Numerical modeling of stabilization of the heat output of a steam boiler in the combustion of associated petroleum gas

Abstract

The composition of the gaseous fuel can vary widely, depending on the source, time and stage of development of a particular field. Changes in composition leads to a change in the thermophysical characteristics of the fuel, which affects the stability of the operation of the boiler units. This article presents the results of a numerical simulation of the stabilization of heating capacity and the completeness of combustion of associated petroleum gas (APG) in the event of a prolonged, continuous change in its composition. The simulation was carried out using the previously developed algorithm for optimizing the combustion process of the hydrocarbon fuel (HCF) of variable composition. The simulation results showed that with a slow continuous change in the fuel low heating value with a relative rate of change of 1% during the time of thermal inertia, the stabilization of the operation of the boiler according to the proposed algorithm allows maintaining the steam temperature at the outlet within 10% of the required.

Keywords

• heat power engineering
• industrial boiler
• combustion optimization
• variable fuel composition
• heat engineering
• associated petroleum gas