Density Wave Oscillation in a Vertical Type Natural Circulation Heat Recovery Steam Generator: A Numerical Study

The dynamic flow instability, namely density wave oscillation (DWO), was investigated theoretically. The analysis was done for different design configurations of the evaporator of a vertical type natural circulation heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) at low operation pressure under hot start-up conditions. The study was done for co-current and counter flow designs of the HRSG evaporator, different drum heights and different heat flux distributions over the heating surface of the evaporator. The investigations for the HRSG show that the heat flux distribution to the evaporator tubes has an important influence on the flow stability. The simulation results indicate that a lower amplitude of the mass flow oscillation of the working medium is given by a more uniform heat flux to the single tubes of the evaporator. This leads the two-phase flow system to a more stable condition. This study has also shown that changes in the drum height of the boiler have no significant influence on the oscillation amplitude of the DWO. The simulation results have shown that the counter flow design is much more stable under the investigated conditions compared to the co-current design.