Numerical simulation of the thermal radiation and convective heat transfer characteristics of the second superheater in a coal-fired thermal power plant boiler

Abstract

Superheaters are critical components in a coal-fired power plant because they sustain the highest tube wall (metal) temperature point in the boiler. The pressurized steam flowing in superheater tubes is mainly heated via the thermal radiation and convection from the combustion gas in the radiant zone. To prevent the bursting of superheater tubes caused by the high-temperature creep, corrosion, and thermal fatigue for proper plant operation and maintenance, accurately predicting complex heat transfer characteristics, estimating the local temperature, and assessing the heat flux of the superheater are essential. In this study, a computational fluid dynamics model of the boiler and the superheater in a coal-fired power plant was developed using radiation and turbulence models. The local metal temperature and heat flux of the superheater were evaluated by calculating the heat exchange between the combustion gas and pressurized steam flows in the tubes. The calculated values of the steam outlet temperature accurately matched the values measured using the equipment at the plant, and thermal radiation was confirmed to be dominant in the boiler. The metal temperature and heat flux of the superheater at the outermost heat transfer tubes, which receive the maximum thermal radiation, were larger than those of the superheater at the inner tubes. Therefore, the outermost tubes were determined to be under the most severe thermal conditions despite having a higher mass flow rate of steam. Additionally, the heat fluxes on the center lines of superheater tube panels were higher due to the large gap between the adjacent heat transfer tubes at the bent part.