GE Energy

HRSG 101
TPSE Dave Rogers, Wulang Chriswindarto

Date

What, Where, Why?

What is an HRSG?
Heat Recovery Steam Generator
Wikipedia energy recovery heat
exchanger that recovers heat from
a hot gas stream. It produces steam
that can be used in a process
(cogeneration plant) or used to drive
a steam turbine (combined cycle
power plant)

Its A Boiler!!!
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HRSG More Than Just A Box of Tubes

Overview

Operational Challenges
on Installed Based

Converts exhaust energy

BOP trips driven by HRSG

accessories

from gas turbine into steam

25% of forced outage hrs

Enables plant efficiency

from 38% to 58%

Drum level issues cause

trips preventing fast starts

$20-$25MM Parts
$8-$9 MM Ship

Tube cracks and failures

$10 MM Field Assembly

are costly critical path

during outages

Modular assembly

Upgrades to GT often
require HRSG analysis
potential showstopper
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Differences: HRSG vs Fossil Boiler

HRSG uses exhaust gas (e.g. gas turbine) as a heat source
and typically does not required a dedicated firing system
HRSG do not use fans (draft is from gas turbine exhaust)
HRSG generates steam at multiple pressure levels to
improve heat recovery efficiency
Heat transfer is typically by convection rather than radiation
HRSG do not use membrane water walls
HRSG uses finned tubes to maximize heat transfer
HRSG typically has lower height profile & smaller footprint

Fossil Boiler
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Basic Components
Water/ Steam Side:
- Economizer/ Pre-heater (gas to heated water)
- Evaporator & Drum (gas to boiling water to steam)

Gas out

- Superheater (gas to dry steam)

Gas Side:
Inlet Duct, Baffles, Structural Steel, Casing, Insulation
& Liner, Stack

Gas in

Accessories:
- Silencers (gas & steam side)
- Stack Damper & Bypass Stack Damper
- Supplemental Fire/ Duct Burner

Evaporator

- Feedwater Pump

Superheater

- CO Catalyst & SCR System

Economizer

- Valves & Instruments

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HP Drum

NOx & CO reduced 80%

Gas Out 180 F

LP Steam Out 540 F

HP & RH Steam Out

1050 F

In and Out

Stack Height
~ 150 200

Integral Deaerator

Height ~ 85
IP Drum

3 Pressure Level Reheater HRSG

50

Gas in - 1100 F
NOx
CO

20

Feedwater 100 F

HP Superheater
Reheater
Duct Burner

HP Evaporator

SCR / CO
Catalyst

IP Economizer
IP Evaporator
IP Superheater

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LP Economizer
LP Evaporator
LP Economizer

Length- ~ 100
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Why HRSG is important?

3. Steam Turbine (ST):

1. Gas Turbine (GT): Converts Fuel

Converts Steam to

to Electricity and Waste Heat

Electricity

*Combined Cycle:
A combination of
thermodynamic Gas (GT)
Cycle and Steam (HRSG &
ST) Cycle in an Electrical
Generating Power Plant to
gain higher power output
and efficiency

2. HRSG:
Converts Waste
Heat to Steam
HRSG is the critical link between gas turbine and steam turbine in a
combined cycle power plant
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Combined Cycle T-S Diagram

Combined Brayton and Rankin Cycle
Heat Source

N
EXPANSIO

COMPRESSI

ON

GAS TURBINE
TOPPING CYCLE
HRSG

STACK

N
EXPANSIO

TEMPERATURE

COMBUSTION

BOTTOMING CYCLE
CONDENSER
Heat Sink

ENTROPY

S
5/

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Typical Energy Utilization Chart

GT POWER
(35.8%)

HRSG CASING
LOSSES
(0.5%)

ST LOSSES
(1% ACCESORIES)

FUEL
(100%)
to Gas
Turbine

EXHAUST HEAT
(62.4%) to
HRSG

GT LOSSES
(1.8% ACCESORIES)

STEAM
TURBINE
(54.8%)

STACK LOSS
(7.1%)

ST POWER
(20.9%)

CONDENSER
(32.9%)

Combined Cycles Systems (with HRSG & ST) Utilize More Fuel Energy to
Produce Useful Work Than GT Alone
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Design Philosophy

HRSG Design Philosophy

Pinch

Temperature

Approach

Tur
Super
Heater

bin

e Ex

hau
st

HRSG design is a precise

balance of the utilization
of exhaust energy to
produce steam energy in
an economic way

Gas

Evaporator
Economizer

Heat Duty
Pinch Point
The Difference Between Gas Temperature and Saturation
Temperature at the Outlet of the Generating Bank
Approach Temperature
The Difference Between Economizer Discharge Temperature
and Saturation Temperature

SH

EVAP ECON

The smaller the pinch and approach temperatures, the more efficient the HRSG,
but also the more expensive the design
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HRSG Pinch Point Plot

Steam and Water
HP

Temperature FF
Temperature

1200

/ Reheat

IP
LP

800
400
0
0%

20%

40%

60%

Percent Exhaust
Energy
Used
Percent Exhaust
Energy Used
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80%
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HRSG Types

HRSG Types
Horizontal

Vertical

Once Through

Horizontal gas flow direction

Vertical gas flow direction

Vertical tubes arrangement

Horizontal tubes arrangement

Either horizontal or vertical gas

flow direction & tubes
arrangement

Majority installed

Smaller footprint (historically

common in Europe or outside
US)

Once Through eliminates the

need of drum
Phase change from water to
steam is free to move
throughout the bundle
Theoretically more agile

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Product Features

Product Features

Finned Tubes

Internal insulation &

Liner

Drum & Internals

Prevent heat losses, Provide

outside casing temp of ~80 F

Is separated to produce
dry steam

Steam & water mixture

Act as heat transfer/

exchanger medium
Fins increase surface
areas

Gas Baffles
To Prevent Gas
bypassing the heat
exchanger

Duct Burner
Supplemental firing to increase heat
input for peak load
Gas dP 0.25 w.c expected

SCR Systems

Burner Skid & Elements/ Runners

NOx reduction by ~
86%

BMS-Burner Management System

Flame Scanner

Gas dP 2-3 wc
expected

Ignitor

Skid, Ammonia
Based, Injection
Grid, Catalyst

CO catalyst
CO reduction by ~ 80%
Gas dP ~ 1 wc expected

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Manufacturing

Manufacturing Heat Transfer Section

Headers

Bare Tubes

Bare
TuinSlit
Fin Coil
Coil Slit

Harps Assembly

ERW

Finned Tubes to header weld

Finned Tubes

Finned Tubes to header fit up

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Manufacturing Casing, Insulation & Liner

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Manufacturing - Drums

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Field Assembly

HRSG Typical Field Assembly

PLACE PO
1 - 2 Months

OBTAIN
MATERIALS
2 - 3 Months

MANUFACTURE
7 - 9 Months

SHIP COMPONENTS
3 - 4 Months
ASSEMBLY
7 - 9 Months

COMMISSION
1 - 2 Months

Total Cycle Duration: 21 - 29 M onths

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HRSG- Degree of Shop Modularization

1. Harps

3. C-Frame

2. Modular

4. Full Assembly
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HRSG Life Cycle Issues & Opportunities

HRSG issues

Light and
Heavy
Ammonium
Bisulfate
Deposits

Considerations for Cycling Operation

Component fatigue damage

GT Exhaust
Non Uniform
Flow

Chemistry control
Attemperation
Drum level control
Sulfur dew point corrosion

Critical Components affected by Cycling

HP Drum
HP Superheaters
RH Superheaters

Factors that impact fatigue damage

GT Ramp Rates
Pressure Management
Heat retention during offline periods
HRSG design & construction
Flow
Accelerated
Corrosion
(FAC)
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GE technologies applicable to HRSG

Metallurgy & coatings

Creep, oxidation
Thermal barrier
Anticorrosion

Sensing and inspection

Pulse eddy current, bore
scope, high temp
ultrasound, digital
radiography etc.

Aeromechanics/CFD
Bent fin tube
CFD modeling

Performance improvement
Gatecycle, eMap
Acoustic cleaning

Life models
Physics based & empirical
lifing models

M&D Technology
Water chemistry
Remote M&D
Monitoring, chemicals,
24/7 monitoring
chemistry models,
laboratory failure analysis
etc.
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Thank you.

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