PRPP – PANEL REPLACEMENT PREVENTION PLAN

Program designed by Sage of America, for boilers with studded panels, to prevent the need of panel replacement throughout the life of the boiler. Prior to its implementation a thorough evaluation is done to determine the condition of each wall and also the condition of the studs. This is done through a thorough visual inspection and an updated report of the furnace tube wall thickness.

Our report will indicate to the user which walls do qualify for the program and also the time window for a safe replacement of the non qualifying walls. Special commercial conditions are granted to users adopting the program, to replace their panels with Sage Permax Panels. Permax panels are manufactured with studs designed by Sage with a large number of enhancements that result in a 10 years warranty instead of the normal 1-2 years warranty granted by most OEMs. The studs can be applied on bare panels supplied by user's preferred manufacturer or panels supplied by our company.

Qualifying walls will undergo a gradual repair on a first need first serve basis which includes an oriented effort to restore their conditions regardless of the problem they present. After that, continuous monitoring and oriented repairs will reduce the wall thickness to a level that will allow the boiler to retire without the need to replace panels unless the reason is material fatigue.

Upon defining the real conditions of a boiler, a program clearly stating the annual cost of the repais and thickness monitoring is offered for the forthcoming 5 years period (renewable) .

The main steps to correct common situations are described below.

1. Stud welding of all bare spots with specially designed studs

2. Gradual replacement of all original studs with poor contact, with Sage studs

3. Increase of density as needed

Original tube with low density pattern of 3x2 required nipping of original studs and application of additional studs in between. This results in a safe 5x5 pattern which stops tube wear.

4. Replacement of hand welded studs

5. Replacement of 3/8” studs

6. Replacement of studs becoming detached from tube

7. Report of abnormal conditions

Most abnormal conditions occurring in the lower furnace can be spotted by abnormal performance of the studs.

All of these conditions are clearly reported to the user so that correcting steps can be implemented. The examples below clearly demonstrate how effectively studs can monitor the boiler operating conditions

8. Monitoring the effectiveness of the program

Sage has a unique method of logging and displaying wall thickness which grants the following advantages:

• Consistent monitoring of same points throughout the years
• Determination of wear point by point
• Instant visual evaluation of performance of each wall as shown below

  Projected Wear on Right Wall

  To maximize cost reduction Sage can extend its U-SEE-IT process to the whole recovery boiler. Data generated by other inspectors can also be formated to show the results instantly but normally the thickness values are not consistent along consecutive years.

9. Sage special studs

The studs our company applies have enhanced patented designs to cope with the specific requirements of the areas were they are applied. Other contractors use the same commercial stud for manufacturing and repair.

10. Replacement of non qualifying panels

In the events some panels do not present conditions to be safely maintained, Sage will provide the studding of bare panels provided by user's preferred supplier with Permax Panels characteristics show below:

Permax Panels enjoy a 10 years maintenance free warranty. Their high density pattern is unique in the industry. They are supplied with built in inspection lines that forces the inspection to be performed always on the same spots, thus eliminating the common excuse that readings are not consistent because they are not taken exactly on the same spots. Users of our PRPP plan enjoy special conditions for installation of Permax Panels.