Designmethodologyandvalvesizingforheater

drainsystems
ByCaseyLoughrin|Posted:Sunday,August1,201012:00am
Introduction
Heaterdrainsystemsinfossilandnuclearpowerplants
haveproventobeamongthemostcomplexsystemsto
designduetotheoccurrenceoftwophaseflow
phenomena.Theoverallperformanceofheaterdrain
systemsdirectlyrelatestopropersizinganddesignofthe
pipingandcontrolvalves.
Propersizingishighlydependentonaccurateand
conservativecalculationoftwophaseflowpressure
Designmethodologyandvalve
losses.Variousoptionsforsolutionmethodsareavailable
sizingforheaterdrainsystems
totheengineer.Onesuchmethod,basedonthe
NomenclatureRoman.
homogeneousequilibriummodel(HEM),isdeveloped
whichissimple,yetadequate,forthenecessarytwo
phaseflowcalculationsofheaterdrainsystems.Thisstudyfocusesonplantcycles(bothfossiland
nuclear)wherethefeedwaterheaterdrainsarecascadedbackward(countertofeedwaterflow),asshown
inFigure4foratypicalsubcriticalfossilplantRankinecycle.
Insuchsystems,flowisdrivenbythecombinationofpressureandgravityforces.Assuch,thephysical
locationofeachfeedwaterheater,aswellaspipingarrangement,directlyaffectsthesuitabilityofthe
heaterdrainsystem.Thenormaldrainflowpathfromeachfeedwaterheaterisdirectedthroughaheater
draincontrolvalvetothesubsequentlowerpressurefeedwaterheater.Inthecaseofthelowestpressure
heater(usuallylocatedinthecondenserneck),drainsarenormallydirectedtothecondenserafterpassing
throughtheheaterdraincontrolvalve(notethataloopsealmightbeprovidedinlieuofacontrolvalve
forthelowestpressureheater).Theemergencydrainflowpathisdirectedfromeachheaterthrougha
separateheaterdraincontrolvalvetothecondenser,oraflashtankthatisventedanddrainedtothe
condenser.Theuseofseparateflashtanksgenerallyisdictatedbythecondensermanufacturer.The
controlvalves,ineitherthenormaloremergencydrainlines,maintainthecondensatewaterlevelinthe
shellsideoftherespectivefeedwaterheater.Thenormalandemergencydraincontrolvalvesoperatein
series,meaningthattheemergencydrainsareusedonlywhenthenormaldrainsarenotabletomaintain
theliquidlevelorwhenthenormaldraindestinationisunavailable.
Figure4showsthelowestpressureheaterdrainspumpedtothenexthigherpressureheaterpiping.
Plantswithheaterdrainspumpedforwardtohigherpressureheaterscanbeproblematicaswellbut
properdesignofsuchsystemsisoutsidethescopeofthisworkduetodifferencesintheoperationsand
designconsiderationsinvolved.
Improperdesignoftheplantheaterdrainssystemresultsinlossesinplantcycleefficiency,aswellas
plantavailability,whichiswhyheaterdrainperformanceiscriticaltooverallplantoperation.

Properunderstandingofthetwophaseflowphenomenaoccurringinheaterdrainsystemsisessentialto
propersystemdesign.
Systemdefinition:Heaterdrainsystemarrangementanddesigncriteria
Withproperimplementationofthedesignrecommendationspresentedhere,manyofthecharacteristic
heaterdrainsystemproblemscanbeminimizedoravoidedcompletely.Thefollowingisanitemizedlist
ofdesignfeaturesthathavebeensuccessfullyappliedtoheaterdrainsystems:

Physicallocationoffeedwaterheaters
Thelowestpressurefeedwaterheater(s)isusuallylocatedinthecondenserneckbeneaththelow
pressureturbinesection.Sincethereislittlepressuregradientavailabletopasstheflow,theimportance
ofstaticheadisamplified.Thegreatestfeasibleelevationdifferenceshouldbeprovided.Successive
feedwaterheaters(excludingthelowestpressurefeedwaterheaters)areusuallyarrangedinthefollowing
configurations:
Sidebysideononeortwoelevations.
Verticallystackedinelevatedboilersteelordedicatedbaywiththedeaeratoratthetopmostelevation
duetoboilerfeedpumpNPSHconstraints.
Itisimportantthattheelevationdifferencebetweenthedeaeratorandthosefeedwaterheaterswhose
normaldrainsaredirectedtothedeaeratorisnottoogreattopreventpressuredrivendrainageatpart
loadplantoperationduethedecreasedheateroperatingpressure.Ifthiscannotbeaccommodated,heater
drainpumpswouldberequiredortheemergencydrainsystemwouldneedtooperate.
Normalandemergencyheaterdrainpipingfromthesourcefeedwaterheatertothecontrolvalve
FeedwaterheaternozzlesizesshouldcomplywithHEIrecommendations.
(SeeEquation1)
Designflowsmustbecarefullyevaluated.Theoperatingscenarioatfullloadwiththehighestmassflow
ratemightnotbetheproperdesignpoint,aswithtypicalincompressible(liquidonly)flowsystems.The
pressuregradientalsomustbeconsideredtoensurethatthedrainsystemcapacityisadequateatfulland
reducedpressuresoccurringatpartloadplantconditions.Plantoffdesignscenarios,suchasfeedwater
heatersoutofservice,alsomustbeconsideredfortheemergencydrainssystem.
Pipingfromthefeedwaterheaterdrainoutletnozzletothecontrolvalveinletshouldbedesignedsothat
thepressuredropisnotsufficienttocausephasechangeatanypointunderanyoperatingcondition.This
typicallyimpliesthatthecontrolvalvemustbeatalowerelevationthanthesourcefeedwaterheater(this
mightnotbethecasefornormaldrainstothedeaerator,wherethevalvesmightbeplacedathigher
elevationstoshortenthelengthofpipeexposedtomultiphaseflow).
Pipevelocitiesatdesignconditionstypicallyareinthe310fpsrange,butverificationthatthepressure
dropislessthanthatrequiredtoreachsaturationacrossalloperatingscenariossupersedesvelocitybased
designconstraints.
Heaterdrainpipingfromthecontrolvalvetothenextlowerpressurefeedwaterheaterfornormal
drains,andtothecondenserorflashtankforemergencydrains

Pipinggenerallyisatleastonenominalsizelargerthancontrolvalveinletpiping,butevenlargerpipe
sizesmightberequiredbasedontheavailablepressuregradientandstatichead.
Thetwophaseflowdownstreamofthecontrolvalveresultsinhigherosionpotential,especiallyat
fittingssuchaselbows,wherethehighvelocitywaterdropletshaveanimpactonthewallsatchangesin
direction.Heaterdrainsystemsarenotparticularlyhighpressureortemperaturetherefore,carbonsteel
pipingmaterialsgenerallyarethemosteconomicalfromafirstcostperspective.Tocounteractthe
erosionpotential,thefollowingdesignfeatureshavebeenincorporatedsuccessfully:
Increasednominalwallthicknesstoschedule80orgreater,asdeemednecessarybytheengineer.This
methodisanalogoustocorrosionallowancesappliedtopipinganddoesnotdecreasetheerosion
potential.
Useofhighergradematerial,containingchromium,hasproventoprovidesufficientresistanceto
erosion.Aminimumchromecontentof1.0percentisrecommended(GradesP11,P12,P22andP5).
Hydraulicpocketsmightbeprovidedinlieuoftheelbowimmediatelydownstreamofthecontrolvalve
station.
Themaximumerosionforceatelbowshasbeenestablishedas75lbf[Ref.2].Supportingdataarenot
provided,butthelimitsseemappropriateandtypicallydonotresultinanuneconomicaldesign.The
erosionforcecanbedeterminedbyEquation2[Ref.2].
Alloraselectionoftheseoptionsmightbeemployedinasinglesystematthedesignersdiscretion.Ata
minimum,thefollowingitemsshouldbeconsidered:
Drainsfromseparateheaters,whetherfornormaloremergencyoperation,shouldhaveseparate
dedicatednozzlesandshouldnotbemanifoldedunderanycircumstance.Thisincludesparallelheatersin
separateheatertrainsdrainingtothesamelocation.
Condenserconnectionsoftenwillbesuppliedwithinternalbafflesorspargers.Bafflesareprovidedonly
forpreventingtubeimpingementandothercommoncondenserdamagemechanismsfromhighvelocity
drainflows.
Normalandemergencyheaterdraindesignflowratesdonotnecessarilyhavetomatch.Ataminimum,
normaldraindesignconditionsshouldcoveroperatingconditionsfromminimumplantloadthroughfull
load.Emergencydraindesignconditionsmustcoverthefullrangeofplantoperatingconditionsfrom
startupthroughfullload,includingoffdesignconditions(heatersoutofservice,tubebreaks).These
requirementsaresummarizedinTable1.
Thesedesignfeaturesshouldbeconsideredandaccommodated,wherefeasible.Failuretoimplementall
ofthecriteriaoutlinedabovewillnotnecessarilyresultinimpropersystemoperation,butthesystem
designershouldunderstandtheeffectsandimplicationsbeforemakingsuchadecision.
Systemmodelselection:Multiphaseflowmodeloverview
Throughtheyears,manymethods/modelshavebeendevelopedforsizing/evaluatingmultiphasepipe
flows.Ultimately,itisatthesystemdesignersdiscretiontoselectandimplementthemostappropriate
method.VariousoptionsformultiphaseflowmodelingareoutlinedbytheauthorinReference12witha
tabulationoftheadvantages/disadvantagesofeach.
Thevariousmodelsshouldbeevaluatedwiththerespecttothefollowingcriteria:
Easeofimplementation

Accuracy
Conservativenatureofthecalculationmethod
Thehomogenousequilibriummodel(HEM)wasselectedduetoitscombinedadvantagesinthe
identifiedcategories.RefertoASMEpaperPOWER200981116(Reference12)foracomplete
discussionandderivation.TheHEMmodelisshowninEquations3,4and5.
Componentsizing:Heaterdrainpressurelosscalculations
Calculationofthepressuregradientalongtheheaterdrainlinesisessentialforpropersystemdesignand
componentselection.Thesystemdesignershouldbeawareofthelimitationsofthemodelchosenand
thecorrespondingeffectstothecalculationresults.ThesimplifyingassumptionsofHEMareasfollows:
Thefluidisinthermodynamicequilibriumateverypointalongtheflowpath.
Ateverycrosssectionalongtheflowpath,thefluidthermodynamicproperties(pressure,temperature,
enthalpy,etc.)arehomogeneous.
Homogeneousdistributionofthephases(noseparation),andthusnovelocitydifferenceorfriction
effectsbetweenthephases.
Liquidtovaporflashingoccursadiabatically.
Heattransferthroughthepipewallsisnegligible(wellinsulated).
ThetypicalelementsofanormaldrainsystemareshowninFigure3.Theimportantpointsalongthe
flowpathareindicatedinthefigureasAthroughE.Determinationofthepressureatthesepointsis
necessaryto:
Verifytheadequacyoftheselectedpipesizeandrouting
Sizethefeedwaterheaterlevelcontrolvalve(developedfurtherinthenextsection)
Inordertodeterminethepressuresattheindicatedpositionsintheflowpathandthecorresponding
pressuregradient,thepipesegmentsandcomponentsaregenerallycalculatedinthefollowingorder:
Pipingfromtheupstreamfeedwaterheatertothecontrolvalveinlet(SegmentAB)
Pipingfromthecontrolvalveoutlettothedownstreamfeedwaterheater(SegmentCD)
Controlvalve(SegmentBC)
Foremergencydrainsystems,thesamecalculationorderisused,butthedownstreamfeedwaterheateris
replacedwiththecondenserordrainflashtank.Additionalcomponentssuchashydraulicspargerscanbe
includedinthedownstreampipingsegment.
Thefollowingisabriefsummaryofthenecessarysteps.PleaserefertoASMEpaperPOWER2009
81116foramoredetailedandcomprehensiveoutlineoftheprocedureandcalculations.
SegmentAB:Thepipingupstreamofthecontrolvalveshouldbedesignedtomaintainsinglephase
flow.Assuch,anyappropriatesinglephasepressuredropmodelcanbeemployed.TheHEMmodelalso
canbeusedsinceitsimplifiestothecommonsinglephaseexpressions.Thederivationsareshownin
ASMEpaperPOWER200981116.
SegmentCD:Thepipingdownstreamofthecontrolvalvemightormightnotbeflashing,dependingon
theoperatingconditionsanddownstreamheaterpressure.Flashingwilloccurattheentrancetothe
downstreamheater(orcondenser).
(SeeEquation6)

Thecriticalexitpressuremustfirstbedetermined,whichisthepressureatpointDofFigure3.The
criticalexitpressurecorrespondstothepressureatwhichallavailableflowenergyisusedforthe
expansionofthefluidtothelowerpressurestateinthedownstreamheater.Thecriticalexitpressureis
determinedbysimultaneouslysolvingtheenergyandmomentumconservationequationshownbelow.
(SeeEquation7)
Thecriticalexitpressureisuniquetoeachflow,pipesizeandenthalpycontent,andmustberecalculated
ifanyoftheparameterschange.Thecriticalexitpressurewillincreaseasthepipesizedecreasesuntil
thepressuregradientinthepipeistoosmalltopasstherequiredflow.
Oncethecriticalexitpressureisdetermined,thepressuregradientiscalculatedworkingbackwardfrom
thepointDtopointCatthecontrolvalveexit.
Controlvalve:Thedifferentialpressureacrossthecontrolvalve(pointBtopointC)shouldbeevaluated
forfeasibilityandusedforthecontrolvalvesizingcalculations.IfthecalculatedpressureatpointCis
higherornotsufficientlylowerthanpointB,thedownstreampipesizemustbeincreasedandstep2
performedagain.
Theprecedingcalculationscanbeperformedbyhand,byspreadsheetorbydedicatedcalculationor
simulationsoftware.Selectionoftheappropriatemethodofimplementationisbasedonthedesired
accuracyasdeterminedbythesystemdesigner.
Componentsizing:Valvesizingandselection
Theheaterdrainlevelcontrolvalvesaresizedbasedontheinletandoutletpressurescalculatedbythe
precedingmethods.Itisrecommendedthatthefollowingcriteriabeusedforspecification/selectionof
controlvalvesforheaterdrainservice:
Thecontrolvalvetrimshouldbesizedtobe7580percentopenundermaximumflowconditions
Thecontrolvalveshouldnotoperateatlessthan15percentopenunderminimumflowconditions
Hardenederosionresistancematerialsshouldbeusedforthecontrolvalvetrim(minimum400series
stainless)
Minimum1/8erosionallowanceshouldbeincludedforthecontrolvalvebodyifcarbonsteelmaterials
areused
Erosionresistantmaterialsshouldbeusedforthecontrolvalvebody(equivalenttothedownstream
piping)ifalloypipingdownstreamofthecontrolisused
Oversizedorexpandedcontrolvalvebodiescanbeusedtoreducethevelocityinthevalve,andreduce
thepotentialforerosion
Whiletheoverpredictionofpressurelossesisconservativewithrespecttopipesizing,thisisnot
necessarilythecasewithrespecttocontrolvalvesizing.HEMbasedpressuredroppredictionshavebeen
showntovarybyasmuchas+20percentfromexperimentaldata.Withrespecttocontrolvalve
selection,smallerpressurelossesthroughthevalvewillbepredictedthantheinstalledvalvewill
experience.Asaresult,alargervalvethanrequiredmightbeselected.Useofoversizedcontrolvalves
canleadtoseveralunwantedresults:
Continuousoperationatlowopeningpercentagesresultedindegradedvalveintegrity
Limitedturndowncapacity,resultinginpoororeveninadequateperformanceduringstartupandlow
loadoperation

Toaddresstheseconcerns,itisrecommendedthatthevalveoperationbeevaluatedwitha20percent
loweroutletpressureatbothmaximumandminimumflowconditions.Underthesemodifiedconditions,
thecontrolvalveshouldstilloperatewithinitsstablecontrolrange.
Conclusion
Manyoptions,methodsandindustryexperiencethathavebeenappliedforthedesignofheaterdrain
systemshavebeencompiledandpresentedinthiswork.Ultimately,itistheresponsibilityofthe
engineertodeterminethenecessarydesignandsolutionmethodstoprovideanadequatesystemdesign.

CaseyLoughrinattendedMarquetteUniversityinMilwaukee,Wis.,forundergraduateandmasters
programsinMechanicalEngineering.Since2006,hehasbeenemployedwithSargent&Lundy,LLC,in
Chicago,Ill.,primarilyworkinginnewfossilpowerplantdesignanddevelopment.Youmaycontacthim
byemailingeditorial@woodwardbizmedia.com.