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Tech Paper - Supercritical Boiler With Low Mass Flux, Vertical Wall Design
Tech Paper - Supercritical Boiler With Low Mass Flux, Vertical Wall Design
Dryout
As the water and steam mixture flows along the
furnace wall, at higher steam quality boiling
crisis known as Dryout occurs. During the
occurrence of Dryout there is a sudden loss of
contact between the water and the tube wall
which results in deterioration of heat transfer
and rise in tube metal temperature. Refer Fig.1.
Fig.1
The occurrence of both boiling crisis (DNB and
Dryout) must be considered in the evaporator
design. In both cases the steam cooling must
be sufficient to ensure a reliable cooling.
Evaporator system
There are mainly two types of evaporator
system suitable for sliding pressure operation
being used today namely spiral wall design and
vertical wall design. Refer Fig.2.
Fig.2
1. Smaller OD tubes
1. Smaller OD tubes.
2. Helically wound spiral wall construction in
which the tubes are inclined (15 to 25 deg.)
and furnace tubes pass through the
circumference of the furnace more than one
time and connected to a transition header
above the burner zone. Above the transition
header the furnace enclosure is made up of
vertical water wall tubes. The spiral wall
concept reduces the number of parallel
tubes and hence increases the mass flux
through the tubes. As all tubes pass
through all the furnace walls, any variation
in heat absorption is applicable to all these
tubes and hence the temperature difference
between these tubes is minimized.
3. To achieve reliable cooling the mass flux
generally adopted is around 2000 kg/(m2s)
at full load. It may be chosen higher for
other reasons, e.g. to lower the minimum
load for once through operation.
4. Smooth tubes are adequate, as the mass
flux is high.
Fig.4
Fig.3
Use of Rifled tubes in the lower furnace
As the heat release rate is high in the lower
furnace particularly in the burner region, it is
essential to ensure sufficient cooling of the
tubes in order to protect them at the location of
boiling crisis and associated peak metal
temperatures.
To reduce the peak metal temperatures,
BENSON low mass flux vertical wall design
uses specially developed Optimized Multi Lead
Rifled (OMLR) tubes in the lower furnace
region. Fig.4 illustrates that an OMLR vertical
tube ensures wetting of the inner wall such that
the Dryout occurs - compared to a smooth tube
- at a safer elevation above the burner zone
and at higher steam quality with higher steam
velocities.
Fig.5
Vertical wall, high mass flux design:
There are some designs with vertical single
pass upward flow tubes with higher mass
fluxes. This design does not exhibit the natural
circulation characteristics as in low mass flux
design. Standard rifled tubes with orifices are
used in this design to take care of the tube-totube temperature differences.
Parameter
Spiral wall
Mass flux
High
High
(around 2000 kg/(m2-s) at full load or
1800 to 2000 kg/(m2-s) at
above)
at full load
Low
(around 1000 kg/(m2-s) at full load)
Smooth tubes
Pressure drop in
furnace wall
Higher
Higher
Furnace
wall attachments &
buckstays
Complex
Simple,
Typical increase in weight for a 660 MW Self supporting
boiler is approx. 400 MT.
Simple
Self supporting
Manufacturing and
construction
Easier