- Author
- Chi, J.
- Title
- DEPAF: A Computer Model for Design and Performance Analysis of Furnaces.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Report
- ASME 77-HT-11
- Book or Conf
- AIChE-ASME Heat Transfer Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. August 15-17, 1977, Salt Lake City, UT, 1977
- Keywords
- furnaces | computer models | transmission | computer simulation | heat transfer | combustion | experiments | heat loss | costs | heating | design applications | equations
- Identifiers
- mathematical formulation and computer program; differential equations; initial and boundary conditions; coefficients; numerical procedure and computer program; energy saving measures; gas-fired central forced-warm-air furnace; DEP AF (Design and Performance Analysis of Furnaces)
- Abstract
- The report covers the development of a computer simulation program DEPAF (Design and Performance Analysis of Furnaces) for residential fossil-fuel-fired furnaces. DEPAF is based upon an analytical model which accounts for cyclic (on-and-off) operation of furnace burner and blower. Transmission of heat at on-cycle uses the theory of radiative and convective heat transfer; transmission of heat at Off-cycle uses the theories of turbulent and free convective heat transfer. Confidence in DEPAF was established by the use of available experimental data on a gas-fired forced-war-air furnace. While the theory of transient heat transfer in combustion is complex in nature, theoretical results based upon quasi-steady-state analysis are in excellent agreement with experiments. If the building heat loss is known, DEPAF can be used to calculate the annual performance and operating cost residential heating systems with furnaces. Examples are given to illustrate applications of DEPAF to examine quantitatively the effect of design and operating variables on annual performance and operating costs of residential forced-warm-air furnaces. It was found that considerable savings in fuel and operating costs can often be achieved by performing certain modifications to existing furnaces.