HRL Technology Group Pty Ltd ABN 89 609 887 327 info@hrl.com.au hrl.com.au

Melbourne Level One Unit 4 677 Springvale Road Mulgrave VIC 3170 Phone +61 3 9565 9888 Fax +61 3 9565 9879

Victorian Regional OfficeGippsland Enterprise Centre50 Northways RoadChurchill Vic 3842

Phone +61 3 5132 1500 Fax +61 3 5132 1580

Queensland Unit 2 33-37 Rosedale Street Coopers Plains QLD 4108Phone +61 7 3423 4300Fax +61 7 3345 5937 1

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Planttroubleshootingandsolutionsforenergy-intensiveindustriesUsingasuiteofprocesssimulationtoolstoidentifythesourceofplantperformanceproblemsandtoprovidecost-effectivesolutionstothoseproblems.

HRL providestroubleshootingservicesandsolutionstopowergenerators,miners,mineralprocessors,andmanufacturingindustries,includingcementandpaper,acrossAustraliaandaroundtheworld.

Inadditiontosupportingplantoperators,HRLassistsOriginalEquipmentManufacturers(OEMs),engineering,serviceandcontractingcompanies,insuranceandlegalfirms,researchorganisationsaswellasgovernmentagencies.

Industriesoperateinanextremelycompetitiveandchallengingenvironmentthatplacesconsiderablepressureonmaximisingplantperformance.Plantoperatorsfacegrowingpressurestolimitemissions,fuel-useandmaintenancecosts,whileimprovingthereliabilityoftheirplant.

Issuessuchasoverheatingorerosioncandisruptplantoperationleadingtoinefficiencyandpossibleplantdowntime.HRLunderstandstheneedtopinpointandrectifyplantperformanceissuesswiftlyandwithminimumtotalcost.

HRLoffersprocesssimulationandmodellingtoolsthatallow:

• testingofalternativemodificationoptions• quantifyingofperformanceimprovements• accurateup-frontcost-benefitanalysis.Modellingcanbeundertakenbeforeaplantoperatormakesanycommitmenttoplantmodification.

Challenges

Performanceproblemsthatplantoperatorscanfaceinclude:• lowefficiency• hightemperaturesoroverheating• fouling• fuelburnoutincludingcharandCO(carbonmonoxide)

carryover• poorflowdistribution• erosion• productqualityissues• NOx(nitrogenoxides)andSOx(sulphuroxides)

production..

HRLprovidestroubleshootingservicesandsolutionstoenergy-intensiveindustries

HRL utilisesprocesssimulationandmodellingtools

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Performanceproblemscanarisefromday-to-dayoperationandfromoperator-introducedchangessuchas:• introducinganalternativefuelsupply• operatingatalowerload/throughput/productionrate• changingcontrolsettingssuchasburneroperating

settings• retrofittingplant.

Analysisofboilercombustion

Challengesoperatorsfaceinmaximisingplantperformanceandincreasingefficiencyinclude:• identifyingoptionsforimprovingplantperformance• predictingandquantifyingtheimpactanoptionwillhave

onplantprocesses• determiningthemostcost-effectiveoptions• re-evaluatingcost-prohibitiveefficiencyprojectsinlight

ofthecarbontaxandtheEnergyEfficiencyOpportunities(EEO)program

• evaluatinglong-termabatementactionsforcontinuingoperationsinalower-emissionseconomy

• identifyingandapplyingforgovernmentassistancepackageswhereappropriate

Simulationofmillprocesses

Solutions

Addressingplantperformanceproblemsorimprovingperformancerequiresanunderstandingofwhatishappeninginsideaplant.HRL'sexpertprocess-modellingserviceprovidesanon-intrusivemethodto‘lookinside’aplantandtoassessprocessflows.HRL'sservicesoffercost-effectiveandlow-riskalternativesfordeterminingtherootcauseofaproblemandfordevelopingfeasiblesolutions,thoseservicesinclude:

ANSYSFluentFluentispowerfulcomputationalfluiddynamics(CFD)modellingsoftwarethatcanproducethree-dimensionalmodelsofanyflowsystem–excellentfortroubleshootingsystemswithtwo-phaseflowandchemicalreactions.

AspenPlusAspenPlusisprocess-simulationsoftwarewidely-usedinconceptualdesign,optimisationandperformancemonitoringtoassistinimprovingperformanceormaximisingefficiency.

ThermoflowTheThermoflowsuiteofprograms–STEAMPRO,STEAMMASTER,GTPRO,GTMASTERandTHERMOFLEX–isusedinanalysing,designingandcostingconventionalsteam-cycleandgas-turbinecombined-cycleplant–toaddressdesignandperformanceissuesincludingairflows,alternativefuelsandcontrolmodifications.

Benefits

ThebenefitsclientsenjoybydrawingonHRL'sextensiveexperienceinprocesssimulationinclude:• accurateandquickidentificationoftherootcausesof

plantperformanceproblems• assistanceinunderstandingcurrentplantperformance

andlimitations• astrongtheoreticalunderstandingofprocessissues

backedbyyearsofpracticalexperienceandexpertise• drawingonhighlyskilledtechnologiststoproduceresults

andrecommendationsthatcanwithstandscrutiny• modellingofalternativemodificationoptionsto

determinethecost-benefitequationbeforecommittingtoplantmodification

• resultsthatcanbecoupledwithEnergyEfficiencyOpportunities(EEO)programsandgreenhousecreditsassessments

• assistanceinimplementingplantmodifications.

Advancedboilerdesign

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CaseStudy1

Determiningthecauseofcrackinginaonce-throughsteamgenerator

AnLNGplantexperiencedpropagatedcrackingintheheaderofaonce-throughsteamgenerator.HRLexpertsproposedusingthermodynamicsoftware–ThermoflowandAspen–toprovidenon-invasiveandlow-riskanalysistoidentifytherootcause.

Thecrackingwasaresultofparticularoperatingconditions,unstablewater-flowpatterns,andmal-distributionofflue-gasflowovertheinternaltubes.

HRLprovideddesignandoperationalrecommendationstopreventfuturecracking–helpingtoensuretheLNGplantcouldavoidunexpectedoutagesandsafetyissuesduetocompromisedoperationofthesteamgenerator.

CaseStudy2

Foulingandtoxicgasmitigationinawaste-combustionfurnace

Afterinstallinganewfluidised-bedboilerawasteandrecyclingplantexperiencedoccasionaltoxicgasexcursionsandfouling.

HRLpersonnelusedcomputationalfluiddynamics(CFD)modellingtosimulatecombustion,heattransfer,andflowwithinthefurnace.Themodellinghelpedtodeterminetheeffectofdifferentfurnaceconfigurationsongastemperaturesandfuelburnout.Next,Thermoflowsoftwarewasusedtoinvestigatetheimpactofthesechangesonoverallcycleperformance.

HRLproposedamodificationtoimprovefurnace-heattransferandreducewalltemperatures,effectivelyeliminatinganyfouling.TheThermoflowmodellingindicatedthatthemodificationwouldhaveminimalimpactonoverallcycleperformance.

CaseStudy3

Modellingwaste-heatrecovery

Amineralsprocessor,usingwasteheatfromakilntoproduceelectricity,wasexperiencingseveralissues.Incompletecombustioninanafterburnerresultedinavisibleplumeexitingthestack.HRL expertsproposedcreatingacomputationalfluiddynamics(CFD)modeloftheafterburnertoassessperformanceofmodificationsproposedtoimprovecombustion.

Resultsfromthemodellingidentifiedafeasiblemodificationthatcouldincreasecoalandcharresidencetimestoavoidthevisibleplume.

Themineralsprocessoralsohadcrackingissuesintheboilerupstreamoftheafterburner.

HRL'sexperiencedstaffworkedtogetherwiththeirclienttocreateaThermoflowmodelofthewaste-heatrecoveryplanttobetterunderstandflue-gastemperaturesandflows,foulingandtheeffectofairingress.Then,theexpertsusedAspensoftwaretomodelwaterandsteamcirculationintheboilertubes.

Themodellingindicatedthelikelycauseofthecrackingwasheattransferonanunprotectedsurfaceofthedrum.Thermalinsulationisnowused.

Contact AlexBlatchford

Telephone+61395659873Mobile+61408319842Emailablatchford@hrl.com.au

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