Tetra has published a series of guides which are available for ordering.
A selection of technical papers available for reference.
Selected papers, presentations and articles from major industry conferences and events.
With over 30 years of experience in power and industrial steam generation services, Tetra Engineering has along history of projects.
Tetra Engineering and long term partner R&R Consult, investigated severe foam formation and pressure pulsations at the cooling water outfall of a 1,000 MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant. The issue stemmed from cooling water falling freely from a drop shaft, entraining large volumes of air and causing unstable operation. Using advanced transient two-phase CFD modelling (Volume of Fluid), the hydraulic behaviour was simulated and multiple design modifications were tested. The analysis revealed that air entrainment was the root cause of the foam and pulsations. Tetra Engineering implemented a simple yet effective solution: installing baffle blocks immediately downstream of the drop shaft. This reduced air entrainment by 47%, stabilising plant operation with minimal investment. The result: safer, more reliable cooling water discharge and improved operational performance.
Tetra Engineering partnered with R&R Consult to investigate reduced steam production at a large natural gas-fired power plant. Despite normal operating conditions, the boiler was underperforming. An inspection revealed that hot flue gas was bypassing the boiler tubes, reducing heat transfer efficiency. CFD analysis by R&R Consult showed that 6.3% of the flue gas was flowing along the sides of the boiler and between modules, missing the heat exchange surfaces entirely. This bypass flow was the root cause of the performance loss. Tetra Engineering designed and installed covering plates to redirect the gas through the intended path. The result was improved boiler performance and increased electricity output.
Tetra Engineering partnered with R&R Consult to perform a root cause analysis of a condenser tube system experiencing flow choking. The CFD simulation revealed an uneven flow distribution across the tube sheet, with significantly reduced throughput in peripheral tubes. This pattern was linked to variations in the degree of cleaning across different sections of the condenser. The results demonstrated how CFD provides insight into internal flow behavior that is otherwise difficult to assess, making it a powerful tool for diagnosing and resolving persistent operational issues.
Caustic soda is injected into the product water in order to raise the pH as required by the specification. Inspection of GRP piping has often shown large amounts of deposition inside these pipes. Deposition is mostly observed downstream of the injection point of sodium hydroxide and can therefore be attributed to unsuitable chemical injection. Typical injection setups utilise four simple (no nozzle) injection ports at 90° from one another causing ineffective mixing of the flows, leading to the observed precipitation. Tetra performed a CFD analysis of the caustic injection process to investigate the degree of mixing of the two flows and simulate the effects of modifying the volumetric flow rate.
