EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF HOT WATER BOILER IN START UP REGIME

The aim of the paper is to investigate the transient regime of hot water boiler numerically and experimentally. In the regime of starting up, as the most critical one, measurements were done on the boiler critical element. The operating characteristics as well as safe and reliable operation conditions of hot water boilers are limited by thermal stresses that occur in their structure. The greatest thermal stresses occur in transient operating regimes such as starting-up, changing operation mode or sudden shutdown, resulting in uneven heating or cooling of boiler elements. Large temperature gradients cause high thermal stresses that are especially critical in elements with thick walls. As thermal stresses may limit the heating and cooling rates of temperature changes, boiler structure is exposed to variable temperature and stress field. The largest absolute value of thermal stresses occurs at the inner surface, where direct measurements are not possible to take, since the inner surface is in direct contact with hot water under high pressure. This was the reason to measure the temperature of boiler structure inside the boiler, on tube plate, as one of the critical part of the boiler. In this paper the experimental results of temperature measurement of tube plate were presented, during the regime of starting-up. Numerical model done by FEM was verified by experimental results. The performed analysis showed that the tube plate of the first reversing chamber, the boiler element with the thickest wall, is exposed to the highest thermal stresses. This part of the boiler is exposed to temperatures t>500 ℃ and it is exposed to creep. In conditions of creep, continuous accumulation of plastic deformations occurs at a rate that depends on the level of stress, temperature and material characteristics.