Steam Generators ego =4%P (631) The economiser is generally placed between the convective superheater and the air preheater. 65 | SUPERHEATERS The superheater is a heat exchanger in which heat is transferred to the saturated steam to increase its temperature, It raises the overall cycle efficiency. In addition, it reduces the moisture content in the last stages of the turbine and thus increases the turbine intemal efficiency. In modern utility high pressure boilers, more than 40% of the total heat absorbed in the generation of steam takes place in the superheaters. So, large surface area is required to be provided for superheating of steam. Superheaters are commonly classified as either convective superheaters, radiant superheaters or combined superheaters, depending on how heat is transferred from the gases to steam. Convective superheaters are located in the convective zone of the furnace, usually ahead of the economiser. Earlier designs screened the convective superheater from the furnace radiation by a bank of water filled tubes which not only protected them from combustion flames and high temperature, but also intercepted the slag particles and reduced slagging problems. The convectivé superheaters are often termed as primary superheaters where saturated steam from the drum is admitted. Although the disposition of heating surface varies widely with the design of the steam generator, a typical arrangement is shown in Fig. 6.17. After convective superheater (CSH), the steam proceeds to the radiant superheater (RSH) which is placed in the radiant zone of the furnace near the water-wall to absorb heat by radiation. Steam leaving the radiant superheater goes to the desuperheater where highly pure water is directly sprayed on to steam in such a quantity that the temperature of steam after the last stage of superheating in the pendant superheater (PSH) does not exceed the rated value. The pendant superheater is a combined superheater in the sense that it receives heat partly by convection and partly by radiation. The radiant and combined superheaters together are often termed secondary superheaters. Figure 6.27 shows the heat absorption i in the three kinds of superheaters, The energy balance of the convective superheater (Fig. 6.28) gives Dest = Mg epg My, ~ fay) = Oe Ca — hy) =U, ALAN og mean (632) where tidy tw Lg curds, — 1lengthofonecoil Up hk ky “= 7 and m = number of coils. Since it is a gas-to-gas heat exchanger with low A, (steam) and h, (gas), the overall heat transfer coefficient U, is also low. Now, o,=(n% aye (633)Power Plant Engineering MATHINIEET 3 14 A Lo ct Noo Rt PK-4 on pi Re RE Ree ys —— Ag orl Ate {b) Fig. 6.28 Convective superheater coil and the temperature profiles where V, is the average velocity of steam in the superheater, For intermediate pressure boilers, the steam velocity may be about 22 m/s, for high pressure boilers it is about 12 m/s and for very high pressure boilers it is 10 m/s (approximate). Superheaters and reheaters are made of tubes 50 to 75 mm OD in utility boilers. The smaller diameters have lower pressure stresses and withstand them better. The larger diameters have lower steam-flow pressure drops and are easier to align. The number of coils (m) needed for the flow is estimated from Eq. (6.33) and the length of one coil (/) is determined after A, is computed from Eq. (6.32). Higher is the gas velocity (V,), higher will be the heat transfer coefficient on the gas side (4,) and higher also will be the pressure drop of gas (a i) and hence, the pumping power (o: V2). Calculations involving the cost of heating surfaces, electrical power and so on in driving fans have given a figure of 20 m/s as an economic gas velocity (Kholodovskii, 1965). However, thisSteam Generators economic gas velocity is not achieved in boiler plant because damage to heating surfaces by erosion from the fly ash in the flue gas increases as the cube of gas velocity, i.e., Erosion rate a V,° (6.34) Thus, the greater the ash content of the fuel, the less is the allowable gas velocity in the system. For low-ash coals, the gas velocity in the superheaters and economisers should not exceed 12 m/s, while in tubular air preheaters it should be below 16 m/s. For high-ash coals, the gas velocity should be limited to 8 m/s in superheaters and economisers, and in air preheaters it should be limited to 13 m/s. As demand for steam increases with increase in load, fuel and air flow and hence, combustion gas flow are increased. The convective heat transfer coefficients (/, and #,) increase both inside and outside the tubes, increasing the overall heat transfer coefficient (U/,) between gas and steam faster than the increase in mass flow rate of steam alone. The combustion temperatures do not materially change with load, Thus, the steam receives greater heat transfer per unit mass flow rate, and its temperature increases with load (Fig. 6.29). Steam-outlet temperature 20 40 60 80 100 Steam flow, per cent Fig. 6.29 Steam-outlet temperature response of convective, radiant, and combined (in series) superheater The radiant superheater located in the radiant zone of the furnace permits greater heat absorption (Fig. 6.27) by the radiative mode of heat transfer. Dass = Oy Fae (Ty = Ty!) = welts hy) (635) where, @ = Stefan-Boltzmann constant = 5.67 x 10° W/m’K", 4, = total surface area of superheater exposed to the flame, m’, F;, = view factor with respect to flame and wall, 7; = flame absolute temperature, X, and T,, = wall ' absolute temperature, K. Now, ty ~ t.,, + 50 to 75°C.