Browsing by Author "Gwebu, Excellent Zibhekele"

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    A methodology for integrated thermofluid modelling of radiant superheaters in steady state and transient operations
    (2019) Gwebu, Excellent Zibhekele; Rousseau, Pieter G.; Malan, Arnaud G.; Jestin, Louis M.
    Critical components in coal-fired power plants such as final superheater heat exchangers experience severe conditions associated with high metal temperatures and high temperature gradients during base load and transient operations. Such adverse conditions could significantly reduce the life span of the components, especially due to the requirement of greater plant flexibility that is an essential part of the global power system transformation. Integrated thermofluid process models can be employed to obtain a better understanding of the relationship between the operational conditions and the metal temperatures. Thus, a methodology was developed to model radiant superheater heat exchangers in steady state and transient operations. The methodology is based on a network approach which entails solving the transient one-dimensional forms of the conservation equations for mass, energy and momentum. The model building blocks account for the convective thermal resistance on the steam side, the conductive thermal resistances of the tube wall and scaling or fouling on the tube walls, as well as the convective and radiative thermal resistances and direct radiation on the flue gas side. The model captures the physical layout of the tube passes in a tubesheet via the arrangement of the network building blocks. It is also possible to connect tubesheets together across the width of the boiler as per the arrangement in a real plant. The modelling methodology was first used to develop a process model of a convective cross-flow primary superheater heat exchanger with complex flow arrangement. The dual-tube 12-pass superheater was discretized along the flue gas flow path as well as along the steam flow path. The model was qualitatively validated using real plant data from literature and for reference purposes also systematically compared to conventional lumped parameter models. The ability of the model to analyse the effect of ramp rate during load changes on the tube metal temperature was demonstrated, as well as the ability to determine the maldistribution of flow and temperature on the steam and flue gas sides. The methodology was also applied to model a U-shaped radiant superheater heat exchanger. Due to the challenges associated with obtaining comprehensive real plant data in an industrial setting, a validation methodology was proposed that is based on a combination of plant design C-schedules and a boiler mass and energy balance, as well as limited plant measurements. The consistent comparisons with C-schedule data provide evidence of the validity of the model, which was further demonstrated via the comparisons with real plant data. The model allows prediction of the steam mass flow and temperature distribution going into the outlet stub headers as well as the main outlet headers for different inlet flow and temperature distributions on the steam and flue gas sides. These results were compared to detail real-plant measurements of the outlet header temperatures. The model also allows prediction of the metal temperatures along the length of the tubes which cannot readily be measured in the plant. The model was applied to demonstrate the impact of different operational conditions on the tube metal temperatures. Such integrated process models can be employed to study complex thermofluid process phenomena that may occur during intermittent, transient and low load operation of power plants. In addition, such models could be useful for predictive and preventative maintenance as well as online condition monitoring.
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    Transient boiler heat exchanger thermal behaviour analysis
    (2014) Gwebu, Excellent Zibhekele; Jestin, Louis
    Coal fired power plants that were built in the past four decades are aging. The main aging mechanisms are creep and thermal fatigue. Creep results from the high temperatures at which the components operate. Thermal fatigue is due to thermal stresses and these stresses result from temperature gradients within the material. Cycling of these thermal stresses accelerate the creep in a process called creep- fatigue aging. The boiler and its final heat exchangers and headers are the main components that are affected by these mechanisms. The aging of these components results in high maintenance costs, reduction of the plant reliability and availability, and contribute to increased safety risks for the plant and personnel. Therefore, there is a need to understand the steady state and dynamic behaviour of the components of these plants in order to predict the stresses that the material experience. This report discusses an investigation to the possibility of modelling the thermal dynamic behaviour of typical boiler heat exchanger components which have to withstand the highest temperature of a Pulverised Fuel Rankine cycle power plant. Thus, illuminating the issues that need to be addressed in modelling such heat exchangers. Modelling approaches of heat exchangers are systematically presented, starting with the use of exact analytical solutions. This is followed by the application of finite volume numerical method. Finishing off with the use of the Flownex software. The exact analytical solutions are used to characterise the transient temperature distribution in solid materials with simplified heat transfer, highlighting the dependence of the solutions on the Fourier number and Biot number. These solutions are further used to calculate thermal stresses generated in the material, illustrating the relationship between thermal stresses and temperature gradients. Furthermore, a finite volume solution is applied to modelling an infinitely long tube. I t is illustrated that for transient conduction heat transfer problems, the solution depends on both physical space discretisation and time- wise discretisation. The numerical solution is verified against the exact analytical solution. Finally, the Flownex software is used to illustrate the issues that need to be addressed when modelling the transient behaviour of a heat exchanger . For this purpose only the average area discretisation scheme is used since it allows for any generic solid structure to be modelled, provided that the appropriate level of discretization is applied. The Flownex modelling starts by modelling transient conduction heat transfer within an infinitely long tube. The Flownex solution is verified against the finite volume numerical solution. The Flownex solution depends on thickness discretisation, especially for thick cylindrical components. Finite tubes are also modelled on Flownex including axial discretisation and layout simplification of the tubes. Flownex is also used to model a heat exchanger bundle using two methods; a tube by tube method and a method that involves the combination of all ii the tubes into one tube. The product of the thermal resistance and the capacitance of the system governs the transient simulations for both methods.