Dynamic Model of a Small Biomass Fired Steam Power Plant
H. van Putten, Piero Colonna · 3rd International Energy Conversion Engineering Conference · 2005
An open-loop dynamic model of a small biomass fired steam power plant (Rankine Cycle) is implemented using SimECS (Simulation library for Energy Conversion Systems), a MATLAB r /Simulink r toolbox currently under development at the Delft University of Technology. The complete system is formed by the following components: feedwater pump, preheater, evaporator, superheater, impulse turbine, electrical generator and condenser. The primary heat source is modelled as a flue gas flow and no combustion is considered yet. SimECS follows the modular paradigm, e.g. the system is formed by components which in turn are formed by modules. The modules’ equations follow from conservation laws in the lumped parameters form and physical relations. Causality and bilateral coupling principles are applied to obtain a solving system of algebraic and dierential equations characterized by a low index. The toolbox is validated first by comparison with measured data coming from a laboratory-scale steam cycle (evaporating section of a waste heat recovery boiler with a power-scaling factor of 1:600). The pilot plant was built at the Dept. of Electronics and IT of the Politecnico di Milano and experiments’ recordings are made available on the internet. The complete open-loop dynamic model of the Rankine Cycle is validated qualitatively. Furthermore, steady-state results are compared with the output of an analogous model developed with a well known steady-state process modelling software.