Correction algorithm for calculating heat transfer in air-cooling condenser based on analyzing steam condensation locations

ABSTRACT

A correction algorithm based on analyzing the steam condensation locations is proposed to address the problem of large errors when calculating the heat transfer of the air-cooling condenser (ACC) in Fluent. By building a detailed geometric model of the ACC and using radiator boundary conditions to simplify the heat-sinking tube bundle, Fluent software was used to calculate the heat transfer of the ACC under four winter operating conditions, and then, the calculation results were further corrected by applying the correction algorithm. The results show that after using the correction algorithm, the errors between calculation results and experiment data are reduced from 4.20~36.98% to 0.01~1.79%. When the electric load of the air-cooling generator set or the ambient temperature was low, the condensation velocity increased, for which there would be a local steam-free area in the heat-sinking tube bundle of the ACC, leading to large errors when using the radiator model. At this point, the correction algorithm based on the analysis of steam condensation position can serve to improve the degree of accuracy. Meanwhile, this correction algorithm can be further expanded to use in the simulating calculation of an indirect air-cooling generator set, and it is able to correct the heat transfer calculation result of the air-cooling tower by analyzing the heat transfer condition of circulating water in the heat-sinking tube bundle, so that reliable data can be provided to guide the anti-freezing of the indirect air-cooling generator set.

KEYWORDS:

• Air-cooling condenser
• steam condensation location
• correction algorithm
• flow heat transfer calculation
• fluent

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China [2019YFB1505403].

Notes on contributors

Mingtao Li

Mingtao Li is a senior engineer in the Shaanxi Yulin Energy Group Hengshan Coal Electricity Co. Ltd. His research interests focus on the production and operation technology of the thermal power plant.

Zihao Wang

Zihao Wang received his BS degree of New Energy Science and Engineering (Jul. 2020) at Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China., He is a master student in Xi'an Jiaotong University. His research interests focus on the thermal power and control engineering.

Chunxiao Liu

Chunxiao Liu received his BS degree at Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China. He is the chairman of the Shaanxi Yulin Energy Group Hengshan Coal Electricity Co. Ltd. His research interests focus on the operation management of the thermal power plant.

Xunbiao Meng

Xunbiao Meng is the general manager of the Shaanxi Yulin Energy Group Hengshan Coal Electricity Co. Ltd. His research interests focus on the management of the thermal power plant.

Yan Zhang

Yan Zhang is the deputy general manager and chief engineer of the Shaanxi Yulin Energy Group Hengshan Coal Electricity Co. Ltd. His research interests focus on the technology management of the thermal power plant.

Jinwen Shi

Jinwen Shi received his BS degree of Environmental Engineering (Jul. 2005) and his Ph.D. degree of Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics (Jun. 2012) under the supervision of Prof. Liejin Guo at Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China. He worked as a visiting Ph.D. student (Oct. 2008–Sep. 2009) under the supervision of Prof. Jinhua Ye at National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan. He is a professor at the International Research Center for Renewable Energy, State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, and at the Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University. His research fields are conversion and utilization of renewable energies, new energy materials, photocatalysis, power plant cold end system, and energy system optimization.

Xinfeng Sun

Xinfeng Sun received his BS degree at China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China. He is a senior engineer in the Shaanxi Yulin Energy Group Hengshan Coal Electricity Co. Ltd. His research interests focus on the production and operation management of the thermal power plant.

Gaochao Li

Gaochao Li received his BS degree of Environmental Engineering (Jul. 2005) and his M.S. degree of thermal engineering (Jun. 2008) at Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China. He is a senior engineer in Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute Co. Ltd. His research interests focus on the energy conservation of steam turbines and auxiliary systems.

Lixiao Gao

Lixiao Gao is a senior engineer in the Shaanxi Yulin Energy Group Hengshan Coal Electricity Co. Ltd. His research interests focus on the operation technology of the thermal power plant.

Duwei Liu

Duwei Liu received his BS degree of Thermal Energy and Power Engineering at Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, China. He is a senior engineer in the Shaanxi Yulin Energy Group Hengshan Coal Electricity Co. Ltd. His research interests focus on the production and operation technology management of the thermal power plant.