Numerical study of the performance of a church window tube bundle condenser

Two steam surface condenser design methods are compared: that of the Hear E xchange Institute Standards and a three-dimensional steady-state numerical model for simulating the flow, the heat and the mass transfer in this type of industrial equipment. In the numerical model, the study of the shell flo w is carried out using a single-phase approach, the presence of the tubes i s simulated through the porosity factor, and the heat and mass transfer pro cesses are modelled using empirical correlations. The variables condenser p ressure and overall heat transfer coefficient are analysed applying both me thods. The influence on these variables of the steam mass flow rate from th e turbine exhaust, the venting outlet pressure, the tube cleanliness factor , the inlet water temperature, and the water velocity is studied. The overa ll heat transfer coefficient is under-predicted with the numerical model, i ts value being 4.5-8.5% lower than that obtained using the Heat Exchange in stitute Standards method. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales Else vier SAS.