Development of the thermal performance model using temperature gradient analysis for optimized design of steam surface condenser

Abstract

This paper presents a new method of evaluating the thermal performance of a steam condenser based on the temperature gradient between steam and cooling water. With reference to the experimental results, the pressure transition temperature (PIT), defined as the limiting cooling water temperature initiating insufficient heat removal over the applied heat load, was identified. An analytical methodology was developed to estimate the PIT for given geometrical and thermal-hydraulic conditions of the condenser system. The methodology was extended to a temperature gradient analysis (TGA) model for the performance evaluation of power plant-scale condensers by considering the effects of condensate inundation, tube loading pattern, steam shear, and fouling resistance. The assessment results of the TGA model showed good agreement with existing numerical and lumped-volume models, as well as measurement data of existing power-plant condenser systems. Its simplicity and strong capability to elucidate most of the design variables of the condenser make the TGA model suitable for executing many iterative calculations required when designing and optimizing the new condenser system.