Experimental validation of a recovery boiler superheater region CFD model

Accurate solutions of fluid flow and heat transfer in the recovery boiler superheater region are important tools when optimizing the performance of both new and existing recovery boilers. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are often used for obtaining computational solutions but there is a major need to improve their predictive capabilities and the confidence that engineers can place on the results. The objective of this work is to validate a new superheater region CFD model, called the full superheater region (FSR) model, against full-scale measurements on a recovery boiler. The novelty of the article consists of the following: 1) We present the FSR model, which is a new and complete CFD model for the recovery boiler superheater region. 2) We report previously unpublished full-scale temperature and flow field measurements from the recovery boiler superheater region. 3) We verify the accuracy of the modeled results and validate them are against the experimental data. According to the results, iteration and discretization errors are acceptable even using a moderate grid resolution. The modeled results are also in good agreement with the experimental data. 4) We show some applications of the FSR model and show that it can be used for obtaining new and valuable engineering knowledge. The new model can form a basis for future flow field and heat transfer optimization in the superheater region.