Advanced software simulates clean power plants of the future

17 December 2010

Advanced software simulates clean power plants of the future

New version of advanced process simulation software (Apros) can be used to simulate and optimize in advance such as fluidized bed combustion, carbon capture and desalination plants. Even the most difficult process failures can be simulated by using this software that also provides tools to test digital automation systems and train personnel. Apros brings cost-effiency both in planning and implementation, and results in efficient, low-emisssion processes.

The increased requirements on efficient production of clean energy have introduced the necessity to develop new power plant concepts. The basic functionality of the new ideas is conventionally tested in small-scale pilot plants.

Advanced ICT tools based on numerical calculations are, however, needed to evaluate the application to full scope plants in advance. For these purposes, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the energy company Fortum have released a new version of Apros.

Apros is the result of a quarter century’s development work by VTT experts in co-operation with Fortum. Its previous versions are already widely used in 26 countries for dependable analysis of conventional and nuclear power plants in particular but also of other industrial processes.

According to product manager Janne Liuko, Fortum, Apros has proven to be essential in various engineering tasks, like safety analyses, training and process optimization and design.

“A great advantage is that it combines accurate process modelling with sophisticated automation modelling. The whole integrated system can be studied and optimised in detail,” Liuko says.

“Efficient use of dynamic simulation models can speed up and improve design and engineering work. As a result, you get more efficient processes and save money.”

“As well as a design tool for prominent contractors and engineering agencies, Apros is used to train operators and engineers on how the processes and full scale power plants operate.”

Features of the new version

Apros software is multifunctional software for modelling and dynamic simulation of processes and different power plants. Apros can be used on an ordinary office computer.

New version Apros 5.09 brings several new features for its end users. The separate phase thermal hydraulics calculation has now been extended to cover all parts of the steam and water circuits, including the turbine sector models.

Also non-condensable gases can be included in these circuits, enabling e.g. for studies of starting up operations from cold shutdown with only gases in the circuits.

Material properties of air and flue gas circuits have been extended to include liquid oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide to allow simulation of oxygen production and carbon capture processes.

Apros also introduces a new fluidized bed combustion component that can be used for modeling of both bubbling and circulating bed combustors. Furthermore, the modeling of different types of desalination plants has been improved.

Apros is able to simulate accurately multi-stage flash distillation, reverse osmosis and multiple-effect evaporators. Apros provides a large library of blocks for elementary model building enabling the user to graphically specify extensive process component models in detail.

Model specifications can be written to ASCII-files using the versatile model specification language of Apros and easily transported to new Apros software versions, computer hardware or operation systems.

The specification language enables interconnection of Apros to other design tools and especially to new semantic design databases of both processes and control systems.

Continuous development work

According to the main designer of the Apros software, Dr Kaj Juslin from VTT, Apros is continuously developed to suite analysis needs of evolving new types of power plants such as clean combustion power plants as well as generation IV nuclear power plants.

The quality of each new Apros version is thoroughly verified and validated. Along the way, numerous end users have given valuable feedback and new goals to the developers.

A new software product - Apros Testing Station - will soon be available. It supports easy comparisons of simulation runs to measured transients.

It makes the validation and regression testing of new Apros models very efficient. It has also been used for managing the simulation assisted testing of digital automation systems.

“The Apros Instructors Station software, on the other hand, supports the instructors in training simulator applications to plan new training sessions and to supervise ongoing simulator training,” Juslin concludes.

Sources:

Apros
VTT
Fortum