Fluiddynamics

ofthe HRSGgasside
Designers of heat-recovery steam generators are using computational fluid
dynamics software as one tool to reveal the invisible forces affecting
the flow over, under, around, and through structures such as inlet
ducts, distribution grids, and guide vanes.
ByJeffOaiber,Vogt PowerInternationalInc.

or years, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of heat-recovery

steam generators (HRSGs) have
supplied distribution grids (DGs) as a
means for controlling the undesirable
velocities, temperatures, spin angles,
and pulsations generated by certain gas
turbines. In the past, the combustion
turbine OEMs readily provided information about the velocity profiles of these
units, but in recent years that information has been increasingly more difficult
to obtain, let alone substantiate.
The fact that some turbine installations
produced large disturbances led HRSG
OEMs to take the strong-arm approach of
adding a distribution grid. The presence of
a DG can produce a pressure drop of up to
2 inches (water column), adversely affecting the turbine's performance and/or
necessitating an increase in the size of the

You:mightwant to use CFD

HRSG. Although the use of guide vanes

has proved successful, the technique also
proved to be more black art than science.
The number of failures that have resulted
has made many HRSG users averse to
using guide vanes.
The challenge for designers of HRSGs
is to develop analysis tools that allow
them to thoroughly understand the fluid
dynamic storm raging at the entrance to
the HRSG and use those tools to develop
designs that. reduce the flow disturbances
and induced vibrations. As a result, many
manufacturers of burners and HRSGs
either have purchased software programs
or contracted for computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) analysis or cold-flow
modeling of the problems (see box).
This replacementof intuitionby science is
a positive development;eliminatingflow and
vibration problems requires a comprehensive

i.f

---

. ..

.Vou

have a new gas turbine---be it a modification, conversion, upgrade, or series

#1/ttnit #1.
.. You are retrofitting/adding a duct burner.
. An emissions-control system is being retrofitted or added.
.A.nemissions-control
system or a burner is not performing to spec, or plant
emissions need to be lowered.
. Vou want to reduce ammonia slip (legislation is just around the corner).
. You want to troubleshoot flow instabilities, excessive pressure drop, or poor
steam performance.
. You'reexperiencing any circulation problems, especially in low-pressureevaporators.
If not corrected, they can contribute to flow-accelerated corrosion.
. When multiple and identical units will be built; CFDanalysis can save you millions
of dollars in operating costs overthe life of the units.
II

Yourturningvanesend up in yoursuperheater.

II. You hear Loud noises from the HRSGinlet duct and later find pieces of the distribution
grid in the stack.

. You look through the burner view port and see 3D-foot flames dancing thorough
your superheater/reheater.
.Vouhear rumbling and see your inlet ductwork "breathing."

58

www.powermag.platts.com

understanding of the interaction between

fluid dynamics and installed hardware.
Although the level of that understandinghas
increased significantlyover the past decade,
some key design infonnation still remains a
closely guarded secret today, and some
OEMs are even attempting to patent certain
devices for changing flowdistribution.
Optimizing design velocity
The amplitude and uniformity of gas velocity through sections of the HRSG affect not
only the unit's heat-transfer and burner
operation, but the performance of downstream emissions control systems as well.
The desirability of reducing an HRSG's
footprint and materials costs has led all
OEMs to continue pushing the design envelope. But some may have gone too far;
there are at least two OEMs whose success
with aggressive ductwork configurations
have raised questions about what is proper
gas flow perfonnance.
Together, proper design and careful
analysis can overcome most duct design
challengesby eveningout the distribution
of gas flow across the heating surface of
a burner. Every burner has an ideal
approach velocity and flow distribution.
Louisville-based Vogt Power International,
Inc. prefers not to use increased baffling
to provide them because doing so can
cause reliability problems. For example,
some HRSG OEMs use long runners to
guide flow to burners located in large
cross-sectional areas of the inlet duct. But
such runners are susceptible to failure
due to gaps in support along their length,
turbulence, uneven thermal growth, etc.
Anotherdesignchallengethat CFD analysis
is particularly good at meeting is a common
one: minimizing the footprint and interconnecting ductwork of a gas turbine-HRSG
combination.For one particularinstallationof
a General Electric 7FA turbine, Vogt used
CFD to minimizelocallyhighnear-wallvelocitiesand backflow,reducingductworkby 30%
POWER

I March

2006

(Figure 1). On another project with the same

goal, another OEM reportedly designed a duct
that left the top 20% of heating surface open,
reducing the effectiveness of the design and
failing to meet performance goals.
A final bit of prectica1 advice in the field of
HRSG burner design: Don't be tempted to
increase the burner firing rete to increase steam
production. Doing so either will worsen the distribution of gas flow or cause premature failure
of pressure parts or liners by overheating them.
ill some jurisdictions, increasing the firing rete
also will increase the ammonia slip of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system downstream of the HRSG above permissible limits.
Following are some of the parameters that
V ogt takes into account when configuring
HRSG inlet duct geometry:

. The gas turbine's exhaust geometry and

direction.
. The dimensions of the heating surface module.
. The location of duct burners.
. The mass flow rates and average velocities of the gas turbine's exhaust.
. The mass flow distribution at the
entrance to the heating surface.
. Local velocities within the inlet duct:
Near duct walls, and at the entrance to the
first heating surface.

Fluttering tubes
Field reports suggest that flow- or pressureinduced vibrations from a gas turbine may
have caused or contributedto premature failures of relatively new interconnecting ductwork. As a result, OEMs of HRSGs have
begun to offer ductwork designs tailored to a
particular gas turbine. Vogt's experience has
been that using certain ductwork designs
with certain turbines whose inlet blades are
water-washed can also cause problems.
As mentioned, many turbine users have
experienced premature failures of guide
vanes. They have responded by removing
them. But because some users say that
removing the vanes did not adversely affect
HRSG performance, vanes' effectiveness in
some applicationscould be considered questionable. Vogt's contribution to this debate
is to suggest using smaller vanes (if the
ductwork is amenable) because they seem to
last longer than larger ones. Optimizing the
design and size of any vane requires a thorough understanding of three variables: its
anchoring mechanism, the forces on it, and
the delta pressure across the surface of its
blades. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the contributions to dp of backflow, swirl, and the
direction of gas turbine discharge.
Vogt has learned from its CFD analyses
that these relationships and contributionsare
60

1. Go with the flow.-Flow velocitydistributionin the entry duct can vary significantly
and can seriously impact HRSG performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis

can determine the most effective design and placement and design of.a distribution grid.
Courtesy: Vogt Power International
2.23e+02
2.11e+02
1.99e+02
1.88e+02
1.76e+02
1.64e+02
1.53e+02
1.41e+02
1.29e+02
1.18e+02
1.06e+02
9.45e+01
8.2ge+01
7.12e+01
5.96e+01
4.7ge+01
3.63e+01
2.46e+01
1.30e+01
1.34e+00
-1.03e+01
-2.20e+01
-3.36e+01
-4.53e+01
-5.6ge+01
-6.86e+01

/'

I I I

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BA II

1//1

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rlbw

1.38e+02
1.32e+02
1.27e+02
1.21e+02
1.16e+02
1.10e+02
1.05e+02
9.91e+01
9.36e+01
8.81e+01
8.26e+01
7.71e+01
7.16e+01
6.61e+01
6.06e+01
5.51e+01
4.96e+01
4.40e+01
3.85e+01
3.30e+OO
2.75e+01
2.20e+01
1.65e+01
1.1Oe+01
5.51e+01
0.00e+01

2. Blowin' in the wind. Pressure distributions on the windward and leeward side of
inner turningvanes. Courtesy: Vogt Power International

POWER

I March

2006

HRSG

3. Turning point.
designs can significantly
tions in downstream
Power International

Turning

vane

affect flow distribu-

ducts. Courtesy:

4. Allshook up.

DESIGN'.

CFD results illustrate the contours and flow path lines (colored by tem-

perature) in an HRSG entry duct. Courtesy:

Vogt Power International

Vogt

easily misunderstood and miscalculated.

Sometimes the solution is closer attention to
the constructionof vanes.Changesin industry
practice-today's use of stitch welds rather
than sealwelds for transitions, for exampleconfirm the benefits of this attentiveness.
Similarly, in bridge construction, rivets were
commonly used in lieu of welds; becauserivets lack a fixed point, they cannot transmit a
moment. These changes in attachment practice have proven capable of reducing the
amount of cracking in inelastic structures.
Figures 4 and 5, respectively,
depict
the flow contours and velocity distributions of a Vogt inlet-duct design. As part
of the design, we generally attempt to
minimize vibration and damage to liners
by predicting near-wall velocities, limiting high local velocities, and minimizing
large regions of backflow-particularly
backflow with large velocities.

5. Fast and furious.

Velocity distributions confirm the final duct design. Courtesy: Vogt

Power International

Losing pressure-and NH3

Among the steps that Vogt takes to minimize HRSG gas side pressure drop (GSPD)
are the following:

. Design inlet ducts for maximumpressure recovery.

. Design distribution

grid(s) and place

them where they will be the most effec-

tive over the largest operational range

and with the smallest GSPD penalty.

. Achieve the best velocity distribution

across burners (both up-front and
inters tag e) with minimum GSPD
and/or distribution equipment.
. Use and/or modify upstream modules to
improve gas distribution.

. Improvedistributionby

making use of

catalyst layers' "built-in" GSPD. Here,

it's important to realize that plate and
honeycomb catalysts of the same effectiveness exhibit different pressure drops.
. Model and design stack breaching to
minimize GSPD. Often, overlooking this
design issue can result in the unwanted

March 2006 POWER

addition of as much as 1/3 of an inch of

pressure drop.
. Maximize the "stack effect."
In this area, one of Vogt's most notable
successes to date has been our ability to
"shoehorn" an emissions system into an
existing HRSG without a spool piece. In
other cases, the CFD analysis and solution
resulted in a dramatic reduction of ammonia slip - which, incidentally,
many

believe is more harmful to the environment than NO..

The final word on this subject has to do
with emissions guarantees. A few years ago,
a customer requested guarantees of 1 ppm
for both NO. and ammonia slip from an
HRSG. Although the company met them,
the customer questioned both the accuracy
and placement of the measurement device.
In yet another similar case, an outside lab
was required to "prove" that emission guar61

antees were met. Be forewarned: the location of a probe relative to its fluid dynamics
can make or break a guarantee. This is
another reason why a clear understanding

Lessons learned
CFD analysis of the exhaust gas flow distribution in the inlet ductwork of combined-cycle power plants has contributed
both to lowering their operating costs and
improving their emissions performance.
Here's an example.
At one site where a gas turbine was
upgraded, the plant owner simultaneously
replaced both the CO and SCR catalysts
to withstand its higher exhaust temperatures. After the retrofits, both NO. and
CO emissions were within permitted limits, but still above expected values. Operators found that overspraying
was
required to reduce NO. to the desired
value of 3.0 ppm at 15% O2, but that
doing so increased ammonia slip at the
stack to an unacceptably high level. Vogt
was asked to find a long-term solution to
the problem.
The company's investigation
and
analysis confirmed that the poor emissions performance was caused by highly
biased gas flow distributions
at the
entrance to the CO catalyst modules and
the ammonia injection grid. Using multiple models to evaluate alternate configu-

of HRSG gas side fluid dynamics is mandatory today. Variations in inlet duct design
can make a dramatic difference in reported
results (Figure 6).

6. Terminal
velocity. Comparison of axial velocity distribution on a cross-section
between the distribution grid and burner. Courtesy: Vogt Power International
Axial velocity

(ft/see)
100.0

95.0
90.0
85.0
80.0
75.0
70.0
65.0
60.0
Basedesign
55.0
50.0
45.0
40.0 Full
35.0 cross- 59.8%@+/- 25%
30.0 section RMSvelocity
25.0
20.0 1ft off 84.6%@+/- 25%
15.0 walls
RMSvelocity
10.0
5.0
0.0

Modular design
with roof &
floor baffle

Modular design
with roof &
floor baffle

80.5%@+/- 25%
RMSvelocity

85.2%@+/- 25%
RMSvelocity

86.0%@+/- 25%
RMSvelocity

94.9%@+/- 25%
RMSvelocity

95.1%@+/- 25%
RMSvelocity

98.9%@+/- 25%
RMSvelocity

Modular duct
floor & burner
arrangement

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--

--

---

--

--

HRSG DESIGN

7. Off the grid. Constant

sis and design of a distribution

POWER

value surface velocity before (top) and after (bottom) CFD analygrid. Courtesy: Vogt Power International

DELIVERS!

Axial velocity

(ft/see)

~~:~
26.0
24.0
22.0
20.0
18.0
16.0
14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
-2.0
-4.0
--.0
--.0
-10.0
-12.0
-14.0
-16.0
-18.0
-20.0
-22.0
-24.0
-26.0
-28.0
-30.0

ApriI
ElectricPowerShowIssue

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Plantcontrolsystemandautomation

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ClosingDate:
Axial velocity
(ft/see)
30.0
28.0
26.0
24.0
22.0
20.0
18.0
16.0
14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
-2.0
-4.0
--.0
--.0
-10.0
-12.0
-14.0
-16.0
-18.0
-20.0
-22.0
-24.0
-26.0
-28.0
-30.0

March 24, 2006

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rations of flow control devices, Vogt
designed a single distribution grid and
concluded that locating it upstream of the
CO catalyst modules would improve flow
distributions at both the CO and SCR catalysts and the ammonia injection grid.
Field tests confirmed that the new grid
significantly improved emissions performance and reduced both required
ammonia injection flows and ammonia
slip values eight-fold. Figure 7 shows the
"before" and "after" analyses.
The CFD analysis program at Vogt

Power International Inc. is managed by

Tony Thompson. A similar program is managed at Riley Power Inc. Both Vogt Power
and Riley Power are subsidiaries of Babcock Power International. Their assistance
in the preparation of this article is appreciated. All of the CFD figures referenced in
this article were completed using Fluent 6
flow modeling software from Fluent Inc.
(Lebanon,NH.).
-Jeff Daibercan be reached at
jdaiber@vogtpower.com
or502-899-4500,
ext 4515.
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