Electricity and Control May 2022

PLANT MAINTENANCE, TEST + MEASUREMENT

Numerical analysis for boiler systems across industries Steam generation and heat exchange expert Steinmüller Africa is extending its suite of process, mechanical and piping engineering services to a wider range of industries.The company’s numerical analysis service, part of its process engineering offering for boilers and heat exchange equipment in power plants countrywide, can be used to analyse the fluid dynamic behaviour of almost any boiler system, heat exchanger or boiler auxiliary equipment accurately.

S teinmüller can assemble numerical models of any OEM-designed and built plants completely. It can carry out its numerical analysis service in utility, pet rochemicals, paper and pulp, sugar, and nuclear industries. Warwick Ham, Boiler Process Engineering Group Leader at Steinmüller Africa, says: “Specialised tools and equipment, our teams of engineers and technicians, and our 60 years of experience provide us with the expertise to take our solutions to these markets.” Benefits for clients Ham says Steinmüller’s investigative approach delivers value for money. “We begin by assessing the client’s re quirements and the nature of the problem. This gives us the information we need to make recommendations on the

numerical analysis tools to be used, and we always recom mend against over-complicating the investigation. These are just two of the factors which keep costs down,” he says. Accurate geometry of every plant component, the plant’s operating philosophy, and some of the operating data are required to build numerical models of any plant accurately, those designed by Steinmuller or by other OEMs. “Once the model is built, we investigate various scenarios to pre dict the operating characteristics under varying conditions. Often these operating conditions fall outside of the original design envelope,” Ham says. He adds that the systems modelling approach Steinmüller uses is continually being developed. “These ongoing de velopments help provide insight into the most cost-effective modifications for improved operating and maintenance prac tices, which provides us with a competitive advantage.” There are three main tools Steinmüller uses to execute its numerical analysis: the company’s original Thermal Boiler Design Software, which is used in the design of most of the utility boilers currently in operation; Fluid Dynamic Numerical Analysis; and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Numerical Analysis. The company’s engineers use these tools to analyse the chemical, fluid and heat transfer processes occurring in boilers and other heat exchange equipment accurately. ”Although our original boiler design program is still used, our full suite of numerical analysis tools has been expand ed and modernised over the years,” Ham notes. Calculating capability Using its full suite of tools the company can ascertain the heat transfer and fluid dynamic behaviour of working fluids, both air/flue gas and water/steam, within the boiler, piping and other componentry. Its Boiler Design Program determines a boiler’s mass and energy balance by calculating the heat lost by the air-fuel combination within the furnace and absorbed by the water-steam flowing in the walls of the furnace. It also calculates the expected heat transfer throughout the various convective boiler parts downstream of the furnace, as well as the quantity of heat absorbed by the water and steam flowing through these boiler components. Fluid Dynamic Numerical Analysis is then used to calculate the behaviour of the bulk flue gas flowing around the parallel pipes that form the boiler, as well as the water

A CFD model of a coal pulverising mill showing air flow streamlines (ribbons) coloured according to velocity and particles (scaled up for visibility).

24 Electricity + Control MAY 2022