Evaluation of retrofitting a conventional natural gas fired boiler into a condensing boiler

The exit flue gas temperature of a conventional gas fired boiler is usually high and a great amount of heat energy is lost to the environment. If both sensible heat and latent heat can be recovered by adding a condensing heat exchanger, the efficiency of the boiler can be increased by as much as 10%. In this paper, based on combustion and heat transfer calculations, the recoverable heat and the efficiency improvement potential of different heat recovery schemes at various exit flue gas temperatures are presented by performing design calculations. The payback period method has been used to analyze the feasibility of retrofitting a conventional gas fired boiler into a condensing boiler in a heating system in detail. The results show that the most economical exit flue gas temperature is 40–55 °C when a conventional natural gas fired boiler is retrofitted into a condensing boiler simply by adding a condensing heat exchanger. It is feasible to use the return water of a heating system as the cooling medium of the condensing heat exchanger because the return temperature varies with the ambient temperature and is lower than the dew point of the water vapor in the flue gas in most periods of a heating season in some regions, which has been verified by retrofitted case.     

An experimental study on vapor condensation of wet flue gas in a plastic heat exchanger

An experimental system investigating condensation heat transfer of wet flue gas was set up, and the heat transfer performance of vapor‐gas mixture with vapor condensation was discussed. The experimental results of laminar flow in a plastic longitudinal spiral plate heat exchanger were obtained and are in good agreement with the modified classical film model. It is shown that the plastic air preheater can avoid acid corrosion in the low‐temperature field for the boiler using fuel containing sulfur and recover latent heat of the water vapor of the wet flue gas. Also some SO₂ was scrubbed during the vapor condensing process in the heat exchanger. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 30(7): 571–580, 2001     

Modelling and analyses of heat exchangers in a biomass boiler plant

A boiler plant is presented, in which the fuel is dried before combustion in a silo with air. The drying air is heated in a recuperative heat exchanger by the heat of flue gases. Hot air is then blown through the bed of fuel in the drying silo, while the fuel dries and the air cools down and becomes humidified. Heat of the moist exhaust air of the silo is recovered for the drying air and combustion air by a recuperative heat exchanger. Modelling of the thermal behaviour of the plant helps in understanding complex interdependencies of the two heat exchangers, the boiler and the dryer. The models of the heat exchangers and applications in analysing the boiler system are described in this paper. Calculating the combinations of extreme operational conditions gives the input data needed in comparing different types of heat exchangers, dimensioning the heat transfer area, choosing the control strategy and selecting the operating parameters and set‐values of the control system. Results of verification measurements and practical operation at a 40 kW_th pilot plant and a 500 kW_th demonstration plant are also discussed. Using engineering correlation formulas for heat and mass transfer, an adequate accuracy between the model and the measurements was achieved. Fouling was detected to be a major problem with the flue gas heat exchanger. However, in absence of condensation, the increase of a fouling layer with respect to time was observed to be low. Fouling was also a problem with the drying exhaust gas heat exchanger, but after the installation of a simple dust collector, a reasonable cleaning period was achieved. A mixed‐flow configuration was found to be the most appropriate for the flue gas heat exchanger. In order to avoid condensation of the flue gas the drying exhaust gas heat exchanger is indispensable in Finnish climate in the considered system. In addition to this, it decreases the need of fuel. A parallel‐flow type was found the most appropriate as the drying exhaust gas heat exchanger. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Utilization of combustible waste gas as a supplementary fuel in coal‐fired boilers

A system is proposed to use the combustible waste gas as a supplementary fuel in coal‐fired boilers. The combustion air can be partially or fully substituted by ventilation air methane or diluted combustible waste gases. The recommended volume fraction of combustible waste gas in combustion air is no more than 1.0%. The effect of waste gas introduction on thermodynamic parameters of boiler is evaluated through thermal calculation based on material balance, heat balance, and heat transfer principles. A case study is conducted by referring to a 600 MW supercritical pressure boiler. The results show that no retrofit of boiler is required. The operation of boiler is scarcely influenced, and the original forced and induced draft fans can meet the requirement. With increasing volume fraction of combustible waste gas, the flue gas temperature at the furnace exit decreases monotonically, resulting in an increment of heat absorption in furnace and a decrement of heat transferred in convective heating surfaces. When 1.0% volume fraction of hydrocarbon gas is introduced, the thermal efficiency of boiler is increased by 0.5%, and the coal consumption rate is reduced by 25.4%. The cost analysis of the proposed system is conducted, and break‐even curves are given as references for the utilization of waste gas as a supplementary fuel. The economic velocity of the combustion air is suggested to be 18.2 m s^?1.     

An entransy dissipation-based optimization principle for building central chilled water systems

The recently developed entransy theory is introduced in this paper to tackle the heat transfer processes in building central chilled water systems so as to improve their energy efficiency. We first divide the irreversible heat transfer processes into four categories: (1) air mixing processes; (2) heat transfer processes between chilled water and air; (3) chilled water mixing processes; and (4) heat transfer processes between chilled water and refrigerant. The formulas of entransy dissipation rates for each irreversible process are derived, and then the total entransy dissipation rate in the whole chilled water systems is obtained, which connects the geometrical structures of each heat exchanger and the operating parameters of each fluid directly to the demands of users and the supply of refrigerating unit. Based on the formula of entransy dissipation rate together with the conditional extremum method in mathematics, two optimization equation groups are deduced theoretically. Simultaneously solving such equation groups will easily find the optimal central chilled water system with the highest energy efficiency. Finally, a simple building central chilled water system with two users is taken as an example to illustrate the applications of the newly proposed optimization principle.     

Hybrid solar parabolic dish power plant and high‐temperature phase change material energy storage system

In this study, a conventional steam power plant with two regenerative boilers is considered, and one of its boilers is replaced with parabolic solar dish collectors and storing the produced thermal energy by the phase change material (PCM) in a storage tank. The results show the necessity of the existence of an auxiliary fired‐gas boiler to provide constant load during the whole 24 hours. The performance of the proposed hybridized system is evaluated through energy and exergy analyses. It was demonstrated that substituting solar collectors with one of the boilers marginally lowers the energy efficiency but increases the exergy efficiency of the whole power plant up to 41.76%. Moreover, it is found out that this hybridization decreases the total irreversibility of the power plant in comparison with the base case, from 51.1 to 47.2 MW. The parametric analysis states that raising the mass flow rate of the heat transfer fluid in the solar collectors not only enhances the system performance but also increases the volume of the PCM tank.     

Techno‐economic comparison of boiler cold‐end flue gas heat recovery processes for efficient hard‐coal‐fired power generation

An important method to increase the efficiency of thermal power plants is to recover the exhaust gas heat at the boiler cold‐end with the stepwise integration of a steam turbine heat regenerative system. To this end, there are currently three typical heat recovery processes, that is, a low‐temperature economizer (LTE), segmented air heating (SAH) and bypass flue (BPF). To provide useful guidance to thermal power plants for optimal and efficient processes, the thermal economy and techno‐economic performance of the three aforementioned processes were calculated and compared using an in‐service 600‐MW hard‐coal‐fired ultra‐supercritical power unit as a reference. The results demonstrate that with the use of the LTE, SAH and BPF, respectively, to recover the exhaust heat, reducing the exhaust temperature from 122 °C to 90 °C, the net standard coal consumption rate of the 600‐MW unit can be reduced by 1.51, 1.71 and 2.81 g/(kW h). The initial costs of the three heat recovery projects are 1.69, 2.91 and 2.53 million USD. If the 600‐MW unit runs 5500 h per year at the rated load, the three processes can increase the earnings of the unit by 0.49, 0.52 and 0.94 million USD from coal savings annually, meaning that their dynamic payback periods are 4.42, 8.66 and 3.29 years, respectively. The results indicate that for a hard‐coal‐fired power unit, the coal savings achieved by exhaust heat recovery are notable. Among the three processes, SAH shows the worst techno‐economic performance because it induces a significant increase in initial costs while obtaining a limited increase in thermal economy, while BPF exhibits the best techno‐economic performance owing to the significant increase in thermal economy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

天然气锅炉改造为冷凝式锅炉的经济性评价

燃气供热锅炉排烟温度较高，带走了大量的热能。如果加装冷凝式换热器回收烟气的显热及潜热，可以大大提高锅炉效率，但是加装换热器必然增加设备成本。本文通过对冷凝式换热器设计计算，计算出不同排烟温度下的热能回收设备投资回收期，从经济上分析了天然气锅炉改造为冷凝式锅炉的可行性，并给出了锅炉最佳排烟温度。     

小型工业锅炉烟气余热利用新技术

针对目前小型燃煤工业锅炉排烟温度高、排烟热损失大,用户管理和操作水平低,运行中通常间断式给水的情况,设计了两种利用烟气余热进行节能改造的无压装置。在锅炉运行时,通过无压换热器的换热、水箱中水的蓄热来降低排烟温度、提高锅炉效率。改造后的锅炉在稳定工况、低负荷工况下的测试结果证明,锅炉效率均显著提高。回收周期的计算表明,应用该技术投资少、回收周期短。     

A new approach to analysis and optimization of evaporative cooling system I: Theory

Using the analogy between heat and mass transfer processes, the recently developed entransy theory is extended in this paper to tackle the coupled heat and mass transfer processes so as to analyze and optimize the performance of evaporative cooling systems. We first introduce a few new concepts including the moisture entransy, moisture entransy dissipation, and the thermal resistance in terms of the moisture entransy dissipation. Thereinafter, the moisture entransy is employed to describe the endothermic ability of a moist air. The moisture entransy dissipation on the other hand is used to measure the loss of the endothermic ability, i.e. the irreversibility, in the coupled heat and mass transfer processes – this total loss is shown to consist of three parts: (1) the sensible heat entransy dissipation, (2) the latent heat entransy dissipation, and (3) the entransy dissipation induced by a temperature potential. Finally the new thermal resistance, defined as the moisture entransy dissipation rate divided by the squared refrigerating effect output rate, is recommended as an index to effectively reflect the performance of the evaporative cooling system. In the end, two typical evaporative cooling processes are analyzed to illustrate the applications of the proposed concepts.     

Efficiency and effectiveness enhancement of an intercooler of two‐stage air compressor by low‐cost Al2O3/water nanofluids

The present study was aimed to utilize low‐cost alumina (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles for improving the heat transfer behavior in an intercooler of two‐stage air compressor. Experimental investigation was carried out with three different volume concentrations of 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1.0% Al₂O₃/water nanofluids to assess the performance of the intercooler, that is, counterflow heat exchanger at different loads. Thermal properties such as thermal conductivity and overall heat transfer coefficient of nanofluid increased substantially with increasing concentration of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles. Specific heat capacity of nanofluids were lower than base water. The intercooler performance parameters such as effectiveness and efficiency improved appreciably with the employment of nanofluid. The efficiency increased by about 6.1% with maximum concentration of nanofluid, that is, 1% at 3‐bar compressor load. It is concluded from the study that high concentration of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles dispersion in water would offer better heat transfer performance of the intercooler.     

球突翅片的传热流动特性及等效热阻数值分析

为了提高翅片管换热器的传热系数和减小压降,提出了一种球突型翅片,通过数值模拟研究其传热与流动性能,同时应用(火积)耗散理论对其传热的不可逆性进行分析。计算结果表明:与平片相比,其传热能提高26.21%～39.53%,而阻力系数仅提高16.62%～27.04%,同时综合性能增加16.54%～32.56%;这说明该翅片具有高传热系数低压降的特点,是一种性能优良的翅片。通过(火积)耗散分析可以看出:球突翅片的等效热阻减小,其传热的不可逆性减弱。     

A performance comparison between an air‐source and a ground‐source reversible heat pump

In this study, the performance of a reversible ground‐source heat pump coupled to a municipality water reticulation system, is compared experimentally and with simulations to a conventional air‐source heat pump for space cooling and heating. A typical municipality water reticulation system comprises hundreds of kilometres of pipes designed in loops that will ensure adequate circulation of water. This results in a substantial heat exchanger with great potential. Indirect heat transfer occurs between the refrigerant and ground via the municipality water reticulation system that acts as the water‐to‐ground heat exchanger. The experimental and simulated comparisons of the ground‐source system to the air‐source system are conducted in both the cooling and the heating cycles. Climatalogical statistics are used to calculate the capacities and coefficients of performance of the ground‐source and air‐source heat pumps. Results obtained from measurements and simulations indicate that the utilization of municipality water reticulation systems as a heat source/sink is a viable method of optimizing energy usage in the air conditioning industry, especially when used in the heating mode. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于火积理论的螺旋折流板换热器的优化结构分析

为了比较平面螺旋折流板换热器和折面螺旋折流板换热器的传热和阻力性能,应用了换热器常用评价标准PEC准则和火积理论对两种换热器实验结果进行了分析,同时采用火积耗散极值原理对两种换热器的传热火积耗散率、阻力火积耗散率以及总火积耗散率进行了对比。结果表明:火积耗散理论分析换热器性能的结果与传统换热器评价标准PEC准则相符,说明了火积耗散理论的可靠性;折面螺旋折流板换热器的综合性能得到了有效的改进,火积耗散率也均优于原始结构,表明折面螺旋折流板换热器的性能得到较大改善;两种换热器传热火积耗散率值要远远大于阻力火积耗散率,约为阻力火积耗散率的一千余倍,说明传热损失为换热器的主要不可逆损失。     

Exergy assessment of an optimized capillary tube‐based transcritical CO2 heat pump system

A capillary tube‐based CO₂ heat pump is unique because of the transcritical nature of the system. The transcritical cycle has two independent parameters, pressure and temperature, unlike the subcritical cycle. A comparative study for various operating conditions, based on system COP and exergetic efficiency, of a capillary tube and a controllable expansion valve‐based transcritical carbon dioxide heat pump systems for simultaneous heating and cooling at 73 and 4°C, respectively, is presented here. Two optimized capillary tubes having diameter of 1.5 and 1.6 mm are compared with an equivalent controllable throttle valve. Heat transfer and fluid flow effects are included in the gas cooler and evaporator model and capillary tube employs the homogeneous flow model to simulate two‐phase flow. Subcritical and supercritical thermodynamic and transport properties of CO₂ are calculated employing a precision in‐house property code. Optimization of effective distribution of total heat exchanger area ratio between gas cooler and evaporator is investigated. The exergetic efficiency is better in case of the capillary tube than that of a controllable throttle valve‐based system. Capillary tube‐based system is shown to be quite flexible regarding changes in ambient temperature, almost behaving to offer an optimal pressure control just like the controllable expansion valve yielding both, maximum system COP and maximum exergetic efficiency. Relatively at a smaller diameter, the capillary tube exhibits better exergetic efficiency. Capillary tube length is the critical parameter that influences system optimum conditions. The exergy flow diagram exhibits that compressor, gas cooler and capillary tube contribute a larger share, in that order, to system irreversibility. It is fairly established in this study that a capillary tube can be a good engineering option for small capacity systems in lieu of an expansion valve, which has been thought of as the only possible solution to attain the pressure optimization, an important feature of all transcritical CO₂ systems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

锅炉余热回收实用性改进

通过分析现有的冷凝锅炉存在的问题,在结构上对其进行改动,采用板式换热器模块化组合,设计出空气预热器、烟气冷凝器与锅炉为一体的余热回收锅炉,使锅炉热效率提高的同时,又具有结构紧凑、不易结垢、耐腐蚀能力强、更加安全、稳定可靠、使用寿命长等优点。     

Theoretical performance analysis of the multi‐stage gas–solid fluidized bed air preheater

The multi‐stage fluidized bed can be used to preheat the combustion air by recovering the waste heat from the exhaust gas from industrial furnaces. The dilute‐phase fluidized bed may be formed to exclude the excessive pressure drop across the multi‐stage fluidized bed. But, in this case, the solid particles do not reach to the thermal equilibrium due to relatively short residence time in each layer of fluidized bed. In this study, a theoretical analysis on the dilute phase multistage fluidized bed heat exchanger was performed. A parameter related to the degree of thermal equilibrium between gas and solid particles at the dilute‐phase fluidized beds was derived. Using this parameter, a relatively simple expression was obtained for the thermal efficiencies of the multi‐stage fluidized bed heat exchanger and air preheater. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐objective optimization design of plate‐fin vapor generator for supercritical organic Rankine cycle

Supercritical organic Rankine cycle (SORC) is an improved ORC architecture with lower exergy destruction and better heat source utilization when compared with a subcritical one. The accurate design of its vapor generator is of critical importance due to the fact that heat transfer performance significantly affects thermal efficiency, power output, and size of the overall system. This paper aims to develop a mathematical model of the SORC vapor generator using plate‐fin heat exchanger. The finite volume method is applied to deal with the properties' variation problem of the supercritical fluids. Multi‐objective optimization is employed by the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II to find the optimum geometry design. The objective functions are the number of entropy production units, annual cost, and volume. For a specific SORC system, an optimum vapor generator is designed using the developed model. Parametric studies are conducted to assess the effect of geometry parameters on the vapor generator performance. The off‐design performance of the vapor generator is also evaluated under different mass flow rates and different heat source inlet temperature conditions.     

Techno-economic analysis of a novel hybrid heat pump system to recover waste heat and condensate from the low-temperature boiler exhaust gas

This paper is based on the proposal of a new waste heat recovery (WHR) system, which can be utilized to heat the boiler return water, boiler supply air, and building heating air. The system is the combination of an indirect contact condensing unit (IDCCU), a mechanical compression heat pump, and two air preheaters. The system is modeled on the basis of mass and energy balance and then thermodynamically analyzed. Improved performance results were obtained in the form of an increase in the boiler's energy efficiency of about 10.47%, with 4.87% increase in exergy efficiency. The coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump was increased from 1.23 to 1.45 by the addition of an air heater in the conventional heat pump. The exergy destruction in each component is calculated. Sensitivity analysis was performed to check the influence of different operating parameters on the performance of the WHR system and boiler. It can be observed from the results that for a specific refrigerant temperature and a calculated amount of mass, flow rate can maximize the condensation efficiency of IDCCU by decreasing the flue gas temperature, while the use of the air heater can further reduce the flue gas temperature, and a stream of hot air can be utilized for space heating. A comparison is made with the other system on a performance basis. The results shows a clear difference in efficiencies and profit earned.     

The latent heat recovery from boiler exhaust flue gas using shell and corrugated tube heat exchanger: A numerical study

The excessively increasing environmental concerns along with reducing fossil fuel resources introduce the trend of increasing the efficiency of boiler via implementing waste heat recovery. In the present study, the potential of latent heat recovery is investigated in the middle‐size boiler exhaust flue gas using the shell and corrugated tube heat exchanger. The main purpose of the present study is efficiency growth in flue gases using latent heat recovery of the steam energy. The heat recovery analysis is evaluated by a validated computational fluid dynamics model by a commercial software. For this study, the effect of different tube arrangements, number of tubes, and flow direction in the shell on heat transfer and pressure drop were investigated. The results showed that in‐line arrangement of the tubes in the shell presents better thermal performance and also high pressure drop among the other arrangements. As a result, by considering the thermal performance and pressure drop, radial arrangement shows higher performance. According to the obtained results from Section 2 of the present study, by considering the radial arrangement of tubes in the shell, as the number of tube rises, the thermal performance declines.