Weld Repair of Steam Turbine Casings and Piping—An Industry Survey

As the U.S. fleet of fossil power plants age, utilities are forced to perform more and more repairs on such components as turbine casings, main and reheat piping, headers, and other components that have experienced high-temperature degradation. This paper presents information from two surveys on the weld repair technologies currently used by utilities and repair organizations to extend the life of high-temperature, high-pressure components. The initial survey included responses from 28 EPRI member utilities on various repair issues ranging from condition assessment to preheat/postweld heat treat to filler metals employed. The second survey was forwarded to repair vendors and OEMs to gain their perspective on utility industry repairs.