American Welding Society

Furnace  Heat  Treatments

Normalizing
Tempering  &  PWHT
 Presentation  Overview
• Furnace  Heat  Treatments
– Traditional  Method
• Normalizing
• Tempering  -­‐ PWHT
• Post  Bending  Heat  Treatments
– Temperature  Measurement  &  Uniformity
• Temperature  Uniformity  Surveys  (TUS)
• High  Velocity  Burners
• Electric  Furnaces
• Furnace  Fans
• Seals  &  Insulation
– Work  Piece  Support
• Furniture
• Spiders
– Non-­‐Traditional  Furnaces
• Internal  Firing  of  Vessels
• Temporary  Furnaces
– Questions
 Traditional  Method
• Placing  work  in  a  furnace  is  the  traditional  
way  to  perform  metal  heat  treatments
• Properly  designed  and  operated  furnaces  
provide  high  assurance  of  uniform  
temperature
• Local  methods  of  heat  treatment  are  simply  
an  effort  to  build  a  furnace  around  a  work  
piece where  it  is  not  convenient  or  possible  
to  perform  a  furnace  heat  treatment
 Normalizing  Heat  Treatments
• Many  important  metal  alloys  obtain  desired  
properties  as  a  result  of  normalizing  heat  treatment
• Metal  is  heated  above  the  critical  temperature  and  
held  for  a  period  necessary  for  transformation  to  
occur
• Normalizing  establishes  a  more  uniform  carbide  size  
and  distribution
• Cooling  in  still  air,  agitated  air  or  quenching  is  
applied  to  retain  desired  carbide  distribution  
 Temper  Heat  Treatment
• After  normalizing  heat  treatment  it  is  important  to  
insure  metal  is  cooled  to  room  temperature  to  
assure  complete  transformation  of  austenite  to  
martensite  
• As  normalized,  alloys  such  as  P91  are  too  brittle  for  
service  
• Temper  heat  treatment  is  performed  to  improve  
ductility  (for  P91  in  the  range  of  740  – 760  °C)  
• Hold  time  during  normalization,  rate  of  cooling  and  
tempering  temperature  are  critical  factors  in  
determining  the  final  properties  of  the  metal
 N&T  of  P91  Weldments
• Research  performed  by  the  Oak  Ridge  Laboratories  and  the  
Electric  Power  Research  Institute  indicates  that  N&T  heat  
treatment  of  welded  components  provides  superior  
properties  over  welds  subjected  to  sub-­‐critical  heat  
treatment  after  welding    
• N&T  heat  treatment  is  required  after:
– Cold  forming  with  large  strains  
– Hot  swaging  or  forming  operations  including  resizing  and  bending
– Localized  heating  for  alignment  of  tubing  during  installation
– Manufacture  of  longitudinal  seamed  pipe
– Hot  bends  in  pipe  made  up  of  multiple  pipe  pieces
– Material  mistakenly  heated  above  the  Ac1 during  PWHT  
 Stress  Generated  by  Welding

• Metals  expand  with  

increased  temperature
• Metal  volume  also  changes  
as  metal  structure  changes
• Face-­‐centered  cubic  (FCC)  
structure  is  less  dense  
• Local  changes  in  metal  
volume  generate  stress  
between  metal  grains
• Residual  metal  stress  will  
increase  hardness  and  
reduce  ductility
 How  Tempering  Reduces  Stress
• As  temperature  is  increased,  expansion  of  electron  orbitals  
allows  dislocations  in  the  metal  structure  to  relieve  stress    
• The  rate  of  dislocation  and  deformation  (creep)  is  a  function  
of  temperature  and  the  metal  alloy  composition
• Tempering  heat  treatments  are  performed  at  temperatures  
below  the  lower  transition  temperature  (Ac1 )
• For  metals,  creep  typically  occurs  at  about  35%  of  the  
melting  temperature
• At  an  elevated  temperature  below  the  Ac1,  dislocations  and  
deformations  allow  the  metal  structure  to  creep  (move  
slowly)  to  relieve  residual  stress
• Degree  of  stress  relief  is  dependent  on  both  time  and  
tempering  temperature
 Post  Weld  Stress  Relief
• During  welding,  to  achieve  fusion  with  base  metal,  some  of  the  
base  metal  must  be  heated  to  the  melting  temperature  
• As  this  base  metal  and  deposited  weld  metal  solidify,  volumetric  
changes  occur
• At  temperatures  well  above  the  Ac1,  stresses  generated  by  
volumetric  changes  are  rapidly  relieved
• As  weld  metal,  fusion  line  and  metal  adjacent  to  the  weld  affected  
by  the  weld  heat  (HAZ)  cool  further,  shrinkage  stresses  will  
increase
• Rapid  cooling  of  the  weld  and  HAZ  can  result  in  quench  hardening  
of  the  metal
• The  combination  of  residual  stress  and  hardening  of  the  metal  
may  lead  to  crack  failures  and/or  accelerated  corrosion  of  the  
metal  when  place  in  service
 Post  Bending  Heat  Treatments
• During  hot  or  cold  bending  of  metals,  metal  structure  will  
have  residual  internal  stress
• Depending  on  material  composition,  thickness  and  bending  
process,  a  post  bending  stress  relief  or  a  renormalization  and  
tempering  will  be  specified
• Temperatures  used  to  relieve  stress  after  bending  are  similar  
to  those  used  for  post  weld  heat  treatments  
 Larson  Miller  Parameter  
• Larson  and  Miller,  both  GE  metallurgists  developed  
a  parameter  to  model  creep  rupture  in  1952  
• Their  research  defined  the  relationship  between  the  
effect  time  and  temperature  have  on  a  material  
• The  relationship  is:  LMP  =  LMP  =  T  (C  +  log  tr)
Where  T  is  temperature  in  Kelvin
tr is  rupture  life  in  hours
• The  value  of  “C”  varies  for  different  materials
• For  various  creep  resistant  steels,  “C”  typically  
varies  between  a  value  of  20  to  40
 Creep  and  Component  Life  
• At  high  temperatures,  constituents  such  as  carbides  
are  subject  to  diffusion
• Carbides  migrate  in  solid  metal  to  form  clusters
• Segregation  of  carbides  in  the  metal  reverse  the  
benefit  of  the  normalization  heat  treatment
• Components  under  stress  at  high  temperatures  will  
lose  strength  over  an  extended  period  of  time
• Creep  will  eventually  lead  to  the  rupture  of  the  
metal    
 LMP,  Tempering  and  PWHT  
• After  normalization,  tempering  is  performed  to  improve  
ductility  and  reduce  hardness
• However,  at  tempering  temperature,  some  carbides  
diffusion  will  occur
• Tempering  heat  treatment  reduces  metal  usable  life  
• Carbide  diffusion  also  occurs  at  PWHT  temperatures  
and  post  bending  stress  relief  heat  treatments  
• Each  time  metal  is  exposed  to  stress  relief  
temperatures,  some  of  its  usable  life  is  reduced
• The  cumulative  effect  of  tempering  and  stress  relief  
heat  treatments  on  component  life  can  be  modeled  by  
the  Larson  Miller  Parameter      
 Repeated  PWHTs  
• During  fabrication  of  boilers  and  other  pressure  
vessels,  numerous  welds  are  required    
• Repair  welds  may  also  require  additional  PWHTs  
• Excessive  heat  treatments  of  a  work  piece  may  lead  
to  component  rejection    
• Some  inspectors  reject  welds  with  more  than  two  
PWHTs,  but  this  is  not  justified  by  LMP  analysis
• The  cumulative  effect  of  tempering  and  PWHT  on  
component  life  can  be  modeled  by  the  Larson  Miller  
Parameter      
 Temper  Embrittlement  
• Generally,  tempering  is  used  to  reduce  metal  
hardness  and  improve  ductility    
• Segregation  of  carbides  and  nitrides  dispersed  by  
normalizing  heat  treatments  will  not  only  cause  
metals  to  lose  creep  resistance,  diffusion  of  
carbides  and  nitrides  into  clusters  will  make  these  
alloys  more  brittle
• Extended  service  at  high  temperatures  will  also  
have  this  result
• Care  must  be  taken  during  heat  treatments  to  limit  
the  cumulative  effect  of  such  diffusion  
 Renormalizing  
• Component  fabrication  that  requires  multiple  heat  
treatments  are  candidates  for  renormalization
• The  effects  of  tempering  and  multiple  PWHTs  can  
be  mitigated  by  a  renormalizing  heat  treatment    
• By  renormalizing  the  metal,  carbides  and  nitrides  
are  again  dispersed  in  the  metal  structure  
• All  stresses  generated  by  welding  are  also  relieved
• Renormalized  components  are  then  given  a  temper  
heat  treatment
• The  Larson  Miller  Parameter  is  reset    
 High  Strength  Steels  
• Alloys  with  carbon  and  manganese  contain  carbides  
which  improve  metal  strength  after  normalization
• Pressure  vessel  and  structural  applications  are  common    
• Creep  Strength  Enhanced  Ferritic  (CSEF)  steels  are  
alloyed  with  carbon,  nitrogen,  manganese,  chrome,  
molybdenum,  nickel  and  other  metal  elements  to  form  
complex  carbides  and  nitrides  after  normalization
• Multiple  heat  treatments  may  lead  to  component  
rejection  due  to  excessive  carbide  segregation      
• Some  inspectors  reject  welds  with  more  than  two  
PWHTs,  but  this  is  not  justified  by  LMP  analysis
• Cumulative  effect  of  tempering  and  stress  relief  heat  
treatments  on  creep  life  can  be  modeled  by  the  Larson  
Miller  Parameter    
 Alternatives  to  Furnace  Heat  Treatment  
• Local  heat  treatments  are  performed  on  the  
theoretical  basis  of  building  a  furnace  around  a  
portion  of  a  component
• Under  controlled  conditions,  weld  stress  relief  may  
also  be  accomplished  by  a  temper  bead  weld  
procedure
• Discussion  of  these  methods  will  be  covered  in  
another  portion  of  this  lecture  series  
 Temperature  Measurement  &  Uniformity  
• In  well  constructed  and  operated  furnaces,  uniform  
temperatures  are  required  
• Temperature  uniformity  in  furnaces  is  assured  by  
performance  of  temperature  uniformity  surveys
• In  the  U.S.A.,  furnace  surveys  are  performed  by  a  
Standard  Test  Method  (ASTM  A991/A991M-­‐10)
• Placement  of  capacitor  discharged  thermocouples  
on  components  in  furnaces  provides  absolute  
assurance  of  temperature  uniformity
• Thermocouples  should  be  placed  on  both  thick  and  
thin  section,  near  top  and  bottom  of  furnace
 Car  Bottom  Gas  Fired  Furnaces

Multiple  burners  provide   Guillotine  door  and  car  bottom  allow  work  to  
uniform  temperature be  removed  from  furnace  rapidly
 Electric  Top  Hat  Furnaces

Furnace  Top  removed  to  expose  work Resistance  elements  located  on  
furnace  walls
 Gas  /Electric  Furnace  Advantages
• In  the  U.S.A.  gas  is  much  less  expensive  than  electricity
• Generally  electric  furnaces  are  easier  to  control  to  
obtain  temperature  uniformity
• Resistance  elements  can  be  placed  on  all  sides  of  the  
work  providing  assured  uniform  heat  input
• Electric  furnace  zones  controlled  by  thermocouples  on  
work  pieces  can  provide  assured  uniformity  of  
component  temperatures
• At  lower  stress  relief  temperatures,  electric  furnaces  
generally  provide  mire  uniformity
• Since  the  atmosphere  in  an  electric  furnace  is  captive,  
work  is  subject  to  less  scaling,  controlled  atmospheres  
are  possible  in  electric  furnaces  
 Furnace  Fans
• High  temperature  alloy  fans  improve  furnace  uniformity
• Fans  are  employed  in  gas  fired  and  electric  furnaces
• Fans  are  most  useful  at  lower  treatment  temperatures

Fans
 Seals  and  Insulation  
• It  is  important  to  remember  that  temperature  
uniformity  is  not  controlled  only  by  uniformity  of  
heat  input
• The  temperature  of  components  in  a  furnace  may  
vary  greatly  from  general  furnace  temperature
• Poor  insulation  and  air  in  leakage  will  generate  non-­‐
uniform  temperatures,  particularly  in  gas  fired  
furnaces  
• Poor  seals  and  non  uniform  insulation  are  one  of  
the  most  common  causes  of  poor  temperature  
uniformity  
 Work  Piece  Supports  
• The  supports  for  heat  treatment  furnaces  are  called  
furnace  furniture
• It  is  important  that  work  pieces  being  heat  treated  
allow  both  free  convection  and  radiation
• Work  should  be  supported  off  the  furnace  floor
• Work  must  be  securely  supported  to  prevent  
components  falling  during  the  heat  treatment
• For  normalizing  heat  treatments  it  is  important  to  
provide  sufficient  room  for  air  cooling
• Internal  supports  (spiders)  for  thin  walled  components  
are  used  to  maintain  work  piece  dimensional  integrity  
 Non-­‐Traditional  Furnaces  
• Large  pressure  vessels  are  often  too  large  for  heat  
treatment  in  a  conventional  furnace
• Insulating  the  vessel  and  installing  high  velocity  gas  
burners  can  effectively  heat  treat  such  vessels

Insulated  Storage  Sphere                                                                          High  Velocity  Burner                                                                          

 Case  History  
• After  the  vessel  is  insulated  the  high  velocity  burner  is  
installed  at  the  top  of  the  vessel,  combustions  gas  is  
exhausted  from  the  vessel  bottom
• Provisions  are  made  with  the  supports  to  allow  for  
thermal  growth

Burner  Installed  in  Vessel                                                    Depiction  of  Heat  Treatment                                                  

 Use  of  Temporary  Furnaces    
• Vessels  already  in  place  may  be  heat  treated  by  
building  a  furnace  around  the  vessel
• Large  gas  separators  on  an  offshore  platform  were  
heat  treated  in  this  manner
• Cost  to  remove  separator  vessels  from  the  platform  
was  excessive
• Months  of  platform  outage  were  saved  by  
performance  of  in  situ  heat  treatment
 Build  in  Place  Electric  Furnace
• Offshore  platform  vessels  required  major  weld  modifications
• Weld  modifications  required  a  furnace  heat  treatment
• An  electric  furnace  was  built  around  the  vessel

Separator  vessels                                    Temporary  Furnace                                          Roof  placement

on  platform                                                    wall  construction                                                        on  furnace                                              
 HF  Alkylation  Tower  Case  Study
• Refinery  HF  Alkylation    
tower  required  weld  
repairs
• Hydrogen  bakeout  
was  performed  prior  
to  welding  at  450  °C
• Preheat  was  applied  
at  93  °C
• PWHT  was  performed  
at  620  °C  via  multiple  
zones  of  electric  four  
bank  heaters
Questions?