EAST GRANBY, CT – American Cladding Technologies was recently confronted with the challenge of laser cladding the endcap of a 14-ft.-long, laser-clad carbon steel soot blower tube (FIGURE). These soot blower lances are used in a boiler system for a waste-to-energy power producer, where tubes are subjected to highly corrosive conditions. This lance was too long to clad in the typical horizontal position, so the company developed a program and process to clad the endcap in the vertical configuration. The cladding material is a multi-blend of different alloys, essentially nickel-based, and the build-up is 0.040 in.
The customer was replacing one lance per month—now, they’re replacing it every six months. Alternative processes are tungsten inert gas (TIG) and metal inert gas (MIG) welding with Inconel overlay, but advantages in using laser cladding are low dilution, thinner coatings (because dilution is controlled), lower heat input, higher-quality metallurgical bond, less stress, and shorter process times.
American Cladding Technologies’ laser cladding processes have extended the life of boiler tubes for the waste-to-energy industry up to five years without failure. The company specializes in innovative laser cladding solutions for the power generation, aerospace, and chemical processing industries, as well as for valves, pumps, and industrial gas turbines.
For more information, please visit www.americancladding.com.