Saw a steam drum repair on a 1950s boiler last week, still debating if welding was the right call
I was at a plant in Gary, Indiana last Thursday and watched a crew fix a steam drum on an old Keeler boiler from 1955. They opted to weld a patch over a crack instead of cutting out the whole section and replacing it. On one hand, the weld held during the hydro test at 150 PSI, and it saved the owner about 8 grand. But I keep thinking about stress risers over time and whether a full section replacement would have been safer. The lead guy said 'it'll outlast the rest of the boiler,' but I'm not sold. What do you all think, weld patch or full cut out for vintage drums?