Dynamic Simulation Model of an Air Cooled Condenser

The paper describes a dynamic simulation model that has been developed to represent the behaviour of an A frame air cooled condenser, installed in a combined cycle power plant, in transient operating conditions. The study described by the present paper has been developed during a national research program focused on innovative methods to control and manage combined cycle power plants operating in the liberalized electricity market of today. The paper describes the main equations used to model the most important components of the air cooled condenser: the steam adduction system, the heat exchange between the condensing steam and the ambient air, the hotwell, the fans and the control system. The model considers the storage of thermal energy in the metal parts and so it evaluates both a steam side and an air side heat flux; then the presence of non-condensable gases inside the steam, flowing into the finned tubes, has been taken into consideration. The paper reports some simulation results and describes the simulation model validation phase. The simulation model of the air cooled condenser has been integrated with the dynamic simulator of the whole combined cycle power plant and it is going to be used by power plant management systems.