Harnessing overlapped temperature-salinity gradient in solar-driven interfacial seawater evaporation for efficient steam and electricity generation

Solar-driven interfacial water evaporation(SIWE)offers a superb way to leverage concentrated solar heat to minimize energy dissipation during seawater desalination.It also engenders overlapped temperaturesalinity gradient(TSG)between water-air interface and adjacent seawater,affording opportunities of harnessing electricity.However,the efficiency of conventional SIWE technologies is limited by significant challenges,including salt passivation to hinder evaporation and difficulties in exploiting overlapped TSG simultaneously.Herein,we report self-sustaining hybrid SIWE for not only sustainable seawater desalination but also efficient electricity generation from TSG.It enables spontaneous circulation of salt flux upon seawater evaporation,inducing a self-cleaning evaporative interface without salt passivation for stable steam generation.Meanwhile,this design enables spatial separation and simultaneous utilization of overlapped TSG to enhance electricity generation.These benefits render a remarkable efficiency of90.8%in solar energy utilization,manifesting in co-generation of solar steam at a fast rate of 2.01 kg m^(-2)-h^(-1)and electricity power of 1.91 W m^(-2)with high voltage.Directly interfacing the hybrid SIWE with seawater electrolyzer constructs a system for water-electricity-hydrogen co-generation without external electricity supply.It produces hydrogen at a rapid rate of 1.29 L h^(-1)m^(-2)and freshwater with 22 times lower Na+concentration than the World Health Organization(WHO)threshold.

Control system design for a pressure-tube-type supercritical water-cooled nuclear reactor via a higher order sliding mode method

Nuclear power plants exhibit non-linear and time-variable dynamics.Therefore,designing a control system that sets the reactor power and forces it to follow the desired load is complicated.A supercritical water reactor(SCWR)is a fourth-generation conceptual reactor.In an SCWR,the non-linear dynamics of the reactor require a controller capable of control-ling the nonlinearities.In this study,a pressure-tube-type SCWR was controlled during reactor power maneuvering with a higher order sliding mode,and the reactor outgoing steam temperature and pressure were controlled simultaneously.In an SCWR,the temperature,pressure,and power must be maintained at a setpoint(desired value)during power maneuvering.Reactor point kinetics equations with three groups of delayed neutrons were used in the simulation.Higher-order and classic sliding mode controllers were separately manufactured to control the plant and were compared with the PI controllers speci-fied in previous studies.The controlled parameters were reactor power,steam temperature,and pressure.Notably,for these parameters,the PI controller had certain instabilities in the presence of disturbances.The classic sliding mode controller had a higher accuracy and stability;however its main drawback was the chattering phenomenon.HOSMC was highly accurate and stable and had a small computational cost.In reality,it followed the desired values without oscillations and chattering.

Response characteristics of PWR primary circuit under SBLOCAs considering steam bypass discharging

Small-break superposed station blackout(SBO)accidents are the basic design accidents of nuclear power plants.Under the condition of a small break in the cold leg,SBO further increases the severity of the accident,and the steam bypass discharg-ing system(GCT)in the second circuit can play an important role in guaranteeing core safety.To explore the influence of the GCT on the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the primary circuit,RELAP5 software was used to establish a numerical model based on a typical pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant.Five different small breaks in the cold-leg super-posed SBO were selected,and the impact of the GCT operation on the transient response characteristics of the primary and secondary circuit systems was analyzed.The results show that the GCT plays an indispensable role in core heat removal during an accident;otherwise,core safety cannot be guaranteed.The GCT was used in conjunction with the primary safety injection system during the placement process.When the break diameter was greater than a certain critical value,the core cooling rate could not be guaranteed to be less than 100 K/h;however,the core remained in a safe state.

Interaction of ions in water system containing copper-zinc alloy for boiler energy saving

Copper-zinc alloy element for boiler energy saving was put in the intake of simulated boiler system to investigate the interaction and transfer of ions in water system both theoretically and experimentally. The fouling was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDX). The results show that the transfer of calcium and magnesium ions in heat-transfer-surface-water system is affected by zinc ions dissolved from the alloy because of primary battery reaction. Some calcium ions of calcium carbonate crystal are replaced by zinc ions, the growth of aragonite crystal nucleus is retarded, and the transition of calcium carbonate from aragonite to calcite is hampered.

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 Simulation of Water Droplets Deposition on the Last-Stage Stationary Blade of Steam Turbine

Based on the method of discrete phase, the law of droplets’ deposition in the last stage stationary blade of a supercritical 600 MW Steam Turbine is simulated in the first place of this paper by using the Wet-steam model in commercial software FLUENT, where the influence of inlet angle of water droplets of the stationary blades is also considered. Through the calculation, the relationship between the deposition and the diameter of water droplets is revealed. Then, the amount of droplets deposition in the suction and pressure surface is derived. The result is compared with experimental data and it proves that the numerical simulation result obtained in this paper is reasonable. Finally, a formula of the relationship between the diameter of water droplets and the inlet angle is fit, which could be used for approximate calculation in the engineering applications.

Determination of the Thermodynamic Properties of Water and Steam in the p-T and p-S Planes via Different Grid Search Computer Algorithms

The role of different grid search computer algorithms for the determination of the thermodynamic properties of water and steam in the p-T and P-S planes has been investigated via experimental and analytical methods.The results show that the spline interpolation grid search algorithm and the power grid search algorithm are more efficient,stable and clear than other algorithms.

A Novel Computerized Water Level Control System of PWR Steam Generator of Nuclear Power Plant

This paper presents a novel method to solve old problem of water level control system of pressurized water reactor (PWR) steam generator (SG) of nuclear power plant (NPP) .The level control system of SG plays an important role which effects the reliablity,safty,cost of SG and its mathematical models have been solved.A model of the conventional controller is presented and the existing problems are discussed. A novel rule based realtime control technique is designed with a computerized water level control (CWLC) system for SG of PWR NPP.The performance of this is evaluated for full power reactor operating conditions by applying different transient conditions of SG′s data of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (QNPP).

Numerical Study of Steam-Water Separators with Wave-type Vanes

Droplet behavior in the wave-type flow channel is discussed,especially with the secondary droplet gen- eration due to impingement of droplets on the wall considered.A numerical method is suggested to simulate the droplet behavior in the flow field.Calculations are compared with experimental data on the pressure drop and sepa- rating efficiency.Good agreement exists between the calculations and air-water experiments.The numerical method developed gives a reasonable description of the droplet deposition and secondary droplet generation,and it can be applied to predict the performance of wave-type vane separators.

Influence of subsequent curing on water sorptivity and pore structure of steam-cured concrete

Steam-cured condition is found to cause larger porosity and worse properties of concrete compared with normal curing condition.For the sake of seeking effective measurements to eliminate this bad effect of steam-cured condition on concrete,the water sorptivity and pore structure of steam-cured concretes exposed to different subsequent curing conditions were investigated after steam-curing treatment.The capillary absorption coefficient and porosity of the corresponding concretes were analyzed,and their mechanisms were also discussed.The results indicate that water sorptivity and pore structure of steam-cured concrete are greatly influenced by the curing condition used in subsequent ages.Exposure steam-cured concrete to air condition has an obviously bad effect on its properties and microstructures.Adopting subsequent curing of immersing steam-cured concrete into about 20 °C water after steam curing period can significantly decrease its capillary absorption coefficient and porosity.Steam-cured concrete with 7 d water curing has minimum capillary absorption coefficient and total porosity.Its water sorptivity is decreased by 23% compared with standard curing concrete and the porosity is 9.6% lower.Moreover,the corresponding gradient of water sorptivity and porosity of steam-cured concrete both decrease,thus microstructure of concrete becomes more homogeneous.

Fault Diagnostics on Steam Boilers and Forecasting System Based on Hybrid Fuzzy Clustering and Artificial Neural Networks in Early Detection of Chamber Slagging/Fouling

The slagging/fouling due to the accession of fireside deposits on the steam boilers decreases boiler efficiency and availability which leads to unexpected shut-downs. Since it is inevitably associated with the three major factors namely the fuel characteristics, boiler operating conditions and ash behavior, this serious slagging/fouling may be reduced by varying the above three factors. The research develops a generic slagging/fouling prediction tool based on hybrid fuzzy clustering and Artificial Neural Networks (FCANN). The FCANN model presents a good accuracy of 99.85% which makes this model fast in response and easy to be updated with lesser time when compared to single ANN. The comparison between predictions and observations is found to be satisfactory with less input parameters. This should be capable of giving relatively quick responses while being easily implemented for various furnace types.

Gibbs Density Surface of Water and Steam: 2nd Debate on the Absence of Van Der Waals’ “Critical Point”

A revised phase diagram for water shows three distinct fluid phases. There is no continuity of liquid and gas, and no “critical point” on Gibbs’ density surface as hypothesized by van der Waals. A supercritical colloidal mesophase bounded by percolation transition loci separates supercritical liquid water and gas-phase steam. The water phase is bounded by a percolation transition (PA) of available volume, whereas steam is bounded by the loci of a percolation transition (PB) at a density whereupon a bonded molecular cluster suddenly percolates large distances. At the respective percolation densities, there is no barrier to nucleation of water to steam (PA) or steam to water (PB). Below the critical temperature, the percolation loci become the metastable spinodals in the two-phase coexistence region. A critical divide is defined by the interception of PA and PB the p-T plane. Critical parameters are obtainable from slopes and intercepts of pressure-density supercritical isotherms within the mesophase. The supercritical mesophase is a fourth equilibrium state besides ice, water and steam. A thermodynamic state function rigidity (dp/dρ)T defines a distinction between liquid and gas, and shows a remarkable symmetry due to an equivalence in number density fluctuations, arising from available volume and molecular clusters, in liquid and gas respectively. Following an earlier debate in these pages [“Fluid phases of argon: A debate on the absence of van der Waals’ critical point” Natural Science 5 (2) 194-206 (2013)], we here report further debate on a science of criticality applied to water and steam (APPENDIX 1).

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.

Structural Analysis and Optimal Design for Water Tube Panel in an Alkali Recovery Boiler

Alkali recovery aiming at recovering NaOH is the best available technology in China's pulp and paper industry;an alkali recovery boiler is a popular one among all alkali recovery units. For the purpose of designing the most reasonable tube-panel of an evaporator in a 1500 t/d alkali recovery boiler, a total of 8 kinds of cases are put forward for finite element analysis. The modeling, meshing and calculation are carried out for each case. The stress values and their distribution rules are revealed in this paper. The slotting size for the water tubes panel is analyzed by using the optimum design module of ANSYS. After all cases are compared with each other, the optimal one is developed and exemplified in conclusion.

Experimental study on steam-water two-phase flow frictional pressure drops in helical coils

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水汽系统积盐问题分析及处理

尿素水解制氨技术已广泛应用于火电机组脱硝还原剂的制备。然而,若出现尿素质量不合格,尿素水解器发生泄漏以及水解器疏水回用至凝汽器的情况,会对热力系统造成巨大危害。对某燃煤机组尿素水解器泄漏致水汽系统严重积盐及过热器爆管进行了分析,并提出了补充处理方案。实施后机组各项水汽指标均达到《火力发电机组及蒸汽动力设备水汽质量》(GB/T 12145—2016)要求,为水汽系统积盐的原因分析及处理提供了解决方案。

蒸汽蒸馏法对葡萄酒酒精度的快速测定及应用

为改善水浴加热蒸馏法的不足,提高葡萄酒酒精度检测效率,借助凯氏定氮仪,基于蒸汽蒸馏法测定葡萄酒酒精度,并进行精密度、回收率试验以及蒸汽蒸馏法和水浴蒸馏法的对比试验,并作测定方法不确定度分析和教学实验应用验证。结果表明,蒸汽蒸馏法对葡萄酒样品酒精度测试值的变异系数均小于水浴蒸馏法;蒸汽蒸馏法可在4 min之内结束蒸馏过程、检测时间缩短一半左右,标准品的乙醇浓度与酒精度测定结果在≤40%体积分数范围内线性关系良好,加标样品酒精度测试标准差0.13~0.45、加标回收率98.55%、RSD均值1.45%,操作简便高效,测试结果准确度高,可推广应用于生产检验或科研教学,并据此结果对葡萄酒酒精度快速测定自动蒸馏仪进行了初步设计与改进。

基于水蓄热的热源厂蒸汽调峰技术

基于工业供汽负荷波动大、昼夜偏差显著的现状,将水蓄热技术与热源厂热力生产工艺相结合,提出采用蒸汽-除盐冷水的间接换热技术、环氧富锌漆防腐技术和硬质聚氨酯发泡保温技术,并对形状、容积和高径比等罐体结构优化设计,旨在开发一种适用于工业供热的蒸汽调峰技术。实践应用表明,基于水蓄热的热源厂蒸汽调峰技术具有稳定高效、简单易操和投资收益显著等优点。本技术还可应用于燃煤机组实现深度调峰、消纳新能源发电等场景,具有重要的现实意义。

AlCrNbSiTi高熵合金涂层高温水蒸气腐蚀研究

采用磁控溅射在不同偏压条件下制备AlCrNbSiTi高熵合金涂层,通过分析不同偏压涂层的形貌、化学成分、硬度,以及被水蒸气腐蚀后的涂层形貌,研究偏压对AlCrNbSiTi涂层结构及性能的影响。结果表明,偏压对涂层表面粗糙度的调控非常显著,150 V偏压的样品表面粗糙度只有3.35 nm;50 V偏压的样品具有最大硬度和弹性模量,分别为18.19 GPa和232.4 GPa。涂层水蒸气腐蚀失效机制为点腐蚀,偏压为50 V时腐蚀坑出现时间最晚,耐腐蚀性能最好。