Operation & Maintenance of Power Plants
Sustained availability of power generation equipment
Roger Bours details the advantages of rupture discs when it comes to keeping critical power equipment online.
T
he power generation and distribution industry is among the most critical in building and maintaining a sustained economical growth. Where the source of energy may be one of many (solar,
thermal, nuclear, geothermal, etc.), the production and distribution process remains traditional. Most effective energy sources will typically be used in connection with the Rankine cycle to allow efficient power generation and use. To maximise the efficiency of the energy
production, the use of heat exchangers and steam condensers is essential. Tese critical process equipment types are often one-of-a-kind, specifically designed and manufactured for the application. Where unintended pressure conditions would lead to damage to these units the continued production of energy is at risk – often for long repair periods with inability to provide energy to the users. To provide effective protection of steam condensers against accidental overpressure conditions, simple, homemade pressure relief devices (lead plates held in place by the operating high vacuum but lifted by pressure when overpressure would be present) were traditionally used. Due to the demand for higher vacuum levels (to increase the energy production cycle effectiveness), leak-tightness issues and the need to eliminate undesirable metals (lead) from industrial use, the industry users and equipment suppliers have embraced the use of dedicated, application-designed pressure relief devices (rupture discs or bursting discs). Te HOV-SC pressure relief device has been designed to offer long-term peace-of-mind in use whilst withstanding the severe operating conditions (high vacuum pressure, turbulent flow, elevated temperature) that are typical for this usage. Where energy needs to be transferred and the primary energy carrying media needs to be separated from the production cycle (for example, to avoid unwanted contamination or corrosion) the use of highly efficient heat exchangers is required. Often the primary circuit may require the use of exotic, corrosion-resistant materials of construction with the secondary heat-receiving circuit being of low-pressure, highly heat-absorbing, efficient design. Where there may be a risk for high-pressure primary tube rupture, the low-pressure side needs to be efficiently protected against intolerable overpressures. Due to the often high rate of pressure
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rise in case of incident, the pressure relief device must be chosen to be reliable and fast reacting. Te preferred devices, offering a wide choice of materials of construction, sizes and set pressures combined with instant and unrestricted opening upon activation, are rupture disc devices. Tese reputable safety devices are available in designs suitable to provide pressure relief when the evacuated media may be single phase (liquid or gas only) or multiphase (mixture of compressible and non-compressible media), therefore offering a ‘one type fits all’ solution for the protection of heat exchangers where the physical nature of the media being released is often undefined.
Trusted, reliable and industry-proven solutions for pressure protection with easy installation and low maintenance are the essential cornerstones to achieve sustainable production and distribution capability of energy for all established and emerging industry regions. Well-established and proven solutions are available to offer protection of critical processing equipment against the damage resulting from pressure incidents, reducing the downtime and repair costs to a minimum. l
For more information ✔ at
www.engineerlive.com/ipe Roger Bours is with Fike in Belgium.
www.fike.com
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