Impact of Tube Fouling on Steam Generator Performance Using a Thermal-Hydraulic Code

Abstract In order to study the deposition and distribution of Fe3O4 fouling and its impact on the thermal performance of steam generator (SG), numerical simulation model of SG has been developed based on porous medium model. The impact of Fe concentration of feed water on the fouling deposition characteristics and the thermal performance of steam generator has been quantitatively analyzed. The fouling deposition mass after ten-year operation is 65.0 and 166.5 kg for Fe impurity concentration in the SG feedwater 1ug/kg and 3ug/kg, respectively. The thermal power is decreased by 1.2% and 3.1% compared to the situation without fouling accumulation, respectively. The heat flux degradation and the thermal resistance due to fouling of tubes in different locations of SG are compared. The mean heat flux of the shortest tube in the central region is most serious affected by fouling deposition. The fouling thermal resistance contributes to 12%∼25% of the thermal resistance along the bend for Fe concentration 2ug/kg and ten-year operation, while it is in the range of 3–21% and 0–6% for the straight pipe section on the hot side and on the cold side, respectively.