VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF THE FLUE GAS FAN IN MÄLARENERGI’S UNIT 6 : Troubleshooting using CFD simulations in ANSYS to locate the origin of the vibration spikes and suggest solutions for a more optimized performance

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the flue gas fan in Mälarenergi’s Unit 6 and try to find what is causing the vibrations increase. The Fast Fourier transform (FFT) method was used for this degree project. A comparison was made with previous studies using FFT in order to pinpoint the source of the problem with vibrations. After a possible source had been identified, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was performed using ANSYS to visualize the problem. Two cases were simulated using two different turbulence models: the K-epsilon model and the Large-eddy simulation (LES) model. The result from the CFD simulations was compared with previous studies that used similar turbulence models. The flue gas fan’s high vibrations are most likely flow-induced. The simulation result indicates that LES model performed better than the Kepsilon model. The lack of validation in this degree work means that it is hard to know the accuracy of the model. Based on the simulation results the most promising solution seems to be inlet straighteners.