How to find the

root cause of
waterside
failure
mechanisms

Caustic attack
Caustic attack
 Caustic attack

Symptoms:

Localized wall loss on the

inside diameter (ID)
surface of the tube,
resulting in increased
stress and strain in the
tube wall.
 Caustic attack

Causes:

Caustic attack occurs when

there is excessive deposition
on ID tube surfaces. This
leads to diminished cooling
water flow in contact with the
tube, which in turn causes
local under-deposit boiling
and concentration of boiler
water chemicals.
 Caustic attack

Causes (continued):

If combined with boiler

water chemistry upsets of
high pH, it results in a
caustic condition which
corrosively attacks and
breaks down protective
magnetite.
 Caustic attack

Components typically
affected:

Furnace wall tubes or any

inclined tube.
 Caustic attack

Solutions:

To prevent reoccurrence of
caustic gouging, operators
should prevent accumulation
of excessive deposits and
control water chemistry so
that boiler water does not
locally form caustic in areas
where chemicals
concentrate.
 Caustic attack

Solutions (continued):

In some instances, where

caustic gouging along the
top of a sloped tube is
associated with steam-
water separation, such
separation can be
avoided by use of ribbed
tubes.
 Caustic attack

Solutions (continued):

Controlling water
chemistry can be
achieved by assuring
appropriate feedwater
chemistry with phosphate
boiler water treatments.
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