Material Life Prediction: Autodesk CFD Addresses Thermal and Flow Transients

Increased renewable energy in power grids has reduced the load factor of coal-based power plants. Independent thermal power producers face regulations to shut plants or operate at reduced load. However, there are grid stability and availability issues with solar and wind power. To address both, existing thermal power plants need to operate flexibly. In this mode, a plant quickly ramps down from 100% load to as low as 30% and ramps back up, based on renewable surplus or deficit, respectively. This deviation from actual design parameters leads to thermal mechanical stresses in equipment, impacting equipment life and site personnel safety. Material residual life is studied under such adverse operating conditions. Challenge is handled by modeling and simulating wide variations in steam process conditions on thick-walled piping. Autodesk Fusion 360 and Autodesk CFD software help us understand transient thermal behavior. This talk will focus on new business prospects, and how to predict equipment life and ensure grid stability.