ACSC (Air-Cooled Steam Condenser) Performance Evaluation Using CFD with and without Windshield Installation

Description

Project Description

Air-Cooled Steam Condensers (ACSC) are essential components in power generation, industrial processes, and HVAC applications, where they condense exhaust steam from turbines or other steam sources without the need for cooling water. The ACSC system offers an environmentally friendly alternative to water-cooled systems, especially in regions where water resources are scarce or where there is a desire to minimize water usage.

The simulation of an ACSC system aims to replicate its physical and thermodynamic behavior under various operational conditions. In the first case, a windshield is installed in front and back of the system and in the second case, the windshield is removed. The simulation aims to investigate the effect of windshield on the performance.

Before starting this project, a related simulation study titled “Diffuser & Orifice Plate Effects on the ACSC Performance” was reviewed and used for validation and reference. This helped guide the setup and modeling approach to ensure consistency with established CFD practices.

The geometry is designed based on the given plans using ANSYS Spaceclaim software. The ACSC system is located in 25m height from the ground. The effect of 8 fans were taken into account by considering the pressure jump their cause (1400pa). The panels have 135°C degree. Also the wind speed is 6m/s.

In the next step, the geometry was meshed using ANSYS Meshing software. In total, 5534281 elements were generated.

The energy equation is solved with momentum equations. Also, the K-epsilon Realizable method is used to model turbulence effects. Furthermore, the porous module is used to keep the temperature of panels at 135°.

Results

Typically, In order to investigate the performance of an ACSC system, the flow rate passing through the fans are considered. Thus, the flow rates were reported in the software and shown below:

As can be seen, the installation of windshields cannot results in remarkable change in the flow rates passing through the fans. However, the direct contact of incoming air to the panels may help reducing temperature of them.

Note that, the panels temperature considered to be constant (135°). Thus, their temperature cannot be a good criteria to become investigated. Instead, if you are looking for any more details, please define specifically what you want, so I can report it to you.