Chapter No-5 Steam Condensers and Cooling Towers Marks-16

Chapter No-5
STEAM CONDENSERS AND

COOLING TOWERS
Marks-16
C404.5-Evaluate condenser
performance and select for proper
application.
DALTONS LAW OF PARTIAL PRESSURE
• “The total pressure exerted by mixture of
gases or a mixture of gas and vapors (which
have no chemical action on each other) is
equal to the sum of the partial pressures of
the constituents of the mixture, if it occupies
the volume of mixture at temperature of
mixture”.
• The total pressure in the condenser is the sum of
the partial pressure of steam and air.
• Pressure of mixture= partial pressure of steam +
partial pressure of air
• So according to Daltons law total pressure in the
condenser is,
Pc = Ps + Pa
Where , Pc= total pressure in condenser
Ps= partial pressure of steam
Pa= partial pressure of air.
Pc Ps Pa
Steam + air steam Air

Steam condenser
• A steam condenser is a closed vessel in to which
the steam is exhausted, and condensed after
doing work in an engine cylinder or turbine.
• A steam condenser has the following two object:
• 1) the primary object is to maintain a low
pressure (below atmospheric pressure) so as to
obtain maximum possible energy from steam and
thus to secure high efficiency.
• 2) the secondary object is to supply pure feed
water to the hot well, from where it is pumped
back to boiler.
Classification of steam condenser
• The steam condensers may be broadly classified in to the
following two types, depending upon the way in which the
steam is condensed.
• 1) jet condensers or mixing type condensers
a) Parallel flow jet condenser
b) Counter flow jet condenser
c) Barometric or high level jet condenser
d) Ejector condenser.
• 2) surface condensers or non mixing type condensers.
A) Down flow surface condenser
B) central flow surface condenser
C) Regenerative surface condenser
D)evaporative condenser
Surface condenser
• A surface condenser has a great advantages over
the jet condenser, as the condensate does not
mix up with cooling water.
• As a result of this whole condensate can be
reused in the boiler.
• This type of condenser is essential in ships which
can carry only a limited quantity of fresh water
for the boilers.
• Fig . Shows a longitudinal section of a two pass
surface condenser.
Surface condenser
Surface condenser
• It consist of a horizontal cast iron cylindrical
vessel packed with tubes, through which the
cooling water flows.
• The end of the condensers are cut off by vertical
perforated types of plates in to which water
tubes are fixed.
• This is done in such a manner that the leakage of
water into the centre condensing space is
prevented.
• The water tubes pass horizontally through the
main condensing space for the steam.
Surface condenser
• The steam enters at the top and is forced to
flow down words over the tubes due to the
suction of the extraction pump at the bottom.
• The cooling water flows in one direction
through the lower half of the tubes and
returns in opposite direction through the
upper half.
Source of air leakage
• The following are main sources through which
the air may enter in to the condenser:
• The dissolved air in the feed water enters in to
the boiler, which in turn enters in to the
condenser with exhaust steam.
• The air leaks in to the condenser, through various
joint, due to high vacuum pressure in the
condenser.
• In case of jet condensers , dissolved air with the
injection water enters in to the condenser.
Effect of air leakage
1) It reduces vacuum pressure in the condenser.
2) Since air is poor heat conductor, particularly
at low densities, it reduces the rate of heat
transmission.
3) It requires a larger air pump. Moreover, an
increased power is required power is
required to drive the pump.
Condenser efficiency
• The condenser efficiency may be defined as the
ratio of temperature rise of cooling water to the
vacuum temperature minus inlet cooling water
temperature.
• ᶯc = temperature rise of cooling water/(vacuum
temperature- inlet cooling water temperature)
• ᶯc = (to – ti ) / (tv-ti)
• Where, to= outlet temperature of cooling water.
• ti= inlet temperature of cooling water.
• tv= vacuum temperature
Vacuum efficiency
• The minimum absolute pressure (also called as ideal
pressure) at the steam inlet of a condenser is the
pressure corresponding to the temperature of the
condensed steam.
• The corresponding vacuum (called ideal vacuum) is the
maximum vacuum that can be obtained in a
condensing plant, with no air present at that
temperature.
• The pressure in the actual condenser is greater than
the ideal pressure by an amount equal to the pressure
of air present in the condenser.
• The ratio of the actual vacuum to the ideal vacuum is
known as vacuum efficiency.
Vacuum efficiency
• ᶯv= actual vacuum /ideal vacuum
• Actual vacuum= barometric pressure- actual
pressure
• Ideal vacuum = barometric pressure- ideal
pressure
Cooling tower
• The main application are in power plants and
refrigeration plants.
• Its function is to cool the hot water from the
condenser by exposing it to the atmospheric air,
so that the cold water may be used again for
circulation.
• The cooling towers are used in steam power
plants where there is a limited supply of cooling
water.
• It is placed at a certain height (at about 9 meters
from the ground level).
Cooling tower
• The hot water falls down in radial sprays from
a height and the atmospheric air enters from
the base of tower.
• The partial evaporation of water takes place
which reduces the temperature of circulating
water.
• This cooled water is collected in the pond at
the base of the tower and pumped in to the
condenser.
Types of cooling tower
1) Natural draught cooling tower
The circulation of air is produced by the pressure
difference of air inside and outside the cooling
tower.
2) Forced draught cooling tower
The circulation of air is produced by means of fans
placed at the base of tower.
3) Induced draught cooling tower
The circulation of air is provided by means of fan
placed at top of tower.
Natural draught cooling tower
Forced water cooling tower
Induced draught cooling tower

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Chapter No-5

STEAM CONDENSERS AND

Steam + air steam Air

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