of the burner front, and they are called parallel cracks. Parallel cracks usually appear at or slightly behind the leading edge of the bladed cone. They are not dangerous until they actually loosen pieces of the burner front. Improper installation and boiler operation are usually the cause of parallel cracking.

A slanting crack in the narrow section between the burners sometimes joins a radial crack. When this occurs, pieces of plastic tend to break off. This type of damage can usually be repaired by a plastic patch.

If during your inspection you find that a castable burner front is breaking up after very little service, it is likely that too much water was used in mixing the material during installation. Sometimes the material is already partially set before installation; a common cause of this trouble is that the castable material, while in storage, reacted with moisture in the air and started to set. When castable material sets before it is used, it can never reach full strength.

Castable material is also subject to spalling after several hours of service. The peeling material, usually in 1/8-inch strips, should not be removed unless it is in the burner cone and is interfering with combustion.

If a castable front is chalky or crumbly, find out how deep the condition goes. If no more than the surface can be rubbed off, the burner front is not seriously damaged. Do not remove the crumbly material. The condition is serious only if the burner cone is affected or if the casing shows signs of overheating.

Burner tile should be inspected for loose segments and broken pieces that might cause improper cone angles. The broken or damaged segments can be repaired by patching with plastic fireclay refractory. In some cases a new segment of tile can be installed.

When you inspect boiler refractories, it is a good idea to keep in mind the possibility that damage may occur because of operational problems. Although boilers must occasionally be operated under very severe and damaging conditions, a lot of damage to refractories (and, in fact, to other boiler parts as well) is caused by poor operating procedures that are really not necessary under the circumstances. It may be helpful to show operating personnel any refractory damage that appears to be directly related to poor operation of the boiler.

Tube Inspection

When inspecting the exterior of boiler tubes, look for signs of warping, bulging, sagging, cracking, pitting, scaling, acid corrosion, and other damage. All tube sheets should be inspected for signs of leakage, especially the superheater tube sheet.

Inspection of boilers sometimes shows an unexpected condition in which adjacent boiler tubes are warped in such a way that they touch each other. When this condition exists, the tubes are said to be married. Tube marriages can result either from overheating of the tubes or from stresses developed in the tubes during installation. For the latter reason, newly erected boilers and boilers that have been retubed should always be inspected for tube alignment after the initial period of steaming.

When inspection reveals one or more tube marriages, the decision as to whether or not the married tubes should be renewed should be based on the following considerations:

1. If the tube marriage occurs in screen tubes 1 1/2 inches or larger, or if the furnace side wall or rear wall tubes are bowed, tube replacement is usually required.

2. If 1-inch or 1 1/4-inch tubes in the main bank of generating tubes are married, replacement is usually not required if the tube joints are tight under hydrostatic test.

3. Inspect the external surfaces of the tubes. If they show blistering or other signs of over- heating, the tubes should be renewed.

4. Inspect the watersides. Where tube marriages exists, a poor waterside condition may indicate hard scale or oil within the affected tubes. If hard scale or oil does exist, the married tubes should be replaced, and all appropriate steps should be taken to remove the scale or oil from the rest of the boiler. If the condition of the tubes is uncertain, or if a large number of tube marriages have occurred, remove one or more sample tubes, split them, and examine them carefully.

5. Tube marriages may cause gas laning, and gas laning, in turn, may cause local over- heating of the inner casing, the bottom part of the economizer, and other parts. Inspect the boiler carefully for signs of local over- heating that might have been caused by gas laning resulting from the tube marriages. If the local overheating from this cause is found, renew the married tubes.