Finite Element Solution of Navier-Stokes Equations for Steam Flow and Heat Transfer

Abstract

Computational simulation of steam flow and heat transfer in power plant condensers on the basis of the three- dimensional mathematical model for the flow through porous media is presented. In order to solve the mathematical model of steam flow and heat transfer in power plant condensers, the Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin finite element method is applied. By comparison of the results of simulation with experimental results about an experimental condenser, it is confirmed that SUPG finite element method can be successfully applied for solving the three-dimensional mathematical model of steam flow and heat transfer in power plant condensers. HERE are numerous papers and reports concerning numerical simulation of steam flow and heat transfer in power plant condensers. In most of the papers the simulations are mainly based on the mathematical model which defines steam flow in the tube bundle as flow through porous media. The common characteristic of the most of the current works on this subject is solving the mathematical model on the basis of finite volume method with use a rectangular grid for discretization of the condenser area. Although this methods so far have shown good results in solving the mathematical model of steam flow and heat transfer in power plant condensers, the difficulties still remain in applying the rectangular grid for discretization of the condensers flow area, especially in modern condensers with complex irregular geometry. In this paper in order to solve the mathematical model of steam flow and heat transfer in power plant condensers, the finite element method is applied.