Air Preheater Seal Upgrades Renew Plant

Efficiency
10/01/2010 | Stephen K. Storm, Storm Technologies Inc. and John Guffre, Paragon Airheater
Technologies

The air preheater is a critical, yet often overlooked, component of the boiler combustion air
system. Evaluating and optimizing a heaters performance is difficult given how entwined it is
with the entire combustion system and the lack of standardized calculation tools. Reducing
leakage by using modern seal technology will improve combustion efficiency, maintain fan
performance, and keep your downstream air quality control equipment operating within spec.

The regenerative air heater or air preheater (APH) on a large utility boiler often accounts for
about 10% of the units thermal efficiency. Its performance is so critical that just a 10F
change in gas exit temperature can change the boiler efficiency by a quarter of a percent,
representing hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in purchased fuel cost. For an aging
fleet of boilers operating with ultra-low-NOx firing equipment, accurate measurement,
control, and containment of the air and flue gas flowing through the APH is critical.

The major advantage of using an APH is that it is the least expensive heat-recovery device
available that is capable of operating in the harsh environment of a fossil-fueled boilers flue
gas exhaust. A major drawback of the regenerative APH is the undesired leakages that are
inherent to its design.

Air leakage has the largest single effect on APH performance. Ignore the health of your APH
long enough and youll soon experience some combination of corrosion, fouling, ammonium
bisulfate plugging, increased auxiliary power consumption, and higher-pressure differentials
that can limit combustion air fan operation.

On balanced-draft boilers, additional air in-leakage upstream of the APH from leaky
penthouses, casings, and expansion joints quickly makes accurate control of excess oxygen
problematic. Also, both APH leakage and upstream air in-leakage degrade air pollution
control equipment performance by increasing the velocity of suspended fly ash and reducing
electrostatic precipitator residence time. (See Real-Time Monitoring System Measures Air
In-Leakage, August 2010 and Air Heater Leakage: Worse Than You Think, April 2006 in
our archives at http://www.powermag.com.)

APH Design Fundamentals

A typical APH is illustrated in Figure 1. A regenerative air heater captures the heat in boiler
exhaust gases by passing them over a heat-absorbing metallic element. In this most common
design of a regenerative APH (Ljungstrm) the element is continually rotated so that it
alternately contacts the hot gases (red arrow) and the cool inlet air (blue arrow) produced by
the plants forced-draft (FD) fans. Typically, about 50% to 60% of the total heat content of
the exit gases is captured and recycled, resulting in about a 10% improvement in boiler
efficiency when compared to an identical unit without an APH.
Also shown on Figure 1 are the various leakage paths through the APH. Each leakage type is
discussed in detail below.

1. Circumferential leakage through an APH. The left blue line represents the bypass seal
leakage around the air preheater into the warm airflow. The bottom blue line represents the
bypass seal leakage (also called peripheral seals) passing the axial seals into the gas path. The
red line on the right represents the bypass seal leakage passing around the air preheater
(APH) into the cold gas flow. The top yellow arrows represent the hot radial seal leakage,
while the bottom yellow arrows represent the cold radial seal leakage. Courtesy: Storm
Technologies Inc.

Sealing these dynamic structures is extremely difficult due to their large diameter (up to 60
feet across) and the large temperature difference between their hot and cold ends (about
400F). Together, these characteristics produce significant radial thermal expansion difference
between the hot and cold sides of the APHs rotor after unit start-up. Its not uncommon for
the outer edges of a large APH at operating temperature to droop or turn down by 3 inches
or more compared with the cold condition (Figure 2).
2. Thermal turndown. The typical APH may be as much as 60 feet in diameter. When the
APH rotor is heated from a cold condition (blue), thermal expansion (yellow) can cause the
rotor to droop or turn down up to 3 inches on the periphery. Knowing the amount of
turndown is important when presetting the seal position before operation, because seal
positions will change as the rotor warms to its operating temperature. Source: Storm
Technologies Inc.

This thermal distortion droop opens gaps in the sealing surfaces that separate the cold
incoming air from the outlet gases as well as in the sealing surfaces around the circumference
of the APH. Turndown changes the gaps between both the radial and circumferential seals
and their respective sealing surfaces where gas and air bypass the rotor and heat exchange
elements.

Two Types of Seal Leakage

Consider APH leakage as being one of two types and taking one or more of four distinct
leakage paths through regenerative APH seals (Paths A, B, C, and D in Figure 3). Each
leakage path affects the economic operation and heat rate of the plant in a different way:
3. Four leakage paths through an APH. Path 1 is the normal airflow path through the APH
and Path 2 is the normal flue gas flow path. Path A shows the forced draft (FD) fan flow
leaking ambient air directly to the gas outlet duct (through the radial or circumferential
seals). Path B shows preheated FD fan airflow that short-circuits back to the gas outlet duct.
Path C represents ambient FD fan air that leaks around the APH and enters the boiler
unheated. Path D represents hot flue gas exiting the boiler, bypassing the APH, and
exhausting at a high temperature. Source: Storm Technologies Inc.

Circumferential/bypass leakage (Paths C and D) has an effect on heat transfer and

boiler heat rate. A portion of the leakage Path C will also travel around the outside
circumference of the rotor, joining the flow of leakage Path A and increasing fan
horsepower requirements.
Radial seal leakage (Paths A and B) is typically calculated as a percentage of the
boiler exit gas flow (Path 2), not as a percentage of fan input airflow (Path 1).

Knowing the gas flow leakage (as a percentage) is convenient when calculating the
correction in gas exit temperature that results from air in-leakage when doing overall boiler
efficiency tests.

Circumferential Seal Leaks. Circumferential seals are located on the entire circumference
of the APH rotor, on both the hot end and cold end of the APH. On the flue gas side of the
APH, all of the leakage through the inlet side circumferential seals will short-circuit around
the APH (bypassing the heat transfer element) and exit through the downstream
circumferential seals. This leakage results in a loss of enthalpy transfer into the element and
increases the temperature (and therefore the actual volume) of gas entering the induced-draft
(ID) fans.
On the air side of the APH, the volume of leakage through the first set of circumferential
seals will enter the annulus around the perimeter of the rotor, where the leakage will split in
two directions. The volume of leakage in each direction depends on the differential pressures
between points of exit. A portion of the flow will continue in a straight path and exit through
the second set of circumferential seals. The remainder of the flow will be directed around the
perimeter of the rotor and exit into the exhaust gas stream (through the axial seals), and that
volume will, in turn, exit the APH through the gas-side cold end circumferential seals.

Most difficult to account for is air or gas bypassing the APH around the circumference of the
APH. There is no simple or effective way to take an actual measurement of leakage around
the circumference of the APH. These leakage rates must be calculated using pressure
differentials and measuring gaps between the rotor and the circumferential/bypass seals, with
an allowance for structural deformation at operating temperature, including rotor expansion
and chord distortion between diaphragms.

One simple estimating approach is to consider the total leakage cross section as equivalent to
that of a flat plate orifice to calculate the leakage flow rate. Although it is not a perfect match
to perimeter leakage in an APH, it provides a closer approximation than traditional crack
flow equations for ventilation systems, which are more appropriate for very small openings
with very small differential pressures.

Radial Seal Leaks. Radial seal leakage represents the percentage increase in outlet gas flow
caused by the mass of inlet air leaking into the gas outlet stream. (The majority of this
leakage, as measured, is flowing past the radial seal area, but in reality, this measurement also
includes other leakage paths, including entrained leakage and axial seal leakage.) Shockingly,
leakage rates attributed to radial seals have been measured at over 40% in some APHs, and
leakage rates around 20% are often accepted as a normal condition. However, this much
leakage places a significant extra burden on the boiler fans in order to move gas and air that
serves no useful purpose.

In addition, changes in fuels and operating conditions over the years often push ID fans to
near rated capacity. When a fan is operating at over 80% of capacity, the slope of the
horsepower/volume curve becomes very steep. At near full capacity, a 1% increase in fan
volume often results in a 3% increase in required fan horsepower.

Two Radial Leakage Penalties

Two penalties to boiler performance occur with excessive radial seal leakage. The first is the
thermal losses associated with the leakage air cooling the APH. The second is the additional
auxiliary horsepower consumed by the fans for pushing more flow.

The first step in determining the thermal loss is to establish the gas outlet temperature
corrected for no leakage. The ASME performance test code (PTC) assumes that all of the air
in-leakage occurs on the cold side. However, in reality it is a mix of the hot and cold side
radial leakage. The hot side radial leakage does not cool the outlet temperature as much as the
cold side leakage does. Though the exact split will vary and cant be directly measured, a
good assumption is that the leakage is biased 60/40 to the cold side due to higher differential
pressures and the higher density of cooler air at the cold end of the APH. Because the hot side
radial seal leakage returns some of its heat to the cold air, use the gas outlet temperature
instead of the air outlet temperature in your calculations.

Once a representative gas outlet temperature is calculated, the total enthalpy drop for the gas
and the enthalpy rise for the air can be calculated to find the heat transfer efficiency. Dividing
the enthalpy rise of the air by the enthalpy drop of the gas will give you the overall heat
transfer efficiency for the APH.

The other impact that radial leakage has on plant efficiency is the increased air and gas flow
through the fans. The flow and static pressures at a fan can be used to find the fan efficiency
and, hence, the additional horsepower load placed on the fan(s).

Other Causes of Seal Leakages

Erosion caused by fly ash has resulted in the rapid loss of a heat exchange element as well as
damage to perimeter seals, radial seals, and rotor diaphragms. The high ash content
associated with many of the coals used at plants experiencing these problems is obviously a
contributing factor. However, two other factors with regard to erosion are actually more
important than ash content: abrasiveness and ash velocity.

The abrasiveness of fly ash increases as the amount of silica and alumina increases. In the
case of some low-rank coals, the silica and alumina content of the ash can amount to about
90% of the total mineral content by weight.

Ash velocity is as much as three times more important than ash content or abrasiveness when
it comes to determining the rate of erosion. One way to defeat high ash velocity is to increase
the fineness of the coal particles leaving the pulverizers and balancing the coal and air flows
to each of the burners.

Many combustion experts recommend a coal fineness of 75% through a 200-mesh screen to
reduce the abrasive effects of ash in the furnace and downstream equipment (see Finessing
Fuel Fineness, October 2008). Non-uniform flows can also cause high-velocity slipstreams
that result in severe erosion of the outer basket rings (Figure 4). Also, pay careful attention to
excessive turbulence of the flue gas entering the APH by adding flow straighteners and
turning vanes as determined by computerized flow modeling studies.
4. Typical erosion damage. The outer ring basket erosion shown was caused by fly ash
abrasiveness and excessive particulate velocity. Courtesy: Paragon Airheater Technologies
Inc.

Cut Your Losses

The calculable savings for improving APH leakage are substantial. In addition, there are
significant costs related to the impact that suboptimal airheater performance has on the
combustion process and on FD and ID fans. Other impacts include erosion concerns
downstream, precipitator performance issues due to higher inlet velocities (offset slightly due
to decreased flue gas temperature), and other possible costs of colder combustion air, as
discussed.

In some plants, just the fan horsepower wasted in handling radial seal leakage can exceed 3
MW, which can result in an overall net heat rate penalty in the range of 50 to 75 Btu/kWha
0.5% to 0.75% decrease in overall unit efficiency. On a typical 500-MW unit, this magnitude
of radial seal leakage results in increased coal consumption in the range of 15,000 to 20,000
tons per year.

Research and modeling performed by Teodor Skiepko and Ramesh K. Shah (Influence of
Leakage Distribution on the Thermal Performance of a Rotary Regenerator, Applied
Thermal Engineering, Vol. 19, 1999 and Modeling and Effect of Leakages on Heat Transfer
Performance of Fixed Matrix Regenerators, International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer, Vol. 48, 2005) concluded that, in some cases, just 10% leakage can reduce the
overall thermal efficiency of an APH by 9.8% to 13.2%, depending on the proportion of flow
that goes through each leakage path. This is a very substantial decrease in performance that
can be prevented.

To assess APH performance, the temperatures in and out of both sides of the APH need to be
known as well as the oxygen concentrations before and after the gas side of the APH.
Velocity heads need to be measured, where practicable, to determine if there are any
significant flow stratifications in the ducts. If so, the temperature and oxygen should be
averaged on a flow-weighted basis. Furthermore, to perform a proper thermal heat balance,
the air and gas flows must be known before and after the APH. These temperatures can be
calculated as a function of O2 levels, static pressure, temperature, and velocity head measured
at the both entrances and exits of the APH.

Calculating the motor horsepower and understanding the heat rate impacts of the APH,
system draft, and unit load is extremely important when conducting an evaluation of this
system. For example, draft increases also affect fan power consumption. Total draft and flow
impacts can be evaluated on a case-by-case basis provided the system leakage and static
pressures have been measured along with design APH and fan data.

The ASME PTC 4.3 Air Heater Test Code is somewhat outdated and differs slightly from
how a modern field test is conducted. The code suggests comparing the amount of carbon
dioxide (CO2) before and after the APH instead of oxygen, which is much more easily
measured. Unfortunately, not all of the possible leakage paths discussed above are identified
by the code, and CO2 is typically a calculated value, not a measured one. The code also has
no provision for air or gas bypassing the APH through the circumference of the APH. It only
includes the effect of air that bypasses the APH and short-circuits to the flue gas flow.

Reducing APH Outlet Gas Temperature

To minimize fuel consumption, the flue gas exit temperature from an APH must be kept as
low as practical. Go too low and the baskets and cold end structural elements will experience
destructive acid condensation and therefore corrosion. However, compared with the cost of
the excess fuel burned to maintain a gas outlet temperature well above the dew point to
reduce cold end corrosion, the cost of a replacement set of cold end baskets is almost
incidental.

The chemical process that causes the cold end acid corrosion is well understood. Acid
condensation occurs wherever the gas temperature is reduced to less than the saturation
pressure (partial pressure) of the SO3 present in the flue gas. Under those conditions, a dilute
solution of sulfuric acid condenses on and is corrosive to APH structures and baskets. That is
why, in most plants, the cold end element layer in an APH is sacrificial and is designed to be
replaced relatively easily and at modest cost.

In modern power plants, operations strive to minimize gas outlet temperatures by maximizing
APH heat transfer efficiency. There are two principal ways to decrease the exit gas
temperature on an existing unit: increased element depth and APH speed of rotation.

Some of the APHs installed today were originally designed with some open space that can
accommodate several inches to several feet depth of additional heat transfer surface area.
Adding additional heat transfer surface will decrease the exit flue gas temperature. For those
units without extra space, alternate basket designs are available that have the same outside
depth as the original baskets, but they can accommodate up to 3 inches of additional element
depth by modifying the traditionally deep structural bars at the top and bottom of each basket.

Most air heaters were designed to operate at a single, fixed speed of rotation. The recent
studies by Skiepko and Shah indicate that it may be possible to increase the thermal
efficiency of an existing air heater by changing its speed of rotation. The practical application
of this concept is unproven, but preliminary full-scale experimentation at a plant in North
Carolina has shown encouraging results.

Additionally, slowing the speed of rotation during air heater sootblowing operation can be
used to increase the sootblower residence time in the faster-moving outer radius of the air
heater, which can help maintain air heater cleanliness.

Leakage Repair Solutions

A cost-effective and simple method for reducing APH leakage is replacement of the original
equipment gas seals with newer design high-performance, full-contact radial seals and self-
reinforcing circumferential or bypass seals. Full-contact seals have a proven performance
record in reducing APH leakage by as much as 50% when used to replace the original
equipment type of radial seals commonly found today on most APHs.

An example of a high-performance, full-contact radial seal is shown in Figure 5. The full-

contact DuraMax radial seal is constructed with a spring bellows that allows the seal to
maintain continuous but flexible contact with the sealing plate at all times, effectively
eliminating the main path for radial seal leakage. It is designed to maintain contact even when
the mating sealing surfaces (sector plates) have become distorted or out of plane. In
comparison, the original design seal was more of a rigid proximity air dam that is much
less effective, especially with an aging air heater that has drifted from its as-new dimensional
tolerances (Figure 6).

5. Seal of approval. The continuous-contact DuraMax seal is shown, before (left) and after
(right) sector plate contact. The full-contact seal is constructed with a spring bellows that
allows the seal to maintain a continuous but flexible contact with the sealing plate at all
times, effectively eliminating the main path for radial seal leakage. Courtesy: Paragon
Airheater Technologies Inc.
6. Original recipe. The original style of radial seal was more of an air dam rather than a seal.
Courtesy: Paragon Airheater Technologies Inc.

The new DuraFlex circumferential seals have an interlocking and self-reinforcing structural
design that allows them to be set in close proximity to the rotor sealing surface without being
damaged, thus minimizing gaps and leakage openings (Figure 7). The original style seals that
this design replaces are shown in Figure 8.

7. Sealed tight. The DuraFlex circumferential/bypass seal has an interlocking and self-
reinforcing structural design that allows the seals to be set in close proximity to the rotor
sealing surface to minimize leakage. Courtesy: Paragon Airheater Technologies Inc.

8. Old seal technology. The original circumferential/bypass seal design can be easily
damaged if it makes contact during operation, and it may often be set with an excess gap to
reduce the potential for damage, but with resulting increased leakage. Courtesy: Paragon
Airheater Technologies Inc.

An example illustrates the positive benefit of APH leakage reduction when replacing
standard, rigid seals with full-contact radial seals to reduce just radial seal leakage. After
replacement with full-contact DuraMax seals at American Electric Powers 500-MW Welch
Station Unit 3, the ID fan amperage decreased by over 23%. The motor amperage is directly
proportional to the motor power requirements (see table).

Seal the deal. Test results from AEPs Welch Station Unit 3 found a 23% reduction in
induced draft fan amps with full-contact radial seals when compared with the original style of
circumferential seals. Source: Storm Technologies Inc.

Stephen K. Storm (stephen.storm@stormeng.com) is executive vice president, technical

field services at Storm Technologies Inc. John Guffre (jguffre@paragonairheater.com) is
chief research scientist for Paragon Airheater Technologies.