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Performance Evaluation and Optimization of Air Preheater in Thermal Power Plant-2 PDF
Performance Evaluation and Optimization of Air Preheater in Thermal Power Plant-2 PDF
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL
Proceedings of the 2 International OF MECHANICAL
Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and ENGINEERING
Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
AND TECHNOLOGY (IJMET)
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a performance evaluation and optimization method of an air preheater based on routine
operation data measured onsite at LANCO-UPCL, Nagarjuna thermal power plant Padubidri, Karnataka, India. The work
focuses on the performance of Regenerative type air pre heater (model LAP 13494/2200). The performances were
evaluated before and after radial sector plate clearance adjustments with air preheater tests, and improvement is seen
along with air preheater optimization.
Keywords: Air pre heater, Air leakage, Gas side efficiency, Seals, X-ratio.
1. INTRODUCTION
Modern high capacity boilers are always provided with an air preheater. Air pre-heater is an important boiler
auxiliary which primarily preheats the combustion air for rapid and efficient combustion in the furnace Serving as the last
heat trap for the boiler system, a regenerative air preheater typically accounts for over 10% of a plants thermal efficiency
on a typical steam generator. Considering this, when evaluating the performance of an air preheater one should take into
account all of the process variables [10].
A very good method to improve the overall efficiency of a thermal power plant is to preheat the air. If the
incoming air for combustion is not preheated, then some energy must be supplied to heat the air to a temperature required
to facilitate combustion. As a result, more fuel will be consumed which increases the overall cost and decreases the
efficiency. There are many factors, which contribute to the deterioration of air preheater performance like high seal
leakage, deterioration of heat absorption characteristics of basket elements due to fouling or plugging. Close monitoring
of air pre heater performance and proper instrumentation would enable timely detection of performance degradation. The
combustion air preheater for the large fuel-burning furnaces used to generate steam in thermal power plants [5].
The Ljungstrom air preheater is more widely used than any other type of combustion air preheater in the power
industry, because of its compact design proven performance and reliability, and its fuel flexibility. The model LAP
13494/2200 means a Ljungstrom air preheater with rotor diameter of 13494mm is used in UPCL power plant. The
heights of heating elements of 4 sections are respectively 300mm, 800mm, 800mm and 300mm from top to bottom of the
rotor. The cold end heating elements of 300mm height are made of carbon plate while the hot end heating elements are
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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
made of common carbon steel. The metal weight of one air preheater is approximately 620 tons, including 465 tons for
the rotor assembly (about 75 percent of the total weight). The air preheater is tri-sector
tri type [10].
The model LAP 13494/2200 tri-sector
sector rotary air preheater as shown in Fig.
Fig 1 is a counter flow regenerative heat
exchanger. Specially corrugated heating elements are tightly placed in the sector compartment of the rotor. The rotor
turns at a speed of 0.99 rpm and is divided into gas channels and air channels. The air side is mad made of primary air
channels and secondary air channels. When gas flows through the rotor, it releases heat and delivers it to the heating
elements and then the gas temperature drops; when the heated elements turn to the air side, the air passing through them
is heated and its temperature is increased. By continuing maintaining such a circulation, the heat exchange is achieved
between gas and air.
Fig. 1: Trisector rotary air preheater and its important parts [10]
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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
Radial seals
Axial seals
Bypass seals
Circumferential seals
The main purpose of these seals is to reduce the leakage between the gas and air. Fig 3. Shows sealing system of
the Air pre heater.[6]
3. EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP
UP AND PROCEDURE
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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
c. Steam coil Air heaters (SCAPH) steam supply is kept isolated and gas recirculation dampers if any, are tightly
shut.
d. No mill change over is done during the test.
The test run duration will be the time required to complete two traverses for temperature and gas analysis. Two
separate test crews should sample the gas inlet and outlet ducts simultaneously.
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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
Tubes numbered 1,2,& 3 are carbon steel 3/8 OD tubes and tube no. 4 is carbon steel 12-15 mm OD. Tubes
numbered 1, 2& 3 are for gas sampling while tube no. 4 is for carrying thermocouple wires for temperature measurement.
d is the flue gas duct width at the test cross-section.
Flue gas samples are drawn by a vacuum pump from the test grid probes and sent to a portable gas analyzer
through a gas conditioning system. Similarly, a representative value of temperature is obtained by grid measurement of
flue gas temperature at multiple points in a plane perpendicular to the flow at air heater inlet and outlet using multi point
probes.
A single tube probe with portable analyzer can also be used for traversing duct cross section. Marking / etching
is done on the sampling tube at d/6, d/2 & 5d/6, if d is the duct depth. The probe is inserted in each port & samples are
drawn at different depths as per markings. Temperatures of flue gas are also measured at the same locations using a
similar single tube temperature probe.
Fig 7 shows typical gas analyzer used in the test to measure oxygen percentage in the flue gas. After completing
the testing of all the ports of a air preheater, calculations can be done as per the following formulae.
AL * (Tgl Tae)
Tgnl = + Tgl (2)
100
Gas side Efficiency GSE = (Temp drop/ Temp head)*100
(Tge Tgnl )
GSE = *100 (3)
(Tge Tae)
Wairout
X ratio =
Wga sin
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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
=
(5)
=
(6)
The experiments were conducted on a Ljungstrom air preheater. After determining the performance indices like
air leakage, GSE, X-ratio, using data from Table 1, radial Sector plate clearance is adjusted manually to improve the
efficiency of air preheater.
The following parameters are obtained using gas analyzers and digital thermocouple before adjusting the sector
plate.
AL = 12.5%
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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
Tgnl = 148.72C
(331.33 148.72)
Gas side Efficiency GSE = * 100
(331.3 34.64)
GSE = 61.54%
(331.33 148.72)
X-ratio = * 100
( 296.33 34.64)
X-ratio = 0.69
After finding performance indices, radial sector plate clearance is again adjusted manually at cold state. Table 2
and Table 3 shows sector plate clearance values adjusted in different direction.
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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
The following parameters are obtained using gas analyzers and digital thermocouple after adjusting the sector plate.
After adjusting the sector plate clearance another set of data were collected as shown in Table 4. Using these
parameter again air leakage, efficiency and x-ratio
x ratio are calculated. Similarly for different set of clearance adjustment
different results were obtained. And it is observed that air leakage decreased and efficiency increased gradually. By
adjusting the sector plate clearance optimized results were obtained. Using the parameters from Table 4 optimized results
were obtained.
10
5
0
1 2 3
Trial No.
Fig. 8: Air leakage for different trails of sector plate clearance adjustments
66
Gas side efficiency
64
62
60
1 2 3
Trial No.
Fig. 9: Gas side efficiency for different trails of sector plate clearance adjustments
4.1.3 X-ratio
Fig 10 shows X-ratio
ratio for different trials. It is observed that X-ratio
ratio incresed as hot end and cold end radial sector
plate is adjusted. It indicates maximun heat is recovred in the air pre heater.
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Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Current Trends in Engineering and Management ICCTEM -2014
17 19, July 2014, Mysore, Karnataka, India
0.74
X- Ratio
0.72
0.7
0.68
0.66
1 2 3
Trial No.
5. CONCLUSION
By reducing the area available for leakage from the air to the gas side between the rotor and the air preheater
housing by adjusting the radial sector plate reduces the air leakage and max efficiency can be obtained. And increase in xx-
ratio indicates maximum heat recovery
overy in the Air preheater.
6. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
7. NOMENCLATURE
8. REFERENCES
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[1]. Mr. Vishwanath .H. H, Dr. Thammaiah Gowda , Mr. Ravi S.D Heat Heat Transfer Analysis Of Recuperative Air
Preheater International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology Vol. 2, Issue 7,
July 2013,
[2]. Bostjan Drobnic, Janez Oman. A Numerical Model for the Analyses of Heat Transfer and Leakages in A
Rotary Air Preheater,, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 49, pp .501509,
509, 2006.
[3]. Staseik J.A., Experimental studies of heat transfer and fluid flow across undulated heat exchanger surfaces, Int.
J. Heat Transfer. Vol. 41 Nos. 6-7,pp.
7,pp. 899
899-914, 1998.
[4]. Larsen F. W., Rapid
Rapid Calculation of Temperature in a Regenerative Heat Exchanger Having Arbitrary Initial
Solid and Entering Fluid Temperatures,
Temperatures Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer Vol.10, pp.149-168,168, 1967.
[5]. Wang .H, Analysis on Thermal Stress Deformation of Rotary Air-Preheater
Preheater In a Thermal Power Plant,
Plant Korean
J. Chem. Eng., Vol. 26, 833-839
839 , 2009.
[6]. T.Skiepko, Effect
Effect Of Reduction In Seal Clearances On Leakages In A Rotary Heat Exchanger
Exchanger, Heat recovery
system CHP 9 (6), pp. 553-559,
559, 1989.
[7]. Donald Q.Kern, Process
Process Heat Transfer,
Transfer Tata McGraw-Hill Publication, pp. 701, 2004.
[8]. Stephen.Storm, john, Guffre, Andrea Zucchelli Advancements
Advancements With Regenerative Airheater Design,
Performance And Reliability POWERGEN Europe 7-9 7 June 2011.
[9]. Sandira Alagic, Nikola Stocic,Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow In Rotary Regenerative Air
Pre-Heaters Strojniki vestnik - Journal of Mechanical Engineering ,pp 411-417,2005
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