An investigation of instability in a domestic gas boiler by simulation

Abstract

The experimental investigation of a domestic gas boiler revealed an unstable operation mode under certain circumstances and geometry. This paper presents the development, validation, and analysis of the modelling of a complete sealed gas boiler. The modelling uses a non-dimensional/one-dimensional non-linear solution of the mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations. The sealed vessel is divided into three zones separated by the burner and the heat exchanger. A special focus is placed on the burner which was determined to play a major role in the occurrence of instabilities. The comparison between measured and simulated results shows a good agreement at steady state. The investigation of unstable configurations reveals the ability of the simulation model to locate unstable zones in a qualitative manner and provides the influence of the control parameters over the system's stability. An attempt is made at explaining the differences observed in the quantitative results. Finally, a few potential solutions to prevent or reduce unstable zones are evaluated with the simulation model.

Keywords

domestic boiler instabilities thermodynamic modelling system approach control parameters

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