The present invention relates to large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condensers (“ACCs).
The typical large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser is constructed of heat exchange bundles arranged in an A-frame arrangement above a large fan, with one A-frame per fan. Each tube bundle typically contains 35-45 vertically oriented flattened finned tubes, each tube approximately 11 meters in length by 200 mm in height, with semi-circular leading and trailing edges, and 18-22 mm external width. Each A-frame typically contains five to seven tube bundles per side.
The typical A-Frame ACC described above also includes both 1st stage or “primary” condenser bundles (sometimes referred to as K-bundles for Kondensator or Kondenser) and 2nd stage or “secondary” condenser bundles (sometimes referred to as D-bundles for Dephlegmator). About 80% to 90% of the heat exchanger bundles are 1st stage or primary condenser. In the 1st stage of a conventional A-Frame ACC, the steam enters the top of the primary condenser bundles, and the condensate and some steam leave the bottom in a co-current condensing stage. While this conventional first stage configuration is thermally efficient, it does not provide a means for removing non-condensable gases. To sweep the non-condensable gases through the 1st stage bundles, 10% to 20% of the heat exchanger bundles are configured as 2nd stage or secondary condensers, typically interspersed among the primary condensers, which draw vapor from the lower condensate collection manifold. In this arrangement, steam and non-condensable gases travel through the 1st stage condensers as they are drawn into the bottom of the secondary condenser. As the mixture of gases travels up through the secondary condenser, the remainder of the steam condenses, concentrating the non-condensable gases at the top while the condensate drains to the bottom. This conventional secondary condenser process is commonly referred to as the counter-current condensing stage. The tops of the secondary condensers are attached to a vacuum manifold which removes the non-condensable gases from the system.
Variations to the standard prior art ACC arrangement have been disclosed, for example in US 2015/0204611 and US 2015/0330709. These applications show the same finned tubes, but drastically shortened and then arranged in a series of small A-frames, typically five to six A-frames per fan. Part of the logic is to reduce the steam-side pressure drop, which has a small effect on overall capacity at summer condition, but greater effect at a winter condition. Another part of the logic is to weld the top steam manifold duct to each of the bundles at the factory and ship them together, thus saving expensive field welding labor. The net effect of this arrangement, with the steam manifold attached at the factory and shipped with the tube bundles, is a reduction of the tube length to accommodate the manifold in a shipping container.
Additional variations to the prior art ACC arrangements are disclosed, for example in US 2017/0363357 and US 2017/0363358. These applications disclose a new tube construction for use in ACCs having a cross-sectional height of 10 mm or less. US 2017/0363357 also discloses a new ACC arrangement having heat exchanger bundles in which the primary condenser bundles are arranged horizontally along the longitudinal axis of the bundles and the secondary bundles are arranged parallel to the transverse axis. US 2017/0363358 discloses an ACC arrangement in which all of the tube bundles are secondary bundles.
The present invention is directed to a novel and non-obvious “stacked panel” heat exchange tube bundle particularly suited for air cooled industrial steam condensers in which the heat exchange tube bundle has a first set of flat finned tubes arranged in a single row parallel to one-another; a second set of flat finned tubes above the first set of tubes and also arranged in a single row parallel to one-another; a first conduit, having a first conduit vertical segment, and a first conduit horizontal segment; where a bottom of the first conduit vertical segment is in fluid communication with a bottom manifold (for example, a combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold or a combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold); and where a top of the first conduit horizontal segment is in fluid communication with bottoms of the second set of flat finned tubes. The invention further includes a second conduit having a second conduit horizontal segment and a second conduit vertical segment, where a bottom of the second conduit horizontal segment is in fluid communication with tops of the first set of flat finned tubes, and a top of the second conduit vertical segment is in fluid communication with a top manifold, for example, an inter-condenser manifold. Additionally, the second set of flat finned tubes is separated from the first set of flat finned tubes by the first conduit horizontal segment and the second conduit horizontal segment, and the first conduit horizontal segment is located above the second conduit horizontal segment.
There is further provided according to the invention an air cooled steam condenser comprising heat exchange panels which include at least one stacked panel tube bundles of the invention.
There is further provided according to the invention an air cooled steam condenser comprising pairs of said heat exchange panels arranged in A-frames.
There is further provided according to the invention an air cooled steam condenser comprising pairs of said heat exchange panels arranged in V-shapes.
There is further provided according to the invention a large scale field erected air cooled industrial steam condenser connected to an industrial steam producing facility, comprising a single or plurality of condenser streets, each condenser street comprising a row of condenser modules, each condenser module comprising a plenum section having a single fan or multiple fans drawing air through a plurality of heat exchanger panels supported in a heat exchanger section, and each heat exchanger panel having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis; wherein each heat exchanger panel comprises at least one first stage or second stage stacked panel heat exchange tube bundle. According to further embodiments of the invention, the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold may have a single steam inlet. According to still further embodiments of the invention, each condenser module street has a steam distribution manifold below the heat exchanger section and arranged along an axis that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said heat exchanger panels and extending a length of said condenser module street beneath a plurality of heat exchanger panels, the steam distribution manifold comprising plurality of connections adapted to connect to each said heat exchanger panel.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the preferred invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:
Features in the attached drawings are numbered with the following reference numerals:
1
7
2
3
8
5
6
9
11
28
33
12
37
13
15
38
16
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39
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27
The invention presented herein is a new and improved tube bundle design for use in large scale field-erected air cooled industrial steam condensers for power plants and the like which provides significant improvements and advantages over the ACCs of the prior art.
According to an embodiment of the invention shown in
The upper set of tubes 5 receives steam from and delivers condensate to an extension 7 of the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold 6. The combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold extension 7 may take the general form of an upside-down “L” in which a vertical leg 9 is located adjacent to the lower set of tubes 1 and is fluidly connected at its bottom to the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold 6 through tube sheet 3. A transverse leg 11 of the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold extension 7 extends between the upper and lower sets of tubes and supports the upper set of tubes 5. Steam travels up the vertical leg 9 of the upper combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold extension 7, into the transverse leg 11, and into the upper set of tubes 5. Condensate travels in the opposite direction, down through the upper set of tubes 5, into the transverse leg 11 of the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold extension 7, into the vertical leg 9, and finally into combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold 6. The bottom surface of the transverse leg 11 of the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold extension 7 may be inclined to assist drainage of condensate toward the vertical leg 9.
Non-condensables and uncondensed steam from the upper set of tubes 5 are drawn through top tube sheet 13 into inter-condenser manifold 12 arranged along the top of the upper set of tubes.
An extension 15 of the inter-condenser manifold 12 is provided to draw non-condensables and uncondensed steam from the lower set of tubes 1 to the inter-condenser manifold 12. The inter-condenser manifold extension 15 may take the general form of an L, having a transverse leg 17 that sits directly above the top of the lower set of tubes 1, and a vertical leg 19 that is situated adjacent the upper set of tubes 5. The transverse leg 17 of the inter-condenser manifold extension 15 rests between the tops of the lower set of tubes 1 and the transverse leg 11 of the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold extension 7. The upper surface of the transverse leg 17 of the inter-condenser manifold extension 15 may have an inclined surface to match the inclined bottom surface of the transverse leg 11 of the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold extension 7. The inter-condenser manifold extension 15 collects non-condensables and uncondensed steam from the lower set of tubes 1 and delivers it to the inter-condenser manifold 12.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a slightly modified stacked panel tube bundle of the invention may serve as a second stage condenser. According to this embodiment, shown in
The bottoms of the lower set of tubes 1 are connected to bottom combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold 33 via bottom tube sheet 3. Thus, the lower set of tubes 1 condense the uncondensed steam and accumulate the non-condensable gases and deliver them directly to the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold 33 for removal from the system.
The bottoms of the upper set of tubes 5 are connected to extension 37 of the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold 33. The combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold extension 37 may take the general form of an upside-down “L” in which a vertical leg 39 is located adjacent to the lower set of tubes 1 and is fluidly connected at its bottom to the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold 33. A transverse leg 41 of the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold extension 37 extends between the upper and lower sets of tubes and supports the upper set of tubes 35. Condensate and non-condensable gases from the upper set of tubes 5 travel through the transverse leg 41 of the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold extension 37, down the vertical leg 39 of the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold extension 37, and into the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold 33. The transverse leg 41 of the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold extension 37 rests between the transverse leg 11 of the inter-condenser manifold extension 15 and the bottom of the top set of tubes 5. The bottom surface of the transverse leg 41 of the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold extension 37 may be inclined to assist drainage of condensate toward the vertical leg 39.
According to one embodiment, a plurality of stacked panel first stage tube bundles 8 and one more stacked panel second stage tube bundles 38 according to the invention may be used to form a heat exchanger panel 2 for an air cooled condenser, for example as shown in
The combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold 6 may be rectangular, circular or elliptical in cross-section, and according to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, may be fitted at the center point of its length with a single steam inlet/condensate outlet 18 which receives all the steam for the heat exchanger panel 2 from steam delivery manifold 28 and which serves as the outlet for condensate collected from the tube bundle.
In operation, steam is provided to the steam inlet/condensate outlet 18 from steam delivery manifold 28. From the steam inlet/condensate outlet 18, steam spreads through the combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold 6 and into primary condensers 8. Steam travels into the bottoms of lower tubes 1 and through vertical segment 9 and horizontal segment 11 of extension 7 into upper tubes 5 of primary condensers 8. Condensate formed in upper and lower tubes travels in the reverse direction back into combined steam delivery condensate collection manifold 6, steam inlet/condensate outlet 18, and steam delivery manifold 28. Uncondensed steam and non-condensable gases flow into the top bonnet 12 from the stacked panel first stage heat exchange bundles 8 and are drawn away from the top bonnet 12 to the stacked panel secondary/second stage heat exchange bundles 38. Uncondensed steam and non-condensables travel down through the upper set of tubes 5 and through vertical segment 19 and horizontal segment 17 of extension 15 to lower set of tubes 1. Condensate and non-condensable gases from the lower set of tubes travel into the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold 33. Condensate and non-condensable gases from the upper set of tubes pass through horizontal segment 41 and vertical segment 39 of extension 37 into the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold 33. Non-condensable gases are subsequently removed from the system via vacuum manifold (not shown). Condensate in the combined condensate/non-condensable gas collection manifold 33 flows into combined steam delivery/condensate collection manifold 6 where it joins condensate formed in the primary condenser tube bundles.
According to some embodiments, the steam inlet/condensate outlet 18 for the heat exchanger panel 2 and the steam inlet/condensate outlets 18 for all of the heat exchanger panels in the same ACC cell/module 27 may be connected to a large cylinder or steam distribution manifold 28 which may be located beneath the heat exchanger panels 2 and which may run perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the heat exchanger panels 2 at their midpoints. According to other embodiments, steam inlet/condensate outlets 18 may be connected to vertical risers 16 which in turn may be connected to a steam distribution manifold 28 which is located at or near ground level, or at some intermediate height; see e.g.,
Referring to an embodiment represented by
Referring to embodiment represented by
The stacked panel tube bundles of the invention may be used with configuration of ACC, using tubes of any dimension. While
The stacked tube arrangement of the present invention may be used in the Advanced Large Scale Field-Erected Air Cooled Industrial Steam Condenser disclosed in U.S. Published Pat. Application US 2020/0333078, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety, either in place of or in combination with the tube bundles (heat exchange panels) disclosed therein.
Every embodiment disclosed herein is contemplated to be used with every other disclosed and compatible embodiment.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the preferred embodiments described above without departing from the inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as outlined in the present disclosure and defined according to the broadest reasonable reading of the claims that follow, read in light of the present specification.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63155550 | Mar 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 17684883 | Mar 2022 | US |
Child | 18162055 | US |