Dynamic process simulation as an engineering tool: A case of coal plant evaporator analysis

Methods relying on mathematical models, such as simulation and optimization, have been adopted in process industry and routinely used in various engineering tasks. This paper discusses the current status of simulation, especially dynamic simulation (DS), in engineering projects, which provides means to study process behaviour in both normal operation and during incidents. A case example of solving an engineering problem with DS at the power plant is presented. A model of a once-through evaporator of a coal power plant was developed, and used to analyse thermal behaviour of the evaporator pipes. Primary aim was to study possible interdependence of the recent changes in the control strategy, and pipe ruptures that the plant had suffered. The modelling and simulation work was conducted with APROS, which is an advanced software platform for applications requiring efficient modelling and fast DS of industrial processes. The main interest in simulations was the differences in pipe temperatures between two alternative control strategies of the evaporator: level control mode, and superheating mode. Besides simulation of normal operation in these modes, transients were simulated, such as throttling of a pipe, and reduced feed flow. The modelling is described and the most interesting simulation results are reported.