CFD Analysis of the Steam Side in a Cross-Flow X-Type Steam Superheater

A three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation of steam flow distribution of a cross-flow X-type steam superheater in a small modular reactor (SMR) has been carried out, and different flow distributors have been compared. As a non-baffle shell and tube heat exchanger, the secondary steam flow of the superheater flows across the tube bundles and is superheated in the shell side. The flow distributor is arranged between the shell side inlet and the tube bundles, devices compared are the impingement plate and orifice plate. The diameter and the geometry distribution of the holes on the orifice plate have also been researched. The software used is ANSYS FLUENT, applying standard k-epsilon turbulence flow model. Distribution of velocity and pressure drop of the shell-side steam is obtained. As the analysis of the flow-field distribution contributes to optimizing the heat exchange performance, the analysis solutions can provide helpful information for the superheater design.