SHIPPENSBURG PUMP CO. INC.

P.O. BOX 279, SHIPPENSBURG, PA 17257

PH 717-532-7321 FAX 717-532-7704
WWW.SHIPCOPUMPS.COM

BULLETIN 161
Revised 4/13

FLASH TANKS
and

RECOVERY UNITS
TYPE VFT
Vertical Flash Tank
TYPE HFT
Horizontal Flash Tank
TYPE FRV
Flash Recovery Vessel

SECTION MSC PAGE 0200

Steam systems use the vapor phase of water to

supply heat or kinetic energy through a piping system.
As a source of heat, steam can heat a conditioned
space with suitable terminal heat transfer equipment
such as fan-coil units, unit heaters, radiators, and convectors (finned tube or cast iron), or steam can heat
through a heat exchanger that supplies hot water or
some other heat transfer medium to the terminal units.
In addition, steam is commonly used in heat exchangers
(shell-and-tube, plate, or coil types) to heat domestic
hot water and supply heat for industrial and commercial
processes such as in laundries and kitchens. Steam
is also used as a heat source for certain cooling processes such as single-stage and two-stage absorption
refrigeration machines.

Advantages
Steam offers the following advantages:
Steam flows through the system unaided by external
energy sources such as pumps.
Because of its low density, steam can be used in
tall buildings where water systems create excessive
pressure.
Terminal units can be added or removed without
making basic changes to the design.
Steam components can be repaired or replaced by
closing the steam supply, without the difficulties associated with draining and refilling a water system.
Steam is pressure-temperature dependent; therefore, the system temperature can be controlled by
varying either steam pressure or temperature.
Steam can be distributed throughout a heating
system with little change in temperature.
In view of these advantages, steam is applicable to the
following facilities:
Where heat is required for process and comfort
heating, such as in industrial plants, hospitals,
restaurants, dry-cleaning plants, laundries, and
commercial buildings.
Where the heating medium must travel great distances, such as in facilities with scattered building
locations, or where the building height would result
in excessive pressure in a water system.
Where intermittent changes in heat load occur.

Fundamentals
Steam is the vapor phase of water and is generated by adding more heat than required to maintain its
liquid phase at a given pressure, causing the liquid to
change to vapor without any further increase in temperature. Equation 1 illustrates the pressure-temperature relationship and various other properties of steam.
Temperature is the thermal state of both liquid
and vapor at any given pressure. The values shown
2

in Table 1 are for dry saturated steam. The vapor temperature can be raised by adding more heat, resulting
in superheated steam, which is used (1) where higher
temperatures are required, (2) in large distribution systems to compensate for heat losses and to ensure that
steam is delivered at the desired saturated pressure
and temperature, and (3) to ensure that the steam is
dry and contains no entrained liquid that could damage
some turbine-driven equipment.
Enthalpy of the liquid hf (sensible heat) is the
amount of heat in Btu required to raise the temperature
of a pound of water from 32F to the boiling point at the
pressure indicated.
Enthalpy of evaporation hfg (latent heat of vaporization) is the amount of heat required to change a
pound of boiling water at a given pressure to a pound
of steam at the same pressure. This same amount of
heat is released when the vapor is condensed back to
a liquid.
Enthalpy of the steam hg (total heat) is the combined enthalpy of liquid and vapor and represents the
total heat above 32F in the steam.
Specific volume, the reciprocal of density, is the
volume of unit mass and indicates the volumetric space
that 1 lb of steam or water occupies.
An understanding of the above helps explain some
of the following unique properties and advantages of
steam:

Most of the heat content of steam is stored as latent

heat, which permits large quantities of heat to be

transmitted efficiently with little change in temperature. Because the temperature of saturated steam
is pressure-dependent, a negligible temperature
reduction occurs from the reduction in pressure
caused by pipe friction losses as steam flows
through the steam. This occurs regardless of the
insulation efficiency, as long as the boiler maintains
the initial pressure and the steam traps remove
the condensate. Conversely, in a hydronic system,
inadequate insulation can significantly reduce fluid
temperature.

Steam,

as all fluids, flows from areas of high

pressure to areas of low pressure and is able to
move throughout a system without an external
energy source. Heat dissipation causes the vapor
to condense, which creates a reduction in pressure
caused by the dramatic change in specific volume
(1600:1 at atmospheric pressure).

As

steam gives up its latent heat at the terminal

equipment, the condensate that forms is initially at
the same pressure and temperature as the steam.
When this condensate is discharged to a lower pressure (as when a steam trap passes condensate to
the return system), the condensate contains more

heat than necessary to maintain the liquid phase at

the lower pressure; this excess heat causes some
of the liquid to vaporize or "flash" to steam at the
lower pressure. The amount of liquid that flashes
to steam can be calculated as follows:

100(hf1-hf2)
% Flash Steam = _______________
hfg2

where
hf1 = enthalpy of liquid at pressure p1
hf2 = enthalpy of liquid at pressure p2
hfg2 = latent heat of vaporization at pressure p2
Equation 1
Flash steam contains significant and useful heat
energy that can be recovered and used (see the section
on Heat Recovery). This reevaporation of condensate
can be controlled (minimized) by subcooling the condensate within the terminal equipment before it discharges
into the return piping. The volume of condensate heat
that is subcooling should not be so large as to cause a
significant loss of heat transfer (condensing) surface.

Heat Recovery
Two methods are generally employed to recover
heat from condensate: (1) the enthalpy of the liquid
condensate (sensible heat) can be used to vaporize or
flash some of the liquid to steam at a lower pressure,
or (2) it can be used directly in a heat exchanger to heat
air, fluid, or a process.
The particular methods used vary with the type of
system. Facilities that purchase steam from a utility generally do not have to return condensate and, therefore,
can recover heat to the maximum extent possible. On
the other hand, facilities with their own boiler generally
want the condensate to return to the boiler as hot as
possible, limiting heat recovery because any heat removed from condensate has to be returned to the boiler
to generate steam again.
Flash Steam
Flash steam is an effective use for the enthalpy
of the liquid condensate. It can be used in any facility
that has a requirement for steam at different pressures,
regardless of whether steam is purchased or generated
by a facilitys own boiler. Flash steam can be used in
any heat exchange device to heat air, water, or other liquids or directly in processes with lower pressure steam
requirements. Equation 1 may be used to calculate the
amount of flash steam generated, and Figure 1 provides
a graph for calculating the amount of flash steam as a
function of system pressures.
Although flash steam can be generated directly
by discharging high-pressure condensate to a lower
pressure system, most designers prefer a flash tank

Figure 1
to control flashing. Flash tanks can be mounted either
vertically or horizontally, but the vertical arrangement
shown in Figure 3 (on page 4) is preferred because it
provides better separation of steam and water, resulting
in the highest possible steam quality.
The most important dimension in the design of
vertical flash tanks is the internal diameter, which must
be large enough to ensure a low upward velocity of
flash to minimize water carryover. If this velocity is low
enough, the height of the tank is not important, but it
is good practice to use a height of at least 2 to 3 feet.
The graph in Figure 2 can be used to determine the
internal diameter and is based on a steam velocity of
10 ft/s, which is the maximum velocity in most systems.

Figure 2
3

Installation is important for proper flash tank operation. Condensate lines should pitch towards the flash
tank. If more than one condensate line discharges to
the tank, each line should be equipped with a swing
check valve to prevent backflow. Condensate lines and
the flash tank should be well insulated to prevent any
unnecessary heat loss. A thermostatic air vent should
be installed at the top of the tank to vent any air that
accumulates. The tank should be trapped at the bottom
with an inverted bucket or float and thermostatic trap
sized to triple the condensate load.
The demand load must always be greater than
the amount of flash steam available to prevent the
low-pressure system from becoming overpressurized.
A safety relief valve should always be installed at the
top of the flash tank to preclude such a condition.
Because the flash steam available is generally less
than the demand for low-pressure steam, a makeup
valve ensures that the low-pressure system maintains
design pressure.
Flash tanks are considered pressure vessels and
must be constructed in accordance with ASME and
local codes.

FIG 1 F

S
RELIEF DEVICE

MAKEUP CONTROL VALVE

HIGH PRESSURE STEAM

DISHCHARGE TO HIGH PRESSURE

CONDENSATE RETURN
LO PRESSURE STEAM

PRESSURE GAUGE

THERMOSTATIC AIR VENT

PIPE TO DRAIN

SAFET RELEIF
VALVE

FLASH TANK
S ING CHECK VALVE
HIGH PRESSURE
CONDENSATE RETURN
F T OR IB TRAP
DRIP
POCKET
LO PRESSURE RETURN

FIG 2 VFigure 3 F T

Rules of thumb:
Horizontal flash tanks should be 2 times tank diameter or 24" minimum length.
Vertical flash tanks should be 3 times tank diameter
or 36" minimum length.

Copyright 2008, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and

Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. www.ashrae.org. Reprinted by
permission from ASHRAE 2008 Handbook-HVAC Systems and
Equipment.

Type VFT Flash Tank (Vertical)

Type HFT Flash Tank (Horizontal)

Type FRV Units (Flash Recovery Vessel)

LBS./HR.

MAX MAX

LOAD FLASH
FRV-6 2000 500
FRV-8 5000 1000
FRV-12 10000 2000
FRV-16 20000 3000

Other Specialty Products

Specialty models include:
Vertical or Horizontal Flash Tanks
Flash Tanks
Blow Down Separators
Blow Down Tanks
Fill Tanks
Turbine Models
Benefits:
Reduce high-pressure steam to low-pressure steam.
Pipe blow down chemicals and debris to drain.
Add glycol into system without contaminating the water source.
Lubricate and flush mechanical seals or stuffing boxes on large municipal or industrial pumps.

FT

BDS
BDT

FORM BULL 161 Revised 4/13

Shipco IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF SHIPPENSBURG PUMP CO., INC.

SHIPPENSBURG PUMP COMPANY, INC., P.O. BOX 279, SHIPPENSBURG, PA 17257 PHONE 717-532-7321 FAX 717-532-7704 WWW.SHIPCOPUMPS.COM
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. BEIDEL PRINTING HOUSE, INC., 717-532-5063

COPYRIGHT 2013 SHIPPENSBURG PUMP COMPANY, INC.