Simulation of an Industrial Tangentially Fired Boiler Firing Metallurgical Gases

In industrial environments, boiler units are widely used to supply heat and electrical power. At an integrated steel mill, industrial boilers combust a variable mixture of metallurgical gases combined with additional fuels to generate high-pressure superheated steam. Most tangentially fired boilers have experienced water wall tube failures in the combustion zone, which are thought to be caused by some deficiency in the combustion process. The challenge faced in this present process is that there are very limited means to observe the boiler operation. In this study, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and simulation of an industrial tangentially fired boiler firing metallurgical gases was conducted. Eddy dissipation combustion model was applied on this multiple fuel combustion process. Simulation results obtained from the developed CFD model were validated by industrial experiments. A quick comparison of the flame shape from the simulation to the actual flame in the boiler showed a good agreement. The flow field and temperature distribution inside the tangentially fired boiler were analyzed under the operation conditions, and a wall water tube overheating problem was observed and directly related to the flow characteristics.