Slagging and Fouling Characteristics of HRSG for Ferrosilicon Electric Furnaces

The slagging and fouling characteristics of the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) for ferrosilicon electric furnaces are discussed in this paper. Three ash samples were taken from the HRSG of a ferrosilicon furnace in Ningxia Province, China, which suffered from serious slagging and fouling. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to analyze the ash samples. The results show that low melting point salt Na2SO4 and composite salts Na (AlSi3O8) and 3K2SO4·CaSO4 deposit on the superheater tube walls in aerosol form and solidify to form the initial slag layer. With the continuous deposition of the low melting point compounds, more and more ash particles in the flue gas adhere to the slag surface to form a thicker slag. Low melting point composite salt NaO·Al2O3·SiO2 is absorbed on the evaporator tube walls in aerosol form. With the deposition of NaO·Al2O3·SiO2, more and more ash particles are absorbed to form the fouling. Since there is less space between pin-finned tubes, the large iron-rich slag particles are easily deposited on tube walls and fin surfaces, which is advantageous to the fouling process. There are large quantities of superfine ash particles in the flue gas that easily adhere to other particles or tube walls, which facilitates the slagging and fouling process. OPEN ACCESS Energies 2015, 8 1102