Sensitivity Analysis of a 50+ Coal-Fired Power Unit Efficiency

The coal-fired power unit integration with a CO2 capture and compression installation involves a considerable rise in the costs of electricity generation. Therefore, there is a need for a continuous search for methods of improving the electricity generation efficiency in steam power plants. One technology which is especially promising is the advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) power unit. Apart from steam parameters upstream the turbine, the overall efficiency also depends on the efficiency values of individual elements of the plant and the size of energy consumption of the process of CO2 sequestration from the boiler flue gases. These problems are considered herein to emphasize that without specifying the efficiency values of the power plant main elements the information concerning its electricity generation efficiency is incomplete. This paper presents the influence of the efficiency of individual elements of the power plant on its electricity generation efficiency. The lack of information of the efficiencies of the power plant individual elements, by presenting its overall efficiency, may lead to the false conclusions.

Numerical Analysis of the Losses in Unsteady Flow through Turbine Stage

This paper presents an analysis of the operation of a stage of an aircraft engine gas turbine in terms of generation of flow losses. The energy loss coefficient, the entropy loss coefficient and an additional pressure loss coefficient were adopted to describe the losses quantitatively. Distributions of loss coefficients were presented along the height of the blade channel. All coefficients were determined based on the data from the unsteady flow field and analyzed for different mutual positioning of the stator and rotor blades. The flow calculations were performed using the Ansys CFX commercial software package. The analyses presented in this paper were carried out using the URANS (Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes) method and two different turbulence models: the common Shear Stress Transport (SST) model and the Adaptive-Scale Simulation (SAS) turbulence model, which belongs to the group of hybrid models.

Prediction of Losses in Flow Through the Last Stage of LP Steam Turbine

The aim of presented work was the prediction of the losses in the wet steam flow through the last stage of 200MW steam turbine LP part.To this end,three numerical tools were used.The first method was the streamline curvature method (SCM) used on the meridional plane with losses correlations.The next two methods,TASCflow commercial CFD code and an in-house CFD code,based on the solution of the Reynolds- averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS).Ap- plication of three independent numerical tools al- lowed to make the more reliable losses analysis and made possible to compare applied numerical methods with each other. For the flow modeling in the last stage of LP steam turbine the various two-phase flow models were used and compared.The equilibrium model and non-equi- librium models with homogeneous and/or heterogeneous condensation were considered.The boundary conditions at the inlet and outlet from the stage were selected in such way to get the beginning of the homogeneous condensation process in the sta- tot.It corresponded to the part load of the turbine, i.e.140MW power and pressure in condenser 2.7kPa.

The Analysis of the Noise Generation in Gas Turbine Stage

The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of the mutual positioning of the turbine stage stator and rotor blades on noise generation. The Ansys CFX commercial software package and the Scale-Adaptive Simulation (SAS) hybrid turbulence model are used for numerical analyses. The paper is focused on an analysis that the pressure wave generation resulting from unsteady flow phenomena. In order to present the problem, the Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) analysis of pressure fluctuation is carried out at selected points of the turbine stage computational domain. A comparison of values of individual components for subsequent control points allows an approximate determination of the place of generation of pressure waves, the direction of their propagation and the damping rate. Moreover, the numerical analyses make it possible to evaluate the justification for the use of the SAS model, which is rather demanding in terms of equipment, in simulations of unsteady flow fields where generation and propagation of noise waves occur.

Field and CFD Study of Fuel Distribution in Pulverized Fuel(PF)Boilers

The article presents both field and CFD results of a new concept of a mechanical pulverized fuel(PF)distributor.The goal of the study was to improve the pulverized coal-air mixture separation in PF boilers where the fuel preparation and feeding system was operated in a combined coal and biomass grinding conditions.The numerical analysis was preceded after a field study,where measurements were carried out in a pulverized coal-fired(PC)boiler equipped with a technology of NOx reduction by means of primary methods.Proper distribution of a pulverized coal-air mixture to the individual burners is one of the fundamental tasks of the combustion systems where the primary methods are implemented to control the NOx emission.Problems maintaining the proper distribution of fuel to the burners related primarily to the boilers where the coal and biomass co-grinding is used.Changing the load of coal-mills and fuel type at the same time(i.e.,different types of biomass)could result in less effective separation of pulverized fuel particles in PF distributors.Selection of an appropriate construction of a distributor will allow the better control of the combustion process which results in decreased NOx emission while keeping the proper combustion efficiency,i.e.,less unburned carbon(UBC)in the fly ash.The results of the field measurements made it possible to create a CFD distribution base model,which was used for the analysis of a new splitter construction to be used in a PF distributor.Subsequent analysis of the numerical splitter enables precise analysis of its construction,including the efficiency of separation and the prediction of conveying of the coal and biomass particles.

An Attempt to Evaluate the Cycloidal Rotor Fan Performance

In this work, the cycloidal rotor fan (CRF) performance was estimated by means of a numerical method based on Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations (URANS). The fan with a cycloidal rotor belongs to the positive displacement machines of the rotary type. The numerical algorithm for simulation of the flow in the cycloidal rotor as well as postprocessing of the CFD results was prepared using Ansys CFX CEL. The methodology for the assessment of the CRF performance was proposed and verified. It was found out that the CRF performance strongly depends on the shape of the profile of the applied rotor blade. The NACA 0012 and CLARK Y profiles were tested for the same CRF structure and flow conditions. Also, the crucial importance for the CRF performance has the range of the blade pitch angle change.

Numerical Analysis of Shock Induced Separation Delay by Air Humidity

In this paper numerical calculations of the dry and humid air flows in the nozzle are presented. The dry air flow (adiabatic flow) and the humid air flow (flow with homogeneous condensation, diabatic flow) are modeled with the use of Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. The comparison of these two types of flow is carried out. The influence of the air humidity on the shock wave location and its interaction with the boundary layer is examined. Obtained numerical results present a first numerical approach of the condensation and evaporation process in transonic flow of humid air. The phenomena considered here are very complex and complicated and need further in-depth numerical analysis.

Influence of Air Humidity on Transonic Flows with Weak Shock Waves

The paper presents CFD results for the transonic flow of dry and moist air through a diffuser and a compressor rotor.In both test geometries,i.e.the Sajben transonic diffuser and the NASA Rotor 37,the air humidity impact on the structure of flows with weak shock waves was examined.The CFD simulations were performed by means of an in-house CFD code,which was the RANS-based modelling approach to compressible flow solutions.It is shown that at high values of relative humidity,above 70%,the modelling of the transonic flow field with weak shock waves by means of the dry air model may produce wrong results.

Liquid Phase Evaporation on the Normal Shock Wave in Moist Air Transonic Flows in Nozzles

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the atmospheric air transonic flow through de Laval nozzles. By nature, atmospheric air always contains a certain amount of water vapor. The calculations were made using a Laval nozzle with a high expansion rate and a convergent-divergent(CD) "half-nozzle", referred to as a transonic diffuser, with a much slower expansion rate. The calculations were performed using an in-house CFD code. The computational model made it possible to simulate the formation of the liquid phase due to spontaneous condensation of water vapor contained in moist air. The transonic flow calculations also take account of the presence of a normal shock wave in the nozzle supersonic part to analyze the effect of the liquid phase evaporation.

Losses Estimation in Transonic Wet Steam Flow through Linear Blade Cascade

Experimental investigations of non-equilibrium spontaneous condensation in transonic steam flow were carried out in linear blade cascade. The linear cascade consists of the stator blades of the last stage of low pressure steam turbine. The applied experimental test section is a part of a small scale steam power plant located at Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice. The steam parameters at the test section inlet correspond to the real conditions in low pressure part of 200 MWe steam turbine. The losses in the cascade were estimated using measured static pressure and temperature behind the cascade and the total parameters at inlet. The static pressure measurements on the blade surface as well as the Schlieren pictures were used to assess the flow field in linear cascade of steam turbine stator blades.