As the tubes would have had to be welded and the tube-wall plate thereby thermally stressed, the TÜV did not accept this approach due to the existing crack formation. The back tubewall plate is in any case unobjectionable.

So where do we go from here?

At the moment a material sample is being taken and submitted to a testing lab, in order to determine the structure and the composition. The sample is to be taken at a location that will enable a material test of the fire tubes.
If the location is free of cracks, the TÜV can, with the boiler drawings at hand, prepare a new calculation and construction for the tubewall plate and one could replace the tubewall plate (including new tie rods).
If in the course of the material testing cracks also show up in the flame pipes, there is no further hope of saving the boiler. Should a new boiler be required, the BBSG will have to deal with an enormous cost. Before a new boiler can be installed, the old must be removed. To do that the above deck construction must first be removed. An estimated cost of a minimum of 300,000.- Euro must be reckoned with. This sum is not to be realistically reached with pledge drives / building share actions alone.
Moreover, the association, for its own part, is strongly dependent on contributions for its operating budget.

Please give a hand in helping that we can, together, keep "ANDREAS" afloat.

Max Hiller / Oliver Hildebrand – July 2010

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