop-
per-based alloys.
Filming amines are steam-volatile. Distribution of such amines via the steam-water
cycle is only possible in operational plants.
Filming amines shall be dosed to manufacturer’s specification, if required, at higher
temperatures.
Preservation of the turbine and the steam system is however not always safely ob-
tained since film formation requires a liquid phase on the metal surface. Off-line
preservation with filming amines during outages will only protect water-wetted com-
ponents.
The protective film formed by filming amines will be maintained even after draining of
the system. No validated knowledge is available on the durability and duration of the
protective effect. Experience has shown that, as a rule, the protective effect can be
maintained over several months.
Verification of the effectiveness is however not possible by simple measuring param-
eters.

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5.6 Oils, waxes and fat

Preservation with low- and high-viscous oil and waxes is mainly used for transport
preservation purposes and long-term storage of components and spare parts.
The corrosion-protective effect of oil preservation is based on a water-repellent film
on the material surface thus preventing direct contact between the material and the
electrolyte (water).
The preservation with suitable oils can be done very easily. To this end, the preser-
vation oil is applied uniformly by painting, dipping or spraying on the component to be
protected.
In many cases the preservation oil need not be removed prior to installing the com-
ponent, but will further protect the component against corrosion during operation.
However, this is not the case in the water/steam cycle, and the preservation oil shall
be removed from water and steam-wetted components prior to installation. Other-
wise, this may lead to various operational disadvantages or even risks, e.g.:
 increase of acid conductivity due to thermal decomposition,
 impairment of ion exchangers in the condensate polishing plant,
 formation of layers impeding thermal transmission,
 impairment of waste water quality.
Specifically tested and proven oils which normally need not be removed may be used
in little amounts (< 1 kg) in steam turbines. In this case, it shall be ensured that these
oils do not cause one of the abovementioned negative effects, and they shall meet
the requirements hereafter.

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Properties Requirements
Corrosion protection properties
Internal storage (packed, storage category 2) 12 months
External storage (packed, storage category 3) ≥ 6 months
External storage (covered, storage category 4) ≥ 1 month
VOC ≤ 50 % (w/w)
Free of heavy metals < 50 mg/kg (total)
Low zinc content < 50 mg/kg
Free of molybdenum sulphide < 50 mg/kg
Low halogen and sulphur content F + Cl < 200 mg/kg
S < 200 mg/kg
Flash point (DIN EN ISO 2592) > 43 °C
No negative influence on other preservation
means or systems
Water resistance to DIN EN ISO 6270-2 min. 18 cycles
Free of CMR substances
Removability By high-pressure water or
steam-jet cleaning, or steam
Environmental influence No or only slightly environmen-
tally hazardous (= water haz-
ard class 2 or better)

In systems where lubricating oil is used (especially at bearings of rotor shafts) no

preservation oils should be used or be compulsorily removed prior to installing and
utilizing components and parts since it very often will come to incompatibilities
between preservation and lubricating oils. Such incompatibilities appear e.g. as in-
creased foaming tendency or degradation of air and water separation ability.
As with the filming amines, monitoring of the proper preservation condition is only
possible by visual examination. Pre-warning is not possible as e.g. is the case when
an alarm value for the relative humidity is reached during dry preservation with air, or
when evaluating a trend curve e.g. of the oxygen content in wet preservation.

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5.7 Temporary coating

Temporary coatings are based on the same mechanisms as oil preservation. As a
rule, such coatings may only be applied on the outside, i.e. not on fluid-wetted sur-
faces (except e.g. for air and flue-gas systems).
By applying a barrier (in this case a coating) the direct contact between electrolyte
(water or air humidity) and the material surface is prevented.
Preservation by temporary coatings is mainly used for transport preservation and
during long-time storage of components and spare parts.
Temporary coatings usually are applied by the following methods: spraying, rolling,
painting or dipping.
Often the primer of a painting system is used as temporary protective layer.
Where functional surfaces are to be protected against corrosion, the coating shall be
removed prior to erection or assembly. Depending on the coating substance this may
be done by solvents or mechanical means (e.g. by grinding, blasting).
Components to operate at high temperatures (e.g. steam lines and boiler modules)
shall also be protected against corrosion by temporary coatings during transport,
storage and assembly. During commissioning the coatings will be burnt in which case
negative environmental effects shall be taken into account. Pigments and other com-
bustion residues of the coating system remain on the surfaces or will burn in. Such
residues shall be removed from components the functionality of which is impaired by
such residues (e.g. degradation of heat transfer on finned tubes of waste-heat boil-
ers).

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

6 Plant value conservation and test plans for preservation

Preservation for value conservation of plants and components begins prior to com-
mercial power plant operation and shall apply to the total power plant service life. The
responsibilities and measures required for preservation and its monitoring are shown
schematically in the diagram hereafter.

Examples for test plans to monitor preservation conditions during transport and storage as well as for plant
outages are found in the Annex.

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6.1 Wet preservation

Wet preservation shall be checked regularly (approx. once per week).
The following parameters should be determined in dependence of the preservation
methods applied:
At the beginning, the quality of the filling medium should be checked during filling
operation.
 concentration of additives, if any (e.g. ammonium, oxygen scavengers, etc.)
 pH value (25 °C)
 conductivity (25 °C)
 ideally acid conductivity (25 °C)
At regular intervals
 system gauge pressure
 N2 consumption (if nitrogen cushion is used)
 filling level/water losses
Where it is possible to circulate the filling with at least 1 to 2 volumes and thus mix it
thoroughly, a representative filling water sample may be taken every 14 days to
closely monitor the preservation condition.
Taking the sample means to measure the oxygen content, conductivity and pH value
of the filling water in through-flow. A grab sample may subsequently be taken and be
checked for the following parameters. During these checks the observation of the
tendency of measured values is more important than the absolute values:
 Chloride (or further anions and cations)
guide value ≤ 50 µg/kg
 Ammonium
range of guide values: 0.5 mg/kg ≤ NH3 ≤ 20 mg/kg
 Oxygen scavenger, if any
guide value to manufacturer’s specification
 Total iron *)
 (copper) *)
*): No guide values can be given for iron and copper as they depend on the ratio of
the wetted system surfaces to be protected to the filling volume.

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6.2 Dry preservation

Preservation with dry air may be performed by means of adsorption dryers or instru-
ment air. A slight over-pressure in the system to be preserved will prevent uncon-
trolled ingress of humid air from the outside.
At the beginning of preservation the system should be monitored daily. When the
desired degree of dryness has been obtained, monitoring may be done once a week,
but at least every 14 days.
Monitoring should cover the following parameters:
 Visual control (where possible) of the system surfaces for indication of corrosion
 Operating condition of the adsorption dryer or pressure of instrument air at feed
valve entry
 Differential pressure of process air at inlet filter of adsorption dryer
 Freedom from damage and kinking of air hoses to and from the system
 Flow rate of dry air at process air outlet of dryer
 Dry air pressure at process air outlet of dryer
 Relative humidity at process air outlet openings of dryer (once-through method) or
at air-return line to dryer (dry-air circulation method).
Limit value of relative humidity at normal ambient conditions ≤ 40 %,
Limit value of relative humidity at industrial air atmosphere or in proximity of the
sea ≤ 30 %
 Air flow rate at all planned air outlet openings of the system (once-through meth-
od) or at air-return line to dryer (dry-air circulation method).

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6.3 Inert gas blanketing (inerting)

When controlling the preservation condition once a week or at least every 14 days
the following parameters should be checked:
 Control of over-pressure required;
guide value for transportation and storage ≥ 0.3 bar
guide value for operational preservation ≥ 20 mbar*
 Control of residual oxygen content; oxygen limit value ≤ 0.5 % by vol.
* This guide value of ≥ 20 mbar is the smallest value possible and requires the compensa-
tion of pressure fluctuations as well as reasonable measurements. Higher values are per-
mitted, however this will lead to increased inert gas consumption.

6.4 Volatile corrosion inhibition

Since volatile corrosion inhibitors are active in closed systems only, regular checks
(at least monthly) of the packing or system closures are required.
In addition, visual control of the surface condition is recommended.
Depending on the type of VCI product (e.g. tablets, bags) control of residual quanti-
ties is possible. Otherwise, preservation with VCI shall be performed anew to product
supplier’s specification.

6.5 Filming amines

Dry preservation with filming amines should be controlled visually (where possible) of
the system surfaces for indication of corrosion.
Wet preservation with filming amines should be monitored with regular determination
of water losses or control of the filling level.
Where it is possible to circulate the filling with at least 1 to 2 volumes and thus mix it
thoroughly, a representative filling water sample may be taken every 14 days to
closely monitor the preservation condition.
Where a grab sample is taken, the conductivity and the pH values can be measured
under through-flow conditions. The grab sample then may be checked for the follow-
ing parameters. During such check the observation of the tendency of measured val-
ues is more important than the absolute values:

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 Chloride (or further anions + cations)

guide value ≤ 50 µg/kg
 Filming Amine
range of guide values to product supplier’s specification
 Total iron *)
 (copper) *)
*) No guide values can be given for iron and copper as they depend on the ratio of the wetted
system surfaces to be protected to the filling volume.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

7 Preservation of power plant components upon fabrication,

during transportation, and storage on plant site or in the
power plant
Prior to dispatch, the power plant components shall be preserved at the manufac-
turer’s works to meet the specific transport and storage categories and be stored in
suitable transport containers as well as be transported and be stored on site under
adequate conditions.
The respective preservation measures are intended to maintain the guaranteed com-
ponent and system properties for the period between manufacture and commission-
ing.

7.1 Specific requirements

Special attention shall be paid to components subjected to hydrostatic testing in the
manufacturer’s workshop or on site. Special risk may arise from
 residual water that cannot be removed and may lead to corrosive atmosphere
 unsuited hydrostatic fluid quality
 agglomeration, concentration and hardening of solid matter and dissolved or
disperged water constituents
Depending on the circuitry and period between hydrostatic test and hot start-up as
well as on planned internal cleaning methods, an adequate preservation method
shall be applied.
The preservation method and its surveillance shall be laid down in a preservation
concept. As a rule, preservation methods of the respective manufacturers or suppli-
ers which have proved to be effective will be used for highly sensitive plant compo-
nents/parts. The purchaser shall be informed on the preservation measures to be
applied and agreement be reached on such measures between manufacturer and
purchaser.
Directly upon draining, components and parts made of non-corrosion resistant steels
or equipped with non-corrosion resistant steel internals shall be dried and/or be pre-
served accordingly to meet specifications.
Oil-containing systems should preferably be pressure tested with the type of oil used
during operation, or alternatively with similar oil.
Where dry preservation is performed by means of solid adsorbents, e.g. silica gel
special care shall be taken to ensure that the desiccant bags are completely re-
moved and there is no direct contact with the material surface.

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Preservatives intended for use in water and steam-wetted components shall be wa-
ter-soluble.
For components in contact with flue gases the preservatives should be easily remov-
able and evaporate leaving no residue. Environmental compatibility requirements,
especially at first heat input, shall be considered (no formation of combustion prod-
ucts having negative environmental effects). These points shall be taken into account
prior to applying the respective preservatives and methods.

7.2 Preservation requirements

Prior to preservation and packing, the surfaces of components and parts to be pro-
tected shall principally be clean (free from rust, salts, loose or firmly adhering con-
taminants, cuttings, working means such as drilling and cutting oils, etc.).
In addition, the surfaces to be protected shall be dry (no free water ascertainable).
Parts taken from stock or workshop handed over to the forwarding agent for packing
and dispatch shall satisfy the delivery specifications and be preserved appropriately.
Packing and dispatch – Inspection prior to dispatch
 cleanliness inspection
 on-site preservation concept
 receiving inspection
 storage conditions

7.3 Acceptance of preservation

At the workshop and on site checks shall be made to ensure that the prescribed
preservation measures have been taken.
The results of the preservation acceptance examinations and checks of surface
condition shall be documented for compliance with the preservation concept. This
also applies to the findings regarding the ready-mount components upon removal of
preservatives.
The responsibilities as regards monitoring of intermediately stored parts, such as
storage at the works, storage prior to shipment, external intermediate storage or
storage on site shall be fixed (e.g. by means of a quality assurance system).
Preservation monitoring as regards the extent and frequency of checks depends on
the preservation periods, methods and packing measures laid down in the preserva-
tion concept.

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7.4 Removal of preservatives

The preservation measures shall be maintained as long as possible. Upon removal of
preservatives plant start-up shall be effected directly to avoid corrosion.
Upon extended plant outages or work on the plant where dirt may ingress, specific
measures shall be taken during re-starting, such as flushing and cleaning measures,
extended blowdown and targeted monitoring of the individual fluid flows for presence
of contaminants, and corrective measures be taken accordingly. To quickly remove
contaminants it is recommended to reject the condensates accumulating from
preheaters via the emergency drain control valves. In general, such re-starts require
an increased amount of make-up water which is subject to adequate preliminary
planning and is to be considered in the time scheduling.
Appropriate removal of preservatives is always necessary if negative influences on
subsequent plant operation cannot be excluded due to the preservatives used.
The table hereafter contains examples which are to be taken into account as regards
returning to normal operating condition upon preservation in dependence of the
preservation method applied.

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Preservation methods Remarks for removal of preservatives Remarks on removability Disposal

Fabrication/transport/storage
VCI Must be removed completely Cross-check the quantity of removed VCI Removal of solid matter
Foils, bags, pads foils/bags and pads with the quantity May normally be disposed off with do-
inserted mestic garbage/industrial waste
VCI water-soluble pow- Removal to the greatest extent possible prior As VCI powder is water-soluble, it will be Will influence the COD value of waste
der to commissioning or during pressure testing completely removed during first filling or, water
upon contact with steam with the first
condensate
VCI oily emulsion Will be removed during pressure testing or Will normally be flushed out when draining Will influence the COD value of waste
Only during fabrication/ during internal cleaning prior to commission- the pressure test water or with the de- water
transportation ing greasing solution during internal cleaning
Silica gel/desiccant Must be removed completely Cross-check the quantity of removed sili- Removal of solid matter
ca gel/bags with the quantity inserted May normally be disposed off with do-
mestic garbage/industrial waste
Wax/oil/fat Removal to the greatest extent possible 1) Remove residues, if any, with sol- Hazardous waste or oil-containing
vent/steam jet waste/disposal of oil used
Nitrogen/Inerting Take precautions regarding safety at work- none none
place (aeration/release measurements)
Temporary coatings Will usually not be removed (except for func- Mechanical removal from functional
tional surfaces) surfaces

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Preservation methods Remarks for removal of preservatives Remarks on removability Disposal

Operational outages (short, medium, long-term)

Dry preservation Return to normal operating condition upon none none
preservation
Nitrogen/Inerting Return to normal operating condition Take none none
precautions regarding safety at workplace
(aeration/release measurements)
Wet preservation Put system to normal operating condition none Observe water conservation regulations
(pH value; total nitrogen; NH3; etc.)
Filming amines Protective film need not be removed. Protective film on surfaces will be re- Observe water conservation regulations
Where required, put chemistry to normal moved during ongoing operation (pH value; total nitrogen; NH3; etc.)
condition
VCI Must be removed completely Cross-check the quantity of removed VCI Removal of solid matter
Foils, bags, pads foils/bags and pads with the quantity in- May normally be disposed off with do-
serted mestic garbage/industrial waste
VCI water-soluble pow- Removal to the greatest extent possible prior - Vacuum-out or blow-out Will influence the COD value of waste
der – Not recommended to commissioning - Wash surfaces water
for operational outages - Drain aqueous solution

VCI oily emulsion

Not applicable during
operational outages!
Silica gel/desiccant Must be removed completely Cross-check the quantity of removed sili- Removal of solid matter
ca gel/bags with the quantity inserted May normally be disposed off with do-
mestic garbage/industrial waste
Wax/oil/fat Removal to the greatest extent possible 1) Remove residues, if any, with sol- Hazardous waste or oil-containing
vent/steam jet waste/disposal of oil used

1) Exception: qualified preservation oils that are known to be removed from the surfaces during first fluid contact (hydrotest water, condensing
steam or rinsing oil).

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

8 Storage classes and conditions

This section defines the connection between storage classes and the pertinent stor-
age conditions.
Observance of these provisions is prerequisite to prevent damage and/or reduction in
quality of goods caused by corrosion, contamination and mechanical damage.

8.1 General
To reduce the expenditure of measures to a reasonable extent, individual concepts
shall be prepared.
The requirements are based on the following criteria:
 classification of parts and components into hazard groups (corrosion risks de-
pending on materials)
 preservation method
 type of packing
 storage periods
 storage locations
 climatic conditions in country of destination
A higher storage category shall be chosen if preservation and packing is waived for
the purpose of quicker availability.
The storage categories and the classification of parts and components into hazard
groups are described hereafter.

8.2 Storage classes

Each package shall be identified with the pertinent storage class.
Should this not be the case, this shall be reported by the storage provider to the re-
spective manufacturer/consigner. Where required, acceptance shall be refused. The
manufacturer shall find out the storage class and subsequently inform the storage
provider on the identification mark applied.

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8.2.1 Class A
Electrical and/or electronic material and instruments as well as other components
and parts which are especially sensitive to outside influences, require specific pre-
cautions against the following:
a) temperatures above or below the specified limits;
b) short-time temperature changes;
c) relative humidity and vapours;
d) stacking pressure and mechanical damage; and
e) contamination due to dust, sludge, faeces as well as against rain, snow and
(salty) splash water.
Parts and components to class A should be stored to category 1 or 2 in which case
the manufacturer’s instructions shall be observed.

8.2.2 Class B
Material, as for example, turbines and their components, generators, drives, electric
motors, catalysts, insulating material, ion exchange resins, which are not very sensi-
tive to outside influences, but require protection from direct influences, such as:
Material which is not very sensitive to outside influences, but requires protection
against the following impairments
a) temperatures above or below the specified limits;
b) relative humidity and vapours;
c) stacking pressure and mechanical damage; and
d) contamination due to dust, sludge, faeces as well as against rain, snow and
(salty) splash water.
Parts and components to class B should be stored to category 2 to 4 in which case
the manufacturer’s instructions shall be observed.

8.2.3 Class C
Material as for example pipe segments, feedwater tanks, pulverisers, burners, etc.
which is slightly sensitive to outside influences and requires protection from the fol-
lowing influences only:
Relatively insensitive material, but requires protection against the following impair-
ments:

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a) stacking pressure and mechanical damage; and

b) sludge, faeces as well as against rain, snow and (salty) splash water.
Parts and components to class C should be stored to category 3 or 4 in which case
the manufacturer’s instructions shall be observed.

8.2.4 Class D
Material, as for example, steel construction, boiler pressure parts, flue gas ducts,
storage tanks, plastic containers, absorbers which are insensitive to ambient, climat-
ic and meteorological influences and require protection from mechanical damage
and/or ultraviolet radiation only.
The material shall be protected against direct weather influences and mechanical
damage.
Parts and components to class D should be stored to category 4 or 5 in which case
the manufacturer’s instructions shall be observed.

8.2.5 Class E
Class E covers all parts and components which are insensitive to which are insensi-
tive to ambient, climatic and meteorological influences and require protection from
mechanical damage only.
For parts and components to class E storage to category 5 will suffice in which case
the manufacturer’s instructions shall be observed.

8.3 Storage categories

8.3.1 Storage category 1: Fully air-conditioned storage room

The storage room shall be closed and be provided with a ventilation system with fil-
ters to ensure an atmosphere free from dust and harmful vapours. There shall be a
constant room temperature of 20 °C ±5 °C and the relative humidity shall always be
kept under 50 %. This shall be ensured by temperature and humidity control equip-
ment.
The storage room shall be protected against contamination by dust, sludge, faeces
as well as against rain, snow and (salty) splash water.
The goods shall be stored on pallets, in boxes or on wooden supports.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

8.3.2 Storage category 2: Closed (air-conditioned) storage room

The storage room shall be well-ventilated; however the room air shall not be subject
to short-time large temperature fluctuations so that the relative humidity is under
60 % in the long run. The minimum temperature shall not be less than +5 °C and the
maximum temperature shall not exceed +40 °C.
The storage room shall be protected against contamination by dust, sludge, faeces
as well as against rain, snow and (salty) splash water.
The goods shall be stored on pallets, in boxes or on wooden supports.

8.3.3 Storage category 3: Covered storage area

The building shall be protected against contamination by dust, sludge, faeces as well
as against rain, snow and (salty) splash water.
The goods shall be stored on pallets, in boxes or on wooden support such as to per-
mit ventilation and avoid accumulation of water.

8.3.4 Storage category 4: Open storage area, material covered

The material shall be covered with tarpaulins and be tied down, where required, to
provide long-term weather protection.
If necessary, the goods should be stores such that ventilation is ensured (e.g. on pal-
lets, in boxes, or on wooden supports), and the accumulation of water shall be avoid-
ed.

8.3.5 Storage category 5: Open storage area

Outdoor storage on wooden supports such that ingress of water or water influences
from underneath are excluded. The components shall principally be stored such that
accumulation of water is not possible.

8.4 Other storage requirements

8.4.1 Accessibility and stackability

The material shall be stored such as to provide easy access for inspections. Special
care shall be taken to ensure the checking of the moisture indicators and identifica-
tion of the box contents by means of the shipping specification numbers.
It shall also be ensured that the pressure monitors and nitrogen make-up feeding
points are accessible. The material shall be stacked such that other material is not
damaged on account of too high a stacking pressure.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

8.4.2 Fire protection and leanliness

Fire protection facilities suited for the type of storage area and material stored shall
be provided and be in proper service condition.
The storage areas shall always be kept clean. Accumulations of waste and used
packing material shall be avoided.

8.4.3 Protection from insects and animals

Precautions shall be taken against ingress of insects and small animals to prevent
possible contamination or damage to the stored material.

8.4.4 Products with specific storage requirements

Specific storage prescriptions shall be observed for such products as:
 PVC products
 solvents (chlorinated or flammable)
 chemicals
 oils, gasoline, alcohols, etc.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

9 Preservation of power plants during outages

The preservation method depends on the individual technical possibilities (e.g. drain-
ability, evacuation possibilities) of the individual system and on the type of outages
(e.g. start-up readiness/shutdown heating/repairs/revision).
Principally corrosion is initiated if the basic corrosion condition, i.e. simultaneous
presence of oxygen and water (relative humidity > 40 %) prevails.
As long as a plant is kept warm or the ingress of oxygen can be avoided and the wa-
ter/steam circuit shows maximum obtainable purity (acid conductivity < 0.2 µS/cm),
the corrosion risk will be low.
In individual cases it is possible to leave systems without specific preservation for a
limited period of time, but under such conditions, e.g. in the case of plants with regu-
lar shutdowns (e.g. weekend shutdown) repeated outages will principally increase
the risk of corrosion or the probability of damage.
The respective preservation methods should then be applied in any case without de-
lay. This is the only way of minimising impairments or risk of damage.
In plants which e.g. are not operated with DI water or in plants which due to ingress
of foreign matter (e.g. cooling water leakage) are shut down, the corrosion risk will be
clearly higher due to the electrolytes.
It is not possible to determine a specific period of time where no preservation
is required.
Where plants are operated with combined oxygen treatment, operation should be
converted to alkaline treatment and the condensate polishing plant be operated in
case of expected outage to obtain generally more favourable preservation conditions.
Specific attention shall be paid to the hot condensates obtained during the shutdown
process which cannot be directed to the hotwell as to prevent additional humidity
from entering the turbine.
The corrosion rate or the corrosion risk depends on 6 factors of influence as shown in
the diagram hereafter. In practice, it will not always be possible to control all factors
of influence such that an absolutely perfect preservation condition is obtained. There
are, however, conditions between perfect preservation and no corrosion protection at
all which subject to the factors of influence mentioned hereafter allow keeping the
damage risk relatively low. This means that one should proceed to the ALARA princi-
ple (ALARA = as low as reasonable achievable) and try, in dependence of the out-
age period and further boundary conditions (e.g. start-up readiness), to influence
these factors such that the corrosion conditions show minimum aggressiveness.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

OL = Oxygen level RH = Relative humidity DO = Dissolved oxygen

K+ = Ionic impurity (increased conductivity)

In the chapters to follow the various processes are explained in more detail.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

9.1 Start-up readiness/repairs/revision

Shutdown of plant

Repair/Revision Start-up readiness*)

Maintain overpressure
Preservation with steam or
With draining/partial N2 cushion
Without draining Dry preservation
draining

Dry preservation
Preservation with
operational fluid

Inspection/repairs

Filling/pressure testing

Yes Yes
Repair required? Repair required?

No No

Wet preservation

Operation

*) e.g. shutdown due to power grid demand, weekend outage, etc.

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Advantages and disad-

Preservation method Preservation process Monitoring criteria Pecularities/restrictions
vantages

+ high plant availability Raising the pH value to > 10 will im-

Keep system to be preserved
+ quick restart Oxygen ≤ 0.05 mg/kg prove corrosion protection
completely filled
+ good controllability Conductivity ≤ 5 µS/cm When treating with oxidising agents
Wet preservation Exclusion of oxygen by main-
- work on plant difficult Steam cushion pÜ = 1 bar the mode of operation shall be con-
taining over-pressure with
- heating necessary during Nitrogen pÜ = 20 mbar verted from OT to AVT prior to plant
steam or nitrogen cushion
frost periods shutdown.

+ reduced restart times and

higher start-up gradient To maintain the over-pressure a steam
Maintaining permanent over- + simultaneous preservation injection system shall be provided.
Oxygen ≤ 0.05 mg/kg
Preservation by shutdown pressure through steam injec- of flue-gas side The feedwater circulation system re-
Steam pressure 1.5 - 2 bar
heating tion or operation of feedwater + no risk of freezing quires the installation of a circuit as
Steam quality to VGB S 010
tank and circulation - increased heat consumption well as of an appropriately dimen-
- technological prerequisites sioned circulation pump.
must be given

+ also feasible for already shut

down plants
Vessels/tanks preserved with nitrogen
+ can be combined with wet
Inert gas blanketing Removal of oxygen by ex- Over-pressure: ≥ 20 mbar shall not be entered before they have
preservation
(inerting) change of gas Oxygen ≤ 0.5 % vol. been ventilated to a sufficient extent
- Nitrogen consumption will
and are released for access!
be high in case of extremely
branched plants

+ simply to use with high

effectiveness
Hazardous gases may be generated
- effective only in airtight
due to thermal decomposition, e.g.
Interruption of electrochemical sealed systems
during welding. The products inserted
Volatile corrosion inhibitors corrosion reactions through - air changes will have System leak tightness
shall be completely removed prior to
(VCI) adsorption of VCI molecules on negative effects on Visual control
commissioning.
metal surfaces effectiveness
VCI products may considerably affect
- verification of effectiveness
waste water composition.
not possible by simple
measuring parameters

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Advantages and disad-

Preservation method Preservation process Monitoring criteria Pecularities/restrictions
vantages

+ high plant availability

+ fast restart capability The manufacturer’s specifications
+ preservation effective in regarding concentration, dosing loca-
case of filled or empty tion, dosing time etc. shall be ob-
system served. Distribution over the wa-
+ removal of preservatives not ter/steam cycle in only possible during
Formation of a very thin protec- necessary Control of preservation effect plant operation. Filming amine treat-
Filming amines tive film (physical barrier) on - no secure knowledge for to manufacturer‘s specifica- ment of the water/steam cycle may
the surfaces to be protected effectiveness in saturated tion Visual control cause an acid conductivity > 0.2
steam µS/cm; The product effect on on-line
- verification of effectiveness measuring instruments as well as
not possible by simple resins in the condensate polishing
measuring parameters plant shall be checked before applica-
- detection of additional tion.
impurities difficult

+ excellent monitoring and

control possibilities Sufficient and appropriate pre-drying
relative humidity ≤ 40 %
+ work on system always shall be considered. Hygroscopic de-
(in proximity to the sea and
possible without problems posits, e.g. salts will impair the preser-
Reduction of absolute humidity in industrial atmospheres
Dry preservation - not every plant part can be vation effect and should be removed
in the system to be preserved ≤ 30 %) at each air outlet
dry-preserved (drainability) prior to preservation.
opening as well as flow con-
- period to obtain the required Solid adsorbents shall be completely
trol
preservation condition is removed prior to commissioning.
comparably long

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

9.2 Water/steam side wet preservation

Wet preservation shall be effected if it is purposeful for operational reasons (e.g.
start-up readiness) or if dry preservation is not practicable.
Wet preservation during frost periods requires sufficient heating of the plant.
The use of anti-freeze, e.g. on glycol basis is not permitted in the water/steam cycle (acid
decomposition products, no acid-proof gasket materials, disposal).

9.2.1 Wet preservation by maintenance of over-pressure

Several methods are available for the exclusion of oxygen. As far as practicable, the
plant should be filled with feedwater to comply with the applicable guidelines or
standards. Where plant parts are filled with water, it is required to maintain an over-
pressure by means of a steam cushion, nitrogen blanketing or pumps.
In case of steam the over-pressure shall be at least 1 bar and in case of nitrogen at
least 20 mbar and shall be maintained permanently.
When shutting down the steam generating plant the steam pressure shall first be re-
duced to approx. 2 to 4 bar. Then nitrogen or a steam cushion shall be applied. Here,
care shall be taken to ensure that the feeding points are selected and distributed
such that all system parts (e.g. superheater tube sections) are fed and dead spaces
are avoided. In case of steam injection any condensate formed shall be drained per-
manently or at regular intervals.
Maintaining over-pressure by means of pumps is only possible in single-phase sys-
tems, such as condensate or feedwater systems.

9.2.2 Wet preservation by means of oxygen scavengers

The utilisation of oxygen scavengers for wet preservation is no more the state-of-the-
art and cannot be recommended anymore.
On the one hand, the efficiency of these substances at low concentrations and low
temperatures is not guaranteed to the extent required and on the other hand consid-
erable problems will arise as regards safety at workplace and environmental pollu-
tion.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

9.2.3 Wet preservation when conditioning with oxidising agents

Preparation for optimum wet preservation:
Water chemistry during shutdown (general)
Feedwater quality – Maintain acid conductivity < 0.2 µS/cm
Convert mode of treatment from OT to AVT
 Raise pH- value to standard value AVT
pH 9.2 to 9.5  direct conductivity approx. 4.3 to 8.5 µS/cm
 Reduction of oxygen content in feedwater
O2 < 20 µg/kg

9.2.4 Wet preservation by raising the pH value to support corrosion protection

To improve corrosion protection the pH value may be raised thus effecting a reduc-
tion of iron solubility in water and a reduction of potential.

Pourbaix diagram

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The increase of the pH value alone has no preservation effect. It is an additional

recommended safety measure.
To raise the pH value the operational alkalising agents should be used.

9.3 Preservation by shutdown heating in steam generating plants

9.3.1 Preservation by shutdown heating through direct steam injection

Shutdown heating is one type of wet preservation and shall be initiated directly upon
shutdown of the steam generator. This preservation measure is based on the perma-
nent maintenance of over-pressure through steam injection.
The steam injection system shall already be available. Retrofitting of such a system
is not easily possible as otherwise specific adaptations to plant design are required.
The advantages are:
 reduced re-start times and higher start-up gradients due to shutdown heating
 the simultaneous preservation of the flue-gas side of the steam generator
 no risk of freezing
The heat consumption required is of disadvantage so that preservation by shutdown-
heating during extended shutdown periods is only rarely applied for economic rea-
sons.
Attention shall be paid to possible steam leakage as this may lead to a humid atmos-
phere thus causing corrosion.
Superheaters, where installed, shall be drained and be dried and kept dry by the heat
input of the adjacent heating surfaces.
To this end,
 the water level of the steam drum or start-up vessel shall be maintained in the
visible range
 the steam quality shall be monitored regularly and the adequacy of chemical
treatment (pH value) be observed
during the entire preservation period.
As a rule, the heating medium used should be steam of 5 to 12 bar (slightly super-
heated) to be introduced into the steam generator via a distribution system.

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The steam gun, its supports and headers shall be designed such that the gun can be
retracted with reasonable expenditure.
The gun bores as well as header/nipple bores shall be regularly checked during peri-
odic inspections.
Increased noise development is a clear indication of erosion in the steam gun bores.
Longer steam gun service life can be obtained if high-grade steels (austenitic materi-
als) are used.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

9.3.2 Preservation by shutdown heating through feedwater recirculation

This type of preservation measure is prerequisite to continuous operation of the
feedwater tank and requires the installation of a circulation system with an adequate-
ly dimensioned circulating pump.
The feasibility of this preservation method depends on such factors as e.g.:
 arrangement of boiler main steam stop valve
 arrangement of superheaters (drainability)
 heat losses (flue-gas path, boiler insulation)
 feedwater temperature
 sufficient though-flow.

9.4 Preservation through inerting steam generating plants

9.4.1 Preservation with nitrogen of plant to be drained

Where a plant is to be drained completely upon shutdown, the water shall be drained
using plant residual pressure and the plant be preserved by immediate filling with
nitrogen to prevent air ingress.
The procedure to be applied may be as follows:
 pressure reduction to a residual pressure of ≤ 30 bar
 opening of drains until a residual pressure of 2 to 5 bar is reached
 opening of nitrogen supply system with the drains being open
 upon completion of draining an N2 over-pressure of at least 2 mbar shall be main-
tained.
Caution:
Access to nitrogen-preserved tanks is only permitted upon sufficient ventilation and
subsequent release of the system!

9.4.2 Preservation with nitrogen of already drained plant

The system shall be kept under slight N2 over-pressure of at least 2 mbar (except for
the case of active control of make-up feeding where 5 mbar are considered to be
sufficient). This method is especially favourable for the preservation of plant parts
upon completion of hydrostatic testing.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Caution:
Access to nitrogen-preserved tanks is only permitted upon sufficient ventilation and
subsequent release of system.
The quality of preservation may be checked by O2 measurements of the nitrogen
cushion, e.g. by means of operational O2 measuring devices. An O2 content of 0.5 %
can be considered a pragmatical value for the allowable nitrogen contamination in
the preservation cycle.

9.5 Preservation by volatile corrosion inhibitors or filming amines

9.5.1 Volatile corrosion inhibitor – VCI

VCI products are polar organic substances (amine-type, ammonia smell) which slow-
ly evaporate (sublimation) and saturate closed rooms (also humid rooms) with their
vapours. VCI molecules attach to bare metal surfaces as invisible monomolecular
films (adsorption). Due to their polarity they interrupt electrochemical corrosion reac-
tions. Modern VCI products are effective in both the anodic and cathodic range; this
is especially of advantage for systems made of various metals.
VCI films automatically renew and will also penetrate through air humidity conden-
sate to attach to bare metal surfaces.
VCI products are offered in various forms; as foil, in bags, as oily emulsion etc. and
also as water-soluble powder for use in incompletely drained components.
When introducing powder into the system an as uniform as possible distribution (in-
jection) should be obtained; accumulated quantities of VCI powder tend to lumping in
the presence of water.
Upon injection of the VCI powder the component shall be sealed air-tight. Corrosion
inhibition is considered to be effective for a period of up to 24 months. Upon termina-
tion of the preservation period the component may be flushed with water.
Modern VCI products are free from nitrites and are recognised as safe with regard to
toxic effects. However, harmful gases may form due to thermal decomposition (e.g.
during welding). In addition, water conservation regulations shall be checked prior to
VCI application over large areas since VCI products may considerably impair the
waste water composition.

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9.5.2 Preservation by filming amines

Due to the complexity and variety of available filming amines no general recommen-
dations can be given as regards boiler pressure rating, temperature, etc.
The composition of commercially available amines varies depending on the manufac-
turer so that prior to the utilization of amines for preservation the manufacturer’s in-
structions shall be taken into account. It is recommended to use products with an as
low as possible hazard potential for human beings and the environment. Information
on the composition, hazard potential and protective measures can be found in the
pertinent safety data sheets.
Prior to preservation with filming amines the following product-specific aspects shall
be examined and be evaluated. In this case, assistance shall be provided by the
product manufacturers. Prior to using filming amines, the competent authorities shall
be informed in detail on the constituents of the chemicals if authorization for use is
necessary.
 Compatibility with ion-exchange resins in the condensate polishing plant
 Compatibility with measuring instruments/sampling systems
 Waste water/disposal
 Limited heat transfer  local overheating
 Changed boiling behaviour
 Plugging of impulse lines
Preservation with filming amines can be performed in plants either remaining filled or
being emptied upon shutdown. Prior to shutdown the protective film will be formed by
dosing the filming amine over a given period of time. In this case, the filming amine
concentration shall be determined to manufacturer’s specification, e.g. by photome-
try.
In case of plants shut down in filled condition the water chemistry shall be adapted to
normal operating conditions, if required. Plants being emptied for shutdown shall be
emptied in warm condition and be dried by the residual heat in the system as far as
possible.
Where the water/steam circuit is treated with filming amines, an acid conductivity in
the steam of > 0.2 µS/cm is to be expected thus making monitoring more difficult.
With increasing pressures and temperatures the amine decomposition rate will rise.
Depending on the amine used, further organic decomposition products will be gener-
ated additionally to CO2 (e.g. low-molecular organic acids such as formic acid and
acetic acid) which will raise conductivity. Therefore, exact knowledge on the type or
organic chemicals is important to evaluate their effects. In addition, VGB Standard

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

S-010 recommends preferring individual substances to mixed substances for use in

the water/steam cycle.
Depending on the product used there may be restrictions to the dosing point. As a
rule, the commercially available products can be dosed to the water/steam circuit at
various locations. According to manufacturer’s recommendations and depending on
type of plant this may be e.g. the following locations:
 Turbine exhaust steam pipe to air preheater
 Condensate line downstream of condensate pump
 Feedwater tank/line upstream of feed pump
 Feed delivery line upstream of or in steam generator
Where plants are continuously treated with filming amines, a protective film has al-
ready formed in the total circuit. Where required, the concentration shall be raised to
meet specification prior to shutdown.
In plants that were not treated with filming amines, the protective film shall be formed
within a comparably short period of time. Therefore, clearly higher dosing concentra-
tions are required than is the case for permanent treatment.
In case of water/steam circuits provided with a condensate polishing system (CPS),
by-passing of the CPS is purposeful as otherwise the substance concentration in the
circuit will be reduced to an undesirable extent.
Where by-passing is not possible it shall be checked whether risk-free CPS operation
can be ensured (negative influence of ion exchanger and the like).

9.6 Dry preservation of steam generators

9.6.1 Drying of plants

All dry preservation methods require complete draining of the water/steam-wetted
plants and systems to be dried. It shall be ensured that sufficient pre-drying is per-
formed, i.e. that no residual water (e.g. in headers) and no restrictions of cross-
sections (e.g. by water plugs in pendant tube coils) are present upon draining. This
should be checked repeatedly and a pre-dried condition be attained by purposeful
subsequent draining, if practicable. Evaporation should be supported by using resid-
ual heat and further measures, where possible, e.g. by vacuum. In addition, pre-
drying may be accelerated by the injection of dry, oil-free compressed air or instru-
ment air to ISO 8573-1 (Quality 1:3:1). Care shall be taken to ensure that sufficient
volumes of air are discharged and exchanged.
The water/steam containing systems shall be drained upon shutdown of the firing
system and feedwater supply at an as high as possible residual pressure in depend-
ence of the downstream system (blowdown vessel/drain station).

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During draining care shall be taken to ensure that the water volumes drained can be
completely taken by the downstream plant parts and can be safely discharged.
The operating instructions and valid safety regulation shall be observed.
As experience has shown the pre-drying period will last approx. 10 to 20 hours. This
pre-drying process will however not suffice to obtain a low relative humidity < 40 %
required for permanent preservation. Therefore, subsequent drying by means of
dry-air blowers is necessary.
Plant parts connected to systems that remain in operation on the steam/water side
(e.g. combined-cycle plant with 2 gas turbines and one steam turbine) shall be isolat-
ed and be secured (e.g. by double block-and-bleed valve, controlled isolation sys-
tem).
Components that cannot be completely drained, e.g. very often HP preheaters are
concerned, should preferably be subjected to wet preservation as the boundary con-
ditions for successful dry preservation are generally not attained or only at a very late
stage.
Pre-drying should also be performed if e.g. dry preservation (final drying  < 40 %
relative humidity) can be started only upon extended outage due to intended repair
work.
Where pre-drying has not been performed, e.g. due to unexpected changeover from
wet preservation to dry preservation, equipment with specific blowing and drying ca-
pacities shall be used to attain final dry condition in the shortest time possible.

9.6.2 Dry air preservation (adsorption dryers)

Dry air shall be blown in at locations where flow resistance is as low as possible.
Therefore, large inlet cross sections should exist or be provided.
Drying equipment with sufficient capacity (approx. 2 to 3 air exchanges per hour)
shall be used which may be provided with downstream booster fans to overcome the
plant resistance. Care shall be taken to ensure that no adsorbents are drawn into the
system with the drying air. For monitoring purposes, the air filters of the drying
equipment should be provided with a differential pressure (∆p) measuring instrument.
The suction air should be free from dust and be as dry as possible.
The inlet and outlet cross-sections shall be selected such that definite flow conditions
prevail in the drying sections. Careful throttling at the outlets shall ensure that suffi-
cient air flow through all sections is obtained.
By regular measurements of the relative humidity and the moisture content of the air
at the various outlet cross-sections the drying condition in the individual sections can
be monitored. The measuring results provide additional information whether residual
moisture is left in the individual sections or ingress of moisture from adjacent pres-
sure systems takes place.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

The results of the measurements to be performed shall be documented in a record

also to indicate the check-up data of the drying equipment.
As experience has shown, a constant, allowable value of the relative humidity will be
obtained after 12 to 24 hours. In complex plants, however, clearly extended drying
periods may be expected.
Upon complete drying of the plant a circuit arrangement or intermittent operation of
the dry air fans may be useful.

9.6.3 Dry preservation by means of solid adsorbents

Smaller plants or limited systems (e.g. tanks, etc.) may be preserved and kept dry
for extended outages (e.g. summer outages) by using silica gel, upon appropriate
pre-drying. Other adsorbents such as calcium chloride cannot be recommended as
they may cause contamination and thus the risk of corrosion.
When using silica gel, the following shall be taken into account:
A colour indicator should be added to the silica gel (so-called blue gel) to be capable
of controlling its efficiency during preservation.
Silica gel is capable of absorbing up to 35 % humidity of its own weight. In practice,
however, only 25 % absorption can be expected, i.e. the requirement for a relative
humidity less than 30 % in the preservation air can only be fulfilled if the silica gel has
not absorbed more than 25 % humidity of its own weight.
Assuming that the air in the system to be kept dry is saturated (the most unfavoura-
ble case), the silica gel demand can be determined according to the following
formula:
M = 4 · SN · V [g]
M = silica gel quantity, gram (theoretical value)
SN = saturation quantity, gram per m3 (0 °C, 1013 mbar)
V = air volume of the system to be dried, m3 (0 °C, 1013 mbar)
It is recommended to use approx. two or three times the theoretical silica gel quantity
for dry preservation
The gel should be set out in several flat corrosion-resistant trays to be uniformly distrib-
uted at adequate distances.
Care shall be taken to ensure that no gel is spilled. Alternatively, silica gel may be
hung up in air-permeable small bags. Direct contact with the material surfaces shall
be avoided in any case.

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Then the system shall be hermetically sealed from the atmosphere, the relative hu-
midity be measured regularly and the efficiency of the silica gel be checked (for col-
our change).
The measuring results shall continuously be recorded and be evaluated.
Care shall be taken to ensure that upon completion of the preservation measures the
silica gel is completely removed from the system. The quantities inserted and the
quantities removed shall be recorded to ensure that no residues remain in the sys-
tem.

9.6.4 Preservation with hot air

Dry preservation may also be performed by blowing hot air into the system. This may
e.g. be the first measure to be taken prior to performing long-term preservation.
In any case, the wall temperatures shall be above the dew point of the hot exit air to
safely avoid local condensation.
Therefore, monitoring comprises measurements of the exit air temperature and rela-
tive humidity. In addition, the metal temperatures at specific locations of the systems
to be preserved shall be measured.
The hot air used shall be free from oil and dust. Its quality should be in conformance
with compressed air quality to ISO 8573-1:2010 [1:3:1] thus largely obtaining the fol-
lowing parameters:
Particle size and density: 1 (≤ 0.1 µm; ≤ 0.1 mg/m3)
Oil content: 1 (≤ 0.01 mg/m3)

9.7 Long-term preservation and/or measures to be taken during outages

As regards periodic inspections or extension of operating licenses the respective na-
tional regulations shall be observed.
According to German Law, § 18 of the Federal Imission Control Act, the operating
license will expire upon 3 years of outage.
Where required, components have to be disassembled and be stored accordingly.
The component manufacturers‘ operating instructions shall always be observed. The
plant operation manuals shall be prepared accordingly and be consulted. The follow-
ing system sectors shall be considered separately:
 further preservation capabilities (e.g. partially tectyl or the like)
 indication of gasket embrittlement in valves and pumps
 rubberized plant parts
 metal linings e.g. in ducts

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 information on oil systems and all other auxiliary and ancillary systems
 electrical and I&C equipment with or without heating system
 measuring techniques, transducers,
 fuels and their storage systems
 condensate polishing plants, cooling tower make-up water plant, DI water
systems, cooling tower

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10 Preservation of steam turbine-generator set

Upon shutdown of a steam turbine, preservation with dry air is recommended. Using
this dry preservation method it should be checked whether downstream water or air-
cooled condensers can also be subjected to the dry preservation air flow.
Detailed information on the preservation of turbo-generator sets is described in VGB
Standard VGB-S-036-00.

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11 Preservation of cooling systems and their components

The preservation requirements depend on the material and the respective cooling
fluid used.
The various cooling fluids essentially are
 surface water
 condensate/treated DI water
Where suitable water is not available to the amount required, the heat shall be dissi-
pated via an air cooler (air-cooled condenser, dry cooling tower, etc.). The preserva-
tion of such specific cooling equipment is treated under chapter 11.3.
The various cooling systems have been sufficiently described and defined VGB
Guideline VGB-R 455.
The following systems essentially are.
 Main cooling water system with turbine condensers
 Service cooling water system
 Intermediate cooling system
 Tertiary cooling systems (e.g. generator cooling systems, oil cooling circuits, etc.)

11.1 Main and service cooling water systems

As a rule, the cooling fluids used in main and service cooling water systems is natu-
ral or treated surface water (e.g. river water, cooling tower circulation water, sea
water, etc.) due to the large amount of water to be dissipated.
Where such water qualities are used, the following impairments of preservation
have to be considered:
1. Micro- and macro-biological growth
a. Microbially induced corrosion
b. Degraded heat transfer during subsequent operation
c. Flow-assisted corrosion by throttling in partially plugged tubing/piping
2. Drying of residual cooling water will lead to incrustrations and concentration of
salts
a. Risk of crevice corrosion by formation of deposits
b. Risk of pitting corrosion
c. Degraded heat transfer during subsequent operation

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3. Settlement of suspended matter

a. Costly cleaning prior to/during re-start
b. Formation of potential differences between regions of high and low oxygen
contents  under-deposit crevice corrosion
4. Damage to surface layer in copper alloys (drying and spalling)
a. Shallow pit formation
b. Risk of incomplete passivation (restricted formation of surface layer)
The individual cooling water quality (chemical composition, suspended matter con-
tent, biology) shall govern the determination of preservation measures.
For plants with closed-circuit cooling it is generally recommended to reduce the salt
content (concentration rate) by increasing bleed-off prior to outage such that as fa-
vourable as possible conditions are created for wet preservation.
Where the cooling water remains in the system during outage periods, it should be
circulated approx. every 3 days by means of the main cooling water pump (avoid-
ance of deposits, anaerobic conditions, crevice corrosion, etc.). During such pump
operation, the tube-ball cleaning system should also be operated.
The risk of microbial growth should not be underestimated in case of extended out-
ages. Therefore, regular checks shall be made to meet national regulations and,
where required, site-specific countermeasures (e.g. exchange of water volume, bio-
cide treatment, dry preservation, etc.) be taken.
Where the cooling system is drained or dry-preserved, the following aspects shall
be considered:
 Movable part such as pumps, dampers, etc. shall be rotated or moved to manu-
facturer’s specification.
 Seat damage on valves, dampers and bearings shall be prevented.
 Components made from stainless steel such as pumps and cleaning systems
(traveling band screens, tube-ball cleaning systems) shall be cleaned to avoid salt
deposits and subsequent corrosion.
 In case of extended outages the individual manufacturers‘ specifications shall
generally be observed (e.g. extraction of pump rotors, lubrication and mainte-
nance intervals).

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11.1.1 Condensers and intermediate heat exchangers

In case of outage, condensers and intermediate heat exchangers are endangered
by corrosion and deposits. The tube materials used, such as iron, copper or copper
alloys, carbon steels and titanium, show different corrosion behaviour.
Prior to taking the cooling system out of operation, the tube-ball cleaning system,
where provided, should be operated simultaneously for at least one hour to keep
condenser tubes free from deposits.
Taking the cooling water quality into account, the condenser shall be drained and
flushed with clean water of low salt content in case of outage periods exceeding 3
days. VGB-Standards VGB-R 106, VGB-R 113 and VGB-R 114 provide detailed in-
formation on condenser tubing in dependence of the material (see table hereafter).
As regards the salt content and drying or concentration the following should e.g. be
taken into account:

Condensate Potable water Cooling water

Conductivity µS/cm 250 2,500
Acid conductivity µS/cm 0.2

Typical chloride content µg/kg 20 20,000 200,000

mg/kg 0.02 20 200
Evaporation/drying of water and reaching of material tem-
perature-use limits at a residual water content of
Typical material-use limit mg/l
X5CrNi18-10 500 0.004 % 4% 40 %
1.4301
X5CrNiMo17-12-2 1,500 0.001 % 1% 13 %
1.4401

That means that in case of extended outage where the risk of nearly complete
evaporation of residual water exists the condenser tubes shall be flushed manually
with DI water to safely prevent deposition of salt residues.
It primarily depends on the design of the cooling water system and additionally from
the condenser tube materials used, whether wet preservation with operational cool-
ing water with reduced concentration rate is performed or dry preservation only can
be done.

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In the case of foreseeable long outages (several weeks) without start-up readiness
dry preservation of the condenser is recommended independently of its design.
In case of dry preservation the tube cleaning system shall be operated shortly before
the condenser is shutdown. The condenser shall be drained and be flushed with
demineralized water directly upon draining. All manhole covers of the water boxes
or channels shall be kept open until putting into operation.

11.1.2 Other heat exchangers

For other heat exchangers directly cooled with main or service cooling water the
same recommendations apply in dependence of the materials used, i.e. freedom
from deposits to the largest extent possible, avoidance of salt concentration, minimi-
sation of biological growth.

11.1.3 Materials

11.1.3.1 Copper alloys

Outages are especially dangerous to tubes made of copper or copper alloys if a pro-
tective layer has not yet been formed or there is the risk of tube damage caused by
underdeposit corrosion. Dry preservation cannot be recommended for copper alloys
as the protective layer will be destroyed due to drying.
Tubes made of copper alloys should preferably be subject to dry preservation to pre-
vent the corrosion-protective surface layer from being destroyed due to drying. How-
ever, in such case care shall be taken to ensure that (micro- and macro) biological
growth is prevented or largely suppressed. This may be done by subjecting the cool-
ing water to biocide treatment prior to shutdown. Where this is not possible it is rec-
ommended to exchange the cooling water where DI water should preferably be used.
This type of preservation can principally be performed to an unlimited extent. For
economic reasons or in case of frost hazard it may be necessary to drain the con-
denser.
In case of outage periods of up to 8 weeks the cooling water may remain in the con-
denser tubes in which case stagnant conditions shall be avoided. To this end, it is
recommended to operate the cooling system – depending on water quality - with the
tube-ball cleaning system for several hours once or two times a week.
Where dry preservation cannot be avoided, the concentration of contaminants shall
be monitored and be prevented. To this end, the condenser shall be drained and
preferably be flushed with DI water.

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During re-start the destroyed old protective layer shall compulsorily be removed (e.g.
cleaning by corundum balls) and protective layer formation be initiated anew.

11.1.3.2 Stainless steels

In the case of tubes made of stainless steels preservation shall also be performed
carefully. This is due to the fact that pitting and crevice corrosion can occur on stain-
less steels at high corrosion rates. Therefore, chloride enrichment shall be avoided in
any case.
In such case, care shall also be taken to ensure that (micro- and macro) biological
growth is prevented or largely suppressed. This may be done by subjecting the cool-
ing water to biocide treatment prior to shutdown. Where this is not possible it is rec-
ommended to exchange the cooling water where DI water should preferably be used.
This type of preservation can principally be performed to an unlimited extent. For
economic reasons or in case of frost hazard it may be necessary to drain the con-
denser.
Where, in the case of outages, the cooling water is to remain in the condenser tubes,
stagnant conditions shall be avoided. To this end, it is recommended to operate the
cooling system – depending on water quality – with the tube-ball cleaning system for
several hours once or two times a week.
Where dry preservation cannot be avoided, the concentration of contaminants shall
be monitored and be prevented. To this end, the condenser shall be drained and
preferably be flushed with DI water. Furthermore, the remarks in clause 11.1.1 shall
be observed.
Upon flushing, each tube should individually be blown through with compressed air to
remove residual water. Then, the top and bottom manholes in the condenser water
boxes or channels on both condenser ends shall be opened or left open to keep the
tubes dry by natural convection.

11.1.3.3 Titanium
Contrary to other tube materials, the high corrosion resistance of titanium leaves
great scope of discretion.
Where no limiting factors given by the tubesheet materials or the intended corrosion
protection of the pertinent heat exchanger or cooling water system exist, an unlimited
period of outage is permitted for titanium tubes partly or completely filled with cooling
water.

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In the case of extended uncontrolled wet preservation conditions it shall however be

taken into account that when re-starting the system cleaning problems may occur
due to bio-fouling or layer formation caused by crystallisation of salts.

11.2 Preservation of intermediate cooling systems

Closed intermediate cooling systems to comprise – as a rule – turbine oil, generator,
transformer, gear oil and tapping instrument coolers etc. do not require specific
preservation measures because they use treated DI water or condensate of low ox-
ygen content.
In case of plant shutdown these systems remain filled and shall be circulated at
least once a week, i.e. the normal operational requirements (chemistry monitoring
and treatment) remain unchanged.
Where required, frost protection measures shall be taken by:
 permanent further operation,
 local trace heating systems,
 local heat insulation.
Where complete or partial draining is required (e.g. due to repairs) dry preservation
shall be performed.
In addition, the manufacturers’ specification shall be observed.

11.3 Preservation of air-cooled condensers (ACC)

Air cooled condensers should be fully drainable. Components that do not drain auto-
matically (e.g. condensate collecting tanks) shall be drained separately.

11.3.1 Air-cooled condensers of high-grade steels

As experience has shown, neither steam-side nor air-side preservation measures are
necessary.

11.3.2 Air-cooled condensers of carbon steel

As a rule, no preservation measures are required on the air side as factory corrosion
protection in the form of zinc or aluminium is usually provided.
Air-cooled condensers made of carbon steel require steam-side preservation
measures as follows.
Fin-tube bundles and tanks should be transported with provision of water-tight co-
vers, but not necessarily air-tight covers on openings. The pertinent steam duct sec-
tions are usually transported to the site in open spools or fabricated on site. When
stored on site, all components shall be protected from ingress of water and contami-

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nation. Further preservation measures are not necessary. Initial rust that may devel-
op on the unprotected inner surfaces of the ACC will be flushed away during the “hot
cleaning process” (admittance of steam in by-pass operation for cleaning the air-
cooled condenser).
Upon completion of assembly the ACC should be kept dry on the inside, i.e. rain wa-
ter and humidity of the ambient air shall be prevented from entering the system.
Should the ACC not be put into operation upon hot cleaning within approx. 14 days,
measures should be taken to reduce air humidity since the inner surfaces do not yet
have any protective layer. For extended outage periods dry preservation (see below)
should be taken into account; where required, the plant should be inspected so that
further measures can be determined.
As experience has shown, a protective layer will form on the inner surfaces of air-
cooled condensers made of carbon steel despite the low pressures and temperatures
prevailing.
The formation of a protective layer is prerequisite to the steam quality meeting the
pertinent guidelines or standards (e.g. VGB-S-010).
Where outage can be planned in advance, it is advisable to raise the pH value of the
exhaust steam via feedwater dosing (volatile alkalising agent) to 9.5 or more for
some hours prior to shutdown in order to alkalise the residual water upon shutdown.
If the plant is operated with high-alkaline oxygen treatment, oxygen feeding shall be
interrupted in due time prior to plant shutdown where preservation is planned.
In the case of outages, the following preservation measures should be taken to min-
imise iron ingress into downstream systems in dependence of outage duration:
 Outages up to 2 weeks: where required, let the dry air flow of the turbine drying
equipment also flow through the condenser; no additional measures necessary
 Outages of 2 to 6 weeks: drain all non-automatically draining, accessible ACC
parts, tanks etc. and dry manually
 Outages over 6 weeks: dry preservation of the ACC.

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11.3.3 Preservation with dry air

The preservation measures to be taken for both the turbine and air-cooled condenser
should principally be coordinated to match each other.
When shutting down the steam turbine-generator set and upon load shedding the
operational evacuation process of the ACC should be maintained and the ACC fans
kept in operation such that the steam still present in the ACC completely condenses
and is sucked off.
In case of outages exceeding 2 weeks the condensate collecting system incl. tank
shall be drained completely.
Then, both the steam turbine and the ACC can be supplied with dry air.
The air dryer shall be connected via an air hose to the steam duct at a manhole or
similar opening near to the turbine.
The air dryer fan capacity should be dimensioned such that a slight overpressure can
be maintained in the ACC. To this end, it may be necessary to install a booster fan.
The air shall be ducted such that all ACC sections are kept dry. This requires careful
planning and consultation of the manufacturer, where necessary.
Should the turbine be opened for maintenance purposes, the steam duct shall be
sealed air-tight from the turbine by means of suitable temporary means.
Where steam ejectors are provided in the vacuum system, the suction valves of the
starting and holding ejectors shall be opened.
Where water ring pumps are provided, adequate measures shall be taken to ensure
unrestricted flow-through (e.g. draining of water, disassembly of suction-side valve,
etc.). The condensate, drain and flash tanks may be dried by opening of valves, if
any, or leaving a small gap at their manholes. Here, care shall be taken to ensure
that the overpressure required in the system to be kept dry does not drop.

11.3.4 Other preservation methods

Preservation with nitrogen is advised against for the following reasons:
 due to the connection of the ACC with the LP turbine the system cannot be com-
pletely sealed gas-tight (e.g. at turbine shaft seals). This will lead to a considera-
ble risk potential in the turbine hall.
 due to the high nitrogen losses (insufficient gas tightness) this type or preserva-
tion is uneconomic.

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 during nitrogen blanketing neither the turbine shall be opened nor the ACC be
accessed for maintenance/inspection purposes.
The ACC cannot be filled completely with anti-corrosion liquids since the ACC is not
designed to withstand the weight of liquid fillings.
Drying the ACC with hot air is not technically feasible due to the great heat transfer
surface.

11.4 Flocculation plants and cooling tower make-up water plants

In power plants, flocculation plants are utilized for service effluent, long-time decar-
bonisation, short-time decarbonisation, and FGD waste water treatment systems.
Where the systems are not operated as intended there is the risk of plugging in all
plant parts carrying lime sludge (sedimentation basins/pipework) due to the sedimen-
tation properties of the sludge.
To prevent sedimentation there are various preservation methods to be fixed individ-
ually for each system and operating condition.
The selection of the method especially depends on the start-up readiness.
Whatever method is applied, care shall be taken to avoid freezing of the fluid in the
plant parts (e.g. dosing lines, etc.).

11.4.1 Preservation methods in case of outage with permanent start-up readiness

Where cooling tower make-up water is not needed anymore, the lime sludge ba-
sins/sedimentation basins as well as recirculation lines shall be kept filled in which
case all agitators are to be kept operating. All dosing systems filled with e.g. FeCl3,
flocculation aids, Ca(OH)2 shall be flushed with water free from suspended matter to
remove chemical residues, thus avoiding plugging.
The daily control of the sludge quality for putrefaction is indispensable (visual exami-
nation for discolouration of the lime sludge). In case of plants with circular clarifiers
the plant shall be put into operation at the latest after ten days – as experience has
shown - to operate for at least 24 hours. This will reactivate the sludge for contact
stabilization and an exchange of water is initiated to minimise biological load to the
greatest extent possible. The period of ten days is only based on experience. The
period may vary depending on the specific plant technology and water quality and
therefore shall be determinated individually (e.g. upon consultation of the system
supplier).

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11.4.2 Preservation methods in case of extended outage without start-up

readiness
Where outage is planned for an extended period (> 4 weeks), it is recommended to
flush all basins, piping, pumps and valves with clear water and subsequently drain
them accordingly.
Except for flocculation aids, the dosing chemicals (e.g. FeCl3) may remain in the sys-
tem. Due to the risk of contamination and disintegration of the active substances, the
flocculation aids shall be disposed off, and the system shall subsequently be flushed.
In case of a planned shutdown, lime slaking tanks including vapour scrubber and
lime slurry tank should be operated such that they are nearly empty at the time when
shutdown is effected so that subsequent flushing can be done simply and quickly.
The vapour scrubber of the slaked lime feeder, e.g. feeding conveyors, shall be
cleaned to prevent plugging. Care shall be taken to ensure that measuring instru-
ments such as fill level gauges are also cleaned.
pH electrodes shall be removed and be typically stored in a 3-molar KCL solution to
manufacturer’s specifications.
Dampers and isolation valves should be in centred position. Pumps (also raw water
pumps) and agitators shall be rotated manually at regular intervals (e.g. once per
month).
A completely drained cooling water make-up plant can only be ready to operate upon
contact stabilization of the sludge. As experience has shown, a lead time of approx. 7
days is required to obtain a sufficient amount of contact stabilized sludge.

11.4.3 Filter units

11.4.3.1 Filter chamber press

To avoid filter cloth hardening during extended outages (see 11.4.2), suitable
measures should be taken to remove lime residues from the filter cloth. In most cas-
es, this is done with diluted hydrochloric acid. Other acids cannot be used since they
will lead to undesirable side effects (formation of gypsum, and the like). Upon clean-
ing with diluted HCL, the filter cloth shall be flushed with water to remove the acid
completely. The respective maintenance instructions shall be observed.

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11.5 Cooling towers

When subjecting power plants to preservation, those plant parts shall be considered
where excessive heat is dissipated. As regards the use of cooling towers, distinction
is made between the following types of construction with the various types of cooling
processes:
 Natural-draught cooling tower
 Natural-draught cooling tower used in combination as flue-gas stack
 Mechanical-draught cooling tower
 Hybrid cooling tower
 Dry-cooling tower

11.5.1 Natural-draught cooling tower

In most cases, modern natural draught cooling towers are of concrete shell-type con-
struction. Therefore, no specific preservation measures need be taken for such struc-
tures. It shall however be taken into consideration that upon shutdown of the cooling
circuit undesired biological deposits may form in the cooling tower basin and on in-
ternal structures. Depending on the shutdown period and start-up readiness, where
required, the preservation measures will be different.
In case of short outages or start-up readiness the cooling tower basin shall remain
filled. In this case, the cooling water shall be compulsorily monitored for biological
and legionellae contamination. Here, it is recommended to count the total bacteria
number in the cooling water as specified by valid regulations (e.g. VDI Guideline
2047). To counteract biological deposits in open cooling circuits the main cooling
pumps shall be operated at periodic intervals for at least one hour. Such circulation is
additionally intended to avoid icing in the system.
In case of extended outages it is recommended to drain the cooling tower basin and
the related systems (see cooling tower make-up water system). On the one hand,
these measures are required to prevent biological deposits and thus the risk of le-
gionellae formation, and on the other hand, damage caused by icing/freezing in win-
ter months. Where the cooling tower basin is completely drained, it shall be taken
into account that the lead time for refilling with regard to plant re-start requires more
time.

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11.5.2 Natural-draught cooling tower used in combination as flue-gas stack

In case of combined use of the cooling tower as flue-gas stack, the cooling tower will
– as a rule - be provided with a special surface protective layer, as the concrete may
be chemically loaded by the flue gas to be discharged. Despite these special circum-
stances no deviating preservation measures as described under 11.5.1 are neces-
sary.

11.5.3 Mechanical-draught cooling tower/hybrid cooling tower

In case of mechanical-draught cooling and hybrid cooling towers and in cell cooling
towers air draught is generated by fans.
In addition to the preservation measures described in 11.5.1 it shall be taken into ac-
count that the pertinent maintenance instructions, e.g. rotation of motors, for mechan-
ical plant parts taken out of service are to be observed.

11.5.4 Dry cooling towers

Due to their type of construction dry cooling towers do not require specific preserva-
tion measures. Only in the case of extended outages the cooling lamellae should be
subject to basic cleaning so that caking of adherent dirt is prevented that may affect
efficiency during later operation.

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12 Preservation of components in water treatment systems

12.1 Gravel filters/multi-media filters

In gravel and multi-media filters used to supply total demineralization plants with raw
water, blocking by filtered colloidal matter as well as biological growth is possible dur-
ing outages.
Double backwashing of these filters is recommended after 2 days of outage at the
latest to remove such residues safely. During further outage the filters should be
flushed top down with at least 1.5 times volume change at least every week.
In case of very long outages (e.g. in case of so-called plant cold reserve) drying of
the filter material may prevent biological growth. However, the use of this method
requires a check of the coating for possible negative influences (consultation with
manufacturer required).
Upon flushing with DI water, wet preservation may be effected by flushing and filling
with a specific disinfectant suited for total demineralization plants. In any case, the
use of disinfectants shall be agreed with the supplier. In addition, monitoring of the
disinfectant solution over the full outage period shall be laid down individually for
each plant.
In addition, it is recommended to apply an overpressure with nitrogen of 0.1 to 0.3
bar at the vent thus minimising germ entry via the air.

12.2 Ion exchanger units

Where ion exchanger systems have to be taken out of operation for an extended pe-
riod of time, preventive measures shall be taken to avoid germination and other neg-
ative effects on plant operation during re-start.
Damage on steam-wetted parts caused by sodium sulphate is e.g. reported, which
was due to insufficient preservation measures on CCP resins (leachables, especially
sulfonic acids).
The following principle applies: ion exchangers shall be protected from frost and
should remain completely covered with water.
Prior to taking the ion exchanger unit out of operation, it shall be ensured that a suffi-
ciently large volume of DI water (at least 30 filling volumes) is available or produced
which is needed for both preservation and regeneration as well as for plant re-start.
Prior to preservation, the neutralizing basin should be drained so that the waste wa-
ter produced during preservation can be collected and treated accordingly.
The vessels filled with differing types of ion exchanger resins are called “filters” here-
after.

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12.2.1 Cation exchanger resins (H and Na exchange resins)

The filters shall be backwashed to prevent caking of the resins by dirt or residuals,
e.g. due to in-flow from upstream lime dealkalisation units or flocculators. Regenera-
tion will not be effected, but the filters shall be left in the non-regenerated (exhausted)
condition.
Care shall be taken to ensure that the filters are filled with water. At monthly inter-
vals the water should be visually checked for clarity and for abnormal odour. Where
abnormal conditions are ascertained, the water should be exchanged. As a preven-
tive measure, flushing may be performed weekly (approx. 1.5 volumes).
In the case of total demineralization plants with surface water used as raw water, an
at least 10 % NaCl solution should be added, under exclusion of air, to obtain a bio-
static effect when outages exceed 4 weeks. In case of biologically low-loaded raw
water qualities (e.g. condensate) this measure will become necessary even upon
longer outage periods. These intervals shall be checked and determined individually
for each plant.
After 6 months at the latest the ion exchange resins shall be regenerated and sub-
sequently be re-loaded and be preserved as described before.
If the filter is taken into operation again, it shall be first rinsed thoroughly (see oper-
ating instructions). Then two regenerations shall be performed one directly after the
other. Subsequent washing shall be made carefully until attaining the values speci-
fied in the operating instructions.
Caution: Weakly acidic H ion exchange resins shall not be regenerated with too high
an acid concentration, as otherwise the resins will be destroyed due to osmotic
shock.

12.2.2 Anion exchangers

It is recommended to discharge silica which will polymerize to a large extent and
precipitate in case of outage.
In case of short outages not exceeding 4 weeks the plant should be regenerated to
discharge silica. Here, it is disadvantageous that strongly basic resins in regenerat-
ed form will release amines to a great extent and lose capacity more rapidly. There-
fore, the OH- ions attaching to the ion exchanger shall be completely substituted by
chloride ions if the outage period exceeds 4 weeks. To this end, a 5 % hydrochloric
acid shall be added via the anion exchanger bed. In the case of weak and medium-
base ion exchanger types, approx. 60 g HCI (100 %) in a 5 % solution and in the
case of strong-base ion exchanger approx. 45 g HCI (100 %) in a 5 % solution per
litre of ion exchanger shall be used. Hereafter, the ion exchangers shall be rinsed
with water from the exhausted cation filter with a quantity to correspond to three
times the volume of the anion filter.

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To improve the biostatic effect, a 10 % NaCl solution should be used analogously to

chapter 12.2.1 instead of hydrochloric acid in case of outages exceeding 4 weeks.
After six months at the latest, the ion exchangers shall be regenerated and subse-
quently be re-loaded and be preserved as described above.
If the filter is taken into operation again, it shall first be rinsed thoroughly (see operat-
ing instructions). Then two regenerations shall be performed one directly after the
other. Subsequent washing shall be made carefully until attaining the values speci-
fied in the operating instructions.

12.2.3 Mixed-bed unit

In case of outages up to approx. 6 weeks, where the resins are loaded to attain 50 %
(determined over the time), the mixed-bed unit can be taken out of operation without
further measures.
In case of higher loading it is recommended to regenerate the resins prior to preser-
vation.
In case of longer outages the filters shall be treated with a 10 % NaCl solution analo-
gously to chapter 12.2.1. At first, the mixed-bed unit shall be exhausted which re-
quires approx. 130 g sodium chloride (NaCI) per litre of resin. Then, the mixed-bed is
left standing in a 10 % NaCl solution to achieve the biostatic effect. As experience
has shown, a total of 1.5 to 2.0 times the vessel volume of a 10 % NaCl solution is
required for the two-step process in case of an internally regenerated mixed-bed unit.
When controlling the unit prior to taking it out of operation, a 10 % NaCl solution
should be discharged at the mixed-bed unit outlet.
After six months at the latest, the ion exchangers shall be regenerated and subse-
quently be re-loaded and be preserved as described above.
If the filter is taken into operation again after an extended outage or upon treatment
with a NaCl solution, the filter shall be back-washed over an extended period of time
(see operating instructions). Then two regenerations shall be performed one directly
after the other. Subsequent washing shall be made carefully until attaining the values
specified in the operating instructions. This may e.g. be achieved by repeating the
back-wash process after the regenerated mixed-bed unit has been left standing for
24 hours.

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12.3 Membrane systems

Prior to preservation, the membrane systems (ultra and micro-filtration, reverse os-
mosis (RO), electrodeionisation, membrane degasification) shall be operated in the
cleaning mode in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions (operating instruc-
tions.

12.3.1 Reverse osmosis (RO) systems shutdown and lay-up consideration

As a rule, RO systems are designed to operate continuously and with a certain mini-
mum overflow rate (> 75 %). However, in reality RO systems will start-up and shut
down at some frequency.
When the RO system is shutdown, the system shall be flushed with either permeate
water or feedwater of comparable quality to remove the high salt concentration from
the modules until the conductivity on the concentrate side matches the flushing water
conductivity.
Flushing shall be done at low pressures (approx. 3 bar).
A high flushing water flow rate will favour the cleaning effect, however, a pressure
drop of 1.0 bar per element or 3.5 bar per multi-element system shall not be exceed-
ed.
The water used for flushing shall not contain any chemicals used for pre-treatment.
Therefore, any chemical injection shall be stopped before flushing the system.
After system flushing the system shall be kept closed to avoid draining. Dried ele-
ments are irreparably damaged.
The RO train can be shut down for up to 24 hours without preservation and precau-
tions taken against microbial fouling. At little biological activity (e.g. in case of river
bank filtrate or some types of well water) longer outage periods without preservation
are possible.
Where the system is to be shut down for more than 24 hours, care shall be taken to
ensure that
 the elements do not dry out (dry elements will irreversibly loose flux),
 the system is adequately protected against microbial growth, or regular flushing is
carried out every 24 hours,
 preservation with chemicals is performed for shutdown periods exceeding 48
hours where no suitable water for flushing is available,
 during the shutdown period the plant is protected against frost, and the tempera-
ture does not exceed 45 °C.

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Depending on previous plant operational history it will be necessary in almost every

case to perform an additional chemical cleaning of the RO membranes. This espe-
cially applies if the membranes tend to fouling.
A typical cleaning sequence may be as follows:
 perform an alkaline cleaning for approx. 2 hours,
 disinfect with suitable disinfectants,
 perform acid cleaning.
Where the system has been fed with water neither containing substances that tend to
fouling (scalants) nor metal hydroxides, the acid cleaning step should be omitted.
In large plants operated with surface water a cleaning process can be successfully
used where cleaning step 2 is omitted and the procedure is as follows:
 cleaning with alkalines at a pH value of 11 with a 1 to 2 % warm detergent (sodi-
umdodecylsulfate) being added and an overnight exposure time followed by pass-
ing through the alkaline detergent again within a cleaning period of 3 to 4 hours,
 cleaning with citric acid.
After cleaning and disinfection, the preservation should follow within 10 hours as in-
dicated hereafter:
 preservation of the plant using total immersion of elements into a solution of 1 to
2 % of sodium bisulphite (SBS) (NaHSO3) and simultaneous venting of air of the
pressure vessels,
 with this technique the SBS solution (NaHSO3) shall be circulated until the air has
been completely removed from the system,
 thereupon, all valves shall be closed to prevent ingress of air into the solution.
Any contact with oxygen will oxidise the NaHSO3 solution,
 check the pH once a week. When the pH becomes 3 or lower, replace the preser-
vation solution (alternatively: NaHSO3 < 1 %). The preservation solution shall also
be replaced after one month of operation.
In case of re-start of the preserved plant the concentrate and permeate shall be re-
jected within short time upon re-start (e.g. 15 minutes) and be disposed off via a
waste water treatment system.

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12.3.2 Ultra- and micro-filtration

The preservation methods for reverse-osmosis (RO) systems principally apply also to
ultra- and micro-filtration units where comparable polymeric substances are used.
In case of micro-filtration units using polymeric substances the respective literature
points out that rinsing with subsequent cleaning is considered a preparatory step
when taking the unit out of operation. Then the unit can be left standing with a
NaOH/NaOCl solution of 0.1 wt. % after having circulated the solution for 20 minutes.
The preservation solution shall be exchanged every 3 months (or upon check of ac-
tive substances) in which case circulation shall be repeated accordingly.
For ceramic ultra-filtration materials (FGD waste water) preservation by means of a
cleaning chemical (HCl 2 to 4 %; pH < 2) is prescribed upon rinsing in case of outage
exceeding 8 hours.

12.3.3 Membrane degasification

In case of outage less than 24 hours it is recommended to continue stripping gas
supply or maintain the vacuum such that entry of water into the hollow-fibre modules
is prevented.
Where the unit is taken out of operation for an extended period of time, the manufac-
turer prescribes two preservation variations.
If nitrogen as stripping gas (inert gas) is recommended, it will be used for water satu-
ration for at least one hour upon draining and re-filling of the reaction space (contrac-
tor). Then, a slight overpressure shall be maintained to prevent bacterial growth.
Where a vacuum or air is used for stripping, the water body may also be treated with
a concentration of 2,000 mg/l sodium bisulphite.
When taking the unit into operation again, the water condensed on the inside of the
hollow-fibre membranes shall be removed.

12.4 Electro-deionisation
In case of electro-deionisation units care shall be taken to ensure that the resins do
not dry upon shutdown. To this end, the unit inlets and outlets shall be closed during
the time between end of fabrication and delivery as well as in case of extended non-
operational periods.
The manufacturer’s operating instructions shall be observed.

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13 Fuel supply system

The following chapters deal with all coal supply system components installed within
the boiler house. Deviating system boundaries are mentioned in the clauses hereaf-
ter. Bio-mass combustion and co-combustion systems, e.g. for sewage sludge, sub-
stitute fuels, wood pellets, are of similar construction so that many instructions given
in this chapter also apply accordingly.

13.1 Coal firing system

The chapters to follow deal with the fuel path from the unit coal handling system to
the burner outlet. A general distinction is to be made between
 Bituminous coal
 Brown coal

13.1.1 Coal handling system

The crusher, course screen and extractions, where installed, shall be cleaned and
coal residues be removed.
The conveyor belts shall be emptied completely in which case the manufacturer’s
instructions regarding weight loading shall be observed. The belt system shall be op-
erated several times per month. In winter months this operational cycle shall be
shortened. Where functional tests are performed, the functionability of the belt roller
system shall be checked.
The dust collection plant shall be emptied completely.
Dust-extraction plants, e.g. DustEx shall remain filled and be operated several times
per month. If there is danger of frost, water-carrying lines shall be drained, heated or
be supplied with corresponding additives in due respect of the related system.

13.1.2 Coal bins and bunkers

Bins and bunkers shall be emptied at outage periods exceeding approx. 4 weeks in
dependence of the type of coal stored in which case the fire-protection concept shall
be observed. These measures are to be taken to prevent damage by:
 self-ignition/deflagration/fire (specifically in the case of coals with high volatile
matter content),
 caking (specifically in the case of coals with high content of fines and water).
When preserving coal handling plants, operational experience gained with the han-
dling of the coals used shall be taken into account.
After complete emptying the bunker slide gate valve shall be closed.

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13.1.3 Feeders
Coal feeders, discharge screw conveyors and conveyor belts as well as downshafts
shall be opened and cleaned at outages exceeding approx. 4 weeks (see 13.1.2 for
risks of damage). In case of unheated buildings, plant components underneath any
covering or within conveyors shall be appropriately ventilated to protect against con-
densation water and humidity.
Conveyor belts shall be operated several times a month.
Blank surfaces shall be protected by corrosion inhibitors, and the corrosion protection
shall be checked at regular intervals.

13.1.4 Pulverising mills

Pulverisers should principally be taken out of operation in accordance with the in-
tended shutdown program.
Pulverisers that have been stopped by emergency shutdown and will not be re-
started again shall be raked out manually.
The pyrite system shall also be emptied completely and be cleaned accordingly.
The raked-out pulveriser should be vented via open doors, flaps etc. to avoid for-
mation of condensation water.
In case of roller mills with lifting equipment or loading frame the grinding rollers shall
be lifted or be unloaded.
Several times a month the oil circuit should be activated for approx. 2 hours in order
to maintain lubrication.
In case of extended outages the pulveriser should be rotated several times a month
for a short period of time in which case the seal-air supply has to be operated.
In case of beater-wheel mills the beater wheel shall be rotated approx. once a month
to avoid pressure marks in bearings.
The classifier drive shall be operated several times a month.
The seal-air fan shall be preserved in accordance with chapter 17.8.6 - Seal air and
cooling air fans.

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13.2 Fuel supply lines

13.2.1 Pulverised-fuel supply line

Bituminous coal
When taking the mill out of operation, the PF supply lines shall be blown-through with
mill primary air. Where the risk of self-ignition exists, the PF supply lines should be
controlled with a thermal imaging camera.
Brown coal
When taking the mill out of operation, the PF supply lines shall be controlled for de-
posits and be cleaned, where required.

13.2.2 Oil supply lines

The fuel supply lines shall be drained. Depending on the oil quality used it may be
necessary to flush the lines with a suitable fluid before draining.
Oil filters should be treated in accordance with the usual filter cleaning instructions
and be left installed in cleaned condition.

13.2.3 Booster pumps

The pump shall be completely drained and oil residues, if any, be removed. Heavy
fuel oil pumps shall at first be flushed with light fuel oil (where practicable).
As a rule, the following preservation measures are necessary for screw pumps:
 At outage periods ≤ 12 months: preservation of pump internal space with a suita-
ble preservative (as a rule by spraying)
 At outage periods > 12 months: the pump internal space shall be closed with blind
flanges and plugs and be filled completely with the preservative recommended by
the pump manufacturer. Care shall be taken to ensure that the internal space is
completely vented.
In the case of screw pumps the set of spindles shall be moved by rotating the shaft
end to avoid damage on bearings (pitting effect).

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13.2.4 Gas supply lines

When preserving gas supply systems (as of transfer station) the over-pressure in the
system shall be reduced to the extent that inerting with nitrogen can be performed.
The introduction of nitrogen at the system inlet is required until a fuel gas concentra-
tion < 0.5 vol. % is measured at the system outlet. Where possible, the gas supply
line should be preserved with a nitrogen over-pressure of approx. 0.2 bar.
It is recommended to provide a visible “separation” (e.g. adaptor, spectacle blind) in
the gas supply system to increase plant safety.

13.3 Burners, firing systems

13.3.1 Pulverised-fuel burners

PF burners shall be cleaned on the boiler side via the boiler furnace inspection
equipment and caking be removed.
Electrical or hydraulic equipment (e.g. for tilting burners) shall be activated once a
month.

13.3.2 Oil burners

Oil burner guns shall be retracted and be cleaned.

13.3.3 Gas burners

Gas burners shall be depressurized and be left empty.

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14 Air supply system

The air supply system comprises all components of external and internal air intake
equipment upstream to entry into the furnace and pulverising mill, including the fans
(forced-draught fans, primary air fans, etc.).

14.1 External/internal combustion air intake

The external air intake branch shall be closed by tarpaulin to minimise air circulation
in the duct system.

14.2 Steam air heater

The air heater shall be emptied on the steam side and subsequently be dried with air
driers.
The air-side surface shall be checked and be cleaned, where required.
In case of extended outages (> 6 months) preservation with nitrogen shall preferably
be made.

14.3 Regenerative air heaters

Due to hygroscopic sulphurous deposits in regenerative air heaters, the latter should
be cleaned by means of low- or high-pressure cleaning equipment in dependence of
the degree of fouling. The cleaning procedure shall be agreed with the manufacturer.
Cleaning is deemed to have ended if the washing water is pH neutral.
Caution: The washing water will be strongly acidic especially at the beginning of
cleaning and requires special handling.
The sulphurous deposits on the inner walls of the regenerative air heater shall be
completely removed, e.g. by appropriate high-pressure wet cleaning.
During wet cleaning care shall be taken to ensure that the flue-gas path upstream
and downstream of the regenerative air heater is protected against humidity by
means of tarpaulins.
Upon wet cleaning the regenerative air heater shall be dried. Where a residual hu-
midity < 35 % is attained it is recommended to treat non-enamelled heating element
packs with anti-corrosion coating (e.g. Anticorit©). Then, the regenerative air heater
can be left standing dry.
Periodic rotation of the rotor with e.g. half a turn is required once a month to avoid
damage on bearings.

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Sootblowing equipment shall be blown through and then be dried with dry warm air to
obtain a residual humidity < 35 %. Then, the lines shall be dry-preserved and left
open. It is recommended to operate sootblowing equipment cyclically to ensure suffi-
cient lubrication of bearings (e.g. one operation per month).
Bearings shall remain filled with oil, the oil cooler shall be taken out of operation. The
wheel gear lubrication system shall be taken out of operation, but shall remain filled.
In case of insufficient preservation such damage as shown hereafter may occur.

Damage due to insufficient preservation

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14.4 Forced-draught fans/primary air fans

Upon shutdown of the fans they shall be checked for possible contamination. It is
recommended to cyclically operate the control devices (e.g. inlet guide vane controls,
blade-pitch variation mechanisms). The fan rotors shall be rotated at regular intervals
(e.g. half a turn once a month) to keep bearings lubricated and avoid deflection of the
shaft. Where regular test runs are provided, covering with tarpaulins may be omitted.
The test runs shall only be performed to start at the internal air intake (for duration of
approx. 1.5 hours). The oil system shall remain filled, and in dependance of the loca-
tion of installation (outdoor installation) the cooling water system shall be drained up-
on the test run.
Movable parts should be treated with anti-corrosive oil. Bare parts (such as fan shaft,
coupling, motor shaft) shall be provided with suitable anti-corrosion coatings. Up-
stream and downstream silencers shall be checked. It is recommended to seal off the
air path and preserve it with desiccants. It is recommended to install easily visible or
accessible humidity indicators to check the residual humidity. Where provided and
necessary (in case of outdoor installation), the motor standstill heating shall be taken
into operation. Where functional tests of the fans are intended, the tarpaulin covering
plan shall be co-ordinated accordingly.

14.5 Forced-draught intake ducts

Forced-draught intake ducts shall be checked and cleaned upon shutdown. This also
applies to expansion joints installed. Where sealing off towards the atmosphere with
subsequent preservation is not possible, the protective transit coating should be
checked and be repaired, if necessary. In case of dry preservation with desiccants it
is recommended to install easily visible or accessible humidity indicators. Where re-
quired, the desiccant shall be replaced.
The air dampers shall be passed through once a month, in which case they shall be
checked for correct end positions (ON/OFF)).
In case of outdoor forced-draught ducts the I&C equipment (e.g. for measuring pres-
sure, volume flow) should be disassembled and stored dry.

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15 Flue-gas system
The flue-gas system comprises all components from the combustion chamber up to
the cooling tower flue-gas or stack entry.

15.1 Combustion chamber, convective heating surfaces and 2nd pass or blank
pass
Prior to and during the shutdown program any cleaning equipment installed for con-
vective heating surfaces furnace walls shall be operated at least once.
Upon cooling, all deposits and remaining adhesions shall be removed. When doing
so best cleaning results are obtained by wet cleaning with warm alkalised water.
Masonry, rammed lining (e.g. in the area of burners) or gaps shall be protected
accordingly against moisture. Cleaning is deemed to have ended if the washing wa-
ter is neutral or slightly alkaline. Upon wet cleaning, the combustion chamber shall be
dried which can be achieved by natural chimney draught and, where practicable, be
supported by the induced-draught fan. Caution: risk of contamination of the electro-
static precipitator hopper; put hopper heating system into operation). Alternatively,
the boiler internal space can be dried e.g. by auxiliary steam (taken e.g. from evapo-
rator tubes, steam air heater).
Should the analysis of adhesions show that they are not acidic in aqueous solutions,
wet preservation is not compulsorily required.

15.2 Furnace bottom ash removal

Upon cleaning of the heating surface, the wet furnace bottom ash removal systems
shall be emptied, cleaned and dried.
Dry furnace bottom ash removal systems shall be emptied, be cleaned and can be
left standing dry.
Belts for conveying dry or wet ash shall be emptied completely, be cleaned and can
be left standing dry. The belt conveyors shall be operated several times a month (for
approx. 5 minutes).
Hydraulic conveying equipment shall be operated semi-annually.

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15.3 Flue-gas recirculation

In case of shutdown, flue gas recirculation ducts shall be cleaned intensively. In case
of large-area slag deposits, cleaning e.g. with high-pressure water can be effected in
which case the safety-at-workplace regulations shall be observed. Upon cooling, all
flue gas recirculation ducts shall be accessed for inspection where remaining depos-
its, if any, are to be removed and repair work be done on masonry.
Upon cleaning and repair work all flue-gas dampers shall be closed.
During the outage period all gate valves shall be operated once a month.

15.4 Flue-gas ducts including dampers upstream of electrostatic precipitator

Acidic deposits on the internal surfaces shall be removed completely. All ducts shall
be controlled. Where the duct internal surfaces are subject to wet cleaning, they shall
subsequently be dried.
The dampers shall be operated cyclically. Where this is impossible, the bearings
should be treated with anti-corrosion oil.
Where possible, the flue-gas ducting system should be sealed off against the atmos-
phere so that entry of moisture is prevented.

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16 Flue-gas side preservation of steam generators

Besides the preservation measures on the water/steam side, corrosion prevention on
the flue-gas side is of great importance.
It may also be of advantage to consider both preservation methods as a whole and to
combine them accordingly.
A portion of the sulphur oxides (SO2 and SO3) generated during combustion reacts
with the various ash-forming constituents in the fuel oil to sulphuric compounds,
which are found in normal boiler operation above the acid dew point as dry deposits
on the heating surfaces.
Some chemical compounds of these deposits are hygroscopic to a great extent
which means that, in dependence of the relative humidity prevailing, they are capable
of absorbing enormous quantities of water from the atmosphere and of forming sul-
phuric acid by hydrolysis in the wet deposits.
The hygroscopic characteristics of a deposit, i.e. the water quantity absorbable by the
deposit, primarily depend on its chemical composition which again depends on the
fuel oil ash composition and on the temperature range of the deposit in the boiler.

Corrosion rate at various sulphuric acid concentrations

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Upon shutdown of a boiler, sulphuric acid with a concentration between 60 and 85 %

is formed first in the temperature range between 160 °C and 80 °C. In this concentra-
tion range sulphuric acid is only slightly aggressive. Stronger corrosion attacks can
be expected if with a further decrease in temperature the sulphuric acid is diluted due
to the absorption of humidity from the ambient atmosphere; the corrosion maximum
will be obtained at 30 % H2SO4.

Steam pressure of humid air and aqueous sulphuric acid

Sulphuric acid will absorb water if the partial pressure of the water vapour at ambient
air is higher than the partial pressure of the water vapour of the diluted sulphuric acid.
At a still tolerable sulphuric acid concentration of 70 % H2SO4 the ambient air may
e.g. have a maximum relative humidity of 5 % so that its vapour pressure is below
the water vapour pressure of the diluted sulphuric acid (see figure above).
If the relative humidity content of the ambient air is maintained below 5 %, the sul-
phuric acid will no longer absorb water. Whether or not the reduction of the relative
ambient air humidity is effected by warming-up or drying, is of little importance for the
intended effect.
Where a residual humidity of 5 % cannot be obtained, mechanical cleaning with sub-
sequent alkaline treatment is required.

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16.1 Preservation methods

The following possibilities exist to avoid off-line corrosion and that deposits take up
moisture:
 the heating surfaces of the shut-down boiler are kept warm at a temperature
above the acid dew-point such that the flue-gas side temperature is also above
the acid dew-point temperature of the surrounding atmosphere due to the reduc-
tion of the relative humidity (thermal method).
 the ingress of moisture is excluded by drying the air in the flue-gas passes (dry air
method).
 during operation, in particular prior to start-up, alkaline additives in excess quanti-
ty are added to reduce, by neutralisation of the acid, the risk of acid attack which
may occur during boiler outage on the heating surface material (chemical meth-
od).
A combination of the various methods described below in detail is possible.
The selection of the preservation method depends on the steam boiler plant opera-
tional requirements. Fast start-up boilers, for example, shall always be kept warm.
For stand-by boilers without scheduled start-up date it may be more useful to select
the dry air method for economic reasons, where practicable.
Where it is however planned that a boiler remains out of operation for a definite peri-
od of time (as is the case, e.g. in the sugar industry off-season), it will be sensible to
clean the heating surface (e.g. with pressurised water, CO2 pellets) or where re-
quired, to apply alkalising chemicals upon drying.

16.1.1 Thermal methods

By keeping the heating surfaces warm the sulphuric acid contained in the deposits
shall be prevented from absorbing moisture from the air which would allow humidity
to wet the hygroscopic deposits. The warm-up temperature shall be selected such
that the sulphuric acid concentration is not less than 70 % at the respective relative
humidity of cold air.
According to matching data from test results obtained one is on the safe side by
keeping the air warm > 70 °C, i.e. even if the cold air temperature ranges between 15
and 20 °C and the relative humidity is 100 %, the acid concentration will not be less
than required with this warm-up temperature.
It is always recommended to install a so-called “flue-gas barrier” upstream of the flue-
gas duct entry into the stack so that heat dissipation due to stack draught is mini-
mised.

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Rotary air heaters shall be kept in operation.

The boilers can be kept warm in various ways as follows:
 Keeping the boiler warm with heat supplied to the water-steam circuit
 The temperature can be maintained by direct admission of auxiliary steam espe-
cially to the heat-recovery section, with the steam e.g. being taken from a boiler
operating in the neighbourhood.
 As a rule, modern power station units designed for short start-up times are pro-
vided with a specific heat conservation cycle to keep the boiler at the temperature
prerequisite to fast start-up. As a rule, this temperature is higher than the temper-
ature required for preservation.
This circuit for keeping the boiler warm may also be used for thermal preservation.
A small circulation pump supplies a certain feedwater volume from the feedwater
tank via the feedheating system into the boiler and finally into the separating or blow-
down vessel from which the feedwater returns to the feedwater tank. Heat from auxil-
iary steam is supplied from a neighbouring boiler or a steam main in a controlled
manner into the feedwater tank.
In case of natural-circulation boilers it is recommended to directly inject heating
steam into the bottom evaporator header.
Boilers equipped with a steam or hot-water heated air heater may be kept warm by
means of the intake air flow if independent admission of air to the air heater is possi-
ble. In any case, economic considerations shall result in the procedure to be pre-
ferred.
Heat may also be supplied to the boiler via heating equipment installed in the boiler.
In the sugar industry, the combustion chamber e.g. is provided with heating coils to
which auxiliary steam is admitted. It is also possible to use electrically heated equip-
ment.

16.1.2 Dry air method

By using air dryers the atmosphere in the flue-gas passes may be dehumidified such
that the hygroscopic deposits remain dry and sulphuric acid components with little
corrosion tendency are found at sufficiently low-aqueous concentration.
The dry air flow and thus the efficiency of the drying equipment shall be rated such
that the air volume in the boiler is completely exchanged within approx. 2 to 3 hours.
With this air flow the moisture will diffuse into the dry air flow thus balancing the rela-
tive humidity so that moisture is extracted in the whole boiler system.
It is reasonable to connect the air drying unit upon boiler shutdown at a temperature
level at which the humidity of the surrounding atmosphere has not yet entered the
boiler system.

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As humidity diffusion from even far corners into the dry air flow requires a certain
time it is unreasonable to apply this preservation method for short outage periods.
Air dryers may be used in both throttled through-flow and closed-circuit operation.
In case of boilers without rotary air heater the drying equipment shall be connected
either to the flue-gas duct upstream of the stack or to the combustion chamber. In
case of boilers with rotary air heater the drying equipment shall, as a rule, be con-
nected at the air intake of the rotary air heater
When connecting the dryers, the air-intake openings of the boiler shall be closed.
The dry air will flow through the rotary air heater and the air ducts into the boiler
combustion chamber and then through the flue-gas path to the rotary air heater and
pass the boiler exit.
It is possible to have split dry air flows passed completely through the flue-gas side of
the boiler and the air-side of the rotary heater.
It will finally depend on boiler design whether decision is to be made on one or sev-
eral air flows.
The dry air supplied will absorb moisture and flow through the gaps of the incom-
pletely sealed flue-gas and air dampers of the boiler to the outside.
The dampers, however, shall be at least tight enough to allow for a slight over-
pressure in the dry-air loaded boiler such that ingress of humid air from the outside is
prevented. An extension of the outlet cross-section is possible at any time by opening
individual dampers. Where the dampers are not tight enough and the outlet cross-
section is therefore too large, inflatable plastic bubbles or plastic tarpaulins can be
used.
The humidity at critical boiler heating surfaces should be measured continuously dur-
ing the first drying processes.
During later routine operation occasional checks will suffice.
Dryers in closed-circuit operation shall be used such that the dry air enriched with
moisture from the boiler is re-directed to the dryer suction side. The moisture content
of this air on the dryer suction side will exceed the relative humidity of the outside air
upon a more or less long time so that this may lead to an accelerated drying process
compared to the aforementioned process.
During drying in throttled flow-through operation the dryer will be loaded by the out-
side air with the same relatively constant humidity
However, the air enriched with humidity from the boiler contains solid particles. This
will surely lead to the replacement of dryer air filters more frequently than is required
for the suction of air from the boiler surroundings.

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This process also requires careful sealing-off of dampers to prevent moisture-loaded

outside air from being drawn in when the air flow to be re-directed is sucked from the
boiler (vacuum). At the suction side of the dryer a partial fresh air flow shall be intro-
duced to avoid vacuum at the suction inlet.
This process of using dryers in closed-circuit operation is especially recommended if
the relative humidity in the boiler cannot be reduced successfully to the extent re-
quired in which case the dry air flow then must be heated additionally. With this pro-
cess the thermal method is practically combined with the utilisation of dryers, and
with the closed circuit and appropriate sealing-off of all dampers the heat losses will
be reduced to a greater extent than is obtained with the dry air process in throttled
flow-through operation (where the dry air flow is also to be heated additionally).

16.1.3 Blast cleaning and preservation with alkalised pressurized water

Where due to the fouling situation (layers which upon making an aqueous extract
show acid reaction) wet cleaning of the heating surfaces is required, corrosion can
largely be prevented by the use of alkalised pressurized water and subsequent dry-
ing and keeping the heating surfaces dry. Where required, the additional application
of alkalising chemicals (e.g. magnesium oxide, dolomite) on the heating surfaces
may provide further corrosion protection.
The legal emission regulations shall be observed when discharging waste water and
sludge.

16.1.4 Chemical methods

Besides the alkalisation during wet cleaning of boilers and subsequent drying, chem-
ical preservation may be obtained without cleaning of heating surfaces. Prior to shut-
down or during outage, alkalising additives or chemicals are supplied to the boiler in
excessive amounts to avoid acid attacks which may occur during boiler outage.
The objective is to neutralize the deposits at any location in the flue-gas passes by
sufficient amounts of additives.
The duration and amount of additives vary depending on the type, size and contami-
nation of the boiler and shall be determined upon results obtained from special tests.
Only little operating experience on such methods has been gained up to now as
these methods have been applied very rarely and, when applied, only for short time
preservation.
This method is primarily used for oil-fired boilers.

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16.2 Flue-gas side preservation of coal-fired steam generators

In general, dry deposits on heating surfaces of coal-fired steam generators are not
aggressive. If they absorb moisture, they are not prone to corrosion due to their
mostly alkaline ash composition, but tend to undesirable fouling. For this reason, the
flue-gas side should be kept dry.
Where the formation of acid deposits is possible due to fuel composition, there is the
risk of corrosion due to unfavourable ash composition. In such a case, cleaning
methods (e.g. sootblowing) are required for boiler plant shutdown. Upon shutdown it
is recommended to fully analyse the furnace ash. The ash analysis will provide valu-
able information on ash corrosiveness.

16.3 Flue-gas side preservation of oil-fired steam generators

Off-line corrosion on flue-gas side heating surfaces of oil-fired boilers is classified as
acid corrosion.
The main cause of off-line corrosion on flue-gas side heating surfaces is the for-
mation of humid deposits. Where heating surfaces, such as the cold air heater end
and the feedwater heater, are under the prevailing acid dew point even during normal
boiler operation (mostly between 120 °C and 160 °C depending on operating condi-
tions), there will be a thin sulphuric acid layer which will not be augmented further
during boiler outage and thus shows only little corrosiveness. A portion of the sulphur
oxides (SO2 and SO3) generated during combustion reacts with the various ash-
forming constituents in the fuel oil to sulfatic compounds, which are found in normal
boiler operation above the flue-gas dew point as dry deposits on the heating surfac-
es.
Some chemical compounds of these deposits are hygroscopic to a great extent
which means that, in dependence of the relative humidity and the temperature pre-
vailing, they are capable of absorbing enormous quantities of moisture from the at-
mosphere. The hygroscopic characteristics of a deposit, i.e. the water quantity ab-
sorbable by the deposit, primarily depend on its chemical composition which again
depends on the fuel oil ash composition and on the temperature range in the boiler
where deposits have occurred.
Moreover, the absorption of moisture depends on the relative humidity of the atmos-
phere. The lesser the relative humidity of the atmosphere in the boiler is, the smaller
is the risk of corrosion.
In case of boiler shutdown and subsequent cooling, such heating surface deposits
absorb moisture which then will partly dissolve the solid deposits. Among other
things, sulphuric acid will be generated due to hydrolysis in these humid deposits,
which due to its strongly acid reaction will cause extensive corrosion damage on the
respective heating surfaces in the long run.

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Tests have shown that at the same temperature deposits in oil-fired boilers will ab-
sorb only fractures of moisture if the humidity content of the air is low.
This is of importance for operational preservation as experience has shown that at a
relative humidity of the air less than 20 % only greatly delayed off-line corrosion will
occur.
The following measures may be taken to avoid that deposits become humid and thus
off-line corrosion is activated:
 The off-line boiler is kept warm at a temperature highly above the dew point in the
flue-gas passes atmosphere thus reducing its relative humidity (thermal method).
 The relative humidity of the air in the flue-gas passes is reduced by withdrawing
water (without increasing the boiler temperature) by means of suitable drying
equipment (dry-air method). As heat losses in the boiler preserved by this method
are very low, the energy expenditure required is generally lower that that required
with the thermal method.
 During operation, especially during boiler shutdown, alkalising additives in excess
quantity are added so that an acid attack on the heating surface material possible
during boiler outage is minimised (chemical method).
Nevertheless, a combination of the abovementioned methods is possible.
The selection of the preservation method should depend on boiler operational re-
quirements. A boiler which e.g. is on stand-by for minutes or hour reserve shall al-
ways be kept warm. Where this boiler is, however, subject to scheduled shutdown in
the summer half-year and has to be started up in case of failure of base-load power
station units, it will be more useful to select the dry air method for economic reasons,
where practicable.
Where it is however sure that a boiler remains out of operation for a definite period of
time (as is the case e.g. in the sugar industry off-season), it may be useful to use
chemical methods, i.e. to neutralise the acid corrosive deposits by additives during
boiler plant shutdown.
In any case, the cost of the respective method should be considered. Keeping the
boiler warm is expensive unless sufficient process heat is available.
However, the costs do not always depend on the method selected, but also on the
plant condition, the quality of heat insulation, leak tightness of air and flue-gas damp-
ers, etc.

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16.4 Flue-gas side preservation of steam generators fired with substitute fuels
No generally valid information can be given on corrosion-protection measures for
steam generators fired with such fuels as biomass, residual and substitute fuels.
The causes of corrosion often are very different. Therefore, exact observation of the
heating surfaces during outages is required. Where required, the corrosive constitu-
ents of the deposits may be determined by sampling and chemical analyses. The
preventive measures to be taken shall be determined from case to case where the
aforementioned methods may also be applied.

16.5 Flue-gas side preservation of waste-heat recovery boilers

In case of waste-heat recovery boilers it shall be taken into account that during the
gas turbine shutdown process there will be temperature reductions on the flue-gas
side so that on the outside, i.e. coldest area of the condensate preheater, the tem-
perature will, for a short time, be less than the sulphuric acid dew-point temperature.
This also applies to low-sulphur fuels such as natural gas, but especially to liquid
fuels (e.g. light fuel oil) with higher sulphur contents. Where liquid fuels are burnt, it is
therefore recommended – prior to shutdown – to change over to low-sulphur natural
gas and then shutdown the plant to minimise the generation of sulphuric acid to the
extent possible or, with the low acid dew point achieved, only the external 1 to 2 tube
rows of the condensate preheater are subjected to sulphuric acid.
As already mentioned at the beginning of chapter 16, this sulphuric acid film is only
slightly corrosive at the beginning of outage, but with a decrease in temperature and
consequently increased absorption of humidity a very strong corrosive film will devel-
op within a short time.
The corrosive products that will develop (ferrous sulphate in it essentials) will – on
the one hand – adhere between the tube fins and affect heat transfer during later op-
eration, and on the other hand these corrosive products are strongly hygroscopic and
will again generate corrosive deposits to a great extent during the next outage.

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Examples

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Where a flue-gas damper is installed at the stack, it should be closed in any case
thus reducing convection through the gas turbine and the waste-heat boiler and min-
imising constant ingress of air humidity. Otherwise, condensation will occur in the gas
turbine and the waste-heat boiler in case of weather changes. In such cases, a tem-
porary closure of the flue-gas path by means of an “air cushion” may be effective to
prevent convection. In addition, a dry-air blower should be installed to permanently
reduce the humidity to less than 30 % relative humidity.
A further possibility of reducing the risk of off-line corrosion is keeping the boiler or
condensate preheater warm (e.g. by supplying steam to the water/steam side).
Where extensive deposits are formed, it is recommended to remove the deposits by
washing with alkalines prior to preservation, as otherwise moisture will quasi be en-
closed below the deposits and thus no defined drying process will be achieved.

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17 Flue-gas cleaning systems

Flue-gas cleaning systems comprise all plant parts and components intended to
serve the secondary flue-gas cleaning and treatment processes.
Dust deposits and caking on the flue-gas side may lead to corrosion and system de-
activation in connection with moisture. This may also lead to damage on movable
parts (e.g. flue-gas damper) and expansion joints.

17.1 NOx reduction systems

There are two circuit arrangements
 High-dust arrangement
 Tail-end arrangement
In the high-dust circuit the flue gases will flow downstream of the boiler directly into
the catalyst, whereas in the tail-end circuit the flue gases first flow through the scrub-
ber and the flue-gas reheating system and then into the catalyst.

17.1.1 High-dust catalyst

When shutting down the power station unit all catalyst layers should be completely
cleaned at least once with the installed cleaning equipment (sonic horns or rake-type
sootblower) to prevent catalyst deactivation and permanent blocking of the catalyst
surface. Upon completion of manual boiler cleaning, the ammonia injection system
and the catalyst shall therefore be blown through by means of compressed-air lances
with the forced-draught fan being operated, and this in due consideration of the
health and safety regulations at workplace. In case of extended outage (> 4 weeks) it
is also recommended to perform subsequent fine cleaning and remove blockage by
means of industrial vacuum cleaners or e.g. dual-liquid guns (air-water).
Further preservation measures shall be taken along with the flue-gas side compo-
nents (cf. Chapter 16) to prevent temperatures from falling below dew-point level
(supply of warm air, if necessary).
To avoid sticking of the sootblowers they shall be moved mechanically (every three
months).

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17.1.2 Tail-end catalyst

The tail-end circuit arrangement is used whenever the high-dust circuit is not possi-
ble. In this case, the flue gas coming from the scrubber has to be reheated. To this
end, a recuperative gas heater and an auxiliary heating system, either a steam air
heater (live steam) or oil-firing or gas-firing system is used.
Where an oil-firing system is used for flue-gas reheating, residues will remain on the
catalyst surfaces which should be sucked off to prevent lasting contamina-
tion/plugging and deactivation. In this case, it is recommended to additionally blow
through the catalysts by means of compressed-air guns if extended outage is
planned.
Usually it will suffice to clean the DeNOx regenerative air heater by low-pressure
flushing to wash out corrosion-causing deposit constituents. Subsequent drying by
means of natural draught will also suffice. Where significantly high pressure losses
are ascertained on the flue-gas side prior to plant shutdown, high-pressure flushing
instead of low-pressure flushing should be performed. Frequent washing may also
lead to corrosion damage as most of the components are made of standard steels.
Therefore, this measure shall be reviewed in each individual case.
For preservation purposes, the plant incl. recuperative air heater and auxiliary heat-
ing system should be sealed off and temperatures be prevented from falling below
dew-point level (warm air supply, if required). (see also remarks on high-dust SCR in
chapter 17.1.1).
To prevent damage on bearings the rotor drive of the DeNOx regenerative air heater
shall be operated regularly (monthly) for approx. 10 minutes or the heat exchange
surfaces be moved by some degrees using the crank handle at the main drive.

17.1.3 Ancillary DeNOx systems

Usually, pressure-liquified ammonia or ammonium hydroxide is used for the conver-
sion of nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and hydrogen.

17.1.3.1 Storage of ammonium hydroxide

In case of plant shutdown or temporary outage, the obligations granted with the per-
mit to the German water conservation act and from the safety data sheet as per regu-
lation (EC) No. 1907/2006 for ammonium hydroxide ≤ 25 % shall principally be con-
sidered and be observed. Deviations herefrom are subject to approval by the respec-
tive licensing authority. In countries outside Europe, the respective national rules
shall be observed.
Where the storage system is monitored from the pertinent unit control room and is
checked regularly by plant walkdowns, no further measures need be taken.

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Should the storage system, however, not be monitored from the control room, it is
recommended to drain it. This can simply be done via the designated path during
DeNOx operation or via a suitable disposal system.
In this case, storage tanks, pipework as well as conveying and feeding systems shall
be cleaned (flushing with DI water) and be drained. Plants with ammonium hydroxide
evaporators will be free from NH3 due to disposal of residual liquid during the shut-
down process. Further preservation measures are not necessary in plants usually
made of stainless steels. Trace heating systems may be taken out of operation.

17.1.3.2 Storage of pressure-liquified ammonia

The ammonia-wetted components shall generally be kept dry. As nitrogen supply
systems are available in all storage systems, filling of plant parts with nitrogen is rec-
ommended to prevent ingress of humid air, and the pressure gauges installed can
easily be used for monitoring purposes.
Where desiccants, e.g. silica gel, are used alternatively, dirt and moisture may enter
the systems when being opened.
Upon last use, the plant shall be sealed with 1 bar (gauge) nitrogen atmosphere to
prevent ingress of moisture. The system pressure should be checked once per
month and should not sink below 0.5 bar (gauge). The pressure monitoring/alarm
system may also be integrated in the I&C system if the latter remains in operation.
Depending on plant and operating licence the storage tank or one out of several
tanks may remain filled with ammonia. The system pressure will prevent ingress of
air or foreign matter. To this end, all monitoring and protective equipment (e.g. am-
monia monitoring systems, irrigation system, I&C equipment) shall be operating fur-
ther. With a filled tank a generation unit can be taken into operation without previous
ammonia delivery. Among certain circumstances, this may alleviate logistics at plant
site.
Drained tanks with 1 bar (gauge) shall be sealed with nitrogen atmosphere. The sys-
tem pressure should be checked once per month and should not sink below 0.5 bar
(gauge). The pressure monitoring/alarm system may also be integrated in the I&C
system if the latter remains in operation. This also applies to the evaporator and the
transfer line for dilution/distribution.

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17.2 Electrostatic precipitator (ESP)

The casing and internals of the electrostatic precipitator largely consist of standard
steel and therefore shall be protected against deposits and moisture.

17.2.1 Electrostatic precipitator casing with electrodes and rapping system,

insulators
Upon shutdown, during boiler cleaning the permanent rapping system of the collec-
tor/discharge electrodes shall be taken into operation. Upon completion of continuous
rapping the hoppers shall be emptied. Upon shutdown of the ESP an inspection shall
finally be made. To this end, the temperature in the ESP shall be lowered upon shut-
down of the heating system (to obtain an internal temperature < 35 °C) and the ESP
shall be earthed. During the inspection the insulators should be controlled for con-
tamination and be cleaned, if necessary. Dust deposits on platforms or in hoods shall
be removed. Caking and deposits on electrodes (discharge and collector electrodes)
shall also be removed completely by manual action. Upon cleaning, the hoppers shall
again be emptied completely. Caking in hopper areas shall be removed.
In case of extended outages the trace heating system may be taken out of operation
upon complete cleaning of the ESP and the hoppers.
During long-term outages the discharge and collector electrode rappers shall be
functionally tested (by a few rotations) approx. every 4 to 6 weeks.

17.3 ESP ancillary systems

17.3.1 High-voltage units

No specific measures need be taken for high-voltage units.

17.3.2 Ash disposal

The ash handling system shall be emptied (conveying lines and feeder hoppers),
even in case of short-term outage.
Ash silos shall also be emptied and in case of extended outages (outage > 6 months)
be emptied completely and be cleaned, if required.
Air inlet gates to the ash disposal system (e.g. to feeder hoppers) shall be closed if
the compressed-air system is operated further.
The ash conveying line shall be shut off to avoid condensation of water in the pipes.

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17.4 Fabric filter

During boiler cleaning the continuous cleaning system of the filter bags shall be taken
into operation. Upon completion of cleaning the hoppers shall be emptied. Having
cooled down the filters an inspection shall be made subsequently. To this end, the
temperature in the filter shall be lowered upon shutdown of the heating system (to
obtain an internal temperature < 35 °C). When inspecting the filter, the clean gas
chamber should be checked for contamination and damaged bags, if any, be re-
placed. When inspecting the system through the hoppers (on the dust-laden side),
the bags shall also be checked for damage, deposits and caking. Deposits and cak-
ing shall be removed and damaged bags be replaced. Upon cleaning, the hoppers
shall again be emptied completely and caking in hopper areas shall be removed.
The flue-gas and clean-gas dampers should be closed during outage to prevent in-
gress of humid air.
In case of extended outages the filter shall be sealed-off upon cleaning and replace-
ment of damaged bags, and the trace heating system be shut off.

17.5 Fabric filter ancillary systems

17.5.1 Cleaning system/compressed-air supply

Air isolation valves used for fabric filter cleaning shall be closed unless no inherent
compressed-air supply for cleaning is available.

17.5.2 Ash disposal

See chapter 17.3.2 (ash disposal of electrostatic precipitator)

17.6 Flue-gas desulphurisation system (FGD)

17.6.1 Absorber inlet

The surfaces contaminated with deposits shall be cleaned, e.g. by high-pressure
cleaners.
Temporary sealing should be provided at the transition to the roll-clad area to avoid
creeping flow and thus contamination of the “white” metal area.
The upstream “black plate” duct sections should be checked for corrosion prior to re-
start. If the black duct section clearly shows corrosion, the “white” section shall be
provided with a protective coating for the first operating hours. The flue-gas expan-
sion joint shall be cleaned.

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17.6.2 Absorber with spray bank and mist eliminator

Upon shutdown of the plant (shutdown program with reduction of particulate matter
content) the absorber shall be checked and be cleaned from top to bottom, where
necessary.
In case of short-term outage a dilute suspension may be left in the absorber in which
case the agitators shall remain covered. The basket strainers in the scrubber sump
shall be cleaned.
In case of long-term outages (> 6 months) the absorber should be completely emp-
tied and caking be removed. (Caution: Bacterial growth under caking possible). Then
fill the absorber with fresh water to a level of approx. 1 to 1.5 m (leave pump lines
filled with water) and put agitators out of operation. The rubber coating shall always
be kept under humid atmosphere to prevent drying of the coating at its surface. Other
rubber-coated vessels/tanks should be kept under humid atmosphere (e.g absorber
slop discharge tank). Open rubber-coated tanks shall be protected against solar radi-
ation and ultraviolet light.
In case of frost, the agitators in non-encased absorbers shall be put into operation,
where required, to dissipate thermal energy and the water level shall be filled to ap-
prox. 1m above the agitator wings, or other frost protection measures shall be taken.
In case of long-term outages over several years it is recommended to provide a ref-
erence surface of the rubber coating to check for:
 tear resistance,
 hardness,
 peel strength (adhesion).
thus making assessment of condition possible when re-starting the system.
It is also recommended to isolate the scrubber from the flue-gas duct section to avoid
corrosion in the flue-gas section.
Rubber-coated piping shall be drained, flushed and isolated, where required, (close
and regularly activate dampers), to keep the moisture if there is no connection to the
absorber. The trace heating system may be shut off to avoid drying.
Pump sumps and conduits shall be drained and cleaned.
The locally required fire protection measures (fire protection concept) shall be ob-
served during outage (if required, a mobile fire alarm system shall be provided).
Absorbers made of stainless steels can be left filled with water.

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17.7 FGD ancillary systems

The preservation measures for water-containing systems depend on the location of
installation, where local and economic considerations will be decisive. This especially
applies to the decision whether the systems are to be drained completely or be filled
with fresh water.
 Process pumps shall be flushed and be drained, where necessary. Depending on
the material used they shall also be preserved, if required (see manufacturer’s in-
structions).
 In unheated buildings all vessels/tanks and pipework shall be emptied.
 The standstill heating systems for motors shall be kept operating.
 Heating systems for switching stations shall be under live voltage.
In case of dampers care shall be taken to ensure that the damper disks do not stick
to the gaskets, i.e. the dampers shall be moved regularly or be left open.

17.7.1 Absorber circulation pumps (large pumps)

The absorber circulation pump should be filled with fresh water and be shut down
(not required for mineral cast pumps).
Where the pumps are filled, the filling level shall be checked regularly (e.g. weekly)
and the pumps be refilled, if required (do not leave the pumps set under atmos-
phere), as otherwise strong corrosion will occur (see figure hereafter).
Where a preservation period of more than 6 months is intended, it is recommended
to provide mineral cast pumps with a drain including de-tensioning of the mechanical
seal, where the design makes it possible.
In case of anti-friction bearings the pump shaft should be manually rotated to another
position every 14 days to avoid point loading on the bearings.

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Example for a destroyed impeller due to air oxidation

17.7.2 Suspension pumps (e.g. gypsum discharge pump)

Upon shutdown of the pump (> 4 weeks) a clear liquid shall be rinsed through for
approx. 5 minutes to remove solid matter from the pump and lines and to dilute the
medium conveyed. Proper liquid rinsing shall be checked.
Where the pump stands still for a period of several months, the pump shaft shall be
rotated to another position every 14 days to avoid point loading on the bearings.

17.7.3 Pumps, general requirements

The pumps shall be drained and be cleaned/flushed. Where the drive motor has to
be taken into operation for a certain time for the purpose of preservation (of the mo-
tor) the pump shall be disconnected and be controlled prior to re-starting.
Where preservation is intended to exceed one year, extensive preservation
measures may become necessary to meet manufacturer’s specifications.
In particular, the following points shall be observed:
 Pump manufacturer services for preservation and prior to re-start are absolutely
required
 The mechanical seal shall be de-tensioned
 Once per month the pumps shall be rotated approx. 5 times

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 Lubricating oil shall be changed prior to re-start

 Adjust mechanical seal prior to re-start
The spare parts inventory (mechanical seal and bearings) shall be checked in time
prior to planned re-start and be increased, if required, upon consultation of manufac-
turer.

17.7.4 Pipework and valves

Piping shall be drained and be cleaned/flushed. Prior to re-start a visual check should
be made.
The valves in drained systems should be operated to open position, where possible
(extract soft seals from seat).

17.7.5 Compressors
For short shutdown periods – up to 2 months – no specific measures need be taken.
However, care shall be taken to ensure that prior to each shutdown the compressor
is operated under suction throttle control for 15 minutes to make sure that the com-
pressor stages are subject to the so-called “dry preservation process”.
Condensation shall be avoided. The oil pump of the compressor shall be activated
once per month for approx. 5 to 10 minutes and the clutch be rotated slightly.
Long-term preservation (for up to 2.5 years) should be performed by the compressor
manufacturer.
The oxidation air compressors shall be disconnected from the system and be pre-
served for the duration of standstill.
For extended shutdown periods – 2 months and over – the screw compressor system
shall be preserved (to manufacturer’s specification).
It is recommended to perform an inspection prior to re-start.

17.7.6 Agitators
The side-entry agitators should be manually rotated to another position every 4
weeks, if possible.
The operating and maintenance instructions (agitator incl. mechanical seals) shall be
observed. Lubricating oils shall be exchanged to meet operating instructions.
Where the preservation period exceeds one year, more extensive measures may be
taken to meet manufacturer’s specifications.
Prior to re-start the manufacturer should perform an inspection.

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17.7.7 Measuring equipment

Oxygen reduction potential (ORP) and pH measuring devices shall be disassembled,
be cleaned and be stored to manufacturer’s specifications.

17.7.8 Gypsum drainage systems

17.7.8.1 Hydrocyclones
All systems (incl. pipings) shall be drained and be cleaned (flushed). Where rubber-
lined components are present, possible damp environments shall be taken into ac-
count.
Plastic and rubber-lined components shall be protected from ultraviolet light and be
covered by tarpaulins, where required.
Prior to or during re-start the functionability of dampers and drives should be checked
or, in case of extended outages, the dampers should be left open.

17.7.8.2 Vacuum band filter

All medium-wetted parts shall be thoroughly cleaned to remove solid deposits and be
flushed. To this end, the filter cloth shall be removed, if required, and the vacuum box
be opened.
A damp environment shall be provided for rubber-lined components.
Rubber-lined components (carrying belt, rollers) and parts made of polypropylene
shall be protected from sunlight and ultraviolet light and be covered by tarpaulins,
where required.
Upon shutdown of the vacuum band filter the bearings of rollers and carrying-belt
support rollers should be lubricated (by moving the carrying belt the rollers will be
rotated).
The drums loaded by the tension of the belt shall be rotated weekly by lowering or
tilting the vacuum box (avoidance of loading on the same surface).
At a standstill period to exceed 6 months the carrying belt shall be de-tensioned and
be rotated at least every 8 to 12 weeks by approx. 3 to 5 meters in conveying direc-
tion by lowering or tilting the vacuum box until the belt sections which originally were
located on the deflection pulleys are located on horizontal level (avoidance of defor-
mations).
In the case of filters with sliding deck it shall be ensured that the belt does not stick
on the deck. To this end, the deck may be treated with silicon oil or water shall be
provided to ensure gliding.

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17.7.8.3 Vacuum pumps

The drive motors including gearing and belt drive shall be rotated approx. five times
at regular intervals (at least every three months).
In case of vacuum pumps the type of material used shall be considered. The manu-
facturer’s preservation instructions shall be observed.

17.7.8.3.1 Stainless steel pumps

The pump shall be drained completely, if possible, and bare metallic surfaces shall
be painted or spayed with anti-rust paint.
Where pumps are provided with gland packing, the glands and excess water shall be
removed, anti-rust paints be applied on shaft surfaces in the packing area and new
glands be inserted.
Every four weeks, the rotors shall be rotated 5 to 10 times.

17.7.8.3.2 Stainless steel pumps

For grey-cast iron/steel pumps comprehensive preservation is compulsorily required,
and the following steps should be taken:
 Completely drain the pump, if possible.
 Fill one third of the pump (one half in case of systems) with preservative (acc. to
manufacturer’s operating instructions) and manually rotate the rotor 5 to 10 times.
 Where pumps are to be stored, cover flanges and seal with adhesive tape.
 Paint or spray bare metallic surfaces with anti-rust paint.
 Pumps with gland packings: remove glands and excess water, apply anti-rust
paint on shaft surfaces in the packing area, and insert new glands.
 Every two weeks rotate rotor 5 to 10 times. Every fourth times check preservative
level and refill, where necessary.
Prior to re-start the preservatives shall be flushed out.

17.7.8.4 Gypsum silo

The gypsum silo shall be emptied and the gypsum be removed.

17.7.8.5 Absorbent supply

After three months, the absorbent should be supplied to the circuit. In case of ex-
tended plant outage periods, the silos shall be emptied completely, if possible, but at
least the silo content be transferred to another storage system.

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17.8 Other flue-gas wetted plant components

The other flue-gas wetted plant components comprise heat transfer and displace-
ment systems, flue-gas ducts, induced-draught fan and silencer.

17.8.1 Heat transfer systems

17.8.1.1 Steam gas heater

The steam gas heater should be washed out and dried to prevent waterlogging in the
ducts (where required, hot-air fans shall be used).

17.8.1.2 Regenerative gas heater

At short-term outages (3 to 6 months) no measures need be taken. The regenerative
gas heater as well as Munters driers can be taken out of operation.
In case of extended outages (to exceed 6 months) the regenerative gas heater
should be completely cleaned with high-pressure water upon shutdown to remove
caking and deposits. Cleaning and drying shall also be performed downstream of
seals (radial seals). Upon completion of cleaning, the regenerative gas heater shall
be cleaned completely and left standing dry. Do not supply additional heat, as the
regenerative gas heater is sufficiently insulated. Every three months, the main drive
should be rotated manually to some angle degrees (bearing). Munters dries shall
also be left in shutdown condition.

17.8.1.3 Preservation concept for hose-type heat exchanger systems with water as
heat transfer fluid
Short-term outages
In case of short-term outages it is important whether the outage period lies within the
cold frost season. If this is not the case, no further measures need be taken. Here, it
will suffice to further operate the circulation pumps and maintain constant pressure.
Further measures need not be taken.
Where the outage lies within the frost period, various preservation measures may be
taken to prevent frost damage on heat exchangers:
1. Filling the circuit system with anti-freeze
Only ethylene glycol can be used as anti-freeze as it will neither damage the tub-
ular bundle nor the gaskets used. However, filling of the system will produce
considerable costs. Prior to system start-up the anti-freeze shall be removed to
leave no residues. To this end, at least two flushing processes are required. The
waste water shall be disposed off to meet the respective national water conser-
vation regulations. In case of large systems, the disposal of anti-freeze without

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leaving residues will reach its limits. This removal process, even if technically
feasible, cannot be favoured on grounds of costs. In case of plastic heat
exchangers the anti-freeze will stick to the inside surfaces and will affect heat
transfer.
2. Operation of standstill heating system or connection of mobile heating system.
In some power plants, especially in northern countries with strong winters, stand-
still heating systems will be provided. In case of several power station units,
steam passes through a heat exchanger thus heating the water in the idle units.
Here, care shall be taken to ensure that the circulation pumps and the pressure
pump are further operated to distribute the heat and all valves are provided with
trace heating systems to prevent frost damage. If no standstill heating system is
available, a mobile heating system with an appropriate output may alternatively
be connected to the water circuit. In each water circuit the connection of such a
completely independently functioning heating system is possible. Such ready-to-
operate systems are supplied on trailers and only need be connected to the wa-
ter circuit. Since here considerable renting and operating costs can be expected
this possibility should be exactly calculated prior to utilizing such systems.
3. Sealing of the flue-gas duct and heating by means of heating register.
Direct heating of the tubular bundle by means of an electric heating register has
proved to be a simple and cost-effective possibility to bridge short frost periods.
At first, bulkhead walls made of blankets or thick foils should be provided to min-
imise residual cold air flows through the flue-gas duct. Then the room shall be
sufficiently heated with a heating register. At the same time, the circulation
pumps shall be operated and the trace heating system be operated at 100 %
output. The water temperature shall be monitored. However, if the water temper-
ature further decreases despite these measures and an increased heating
system output in the flue-gas duct, the connection of a mobile heating system as
standstill heating shall be taken into account as described under 2.

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Long-term outages
In case of extended outages to exceed 6 months it is advised to proceed to another
type of preservation to minimise ongoing operating costs and ensure plant safety. In
this case, the water circuit shall be drained, the bundles be disassembled and be
drained and all other components be preserved. Draining of the tube bundles in dis-
assembled condition is required, as blowing through of the bundles in assembled
condition does not ensure complete removal of water and the blowing-through
process may damage the tube bundle. In addition, the channel covers shall be re-
moved and be protected against corrosion.
Upon completion of draining, the safety valves and frost-sensitive valves shall be
disassembled and be stored dry and frost-free. The openings in the piping system
then shall be closed with plastic caps to protect the pipings usually made of unal-
loyed steel against corrosion. Flange faces shall be preserved with wax coating.
All ancillary systems shall also be preserved to meet pertinent specifications.
The table hereafter comprises the long-term preservation activities for hose-type heat
exchanger bundles. This summary does not replace careful planning of preservation
measures, but present a first guide on the work to be performed.

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Component Preservation measures Regular checks

Raw gas containing Flushing of tube bundle. Disassembly of

tube bundle bundle, wax coating of channels and
tubesheets (corrosion protection),
re-assembly of bundle for storage without
hydraulic connection, closing of all open-
ings with caps
Secondary heat ex- Depending on design Depending on design
changer
Pressure pump Flushing, draining and drying, closing of Weekly check of nitrogen filling, re-
flange connections with blind flanges, filling where required
filling with nitrogen for corrosion protection
NaOH dosing pump Remove NaOH, cleaning, storage of dos-
ing pump, closing of openings, insulation
of measuring instruments
Pipings Provide open flange connections with wax Regular checks at water inlets
coating, close open flange connections
with plastic caps, open vents and drains,
appropriately flush prior to re-start
Valves Disassembly of all external valves endan-
gered by frost, storage of these valves,
storage of measuring instruments and
transducers
Foil linings Closing of manholes, closing of body Keep lined ducts free from frost, in
openings (sealing of re-assembled case of extreme frost reheat ducts
drained tube bundles), closing of raw gas with heating register, where required
outlet openings, closing of raw gas inlet
hood, temperature monitoring
Circulation pumps Flush, drain and dry pumps. Spray Rotate shaft once a month
preservation wax on pump inside surfaces
as well as on suction and discharge
branches, oil all bare surfaces, cover
open flange connections with plastic caps,
cover pump with foils

Preservation measures to be taken for main components of heat exchanging system

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In any case, the preservation of a heat exchanger system means an expenditure that
should not be underestimated and therefore should be taken into account as early as
at the planning stage of plant outages.
Especially the measures to be taken for returning to normal operating condition after
preservation are very time-consuming and in any case shall be included in the plan-
ning process for power plant re-start.

17.8.2 Heat displacement system

Heat displacement systems are made of enameled steel, enameled steel with PFA
sheath or tubes fully made of PFA.
Where the heat displacement system circuit has to be taken out of operation for an
extended period of time (several months or years) due to power plant shutdown or
has to be preserved for a possible plant re-start, the following precautions shall be
taken:
On the water side
Principally, there are two alternatives for extended preservation on the water side:
1. Regular circulation of the recirculation water if operation of the circulating pumps
can be ensured. To prevent frost damage it shall be ensured that the system is
sufficiently heated, where required. This applies to all systems.
2. Draining of the complete system by emptying water at provided piping and circuit
system low points.
In case of heat exchangers with vertical U-tubes (i.e. draining by gravity not pos-
sible) the following applies:
 Prior to plant shutdown the flue gas coolers shall be evaporated at tempera-
tures clearly above 100 °C. Alternatively, each module may be blown through
in advance with compressed air.
 Clean gas pre-heaters may be disassembled upon plant shutdown, be put into
horizontal position by using the pertinent transport/assembly gauges and be
drained this way. Subsequently, they may be re-assembled into the plant. Al-
ternatively, each module may be blown through in advance with compressed
air.
 Finally, the complete system including heat exchangers shall be filled with ni-
trogen to prevent corrosion on carbon steels (this applies to enameled steel
and enameled steel with PFA sheath).

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On the flue gas side

To prevent hardening of dirt deposits during the preservation period, it shall be en-
sured that the flue gas coolers are in clean condition. Deposits, if any, resulting from
operation shall be cleaned off. Under certain circumstances, manual cleaning of the
tube bundles may be taken into account. In case of PFA sheathed tubes cleaning
shall be effected with water and at low pressures.

17.8.3 Flue gas ducts with dampers and expansion joints

The dampers shall be shut off. In case of contact points with operational lines the
seal air fans shall be operated further.
As long as no flue gas is present, the seal air fans may be shut off. The bearings
shall be greased and expansion joints be cleaned.
Ducts without corrosion protection
Downstream of the FGD inlet the duct should be sealed off (by damper or temporary
cover with tarpaulin). No further measures need be taken.
Ducts with corrosion protection
Spray ducts with water, clean and leave them standing dry.

17.8.4 Air heater

Operate sootblowers prior to shutdown. No further measures need be taken. Rotate
crankhandle on main drive every three months to move heat exchange surfaces by
some angle degrees (protection of bearing).

17.8.5 Induced-draught fan with hydraulic station

Oil supply system for lube oil pumps
One of the two lube oil pumps shall be taken into operation in which case the oil
quantity supplied to the individual bearing locations shall be checked at the unit flow
meters. The pertinent values shall be read from the list “Set values”. The lube oil
pump may be operated until the oil tank temperature has attained approx. 40 °C. The
temperature may be read on the tank. This process shall be repeated every three
months. The rotor shall not be rotated and the oil heating system (where provided)
and the oil coolers need not be in operation for this short pump operational time. The
preservation measures may also be taken without these units. Often even parts of
the cooling water system are empty during preservation.

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Control oil pumps

When taking the lube oil pump into operation, one of the two control oil pumps shall
simultaneously be taken into operation. Having checked the pressures (pressure
gauge on the tank) the impeller adjustment mechanism shall be activated. Then the
impellers shall be rotated ten times over the full adjustment range from end position
to end position.
In this case, the impeller adjustment system shall be checked on-site. Both lube oil
and control oil pumps shall be operated for approx. 3 hours even if the aforemen-
tioned 40 °C have been attained. When taking these measures care shall be taken to
ensure that the heating system and the cooler are ready-to-operate.

17.8.6 Seal air and cooling air fans

Seal air and cooling air fans should be taken into operation once a month. The fans
should be operated for approx. 5 to 10 minutes. During such trial runs on-site checks
shall be made.

17.8.7 Silencers
The silencers shall be cleaned by rapping and suctioning the splitter walls.

17.8.8 Stack
Drain condensate and rain water via discharge line into the FGD drain pit and pump
off, if required.

17.8.9 Operational measuring devices

Where flushing nozzles are provided on measuring devices, the latter shall be
flushed with water. Ring lines for density and pH measurement shall also be flushed.

17.8.10 Emission measuring devices

Take sampling gas treatment system of extracting measuring devices (e.g. NOx,
SO2) out of operation and clean them. In-situ measuring devices (photo-optical
measurement) for dust, SO2 are maintenance-free.
Where the cleaned gas is discharged via the cooling tower, take heating register for
dust measuring unit as well as sampling gas fan out of operation and clean them.
Preserve the measuring devices to manufacture’s instructions.

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18 Waste-water cleaning plant

Even in the case of short-term outages it is recommended to flush, clean and drain
dosing lines and mixing tanks for lime products as well as sludge-carrying piping.
In addition, all cleaning and flushing waters, water from pump sumps and conduits
shall be disposed off via the waste-water cleaning plant prior to shutdown.
Then the sludge shall be diluted with water, be drained and be flushed off (e.g. tanks,
basins, lime slurry ring line, eccentric screw pumps, filter presses, suspended solid
particle measuring devices, etc.).
Piping that may be subject to freezing shall be drained.
In case of extended outages piping, pumps and valves shall be drained and flushed.
Dampers and shut-off valves shall be put into centre position. Centrifugal pumps and
agitators shall be manually rotated (e.g. once per month). Tanks or basins shall be
cleaned and drained, and in case of lamella clarifiers, sludge residuals shall be dilut-
ed in advance. pH electrodes shall be removed and be stored, usually in KCL solu-
tion, to manufacturer’s specification. Measuring instruments shall be thoroughly
checked prior to plant re-start.
Prime-coated or rubber-lined tanks should be left filled upon cleaning.
As organic flocculants tend to bacterial contamination it is recommended to visually
check the solutions in case of extended outages (> 6 weeks).
If practicable, timely consumption of the solutions may be achieved in case of
planned outages. Contaminated solutions should be disposed off.
Solid flocculants shall be stored dry.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

19 Literature
Akolsin, P.A. et al: Konservierung von Hochleistungskesseln mit Stickstoff, Archiv für
Energiewirtschaft, 1965, Heft 14, S. 559-567, (Übersetzung aus: Teploenergetika, 12
(1965), S. 17-21).
Allianz-Handbuch der Schadenverhütung, Allianz Versicherungs AG, VDI-Verlag,
(1984).
Anderson, R.H.: Cost effective method mothballs a gas-fired power plant, Power
Engineering, (1987), Heft 4, S. 39-41.
Armentano, J.A., Murphy, V.P.: Corrosion protection in standby boilers, Power, 1965,
H. 1, S. 66-67.
Bieber, K.-H., Resch, G.: Vorstellung und Erläuterung der neuen VGB-Richtlinien
„Konservierung von Kraftwerksanlagen“, VGB Kraftwerkstechnik 61 (1981), Heft 7,
Seite 587-593.
Bieber, K.-H.: Einsatz und Bereitschaft von Reservekraftwerken, VGB Kraftwerks-
technik, 59 (1979), Heft 7, S. 531-539.
Bienert, J.: Kesselkonservierung mit Octadecylamin, Energietechnik, 33 (1983), Heft
1, S. 32-34.
Braunton, P.N. et al.: Neuere Erfahrungen des CEGB mit der Stillstandskonservie-
rung von Kraftwerksanlagen durch Steuerung der chemischen Umgebungseinflüsse,
VGB Kraftwerkstechnik, 60 (1980), Heft 1, S. 47-52.
British Standard Method of testing: Water used in industry, Part 117. Long-chain fatty
amines: spectrophotometric method; BS 2690: Part 117.
Bursik, A., Richter, R.: Hinweise für die Praxis der Stillstandskonservierung von
Dampferzeugern, VGB Kraftwerkstechnik, 60 (1980), Heft 9, S. 714-718.
Bursik, A., Richter, R.: Möglichkeiten der Stillstandskonservierung von Kraftwerks-
blöcken, VGB Kraftwerkstechnik, 57 (1977), Heft 4, S. 255-259.
Daucik, K.: Konservierungspraxis bei ELSAM, PowerPlant Chemistry 4 (2002), Heft
3, S. 181-182.
Glazyrin, A.I., Shchetkin, V.S.: Protection of High-pressure Drum Boilers by an
Ammoniacal Solution of Trilon B during Outage, Thermal Engineering, 32 (1985),
Heft 6, S. 337-338.
Göstenkors, T.: Konservierung von Anlagen im Kraftwerk Gersteinwerk, Der Maschi-
nenschaden, 49 (1976), Heft 6, S. 236-242.

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Hahn, K.-F., Seipp, H.-G.: Stillstandskonservierungsmaßnahmen für Turbogruppen

und Wasser-Dampf-Kreisläufe großer EVU-Anlagen, PowerPlant Chemistry 10
(2001), Heft 3, S. 627 ff.
Hater, W., Olivet, D.: Organische Kesselspeisewasser-Additive auf Basis filmbilden-
der Amine, VGB PowerTech 2/2009, 75.
Heitmann, H.-G.: Praxis der Kraftwerk-Chemie, Vulkan-Verlag, Essen, (1997).
Held, H. D.: Kühlwasser, Vulkan-Verlag, Essen, (1994).
Henjes, G. et al: Das Auffüllen, Anwärmen und Konservieren der Trommeln und
Sammler von Dampferzeugern, Mitteilungen der VGB, 50 (1970), Heft 5, S. 394-410.
Hirano, M. et al: Corrosion Behavior of Boiler Materials during Long-Term Layup of a
Fossil Unit, PowerPlant Chemistry 7 (2005), Heft 1, S. 16-20.
Hoffbauer, E.: Die Konservierung großer Dampferzeuger, Mitteilungen der VGB,
1962, Heft 78, S. 146-149.
Hömig, H.E., Zimmermann, M.: Die Nasskonservierung von Dampferzeugern, Mittei-
lungen der VGB, 1962, Heft 78, S. 150-153.
Junkers, G.: Konservierung des 450-t/h-Kessels des 150-MW-Blockes im Kraftwerk
St. Barbara der Saarbergwerke AG, Mitteilungen der VGB, 56 (1976), Heft 9, S. 535-
537.
Kaes, H.: Stillstandskorrosion in Vorwärmern, Mitteilung der VGB, 1963, Heft 1982,
S. 62-64.
Langner, A, Bienert, J., Moldenhauer, D.: Korrosionsschutz von Dampf- und Heiß-
wasserkesseln bei Stillständen, Energietechnik, 35 (1985), Heft 1, S. 12-13.
Leidich, F.-U., Klein, A.: Verhinderung von Stillstandskorrosion an der ND-Turbine
der Kraftwerksanlage Bexbach durch optimiertes Abfahren, VGB PowerTech 86
(2006), Heft 5, S. 96-99.
Mamet, A.P. Taratuta, V.A.: Maßnahmen zur Konservierung von Kraftanlagen, Archiv
für Energiewirtschaft, (1982), Heft 5, S. 382-386, (Übersetzung aus Teploenergetika,
28 (1982), Heft 2, S. 29-31.
Man'kina, N.N. et al: Preservation of Power Station Equipment by the Steam-Water-
Oxygen Method, Thermal Engineering 46 (1999), Heft 7, S. 552-557.
Nosova, N.P.: Water-Chemistry Treatment for Off-load Protection of the Cooling
System for the Combustion Chamber and Duct of a Magnetohydrodynamic Plant,
Thermal Engineering, 33 (1986), Heft 2, S. 106-108.
Reimschüssel, R. et al: Konservierung eines 750-t/h-Kombi-Blockes unter dem
Aspekt des liberalisierten Strommarktes, VGB PowerTech 83 (2003), Heft 10, S.
81-84.

131
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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Resch, G.: Reinigung und Konservierung von Dampferzeugern, Industrie- Anzeiger,

Essen, 1961, Nr. 78, S. 1393-1397.
Resch, G.: Stand der Wasserchemie in Kraftwerksanlagen, BWK, 37 (1985), Heft 5,
S. 197-203.
Rziha, M.: Allgemeine Anweisung für Blockkonservierung, Power Plant Chemistry 4
(2002), Heft 2, S. 110-112.
Savelkoul, J., Oesterholt, F., van Lier, R., Hater, W.: The influence of film forming
amines on the exchange behaviour of condensate polishing resins; VGB PowerTech
(to be published in 8/2014). Abbildung 1: Foto (links) und Schema (rechts) einer Kor-
rosionsmessstrecke nach ASTM D2688 Abbildung 2: Foto von Coupons zur Mes-
sung der Korrosion; links: Stahl, Mitte: Kupfer, rechts: Edelstahl.
Schiffers, A.: Zur Konservierung von Dampfkesseln, Mitteilungen der VGB, 1963,
Heft 83, S. 104-107.
Schmidt, S.: Stillstandskorrosion an Dampferzeugern und deren Vermeidung, Ener-
gietechnik, 30 (1980), Heft 12, S. 475-477.
Steger, H.: Erfahrungen und Überlegungen zur Trockenluftkonservierung von Kraft-
werkskomponenten, VGB Kraftwerkstechnik, 57 (1977), Heft, S. 403-410.
Steger, H.: Rauchgasseitige Kesselkonservierung, VGB Kraftwerkstechnik, 58
(1978), Heft 8, S. 582-584.
Stiller, K., Wittig, T., Urschey, M.: Die Analytik filmbildender Amine; VGB PowerTech
8/2011, 75.
Voges, N., Hater, W.: Verteilungsgleichgewicht und mittlere Oberflächenbelegung
von filmbildenden Aminen; VGB PowerTech 3/2010, 1.
Wigand, P.: Konservierung von Dampfkesselanlagen, Technische Mitteilungen, 70
(1977), Heft 5, S. 272-277.
Wüstenberg, D.: Temporärer Korrosionsschutz von Ausrüstungen für den Bau von
Großanlagen außerhalb Mitteleuropas, Chem.-Ing.-Tech. 55 (1983), Heft 7, S.
543-551.

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20 Standards and Guidelines from Associations

ASME Research Report CRTD-Vol. 66: Consensus for the Lay-Up of Boilers, Tur-
bines, Turbine Condensers, and Auxiliary Equipment (2002).
VGB-Merkblatt VGB-M 214: Rauchgasseitige Reinigung und Konservierung von öl-
befeuerten Dampferzeugern.
VGB Instruction Sheet VGB-M 222e: Invitation to Tender Criteria for Heat Recovery
Steam Generators Downstream of Gas Turbines.
VGB Guideline VGB-R 106e: Tubes for Condensers and Other Heat Exchangers for
Operation of Steam Turbines – Copper Alloys.
VGB Guideline VGB-R 113e: Tubes for Condensers and Other Heat Exchangers for
Operation of Steam Turbines – Stainless Steels.
VGB Guideline VGB-R 114e: Tubes for Condensers and Other Heat Exchangers for
Operation of Steam Turbines – Titanium.
VGB Guideline VGB-R 455e: Water Treatment and Use of Materials in Cooling Sys-
tems.
VGB-Standard VGB-S-010-T-00;2011-12.EN: Feed Water, Boiler Water and Steam
Quality for Power Plants/Industrial Plants.
VGB-Standard VGB-S-036-00-2014-08-EN: Preservation of Steam Turbo-Generator
Sets.
VGB-Standard VGB-S-513-00-2014-07-EN: Internal Cleaning of Water-Tube Steam
Generating Platns and Associated Pipework.
DIN EN ISO 2592: Petroleum and related products – Determination of flash and fire
points – Cleveland open cup method.
DIN EN ISO 6270-2: Paints and varnishes – Determination of resistance to humidity
– Part 2: Condensation (in-cabinet exposure).
DIN EN ISO 8044: Corrosion of metals and alloys – Basic terms and definitions.
ISO 8573-1: Compressed air - Part 1: Contaminants and purity classes.

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21 Abbreviations
Chapter 1 to 5

Abbreviation Explanation

ACC Air-cooled condenser

ALARA principle The ALARA principle is a basic guideline for radiation pro-
tection which means „As Low As Reasonably Achievable“
AVT All Volatile Treatment – volatile alkalization
Operating mode of the water/steam circuit with volatile alka-
lization, either without oxygen scavengers AVT-(O) or in
combination with oxygen scavengers AVT-(R).]
CPS Condensate polishing system
DI water Deionized water [water practically free of organic and inor-
ganic suspended and dissolved matter]
DO Dissolved oxygen
ESP Electrostatic precipitator
FGD Flue-gas desulphurisation
GHS(CLP) Ordi- Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling
nance of Chemicals
I&C Instrumentation and control
MIC Microbiologically influenced corrosion
OL Oxygen level
OT Oxygenated treatment – combined oxygen treatment in the
water/steam circuit
PFA Perfluoralkoxy Polymeres
RH Relative humidity
RO Reverse osmosis
SCC Stress corrosion cracking
SCR Selective catalytic reduction
VCI Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor
VOC Volatile Organic Compounds

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22 Examples for inspection plans

Annex: Fabrication, handing-over, shipment, erection, commissioning, commercial
operation
See Annex hereafter for inspection plan examples.
Komponente: Anlage/Plant:
Component:

Colli-/Case- No.: Doc.-No.:

Konservierungsmethode/Protection method: Land/Country:

Anstrich Außenoberflächen gemäß/Coating outside surfaces acc. to: Kunde/Customer:

Konservierungsbeginn und -dauer/Preservation start and duration:

Materialklassifikation/ Nr./No. *) Klasse/Class

Material Class 0 A  B  C  D 
Lagerungskategorie/ 1 Kategorie/Category
Storage Category A  B  C  D 
Verpackung/ 2 PE-Folie  Al-verb.folie  Kiste  Verschlag  Abdeckung 
Packing PE-Foil Al-Comp-.Foil Crate Shed Cover
Kontrollöffnungen/ 3
Inspection openings
N2 (99,99 %) 4 Evakuierung  Überdruck  Verdünnung  Anschluss_____
Füllmethode, -druck/ Evacuation Over- pressure Dilution connection
Filling-Method and Eintritt/Inlet:______ Austritt/Outlet:______ Prüfung/Check :_____
-Pressure P max :______ bar/Pa

Trockenmittel/Desiccants 5 Typ "A"  Typ "B"  Stück ____ Trockenmitteleinheiten _____

gem./acc. Pieces Desiccant units
DIN 55473 + 55474
Feuchtigk-Indikator/ 6 an Verp.-folie  in Komponente  an Komponente 
Humidity-Indicator at packing foil inside component at component
Stück/at pieces _______
Dampfphasen-Inhibitor/ 7 VCI-Papier/VCI paper  VCI-Folie/VCI-Foil 
Vapore Phase Inhibitor
(VCI)
VCI-Papier mit Folienkaschierung/VCI-paper with laminated plastic
sheet 

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Kons.-öle auf Ober- 8 Verwendetes Produkt/applied corrosion protection oil :

flächen …./
Protective oils at surfac-
es…..

…………………………………………………………………………………
………………
Sonst. Maßnahmen od. 9
Ergänzungen zu/ ...............................................................................................................
Other measures or com- ........................
pletions to
Nr./No. 0-8
...............................................................................................................
........................
Erforderliche Kontrollen gemäß Teil B1-B3 :
Necessary inspection acc. Part B1-B3 :

Maßnahmen zur Nachkonservierung nach Ablauf einer Lagerzeit von: Datum/Date

Additional preservation measures after storage time of : Name/Name
Abt./Dep.

*) Zutreffendes ankreuzen, ggf. mit Angaben ergänzen/applicable points mark with a

cross, if necessary complete with detailed information.

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KONSERVIERUNGSPRÜFPLAN/PRESERVATION CHECK PLAN

Teil B 1: Istzustand nach Anlieferung
Part B 1: Actual condition after delivery

Komponente/Component: Anlage/Plant:

Colli-/Case -No.: Doc.-No.:

Material-Class: Storage-Category:

Konservierungsmethode: VERPACKUNGSEINHEIT
Protection method: PACKING UNIT

Prüfungen/checks (Zutreffendes ankreuzen/applicable points mark with a cross) i.O. n.O.

i.O. = in Ordnung/in order., n.O. = nicht in Ordnung/out of order)

 1 Verpackung/Packing
1.1 Zustand Kennzeichnung/Condition of designation  
1.2 Zustand Kiste (n.O. = Beschädigungen, Schimmelbildung, Wassereinflüsse, ...)  

Condition of crate ( n.O. = damages, mould fungus, water influences, ....)

 2 Verpackung/Packing
2.1 Zustand Kennzeichnung/Condition of designation  
2.2 Zustand Abdeckung (n.O. = Beschädigungen, unzureichende Befestigung, .....)  

Condition of cover (n.O. = damages, insufficient fixing, .........)

2.3 Vollständigkeit der Abdeckung (i.O. = komplett)  

Completeness of covering (i.O. = completely)

 3 Abdeckung (Folie, Plane)/Cover (foil, tarpaulin)

3.1 Anzeige rel. Feuchte * 40 % / Reading rel. humidity * 40 % = i.O.  
3.2 Befestigung/fixing  

3.3 Überprüfbarkeit/checkability  

 4 Ölkonservierung außerhalb der Verpackung

Oil protection outsite packing
 
4.1 Zustand Ölfilme (i.O. = vollständig, sauber, ......)
Condition of oil films (i.O. = completely, clean, ......)

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 5 VCI-Konservierung außerhalb der Verpackung

VCI protection outsite packing
 
5.1 Zustand der VCI-Papiere/-Folien (i.O. = trocken, vollständig,…..)…
Condition of VCI-papers/-foils (i.O. = dry, completely,…………..)

 6 Prüfvermerke, Befunde u. Ergebnisse  

check notations, findings, results
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Prüfer/Inspector:

Datum/Date: Name/Name: Abt./Depart.:

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KONSERVIERUNGSPRÜFPLAN/PRESERVATION CHECK PLAN

Teil B 2: Istzustand während Einlagerung
Part B 2: Actual condition during storage period

Komponente/Component: Anlage/Plant:

Colli-/Case -No.: Doc.-No.:

Material Class: Storage-Category :

Konservierungsmethode: VERPACKUNGSEINHEIT
Protection method: PACKING UNIT

Prüfungen/checks (Zutreffendes ankreuzen/applicable points mark with a cross) i.O. n.O.

i.O. = in Ordnung/in order., n.O. = nicht in Ordnung/out of order)
 1 Einhaltung der o.g. Lagerungskategorie  
Observance above storage-category
 2 Verpackung/Packing  
2.1 Zustand Kiste (n.O. = Beschädigungen, Schimmelbildung, Wassereinflüsse, ...)
Condition of crate (n.O. = damages, mould fungus, water influences, ....)
 3 Abdeckung (Folie, Plane)/Cover (foil, tarpaulin)  
3.1 Zustand Abdeckung (n.O. = Beschädigungen, unzureichende Befestigung, ......)
Condition of cover (n.O. = damages, insufficient fixing, .........)
 4 Feuchtigkeitsindikator(en)/Humidity Indicator(s)  
4.1 Überprüfbarkeit/Checkability
4.2 Anzeige rel. Feuchte * 40 % / Reading rel. humidity * 40 % = i.O.
 5 Ölkonservierung außerhalb der Verpackung  
oil protection outsite packing
5.1 Zustand Ölfilme, Oberflächen (i.O = vollständig, sauber, keine Beschädigg.,
keine Korrosion)
Condition of oil films, surfaces (i.O = completely, clean, no location of defects or
corrosion)
 6 VCI Konservierung außerhalb der Verpackung  
VCI protection outsite packing
6.1 Zustand der VCI-Papiere/-Folien (i.O. = trocken ,vollständig, …..)
Condition of VCI-papers/-foils (i.O. = dry, completely, ……)
 7 Kontrollintervall/Inspection period : 1-mal pro Monat/once per month  

Prüfer/Inspector:

Datum/Date: Name/Name: Abt./Depart.:

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Periodische Kontrollen/Periodical Inspections

Datum/Date Prüfer/Inspector Bemerkungen/Remarks

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KONSERVIERUNGSPRÜFPLAN/PRESERVATION CHECK PLAN

Teil B 3: Maßnahmen nach Einlagerung/vor Montage
Part B 3: Measures after storage period/before erection

Komponente/Component: Anlage/Plant:

Colli-/Case No.: Doc.-No.:

Material Class: Storage-Category:

Konservierungsmethode: VERPACKUNGSEINHEIT
Protection method: PACKING UNIT

Prüfungen/checks (Zutreffendes ankreuzen/applicable points mark with a cross) i.O. n.O.

i.O. = in Ordnung/in order., n.O. = nicht in Ordnung/out of order)
 1 Istzustand der Verpackungseinheit gemäß Konservierungsprüfplan Teil B2  
Actual condition of Packing Unit acc. Preservation Check Plan Part B2
 2 Verpackung entfernen/Remove packing  
2.1 Zustand Innenoberflächen Kiste (i.O. = trocken; n.O. = Schimmelbildung,
Wassereinflüsse, ...)
Condition interior surfaces of crate (i.O. = dry; n.O. = mould fungus, water
influences, …)
 3 Abdeckung, Umhüllung entfernen (Folie, Plane)  
Remove covering, wrapping (foil, tarpaulin)
 4 Tockenmittelbeutel vollzählig entfernen (gemäß Konservierungsprüfplan  
Teil A)
Remove desiccant in bags completely (acc. Preservation Check Plan Part A)
 5 VCI-Umhüllung entfernen (-Papier/ -Folie)  
Remove VCI-Wrapping (-paper, -foil)
 6 Konservierungsöle entfernen (falls erforderlich); s. Techn. Spezifikation  
Konservierung
Remove protective oil (if necessary); s. Technical Specification Preservation
Condition interior surfaces without protection oil (dry, clean, no corrosion, ...)
 7 Visuelle Überprüfungen der Komponente  
visual checks at the component
 7.1 Zustand Außenoberflächen allgemein (trocken, sauber, ohne Beschädigungen,  
ohne Korrosion)
Condition outside surfaces general (dry, clean, no defects, no corrosion)
 7.2 Zustand Außenoberflächen mit Farbanstrich (trocken, ohne Fehlstellen, ohne  
Korrosion)
Condition outside surfaces with coating (dry, no defects, no corrosion)
 7.3 Zustand Außenoberflächen mit ehemaliger Abdeckung/Umhüllung  
(keine Korrosion)
Condition outside surfaces which were formerly protected by Cover/Wrapping-
Method (no corrosion)

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

 7.4 Zustand Außenoberflächen mit ehemaliger VCI-Konservierung (keine Korrosion)  

Condition outside surfaces which were formerly protected by VCI-Method
(no corrosion)
 7.5 Zustand Außenoberflächen mit ehemaliger Ölkonservierung (ohne Korrosion)  
Condition outside surfaces which were formerly protected by Oil-Method
(no corrosion)
 7.6 Zustand Innenoberflächen ohne Ölkonservierung (trocken, sauber, ohne  
Korrosion, ...)
Condition inside surfaces without protection by Oil-Method (dry, clean, without
corrosion, …)
Prüfer/Inspector:

Datum/Date: Name/Name: Abt./Depart.:

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 VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

During fabrication, transfer and shipment the following measurements shall be made
and be recorded.
Observations
Product
Measurement Date Component (e.g. appearance, Signature Remarks
content
odour)

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Example 1

Preservation of power station unit _____

One‐off measures Recall of the action
If the temperature criteria for steam turbine shutdown are less than required, both rotors
(steam turbine/gas turbine) may be parked on bearing* by agreement with
the power plant management (duration approx. 8 days: MAA50CT006 < 150 °C; MAB50CT011
< 60 °C).
Steam turbine rotor
parked on bearing *(upon
turning gear operation
switch‐off, lube oil supply
interruption, jacking oil
pump switch‐off)
MAA50CT006: °C MAB50CT011: °C

Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

Gas turbine rotor parked

on bearing*
Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

Boiler filled for the last time and drains and vents checked (minimising leakage)?

Date Time Initials

Start‐up converters released?

Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

LAC/LCB erst in Betrieb nehmen wenn Eigenbedarf

LDK/LCB/LAC pumps released acc. to clearance document? (Trafos) wieder in Normalzustand!

Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

MAL65/LCM pumps released acc. to clearance document?

Both tanks finally emptied?
Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

Load limiter of auxiliary boiler switched on?

Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

To take Munters driers of the steam turbine into operation, various release measures are re‐
quired
Have condenser hotwell/condensate lines LDK/LCA to the first isolating valve been drained acc.
to clearance document?
Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

Have condensates of auxiliary steam system downstream of the heating system been supplied
back to auxiliary boiler acc. to clearance document?
Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

Has flange on condenser

been opened?
Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

Have both Munters driers of the steam turbine been installed and
been taken into operation?

Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Exciter coals may be disassembled at the beginning of the 2nd week by agreement with the
electrical department. Exciter coals disassembled?
Date Time Initials Date Time Initials
Please inform absolutely promptly the E‐department
Auxiliary power transferred? as soon as the conservation will be reseted
Transformers BAT, BBT, MKC released?
Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

The date for nitrogen inerting of the boiler and the circulating pump of the water/steam circuit Attention: Absolutely shut off all cellars and MAJ
will be fixed by the power plant management. pumps areas during a restart! Nitrogen exit possible.
Has nitrogen inerting been started acc. to HMM‐XXXX?

Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

Has circulating pump for water/steam circuit been put into operation acc. to instructions HMM‐
XXXX?

Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

After the boiler has cooled down, the flue‐gas side drains shall be opened.
Have flue‐gas side drains been opened?
Date Time Initials Date Time Initials

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Example 2

Preservation of power station unit _____ Calender week _____

Recurring measures
Monday early shift:
Are Munters driers operating at gas turbine? Is accoustic hood ventilation operating? 2h turning gear operation of
steam/gas turbine performed?:
New steam turbine shaft position: ° GT ° (measured at 12 o’clock position)
Switched over
Jacking oil pump trial run performed (31/32/33) to (31/32/33):
Oil mist fan switched over to
Lube oil pump switched over to pump (21/22): (81/82):
Lube oil temperature in tank: °C
Accoustic hood ventilation switched over to (001/002/003): Date Time Initials
Differential
Seal oil pump switched over to pump (11/12): re seal oil/H2: ES TS
Seal oil flow temp.: °C
Seal oil pump oil mist fan switched over to (71/72): Date Time Initials
Operating
hours N2 gen‐
Nitrogen pressure in tank: bar erator h
m
Pressure downstream of pressure reducing valve: bar Date Time Initials
1 hour trial run of PCB/PAC pump (alternately) (Irrigation of cooling tower only at pH > 8.7)
PAC trial run performed (11/12)
PCB trial run performed (11/12) Date Time Initials

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Monday late shift:

Check of pumps whether they have been operated the week before. If not, release for a short time, where required, and rotate manually acc. to in‐
structions!
Both LCM rotated? Both MAL65 rotated? (If released)
Both LDK rotated? Both LCB rotated? Trial run of oil pump LAC performed?/Both LAC rotated?
Warning. Only perform at released condition! Date Time Initials
Tuesday early shift:
Lube oil pump
operating
Lube oil circuit operating (21/22): (11/12):
Lube oil temp. in tank: °C Date Time Initials
Operating
hours N2 gen‐
Nitrogen pressure in tank: bar erator h
%
O2 content: LBA80CP501 Vol LBA90CP004 % Vol HAD50CP501 % Vol
%
LBA10CP501 Vol LBB55CP002 % Vol LBA20CP004 % Vol
m
Pressure downstream of pressure reducing valve: bar
Date Time Initials
Wednesday early shift:
Seal oil pump
operating
Seal oil circuit operating (21/22): (11/12):
Lube oil temp. in tank: °C Date Time Initials

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Trial run of both MAJ performed (If necessary, switch off Munters driers for a short time)?
Warning. Cordon‐off area around MAJ pumps during trial run! Release of nitrogen possible!
Trial run of both water vapour fans MAW80 performed
Check/ Switch over of LCL pumps to (11/12)? or trial run LCL pump (11/12)
Switched over to
PGB trial run performed (11/12) (11/12)
Date Time Initials
Operating
hours N2 gen‐
Nitrogen pressure in tank: bar erator h
m
Pressure downstream of pressure reducing valve: bar Date Time Initials
1 h trial run of PCB/PAC pump (alternately) (irrigation of cooling tower only if pH > 8.7)
PAC trial run performed (11/12)
PCB trial run performed & switched over to (11/12) Date Time Initials
In case of unit standstill all pumps (where possible) shall
be switched over acc. to “pump switch‐over instructions“
Also see Monday early shift, some equipment already been switched over!
DI water pumps switched over to (11/12):
Cooling tower make‐up water pumps switched over to (11/12): Date Time Initials
Thursday early shift:
Lube oil pump
operating
Lube oil circuit operating (21/22): (11/12):
Lube oil temp. in tank: °C Date Time Initials

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Operating
hours N2 gen‐
Nitrogen pressure in tank: bar erator h
%
O2 content: LBA80CP501 Vol LBA90CP004 % Vol HAD50CP501 % Vol
%
LBA10CP501 Vol LBB55CP002 % Vol LBA20CP004 % Vol
m
Pressure downstream of pressure reducing valve: bar
Date Time Initials
Friday early shift:
Seal oil pump
operating
Seal oil circuit operating (21/22): (11/12):
Seal oil temp. in tank: °C Date Time Initials
Operating
hours N2 gen‐
Nitrogen pressure in tank: bar erator h
m
Pressure downstream of pressure reducing valve: bar Date Time Initials
1 h trial run of PCB/PAC pump (alternately) (irrigation of cooling tower only if pH > 8.7)
PAC trial run performed (11/12)
PCB trial rum performed (11/12) Date Time Initials

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VGB-S-116-00-2016-04-EN

Saturday early shift:

Seal oil pump
operating
Lube oil circuit operating (21/22): (11/12):
Lube oil temp. in tank: °C Date Time Initials
Operating
hours N2 gen‐
Nitrogen pressure in tank: bar erator h
%
O2 content: LBA80CP501 Vol LBA90CP004 % Vol HAD50CP501 % Vol
%
LBA10CP501 Vol LBB55CP002 % Vol LBA20CP004 % Vol
m
Pressure downstream of pressure reducing valve: bar
At first switch off circulation, where required, prior to measurements (turbulence
etc.)! Date Time Initials
Sunday early shift:
Seal oil pump
operating
Lube oil circuit operating (21/22): (11/12):
Lube oil temp. in tank: °C Date Time Initials
Operating
hours N2 gen‐
Nitrogen pressure in tank: bar erator h
m
Pressure downstream of pressure reducing valve: bar Date Time Initials
1 h trial run of PCB/PAC pump (alternately) (irrigation of cooling tower only if pH > 8.7
PAC trial run performed (11/12)
PCB trial run performed (11/12) Date Time Initials

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