Studies and Engineering Service

An important basis of our engineering services comprises sound studies and concept investigations. Based on selected process data we can identify specific optimisation potential and derive expedient modifications accordingly. Process-related solutions and design concepts are developed under consideration of plant specifications and individual wishes, whilst also remaining within the defined budget. As we know, a standstill is a setback, and we are therefore constantly expanding our range of services, in order to be able to provide you with the best support at all times.

In both the boiler and flue gas cleaning areas we specialise in: 

• Feasibility studies
• Damage and failure analyses
• Development of process-related concepts for resolving plant-specific tasks

Alongside the plant analysis, our services also include the investigation of necessary steam generator measures, supported by: 

• Thermal recalculations
• Water circulation and pressure loss calculations
• Checking protection and safety concepts
• Emission reduction measures

Flow investigation and the implementation of optimisation measures in the primary and secondary air supply and the flue gas path by means of local measurements, recordings and CFD flow simulations

As a technology company from the very outset, we work with proven methods in combination with the latest technology. We determine material, mass and energy balances for you, provide information on plant behaviour and for the necessary use of operating resources. On demand, we can also assess dynamic processes (for example, the start-up process), as well as the control accuracy of individual control circuits and the analysis of process-relevant measurement data. Based on the correct determination of the current status, we define the adjustment and optimisation potential of your plant.

Based on our many years of experience, we offer you an overall economic assessment of your operations, under consideration of inspection and maintenance times, full-load operation and availability, in each case combined with the corresponding costs and revenues. 

The CFD-based analysis and optimisation of a plant has been one of our outstanding competences for many years. The computer-aided simulation encompasses the observation of the pulse, heat and material transport in multi-phase fluid reaction systems. We assess the behaviour of your plant under consideration of all operational framework conditions and derive detailed and comprehensible results. The goal is a homogenisation of the flow within the entire flow channel, pressure loss reduction and the attainment of a perfect particle or droplet distribution. With our high-performance computers we analyse and optimise complete and part plants with model sizes of up to 100 million cells. 

Practical example CFD – much more than just colourful pictures

The specific use of fluidic investigations by means of CFD is illustrated by our example: Fig. A shows the combustion chamber and the boiler of an energy-from-waste plant, in which the flow lines of the combustion gases are colour-scaled with the temperature. Along the flow path, the reduction in gas temperature due to the heat transfer on the heating surfaces of the water-steam circuit can be seen. The area of the secondary air injection is magnified in Fig. B. The local nozzle throughput is set in such a way that two opposing vortices occur. These allow the optimum mixture of the combustion gases with the secondary air, leading to the stabilisation of the flow. At the end of the horizontal pass in the economiser, a bypass flow can be identified. This flow, discovered with CFD, can now be optimised with a simple change to the plant design, in this case the addition of baffles in the funnel. More examples of CFD can be found here. 

We calculate complex support structures and complicated construction areas with the so-called Finite Element Method (FEM). We also offer this service for plants that have been constructed by other companies. Using the FEM calculations, and within the boundary conditions, we determine displacements and distortions, which lead us to the section sizes and deformations in the 2D or also the 3D model. The results thus attained help in the dimensioning or development of highly stressed components, and avoid exceeding stresses. In addition, we ensure that highly stressed components such as pipes, brackets, bindings and force transmission parts are sufficiently dimensioned, with consideration to thermal expansion. 

Application of the FEM using the example of the venting nipple: Stress calculations were carried out with the help of the FEM method in order to investigate long-term strain distortions on the connecting lines between the economizer and the drum. As a result, the additional arrangement of a bulkhead plate was recommended. Result: complete ECO new design with maintenance-friendly piping sequences and minimization of the possible stress conditions by simultaneously acting as a sealing cap and thereby minimizing or eliminating the voltage peaks.

Use of the FEM in the example of rapper plates: In the long term, a component failure is caused by an insufficient collector rapper shaft orientation and resulting noncentric force introduction through the rapper shaft. Steinmüller Babcock Environment optimizes the rapper plate design as a hybrid solution without an intermediate plate. The new system has been applied for a patent and is already in use in various plants.