Product Description

Combustion Engineering, Inc. (C-E — founded 1912, historically headquartered Windsor CT and Stamford CT; acquired by ABB in 1990; U.S. nuclear operations later sold to Westinghouse Nuclear and Toshiba; today distributed across various successors) was through the 20th century one of the principal U.S. utility, industrial, and marine boiler manufacturers alongside Babcock & Wilcox, Foster Wheeler, and Riley Stoker. Combustion Engineering is one of the most heavily-litigated U.S. asbestos defendants; the Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust was established under CE’s 2003 Chapter 11 to handle asbestos personal-injury liability.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Combustion Engineering products included:

  • CE utility and industrial boilers — with extensive asbestos refractory, block insulation, and boiler-jacket asbestos
  • CE marine boilers — supplied to U.S. Navy and commercial ships
  • CE refractory products — separately covered on the Combustion Engineering refractory pages
  • CE pressurized water reactor (PWR) vessels — supplied to U.S. nuclear power plants (San Onofre, Palo Verde, Waterford, others)
  • CE gaskets and packing at boiler flange and manway connections

Combustion Engineering / ABB has been named as a Manufacturer Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation. CE asbestos liability is channeled through the Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust.

Workers Exposed

  • Boilermakers (IBB Local members) building CE utility, industrial, and marine boilers
  • Power-plant operators working CE-boiler-equipped generating stations
  • Refinery pipefitters (UA Local members) working CE-boiler installations at refineries
  • Nuclear-plant construction workers on CE nuclear reactor vessels
  • Navy machinist mates working CE marine boilers