Performance Assessment of Air-Cooled Steam Condenser with Guide Vane Cascade

Ambient wind has an unfavourable impact on air-cooled steam condenser(ACSC) performance. A new measure to improve ACSC performance is proposed by setting a diffusion type guide vane cascade beneath the ACSC platform. The numerical models are developed to illustrate the effects of diffusion type guide vane cascade on ACSC performance. The simulation results show that this vane cascade can cause the increases in coolant flows across almost all fans due to its diffusion function and lower flow resistance. Meanwhile, the guide vane cascade also decreases the fan inlet temperatures because of the uniform flow field around the condenser cells. Comparing with the case without guide device, the overall heat transfer efficiency is increased by 11.2% for guide vane cascade case under the condition of 9 m/s. The heat transfer efficiency firstly enhances and then decreases with decreasing stagger angle of guide vane under a certain wind speed. The optimum stagger angle corresponding to the maximum heat transfer efficiency is about 65.5°. The heat transfer efficiency always enhances as increasing vane cascade height, and a vane cascade with 20 m to 30 m height may be suitable to the ACSC as considering the cost.

Air interaction around outdoor air-cooled condensers

In order to increase cooling or heating efficiency,a porous computational fluid dynamics（CFD）model is employed to predict the thermo-fluid status and optimize the placement of outdoor units.A full scale model is established to validate the accuracy of CFD simulation in terms of velocity and temperature distributions.The comparison between the measurement and the simulation shows a good agreement.By evaluating the condensers＇ sucked air temperature with CFD for three units installed in a row,it is found that the minimum separation distance among neighboring units is 0.2 m;a vertical wall should be apart from the unit line by at least 0.8 m;and large different operating pressures among units do not impact the flow rate and the heat transfer of the other units meaningfully.

Feasibility Analysis of Back-Pressure Steam Feeding Water Pump for Direct Air-Cooled Unit

As the performance of an air-cooled condenser is apt to be affected by the fluctuating ambient condition, some difficulties are brought to the use of a steam feeding water pump in an air-cooled unit. This paper introduces a new design of for steam feeding the water pump of an air-cooled unit using the back-pressure steam turbine as the prime motor. Using variable condition analysis on a 600 MW direct air-cooled unit, and with consideration of the effect on the ambient conditions, the feasibility, economy, and adaptability of the design are verified.

Calculation of the Choked Back Pressure for Steam Turbines with Air Cooled Condensers

The choked back pressure characteristic of the steam turbine unit with air cooled condenser is very different with the unit with wet cooling technology, and the understanding of the choked back pressure performance change with operation load is important to guide the economic operation of the unit. One simplified Variable Operation Condition Analysis Method was put forward for calculation of the unit output-turbine back pressure characteristics. Based on this method, the choked back pressure for each operation load can be determined. An example was given for a super-critical, regenerative single-shaft, 2-casing with 2-exhaust steam turbine generation unit with air cooled condenser. The calculation result was provided and compared with the result of the unit with wet cooling technology.

Numerical Simulation of Direct-contact Condensation from a Supersonic Steam Jet in Subcooled Water

The phenomenon of direct-contact condensation,used in steam driven jet injectors,nuclear reactor emergency core cooling systems and direct-contact heat exchangers,was investigated computationally by introducing a thermal equilibrium model for direct-contact condensation of steam in subcooled water.The condensation model presented was a two resistance model which takes care of the heat transfer process on both sides of the interface and uses a variable steam bubble diameter.The injection of supersonic steam jet in subcooled water tank was simulated using the Euler-Euler multiphase flow model of Fluent 6.3 code with the condensation model incorporated. The findings of the computational fluid dynamics（CFD） simulations were compared with the published experimental data and fairly good agreement was observed between the two,thus validating the condensation model.The results of CFD simulations for dimensionless penetration length of steam plume varies from 2.73-7.33,while the condensation heat transfer coefficient varies from 0.75-0.917 MW·（m ^2 ·K）^ -1 for water temperature in the range of 293-343 K.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF WET STEAM CONDENSING FLOW WITH AN EULERIAN/EULERIAN MODEL

Wet steam condensing flow in low-pressure steam turbine leads to efficiencylosses and blade erosions. In order to investigate this problem by numerical approach, anEulerian/Eulerian model has been developed, in which the wet steam is regarded as mixture comprisingtwo coupled systems: the vapor phase and the liquid phase. These two systems are both described byconservation equations. High resolution TVD scheme is employed to capture condensing phenomena inwet steam flow. This model has been validated by numerical simulations of condensing flows in 1D and2D nozzles. Compared with experimental data, a good agreement is observed. This Eulerian/Eulerianmodel can be extended to 3D calculation of condensing flow.

Transient Heat Transfer Study of Direct Contact Condensation of Steam in Spray Cooling Water

We conducted a transient experimental investigation of steam–water direct contact condensation in the absence of noncondensible gas in a laboratory-scale column with the inner diameter of 325 mm and the height of 1045 mm. We applied a new analysis method for the steam state equation to analyze the molar quantity change in steam over the course of the experiment and determined the transient steam variation. We also investigated the influence of flow rates and temperatures ofcooling water on the efficiency ofsteam condensation. Our experimental results show that appropriate increasing of the cooling water flow rate can significantly accelerate the steam condensation. We achieved a rapid increase in the total volumetric heat transfer coefficient by increasing the flow rate of cooling water, which indicated a higher thermal convection between the steam and the cooling water with higher flow rates. We found that the temperature ofcooling water did not play an important role on steam condensation. This method was confirmed to be effective for rapid recovering ofsteam.

Numerical analysis of heat transfer enhancement on steam condensation in the presence of air outside the tube

In loss-of-coolant accidents,a passive containment heat removal system protects the integrity of the containment by condensing steam.As a large amount of air exists in the containment,the steam condensation heat transfer can be significantly reduced.Based on previous research,traditional methods for enhancing pure steam condensation may not be applicable to steam–air condensation.In the present study,new methods of enhancing condensation heat transfer were adopted and several potentially enhanced heat transfer tubes,including corrugated tubes,spiral fin tubes,and ring fin tubes were designed.STAR-CCM+was used to determine the effect of enhanced heat transfer tubes on the steam condensation heat transfer.According to the calculations,the gas pressure ranged from 0.2 to 1.6 MPa,and air mass fraction ranged from 0.1 to 0.9.The effective perturbation of the high-concentration air layer was identified as the key factor for enhancing steam–air condensation heat transfer.Further,the designed corrugated tube performed well at atmospheric pressure,with a maximum enhancement of 27.4%,and performed poorly at high pressures.In the design of spiral fin tubes,special attention should be paid to the locations that may accumulate high-concentration air.Nonetheless,the ring-fin tubes generally displayed good performance under all conditions of interest,with a maximum enhancement of 24.2%.

Thermodynamic Simulation of CCP in Air-Cooled Heat Pump Unit with HFCs and CO₂Trans-Critical

The exergy analysis and finite time thermodynamic methods had been employed to analyze the compound condensation process (CCP). It was based on the air-cooling heat pump unit. The cooling capacity of the chiller unit is about 1 kW, and the work refrigerant is R22/R407C/R410A/CO2. The MATLAB/SIMULINK software was employed to build the simulation model. The thermodynamic simulation model is significant for the optimization of parameters of the unit, such as condensation and evaporation temperature and mass flow of the sanitary hot water and size of hot water storage tank. The COP of the CCP of R410A system is about 3% - 5% higher than the CCP of the R22 system, while CCP of the R407C system is a little lower than the CCP of R22 system. And the CCP of CO2 trans-critical system has advantage in the hot supply mode. The simulation method provided a theoretical reference for developing the production of CCP with substitute refrigerant R407C/R410A/CO2.

A Study of the Jet System of the Recovery Concerning Waste Heat of Steam Condensate

This paper presents a frame figure of the recovery system concerning waste heat of steam condensate. When steam phase changes into liquid state in the condenser, the heat equilibium equation, gas state equation, mass flow calculating equation of the jet steam and incondensable gas equation are established. The coupling function between condensate unit and recovery pump of the hot condensate with ejector is studied. The paper sets up the fluid continuity equation, heat equilibium equation and efficiency equation of the ejector and points out the technical key how the prevent hot condensate change into steam phase. When fluid passes from circulation loop through pump to export, the energy equations are obtained here. At last, signal figure of the applied examples are given and settle the techanical questions of the jet system are discussed.

OECD/NEA ROSA Project Experiment on Steam Condensation in PWR Horizontal Legs during Large-Break LOCA

Separate-effect experiment simulating steam direct-contact condensation on ECCS （emergency core cooling system） water in PWR （pressurized water reactor） cold legs during reflood phase of large-break LOCA （loss-of-coolant accident） was conducted in OECD/NEA ROSA Project using the LSTF （large scale test facility）. A new test section was furnished in the downstream of the LSTF break unit horizontally attached to the cold leg. Significant condensation of steam appeared in a short distance from the simulated ECCS injection point, and the steam temperature in the test section decreased immediately after the initiation of the ECCS water injection. Total steam condensation rate estimated from the difference between steam flow rates at the test section inlet and outlet was in proportion to the simulated ECCS water mass flux until the complete condensation of steam. Clear images of high-speed video camera were successfully obtained on droplet behaviors through the viewer of the test section, especially for annular mist flow.

2D-simulation of wet steam flow in a steam turbine with spontaneous condensation

Removal of condensates from wet steam flow in the last stages of steam turbines significantly promotes stage efficiency and prevents erosion of rotors. In this paper, homogeneous spontaneous condensation in transonic steam flow in the 2-D rotor-tip section of a stage turbine is investigated. Calculated results agree with experimental data reasonably well. On the basis of the above work, a 2-D numerical simulation of wet steam flow in adjacent root sections of a complex steam turbine stage was carded out. Computational results were analyzed and provide insights into effective removal of humidity.

Thermodynamic Analysis of a Condensate Heating System from a Marine Steam Propulsion Plant with Steam Reheating

The thermodynamic(energy and exergy)analysis of a condensate heating system,its segments,and components from a marine steam propulsion plant with steam reheating is performed in this paper.It is found that energy analysis of any condensate heating system should be avoided because it is highly influenced by the measuring equipment accuracy and precision.All the components from the observed marine condensate heating system have energy destructions lower than 3 kW,while the energy efficiencies of this system are higher than 99%.The exergy efficiency of closed condensate heaters continuously increases from the lowest to the highest steam pressures(from 70.10%to 92.29%).The ambient temperature variation between 5℃and 45℃notably influences the exergy efficiency change of both low pressure heaters and the low pressure segment equal to 31.61%,12.37%,and 18.35%,respectively.

The Experimental Investigation of Recirculation of Air-Cooled System for a Large Power Plant

The paper introduces thermal buoyancy effects to experimental investigation of wind tunnel simulation on direct air-cooled condenser for a large power plant. In order to get thermal flow field of air-cooled tower, PIV experiments are carried out and recirculation ratio of each condition is calculated. Results show that the thermal flow field of the cooling tower has great influence on the recirculation under the cooling tower. Ameliorating the thermal flow field of the cooling tower can reduce the recirculation under the cooling tower and improve the efficiency of air-cooled condenser also.

Influence of thermal flow field of cooling tower on recirculation ratio of a direct air-cooled system for a power plant

In order to get thermal flow field of direct air-cooled system,the hot water was supplied to the model of direct air-cooled condenser(ACC). The particle image velocimetery (PIV) experiments were carried out to get thermal flow field of a ACC under different conditions in low velocity wind tunnel,at the same time,the recirculation ratio at cooling tower was measured,so the relationship between flow field characteristics and recirculation ratio of cooling tower can be discussed. From the results we can see that the flow field configuration around cooling tower has great effects on average recirculation ratio under cooling tower. The eddy formed around cooling tower is a key reason that recirculation produces. The eddy intensity relates to velocity magnitude and direction angle,and the configuration of eddy lies on the geometry size of cooling tower. So changing the flow field configuration around cooling tower reasonably can decrease recirculation ratio under cooling tower,and heat dispel effect of ACC can also be improved.

自然对流下蒸汽凝结表面传热系数测定实验装置研制

自然对流下蒸汽凝结表面传热系数测定实验是将蒸汽通过一组表面状态各不相同的管道,测定管道在大空间空气介质中自然冷却过程中的蒸汽凝结表面传热系数。由于管道的材质、几何形状、接触方式及管外空气流动状况都会不同程度地影响换热效果,因此测定每根管道的表面传热系数值,可条理性和系统性地分析影响传热过程的各因素。该文设计了自然对流下蒸汽凝结表面传热系数测定实验装置,可开展管道材质、肋片结构、管道横截面几何形状、管道保温材料对传热系数的影响实验研究。应用实践表明,实验项目内容全面,提高了学生的课堂积极性,具有良好的教学效果。

高温蒸汽凝结法相对湿度测量

为实现露点温度100℃以上高温压力蒸汽相对湿度的精确测量,设计了以凝结称重装置、不凝气体含湿量测量装置、数据处理系统为核心部件的凝结法相对湿度测量系统。测量系统依据蒸汽相对湿度与含湿量对应关系,采用蒸汽快速凝结,实时监测冷凝液质量与不凝气流含湿量的方式实现了目标蒸汽所处温度、压力条件下相对湿度的在线测量。凝结法测量工艺能实现露点温度-40℃~130℃条件下气体相对湿度0.15%~100%范围内的有效测量。在露点温度128℃、相对湿度95%条件下,测量不确定度0.59%,测量偏差小于0.4%,具有测量精度高、测量速率快的特点。该系统能开展瞬态条件下蒸汽相对湿度测量,湿度测量值能溯源到国际单位制基本单位。

蒸汽射流直接接触凝结的界面及声压特性

蒸汽射流在液体中的直接接触凝结引发的剧烈界面振荡及声压振荡,可能导致工业管道系统振动甚至失效,采用高速摄像机与高频水听器,捕捉了射流的界面演化行为及其诱导的声压。研究了3种典型凝结流型下射流界面的径向、轴向振荡与声压振荡特性,并阐明声压振荡产生机理。研究发现:声压波动的概率密度函数在间歇流型下呈左偏单峰分布,在界面振荡流型下呈双峰分布,而在稳定流型下呈对称单峰分布;随蒸汽质量流速升高,无量纲径向、轴向界面振荡强度及声压振荡强度整体呈下降趋势,表现出极强的相关性。建立了基于声压参数的射流喷射长度预测模型,预测值与实验值的误差在±1%内。概率密度及相关性分析结果表明,蒸汽射流凝结的声压振荡是由其界面振荡引起的。

湿蒸汽非平衡凝结流动中Wilson点位置预测研究

在均质流动中,水蒸汽膨胀至饱和线并不凝结,达到Wilson点时才开始凝结,而Wilson点位置的确定对激波自激振荡的研究有重要意义。基于国内外研究现状,以Moses-Stein喷管为研究对象,通过对喷管中的湿蒸汽非平衡凝结两相流动进行计算,明确了Wilson点位置的影响因素,并提出了一种基于三元二次正交的湿蒸汽非平衡凝结流动Wilson点位置预测方法。研究结果表明:喷管收缩段曲率半径和进出口压比对Wilson点的位置几乎没有影响,扩张段曲率半径、喉部高度和进口过热度对Wilson影响较大,并计算得到了预测Wilson点位置的回归方程,经检验误差在合理范围内。

蒸汽射流直接接触凝结诱导振动特性研究

蒸汽射流在管内过冷水流中的直接接触凝结会诱导严重的管道振动。采用高速摄像机与加速度传感器,捕捉了蒸汽射流气羽演化及其诱导的管道振动。通过实验定量描述了考虑气羽形貌的气羽灰度质心振荡与管道振动特性。发现界面振荡流型下气羽灰度质心的振荡幅度最大,间歇振荡流型下次之,稳定凝结流型下最小。随着蒸汽质量流速升高,质心振荡及管道振动强度都向着趋于稳定的方向发展,表现出极强相关性。在此基础上绘制了管道振动强度随蒸汽质量流速及过冷水温度的分布图,振动强度随着过冷水温度的升高而升高。相关性分析表明气羽灰度质心的轴向振荡是沿蒸汽喷射方向的管道振动强度的主导因素。