High-Performance Air Cooled Condenser in Any Wind Conditions

Presentation of the problem and objective of the experiment

Air Cooled Condensers (ACC) are prone to a substantial decay of efficiency and the onset of fan blade fluctuations in case of strong wind. Windscreens, designed with the support of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), are able to mitigate such detrimental effects. The experiment aims at implementing high-fidelity analysis to allow a more convincing definition of windscreen design guidelines, the development of a digital twin of the plant and the verification of the screening effectiveness in ancillary applications involving additional physics.

Short description of the experiment

The experiment is implemented according to the following specific objectives:

  • Implement a high-fidelity CFD procedure based on the direct modelling of the fan blade and hybrid turbulence modelling for a reliable windscreen design.
  • Develop a digital twin of a real plant w/ and w/o windscreens, based on an extended database of CFD results.
  • Link the digital twin to a payback period calculator. Such a tool will provide a reliable estimate of the yearly savings thanks to the installation of the screens which can be exploited commercially as proof of the profitability of the investment.
  • Implement HPC methodologies for the analysis of non-conventional applications of windscreens into industrial plants.

 

Organisations involved:
End user: Galebreaker Ltd 
Technology Expert: Ergon Research s.r.l. 
HPC provider: CINECA

Partner CINECA is part of the NCC Italy.