Iterative Coupled Shell/Tube Simulation of Waste Heat Boilers using Computational Multiphysics

[摘要] Removal of sulphur from fossil fuels is important in order to avoid the emission ofsulphur oxides into the atmosphere, exposure to which has negative health and environ-mental effects. Sulphur is removed from refinery petrochemical products via the Clausprocess which contains a waste heat boiler (WHB). These WHBs are exposed to extremetemperatures and corrosive conditions, yet they are expected to operate continuously foryears at a time.Typically WHBs have been designed using empirical correlations and heuristics, butmore recently using process and multiphysics simulation. In this work a proof of conceptfor the numerical simulation of a WHB and its protective insulation is demonstrated.Continuum multiphysics models for both shell and tube side of a WHB are developed. Aniterative coupling method for the determination of steady-state numerical solution of thesemodels is then used to simulate a sub-region of a typical WHB.Simulation results for the tube-side of the WHB predict both the temperature profileand nature of the turbulent energy transport in the inlet region, highlighting complex flowprofiles. Simulations of the shell-side of the WHB predict the multiphase convective boilingbehaviour in the bulk (far from wall effects). Finally, preliminary results of the coupledshell/tube configurations are presented and compared to previous results.

[发布机构] University of Waterloo

[效力级别] simulation

[关键词] euler-euler;Master Thesis;boiling;simulation;turbulence;multiphysics