© 2018 IJRAR November 2018, Volume 5, Issue 4 www.ijrar.

org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138)

ANALYSIS OF THE STEAM BOILER USED IN A

POWER PLANT'S THERMAL AND
COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS
1
Beesam Narsimha, 2Nachiket Gourishankar Chanshetti, 3Prakash Nad, 4P Madhavi
1,2,3
Assistant Professor, 4UG Student, 1,2,3,4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brilliant Grammar School
Educational Society Group of Institutions Integrated Campus, Hyderabad, India

ABSTRACT
The steam that is emitted from a steam boiler is utilized for numerous heating purposes. A steam boiler is a closed vessel
in which water or another fluid is heated under pressure. In this thesis, SOLIDWORKS parametric design software is used
to model the steam flow in a steam boiler. The focus of the thesis will be thermal and CFD study at various input velocities
(10, 25, 35, and 45 m/s). In this study, CFD analysis was used to calculate the pressure drop, mass flow rate, and heat
transfer coefficient. Thermal analysis is used to calculate the heat flux and temperature distribution for steam boiler
models made of various materials, including copper, stainless steel 316L and EN 31 steel. SOLIDWORKS, a parametric
modeling and analysis programmed, was used to create a 3D model.
Keywords: CFD analysis, SOLIDWORKS, ANSYS.

INTRODUCTION
Boilers are closed vessels used to heat fluids, specifically water. There are no real bubbles in the liquid. In North America,
the term "warmer" is commonly used when there is no intention of heating the liquid. The disintegrating liquid or warmed
liquid exits the evaporator for use in warming applications or various processes such as water warming, focal warming,
heater-based force age, cooking, and sanitation. Heater with a water tube: With this form, the water-filled tubes are
positioned inside a heater in a variety of possible configurations. Frequently, the water tubes connect to large drums, with
water in the lower ones and steam in the top ones; in other instances, the water is forced via a series of siphons through a
succession of curls in mono-tube heater is the example for this sort. The high steam creation rates are most part gives for
this sort, however lesser capacity limit than aforementioned. The most commonly favored in high-pressure applications are
Water tube boilers can be intended to misuse any warmth source since inside little breadth pipes the high-pressure
water/steam is contained. which can withstand the weight with a slenderer divider. Generally, these boilers are made set
up, four-sided fit as a fiddle, and can be various levels high.
STEAM BOILER
The outcome is soaked steam at the point when the water is heated up and additionally suggested to as "wet steam."
Saturated steam, water smog, carries some unelaborated water as beads while comprising generally. Soaked steam is
supportive for some reasons, because for cooking, warming and sanitation, however be situated alluring when steam is
relied upon to clearance on verve to apparatus is the example, and a boat's impetus agenda or the "movement" of a steam
train is also the example. This is on the grounds that unescapable temperature as well as weight hard luck that happens as
steam ventures out from the heater to the hardware will cause some build up, fetching about fluid water being conveyed
keen on the apparatus. The water entrained in the steam may harm turbine edges or on account of a responding steam
motor, may cause genuine mechanical harm as of hydrostatic lock.

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METHODOLOGY
The objective of this project is to make a 3D model of the steam boiler and study the CFD and thermal behaviour of the
steam boiler by performing the finite element analysis. 3D modeling software (SOLIDWORKS) was used for designing
and analysis software (ANSYS) was used for CFD and thermal analysis. The methodology followed in the project is as
follows.
1. Create a 3D model of the steam Boiler assembly using SolidWorks.
2. Convert the surface model into Para solid file and import the model into ANSYS to do analysis.
3. Perform thermal analysis on the steam Boiler assembly for thermal loads.
4. Perform CFD analysis on the existing model of the surface steam boiler for Velocity inlet to find out the mass flow
rate, heat transfer rate, pressure drop.

Figure.1 Analysis Tree

MODELING
To help in the creation, alteration, investigation, or upgrade of a structure computer-aided design (CAD) is used. To grow
the productivity of the organizer PC supported writing computer programs were used, through documentation to
improve the idea of arrangement, improve correspondences, and to make a database for accretion. For print, machining, or
other gathering assignments helped configuration yield is normally as electronic records. The word CADD (for Computer
Aided Design and Drafting) is moreover used. SOLIDWORKS is a abbreviating for Computer Aided Three-Dimensional
Interactive Application. Vehicle to purchaser things It is one of the vital 3D programming used by connection in different
organizations stretching out from flight, vehicle. SOLIDWORKS is a multi-organize 3D programming set made by
Systems, it includes CAD, CAM likewise as CAE. French structure which is Dassault was mammoth dynamic in the field
of flying, 3D structures, 3D progressed bogus ups, and thing lifespan the officials (PLM) software design. 2D model of
steam boiler
Modelling of Boiler
The Following Design has made using SolidWorks. Design Dimension According to ASME Standard: ASME standard
values for
Diameter of Tubes = 0.05 m Furnace Plate Thickness
= 0.016 m
Dimensions Provided Boiler main shell: Thickness of the main shell provided = 0. 05 m
Diameter of the main shell (I.D.) = 0.89 m provided Diameter of the main shell (O.D.) =0.94 m provided Length of the shell
provided =2 m Fire tubes: Diameter of the smoke tubes =0.05 m
Thickness of the smoke tubes = 0.012 m Length of the smoke tubes = 5 m Tube plate: Number of the tube plates = 2
Thickness of the tube plate = 0.012 m Diameter of the tube plate = 0.980 m Reversal chamber dimensions:
Length of the chamber = 0.280 m Diameter of the chamber = 0.980 m

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Front chamber dimensions:
Length of the chamber = 0.280 m Diameter of the chamber = 0.980 mothers details:
Volume of the furnace = 0.4099 m3 Volume of main shell = 10 m3
Volume of smoke tubes (30 in no.) = 0.09188 m3 Feed water quantity = 7000kg/hr.

Figure.2. Boiler Design in Solid Works

ANALYSIS
FEM/FEA
During the planning stage for the evaluation of complicated structures in a system it is more helpful. With the help of
computers and FEA which justifies the cost of the analysis the strength and design of the model can be improved. The
design of the structures was prominently increased by FEA that were built many years ago.
CFD
CFD is usually abbreviated as Computational Fluid Dynamics, it is a branch of fluid mechanics to solve and analyze
problems that involve fluid flows that uses numerical methods and algorithms. a qualitative (and sometimes even
quantitative) estimation of fluid flows was provided by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) by means of Mathematical
modelling (partial differential equations) Numerical methods (discretization and solution techniques) Software tools
(solvers, pre- and post-processing utilities) A software package known FLUENT is a computational fluid dynamic that is
used to pretend fluid flow problems. such as Fluent, Ansys CFX, ACE, these are the variety of commercial CFD
software’s which are available and as well as a wide range of suitable hardware and associated costs, dependent on the
complication of the mesh and size of the calculation’s FLUENT exports CFD's data to third-party postprocessors and
visualization tools such as Insights A wide range of fields such as Field view and Tech Plot as well as to VRML formats
were used and also with emphasis on the materials process of industries POLYFLOW (And FIDAP) are also used.

CFD analysis
In the ANSYS workbench design module Steam boiler were built. It is a counter-flow Steam boiler. First, the fluid flow
(fluent) module from the workbench is selected. A new window is opens by the design modeller is as the geometry is
double clicked.
→→Ansys → workbench→ select analysis system → fluid flow fluent → double click →→Select geometry
→ right click → import geometry → select browse→ open part →ok

Figure.3. Surface Model

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Figure.4. Meshed Model

With the help of SOLIDWORKS the model is designed and for Meshing and analysis it is importedon ANSYS. In order
to calculating pressure profile and temperature distribution the analysis of CFD is used. The fluid ring is divided into two
connected volumes for meshing, then all the thickness edges were meshed with 360 intervals. The total number of nodes
and elements is 6576 and 3344 for these a tetrahedral structure mesh is used
Condition: Inlet velocity-40 m/s

Fig.5. Pressure Contour

Figure.6. Velocity Contour

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Thermal Analysis
Used Materials steel, copper, brass & stainless steel Copper material for tube
EN 31 Steel, brass & stainless steel 316L for boiler casing
Copper material properties
Thermal conductivity = 385w/m-kSpecific heat =0.385j/g0C
Density =
3
0.00000776kg/mm Steel material properties
Thermal conductivity = 93.0w/m-kSpecific heat =0.669j/g0C
Density =
0.0000075kg/mm3
Stainless Steel material properties
Thermal conductivity = 34.3w/m-kSpecific heat =0.620j/g0C
Density =
0.00000901kg/mm3

Figure.7. Meshed Model

Figure.8. Temperature

Figure.9. Heat Flux

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As because of the steam passing inside of the tube the temperature distribution is maximum temperature according to the
counter plot. For this reason, we are applying except inside the tubes then the temperature inside of the tube and applying
the convection. Then the maximum temperature at tubes and minimum temperature at steam boiler casing.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table.1. CFD results

Figure.10. Inlet Velocity vs Outlet Velocity

Figure.11. Mass Flow Rate

A plot between maximum pressure and velocities by FEA approach is shown in above fi.5.1 From the plot the variation
of maximum static pressure is observed. Maximum static pressure increases with increases in velocities.
A plot between maximum velocity and velocities by FEA approach is shown in above fig.5.2 From the plot the variation
of maximum static velocity is observed. Maximum velocity increases with increases in velocities.
A plot between maximum mass flow rate and velocities by FEA approach is shown in above fig.5.3 From the plot the
variation of maximum mass flow rate is observed. Maximum mass flow rate increases with increases in velocities.

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CONCLUSION
In this work, the steam boiler is modelled using SOLIDWORKS design software is implemented. The thesis will focus on
thermal and CFD analysis with different velocities (20, 25, 45& 50m/s). Thermal analysis done for the steam boiler by
steel, stainless steel& copper. By observing
1. In the CFD analysis the pressure drops, velocity, heat transfer coefficient, mass flow rate & heat transfer rate
increases by increasing the inlet velocities.
2. In the thermal analysis, the taken heat transfer coefficient values are from CFD analysis. Heat flux value is more for
copper material than steel& stainless steel.
3. According to the above contour plot, the maximum heat flux is 7.362 w/mm2 and minimum heat flux is 0.8229
w/mm2.
4. Maximum velocity, Static pressure, Mass flow Rate, Heat Transfer Rate, and Heat Flux increases with increases in
velocities.
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