Analysis of Cycling Impacts on Combined Cycle Heat Recovery Steam Generators and Evaluating Future Costs of Countermeasures to Reduce Impacts

This paper will discuss cycling heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) at combined cycle plants and observed damaging tube temperature transients in the HRSG. APTECH’s cost of cycling methodology is discussed. HRSG transients are selected and the HRSG tube stresses are analyzed using a computerized model to show the effects of cycling on fatigue life of the tubing. Then selected cycling countermeasures to reduce the effect of these transients will be discussed. A method that calculates the benefits of reducing the cyclic cost of the HRSG component damage will be presented along with a benefit-cost analysis.Copyright © 2008 by ASME