Steam Heat Research Articles

Mechanism and Data-Driven Dual Estimation of Coupling Hydraulic-Thermal States for Steam Heating Networks Considering Multi-Time-Scale Characteristics.

For a steam heating network (SHN), which is one of the most important parts of the integrated energy systems in an industrial park, it is essential to provide accurate and reliable estimation of hydraulic and thermal states, to ensure its operational safety and economy. Considering two different time-scale characteristics of the hydraulic and thermal processes in the SHN, this article proposes a mechanism and data-driven dual estimation method for the coupling hydraulic-thermal dynamic states. Due to the fact that the existing coupled estimation methods with one time scale may suffer from heavy computational burden, a data-driven dual sequential acrlong DSE method of the SHN is proposed based on the two-time scales, in which the dynamics of slow thermal states can also be captured when performing the acrlong SE of the fast hydraulic process. Furthermore, to improve the computational and communicational efficiency, a distributed interaction strategy based on the nodal transformation matrix is designed for large-scale steam systems. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, a single pipeline system and two real-world industrial superheated steam networks are employed. Compared to other state-of-the-art methods, the proposed method achieves the best tradeoff between the estimation accuracy and computational efficiency.

Studi Numerik Pengaruh Penambahan Turning Vane Terhadap Bentuk Aliran dan Distribusi Temperatur di Heat Recovery Steam Genertor (HRSG)

Tanjung Uncang Power Plant is one of the facilities in Indonesia that utilizes CCGT (Combined Cycle Gas Turbine). This cycle uses an HRSG (Heat Recovery Steam Generator) to heat steam using the exhaust gases from the gas turbine. At Tanjung Uncang's HRSG, the SOP requires that the gas turbine exhaust during cold start conditions must be below 400°C. Meanwhile, the gas turbine at Tanjung Uncang has a base load of 5 MW with a temperature range of 560°C - 580°C. Therefore, an asynchronous process is necessary to reach the FSNL (Full Speed No Load) condition for the gas turbine, with the damper angles set at 51°, 68°, and 90° for 45 minutes. Additionally, to achieve optimal conditions with the gas turbine running at 45 MW, a time span of 8 hours is required, which results in losses of up to 700 million. The extended time required can be due to uneven flue gas distribution, necessitating time for the HRSG to reach optimal conditions. This underscores the need to analyze the effects of adding turning vanes with angles of 35°, 53°, and 71°, and inlet temperatures of 400°C and 580°C on the characteristics of flue gas distribution. The analysis was conducted using CFD with ANSYS Fluent 2021 software. The simulation outputs include velocity vectors, velocity contours, and temperature distribution contours.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Slip Flow and Heat Transfer at the Entrance Region of a Circular Pipe

In the era of sustainable development goals (SDGs), energy efficient heat transfer systems are a must. Convective heat transfer within circular pipes is an important field of research on a rarely addressed limitation of fluid flows. Vacuum solar tubes is one of many applications that could benefit from the existence of nanoparticles, Al2O3, for example, to enhance the heating of air or water steam. The current research investigates the impacts of the Reynolds number (Re), Prandtl number (Pr), Knudsen number (Kn), aspect ratio (x/Dh), and volume fraction of Al2O3 nanoparticles (ϕ) on the Nusselt number (Nu) under constant wall heat flux conditions. An axisymmetric computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of the nanofluid flowing at the entrance region of a circular pipe was conducted under a slip flow at steady-state developing laminar conditions using the Ansys-Fluent 2018 software package. A mesh sensitivity analysis was conducted, and a proper number of mesh elements was selected. The results showed that an increasing Re and/or ϕ would result in an increasing Nu. The dependance of Nu on Kn was strong due to the high slip values and temperature jump. An increasing x/Dh ratio resulted in reduced Nu values. The major impact was due to Kn, which caused a reduction of up to 40% in the Nu value due to slip conditions. However, there was an enhancement of 2.5% in the heat transfer due to the addition of nanoparticles, which was found at Re = 250, Kn = 0.1, and ϕ = 0.1 (Pr = 0.729). Finally, Nuavg, Nux, U/Um, and ReCf were corelated with Kn, Pr, Re, and x/Dh with proper coefficient of determination (R2) values.

Preparation of waste Camellia oleifera shell and high‐density polyethylene composites: Effect of pretreatment on fiber and materials properties

AbstractThe preparation of wood‐plastic composites (WPCs) with high filling fibers and excellent physical properties remained a great challenge. This study used Camellia oleifera shell (COS, agroforestry product waste) as raw material, and prepared 60 wt% COS/high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) WPCs using profile extrusion method through pretreating fibers including hot water, hot steam, alkali, acid, extraction, and fine fiber screening. After pretreatments, the relative contents of cellulose and lignin increased, the relative contents of hemicellulose and extract decreased significantly, and the length‐diameter ratio was improved. The flexural strength, tensile strength and impact strength of hot water and steam heat treated composites reached 31.4, 17.1 MPa and 6.9 kJ/m2, 31.8, 16.8 MPa and 6.7 kJ/m2, respectively. Compared with untreated 28.8, 14.7 MPa and 5.5 kJ/m2, the advantages were more obvious. Alkali treatment and acid treatment improved the thermal stability and residue rate of the material. Extraction treatment and alkali treatment significantly reduced the processing torque force, which was conducive to processing, while acid treatment was the opposite. The highest water absorption and thickness expansion rate were 13.75% and 3.60% respectively at 7 days after alkali treatment, which were considerably higher than 5.60% and 0.78% without treatment, while other pretreatments improved the dimensional stability of the material.Highlights High filling Camellia oleifera shell waste/HDPE composites were prepared. Physical and chemical pretreatments improved interfacial adhesion of the composites. Heat treatments significantly improved mechanical performance of the composites.

Study of heat steam induced skin damage prevention in robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction using Da Vinci Robot

To explore the method of preventing heat steam induced skin damage in robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction (R-NSM-IBR) using Da Vinci Robots. A clinical data of 128 female patients with breast cancer, who were treated with R-NSM-IBR between September 2022 and December 2023 and met the selection criteria, was retrospectively analyzed. During robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy, the breasts were covered with gauze cooled by ice water to reduce skin temperature in 99 cases (group A) and were not treated in 29 cases (group B). There was no significant difference in the age, affected side, body mass index, pathological type of breast cancer, and constituent ratios of adjuvant chemotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy between the two groups ( P>0.05). Intraoperative breast skin temperature, unilateral robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy time, and the incidence of complications of breast heat steam induced skin damage were recorded. The time for unilateral robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy was (77.18±9.23) minutes in group A and (76.38±12.88) minutes in group B, with significant difference between the two groups ( P<0.05). The intraoperative breast skin temperature was significantly lower in group A than in group B [(25.61±0.91)℃ vs (33.38±1.14)℃; P<0.05]. Seven cases of heat steam skin damage occurred during operation, including 2 cases (2.0%) in group A and 5 cases (17.2%) in group B, with a significant difference in incidence between the two groups ( P<0.05). Among them, 1 patient in group B had a vesication rupture and infection, which eventually led to the removal of the implant; the rest of the patients were treated with postoperative interventions for skin recovery. The use of breast covered with gauze cooled by ice water during R-NSM-IBR can effectively reduce the risk of heat steam induced skin damage.

Exergetic, economic and exergy-based sustainability analysis of a power generation system with CO2 capture and methanol production

This study proposes a new biomass-based Combined Heat and Power (CHP)/renewable methanol production through captured carbon dioxide. A liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) stores and releases hydrogen. Literature review shows that LOHC has been integrated into such a system for the first time. The exergetic, exergoeconomic, and economic performance are researched. On average, results show that the exergetic efficiency of the system is 6.6 %. Depletion ratio (DR) is the depletion rate of the exergy source given to the system, which is desired to have low values. The sustainability index (SI) is the DR's reverse, representing the required exergy source per exergy destruction (exergy depletion). High values of this index indicate less exergy source consumed in the system. Exergetic ecological index (EECI) compares the useful products or depleted exergy per consumed exergy source destruction. The negative value of EECI means that the depletion of the exergy source is more significant than the product exergy and vice versa. The exergy-based sustainability indices, including DR, SI, and EECI, are found as 0.934, 1.071, and −0.868, respectively. Exergoeconomic analysis reveals that the exergy destruction rate at the system's capital cost (REX) value is 0.087×102. Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG), gasifier, and Heat Exchanger 1 (HE1) are obtained as 5.153×10−2 (kW/€), 1.707×10−2 (kW/€), 3.094×10−2 (kW/€) respectively. The payback period and the REX are 14.56 years and 0.087×10−2 (kW/€), respectively; it seems long for an engineering application, but these technologies are relatively new, and their costs might decrease soon. Exergy destruction or lost power per capita, which means depleted investment, costs much less than 1. Although the thermodynamic values of the system seem low because irreversibilities occurred in chemical reactions, CO2 saved and produced methanol and cannot be ignored in terms of its environmental and economic benefits, considering CO2 taxes and the methanol economy.

Artificial intelligence vision technology application in sustainability evaluation of solar-driven distillation device

The process of transforming brackish water into freshwater utilizing solar thermal energy is referred to as solar-driven distillation device, or solar still. Such device without fossil fuel provides significant environmental and health benefits by reducing air pollutants and remedying brackish water. The yield of purified water from conventional solar stills remains insufficient, prompting the necessity for research to enhance it by understanding the coupling effect between steam flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer. As such, computer-aided brackish water treatment comparison of the hemispherical solar still and other multi-slope solar stills is conducted in this paper, and an automatic steam&heat flow detection algorithm is developed to solve the problem of difficult data acquisition for gas-liquid transport processes. Firstly, double slope, four slope, and hemispherical solar stills are exposed to the sun in outdoor experiments, therefore the solar thermal performance of each still is analyzed through pairwise comparisons. Secondly, a large amount of experimental image data is input into neural network for training, and by continuously adjusting network parameters, the network can accurately recognize different types of images. Finally, the image to be recognized is input into the trained neural network, which outputs the category labels of the image to achieve automatic image recognition. Based on the data above, the best structure of solar-driven device is hemispherical structure, due to that the hemispherical solar still possesses the best performance in terms of distilled water yield, energy efficiency, exergy efficiency and energy payback.

Effect of catalyst distribution in the combustion catalytic layer on heat and mass transport characteristics of the microchannel reactor

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of catalyst distribution in the combustion catalytic layer on heat and mass transport characteristics of the auto-thermal methanol steam reforming microchannel reactor.Design/methodology/approachComputational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is used to study four different gradient designs. The corresponding distributions of temperature, species and chemical reaction rate are provided and compared.FindingsThe distributions of species, temperature and chemical reaction rate are significantly affected by the catalyst distribution in the combustion catalytic layer. A more uniform temperature distribution can be observed when the gradient design is used. Meanwhile, the methanol conversion rate is also improved.Practical implicationsThis work reveals the effect of catalyst distribution in the combustion catalytic layer on heat and mass transport characteristics of the auto-thermal methanol steam reforming microchannel reactor and provides guidance for the design of reactors.Originality/valueThe temperature uniformity and hydrogen production performance can be improved by the gradient design in the combustion catalytic layer.

Exploration and Application Practice of Energy Conservation Theory and Method in Steel Manufacturing Process System

This article briefly discusses the theoretical basis and overall goals of energy conservation in the steel manufacturing process system. It is proposed that in the process of implementing system energy conservation, it is necessary to fully recognize and utilize the characteristics and functional advantages of the steel manufacturing process, pay more attention to energy quality, firmly grasp the overall goal of system optimization, focus on the integrated optimization of gas, steam, and waste heat systems, and propose the idea of constructing a "steel chemical gas electricity heating cooling multi generation system". Based on practice, the main principles, models, and effects of implementing systematic energy conservation in steel enterprises have been proposed.

Thermoeconomic analysis of the IWERS system for steam heat recovery from bakery ovens

AbstractThe integrated waste energy recovery system (IWERS) recovers heat from bakery ovens in supermarkets and other commercial facilities to heat domestic hot water, resulting in energy savings. This article presents a thermoeconomic analysis of the system's operation in a supermarket over the course of 1 year. The study shows that exergy destruction in IWERS is directly proportional to ambient temperature. During the hottest months of the year, IWERS experiences a 4% decrease in exergy performance, while the exergy unit cost of the product increases by up to 4.2%. Additionally, the steam condenser is responsible for the highest relative exergy destruction, reaching almost 45%. Moreover, the addition of equipment upstream of the process increases the exergy cost of production due to the destruction of exergy in the equipment. These results provide valuable information with important implications for energy efficiency, economic savings, and sustainability. Improving system efficiency would generate substantial benefits in energy savings, economic savings, and environmental impact for all commercial and industrial establishments that use bakery ovens.

Simulation of Coupled Hydraulic–Thermal Characteristics for Energy-Saving Control of Steam Heating Pipeline

Simulation of Coupled Hydraulic–Thermal Characteristics for Energy-Saving Control of Steam Heating Pipeline

Integrated Performance of a Modular Biomass Boiler With a Combined Heat and Power Industrial Rankine Cycle and Supplementary sCO2 Brayton Cycle

Abstract In this paper, the integrated performance of a modular biomass boiler with an existing industrial Rankine steam heat and power cycle and a supplementary supercritical-carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton cycle is analyzed. The aim is to leverage the high efficiency supplementary sCO2 cycle to increase net generation and energy efficiency from the existing biomass boiler. Two sCO2 heater configurations situated within the flue gas flow path are investigated, namely a single convective-dominant heater, and a dual heater configuration with a radiative and a convective heater. A quasi-steady-state 1D model was developed to simulate the integrated cycle, including detailed component characteristics for the Rankine and Brayton cycles. The model solves the mass, energy, momentum, and species balance equations. The system is analyzed for three cases: (i) the existing Rankine cycle without the sCO2 integration, (ii) with the single convective-dominant sCO2 heater configuration, and (iii) the dual sCO2 heater configuration. The results show the required rate of overfiring for the sCO2 configurations, with a 15.3% increase in fuel flowrate resulting in an additional 21.2% in net power output. The model quantifies the impact of the sCO2 heaters, with reduced heat uptakes for downstream boiler heat exchangers. Furnace water wall heat uptake increased due to overfiring, offsetting the reduced heat uptakes at downstream evaporative heat exchangers. The dual configuration has more impact on Rankine cycle operation due to the radiative sCO2 heater placement in front of the second superheater, absorbing some of the direct radiation from the furnace.

Power Augmentation of Gas Turbine Using Exhaust Flue Gas Operated Vapor Absorption Machine

Industrial gas turbines (GT) that operate at constant speed are constant-volume-flow combustion machines. As the specific volume of air is directly proportional to the temperature, an increase in air density results in a higher air mass flow rate at low air ambient temperatures. This results more mass of air is now passes through same volume gas turbine space. Consequently, the gas turbine power output increases proportionally with the increase in air mass flow rate. For geographic regions where warm and humid months are predominant throughout the year, significant power loss occurs during these months, and a higher rate of expensive fuel is fired at reduced power output. A gas turbine inlet air cooling technique is a useful option to enhance GT output. One of the innovative options for power augmentation of gas turbine is inlet air conditioning using a vapor absorption machine (VAM). Using VAM for GT intake air conditioning has the advantage over other systems in that it can be operated from waste heat. Many gas turbine machines, particularly natural gas pumping stations, are operated without heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) or heat recovery option. Valuable heat energy is escaped with exhaust flue gas in these systems. This paper demonstrates how GT exhaust waste heat can be utilized for its own power generation enhancement. In this study, a flue gas-based vapor absorption machine is selected for cooling the inlet air of a 26 MW gas turbine, which is used to drive the booster compressor of a natural gas pumping station. The capacity of the VAM for the required cooling effect has been calculated. The expected GT power enhancement from intake air gas conditioning has also been estimated in this paper.

The effects of dry heat and steam on germination of dry and imbibed seeds of the invasive garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl.)

Abstract Regularly mown road verges are an important habitat for conservation of grassland vegetation. Disturbance and movement of seed-contaminated soil during road construction and maintenance makes road verges susceptible to the establishment of invasive alien plants such as garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl.). To combat spread of L. polyphyllus via seeds, we tested methods for seed destruction using heat. This study aimed at developing heat eradication methods for dry and imbibed L. polyphyllus seeds applying dry heat (88, 93, 98, 103 C at 1, 3, 5, 10 min) in a laboratory, steam (85, 90, 95 C at 3, 5, 10 min) in a test-box steaming device and (97 C at 10-17 min; dry seeds only) in a stationary soil-steaming machine (S30). In order to speed up water absorption and post-treatment germination, the imbibed seeds were manually scarified before the heat treatment and the dry seeds afterwards. Additionally, germination of two different age seed batches was tested applying dry heat (88, 98 C at 3, 5 min). The results showed that steam treatments inhibited seed germination more than dry heat in both dry and imbibed seeds. Germination dropped to &lt; 5% when steamed at ≥ 90 C or dry-heated at &gt; 100 C. Seed germination decreased with higher temperatures and longer exposure times. Imbibed seeds exhibited lower germination compared to dry seeds for dry and steam heat. Approximately 0.5% of dry seeds germinated when steamed using S30. 2022-collected seeds were less sensitive to dry heat than seeds from 2020. In conclusion, hot steam is more effective in reducing L. polyphyllus seed germination than dry heat. Thus, to successfully eradicate L. polyphyllus seeds in soil masses, we recommend steaming them at 97 C for at least 10 minutes.

A novel strategy to enhance heavy oil Recovery: Condensation heat transfer calculation and 2-D visualized physical simulation

High carbon emissions and low efficiency in thermal utilization are pivotal challenges in heavy oil development. Addressing the urgent need to enhance heavy oil production, this paper introduces an innovative approach in which aerogel and flue gas serve as supplementary additives in steam thermal recovery. To investigate the mechanisms behind the improved heat transfer and oil recovery facilitated by the combination of aerogel and flue gas, condensation heat transfer experiments and 2-D visual oil displacement experiments were carried out. The condensation heat transfer coefficient, oil displacement performance, and heat utilization efficiency were analyzed and compared. The results showed the porous structure of the aerogel enhances its thermal insulation properties by adsorbing flue gas, thereby reducing the steam-to-cold object condensation heat transfer coefficient by 60.6%. The cementation between aerogel nanoparticles (NPs) retained in the formation and rock particles formed an insulating layer that impedes the upward propagation of steam heat. Combined with efficacy of flue gas foam in improving fluid flow, this promoted the horizontal expansion of the steam chamber, resulting in an 8.2% and 3.4% increase in the steam chamber’s extent compared to using steam and a combination of steam with aerogels, respectively. Moreover, the profile control and thermal insulation impacted following the NPs, lowering the water cut in the produced fluid and enhancing the oil recovery by 7.9%. Upon the application of flue gas, this enhancement in recovery extended to 9.3%.

Experimental study on heat transfer characteristics of dispersed flow during strong transient reflood process

The dispersed heat transfer correlations obtained in the quasi-steady-state heating experiment may have some limitations in the strong transient reflood process. Therefore, this article will conduct a visualization experiment on single-rod channel reflood cooling under different working conditions. By combining the transient hydrodynamic characteristics of liquid droplets and the wall temperature transient curve, the boiling heat transfer characteristics of the dispersed flow stage during the reflood process are studied. Through comparative analysis, this article found that the traditional post-CHF (Critical Heat Flux) heat transfer correlations are difficult to characterize the impact of droplet number and size changes. This article is based on the form of a divided path heat transfer mechanism model. In response to the strong transient characteristics of dispersed flow during the reflood process in a restricted channel, the single-phase steam heat transfer model and the steam-droplet interfacial heat transfer model have been modified, greatly improving the prediction accuracy. The RMS of the predicted heat transfer coefficient decreased from 0.68 in the original model to 0.24 in the new model.

The Impact and analysis of nuclear power plant’s steam extraction and heating modification on the turbine

A certain nuclear power unit uses the circulating water heated by the steam extraction from the high-pressure cylinder exhaust pipe of the steam turbine through modification, and the pressurized heating circulating water is supplied to the outside of the plant. As it is the first large-scale model of steam extraction heating in domestic nuclear power, the heating will have a certain impact on the steam turbine. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the impact of large-scale steam extraction on the steam turbine and propose corresponding countermeasures to provide relevant references for subsequent nuclear power extraction and heating modification.

A semi-analytical time-domain model with explicit fluid force expressions for fluidelastic vibration of a tube array in crossflow

It is widely acknowledged that fluidelastic instability (FEI), among other mechanisms, is of the greatest concern in the flow-induced vibration (FIV) of tube bundles in steam generators and heat exchangers. A range of theoretical models have been developed for FEI analysis, and, in addition to the earliest semi-empirical Connors' model, the unsteady model, the quasi-steady model and the semi-analytical model are believed to be three advanced models predominant in the literature. The unsteady and the quasi-static models share the merits of having explicit fluid force expressions and ease of being implemented but require more experimental inputs, whereas the semi-analytical model requires fewer parameters due to its analytical nature but is hard, if not prohibitive, to derive explicit fluid force expressions. Since the fluid force formulations set in the core of development of FEI models, the understanding and in particular the implementation of the semi-analytical model has been impaired by the nonexistence of explicit fluid force expression. This issue becomes more profound in time-domain analysis whereby the simple harmonic assumption is discarded. Here we report a new semi-analytical time-domain (SATD) FEI model with explicit fluid force expressions. The new model allows a consistent frequency-domain stability analysis and more importantly a truly time-domain response analysis. The theory was validated by calculating linear stability thresholds of two typical tube array patterns and comparing against reported experimental data. We then present a nonlinear time-domain analysis of a single loosely-supported tube with piece-wise linear stiffness. The nonlinear and nonsmooth dynamics was probed in details by utilizing various techniques, playing an emphasis on characterizing and distinguishing the chaotic vibration. We found that the system follows a quasi-periodic route to chaos. Such an in-depth study of the nonlinear dynamics of tubes in crossflow has never been reported in the context of SATD model. Our results enrich the theory and provide a different approach for linear and nonlinear dynamics of tube bundles, which are essential for the subsequent fretting wear analysis.

Biomimetic array actuators for multisituation low-grade energy harvesting

Low-grade energy resources are abundant and widely available, yet efficiently harnessing and continuously collecting this energy presents a considerable challenge, leading to significant energy losses. In this work, we introduce a biomimetic array actuator constructed with a sodium alginate (SA)-tellurium nanowires (Te NWs)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) bilayer structure that responds to various stimuli such as low temperature, natural light, and humidity. Significantly, this actuator generates autonomous self-oscillatory motion driven by an internal mechanical feedback loop. Utilizing its high-frequency self-oscillating motion, this actuator efficiently harnesses low-grade energy sources, including waste heat, non-concentrated sunlight, and exhaust steam. Under various driving conditions, including a 60 °C heater, natural light, and 70 °C steam, the 3 × 3 array actuators can generate peak voltages of 1.5 V, 2 V, and 4 V, respectively. This research has the potential to unlock opportunities for a range of low-grade energy harvesting technologies utilizing flexible actuators.

Development of a New Model “MAGIC BOILER” for Faster Steam Production

A boiler, whether it is used for heating water, generating steam, or superheating steam, plays a crucial role as a closed vessel in various applications. From industrial to household use, boilers find wide-ranging importance. Particularly for Indonesian home industries, which predominantly focus on food or fashion production, boilers play a viral in their manufacturing processes. However, the significant energy consumption of boilers, combined with rising gas and electricity prices due to inflation, has led to an increase in production costs, posing challenges to companies’ profitability and sustainability. To address this issue, this paper proposes the development of a safe and energy-efficient electric water boiler known as the “MAGIC BOILER.” The distinguishing feature of the “MAGIC BOILER” lies in its unique design, incorporating an enhanced heating surface. This innovative design maximizes the heat output generated by the heater, ensuring efficient utilization of the electrical input, thus yielding a higher rate of heat transfer and steam production rate at a relatively lower cost.