Chapter 12 Steam purification

Section1 Overview

Section2 Mechanical carrying of saturated steam

Section3 Selective carrying of steam

Section4 Steam-water separation device

Section5 Steam washing device

Prof&Dr Zhongzhu Qiu 1

 Section1 Overview

1.The influence of concentration of salt in steam

on the boiler and turbine

2. Steam quality

3.Reason of steam polluted

4.Measures for steam purification

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1.The influence of concentration of salt in steam on
the boiler and turbine

• Salt deposition in the superheater, resisting heat transfer；

• Increasing the wall temperature；

• Salt deposition in the valves, valves fault；

• Salt deposition on the turbine blades，changing blade type，

reducing efficiency and output

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2. Steam quality

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3.Casuses of steam contamination

1）Steam carrying classification：

Mechanical carrying：steam is contaminated with water；

Selective carrying：steam is contaminated with dissolved salt；

2) Calculation of steam contamination：

S q  S qs   S qm , mg / kg
S qs : 机械携带盐量
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Moisture of steam ω

S 
s
q S gs , mg / kg
100
For medium、low pressure boiler, mechanical carrying is the only way
of steam with salt；
S qm am
m

S gs 100
S qm、S gs
m
_ 某种物质在蒸汽、锅水 中直接溶解量；
Mechanical carrying of steam, water respectively

am _ 某种盐类的分配系数；
Assignment coefficient of a certain salt

携带系数：K m    am
Carrying coefficient

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 4. Measures for steam purification

1) Control the quality of boiler water by blowdown；

2) Improve the quality of feed water by using reasonable

water treatment system；

3) Reduce mechanical carrying by use of effective

steam/water separation device；

4) Reduce selective carrying by steam washing。

Prof&Dr Zhongzhu Qiu 7

Section 2 Mechanical carrying of saturated steam

1. Carrying droplets from water into steam

2. Factors affecting carrying droplets in steam

3. Influence of factors on mechanical carrying of

saturated steam

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 1.Carrying Droplets into Steam
1）The formation of water droplets：

（1）The fluid is mechanically broken：

① As two-phase mixture has a lot of kinetic energy ，

when it hits the wall，the evaporation surface causes a lot of
water drops splash；

② When the water surface of drum is strongly

fluctuating, it may lead to some small water droplets ；

③ Large water droplets are broken on the surface of

evaporation, then secondary water droplets can be formed ；

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（2） Bubbles floating on the surface of evaporation, then water
droplets break down：
（Surface energy can be converted to water droplets kinetic energy ）

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2） The carrying process of water droplets

d s3
水滴的重力
Gravity of droplet G  ' g
6
d s3
蒸汽对水滴的浮力
Buoyancy of droplet by steam F
f  " g
6
 w" 2
of steam to water droplets F  C
Friction 蒸汽对水滴的摩擦力
y y d 2
s "
4 2
w"：水滴的上升速度，
The rising speed of droplets m / s

C y：蒸汽对水滴的摩擦系
Friction coefficient of steam数
to water drop

G  F f  Fy，临界情况
Critical case

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carriable water drops :Water droplets that can be carried to any height
by steam ；
carrying diameter dfs :Maximum droplet diameter by steam carrying；
3C y  " w"2
d fs  ，m
4 g (  '  " )

carrying velocity wfs：The minimum steam rising speed, in which

droplets can be carried to any height.
4 g (  '  " )
w fs  d s ，m / s
3C y  "
【Conclusition】
① Water drops of 0 ~ dfs in diameter can be carried to any height by steam flow ；
② When droplets larger than dfs ,it can be carried to a certain height; when the height
is less than the steam separation space height, droplets are easily drop off ,otherwise
the droplets are easily taken out。

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 2.Factors affecting carrying droplets in steam
1）Theoretical analysis
（1）speed of steam；↑， dfs↑，w↑
（2）separation space of steam / water ；↑，w↓
（3）pressure；p↑，σ↓，dq↓，ds↓；dfs↓，w ↑
2) Actual influence factors
（1）load D；
（2）water level；
（3）pressure；
（4）salt content of boiler water；
（5）type of steam/water separation system;

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3.Influence of each factor on mechanical carrying of
saturated steam
1) Influence of steam space height on steam water ；
2) Influence of boiler load：
（1） D ↑, Increase of jump-height of big droplet；
（2） D ↑ ,High actual water level；
（3） D ↑ ,More droplets 。
3) Influence of salt content of boiler water：
（1）Salt content is high, the viscosity is large, not easy to break, water level rises, W ↑ ；
（2）With high salt content, the surface tension is rising, the bubble is small, the rise is
slow, the water level rises further, W ↑;
（3）Formation of little droplets, W ↑.
4）Influence of presure；
（1）When pressure increases, the surface tension becomes small, the diameter of the
droplet is reduced. W ↑ ；
（2）When pressure increases, the density difference of the steam and water is decreased,
and the separation is difficult. W ↑ ；
（3）When pressure increases, the density of steam is big, the steam rising speed is slow.
combined effect: W↑
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 Section 3 Selective carrying of steam

1. Salt dissoluting in saturated vapor

2.Selective carrying of silicate

3. Salt dissolution principle of superheated vapor

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 1. Souble salt in saturated vapor
1)Principle of salt dissolution:

(1) Distribution law：

If a certain substance cannot dissolve in two immiscible
medium(such as air and water) ，then in the equilibrium state,
the ratio of solubility of substance in this two medium is a
constant, which we called Distribution law.

(2)The characteristics of salt dissolution in saturated vapor:

①Selective；
②Pressure is related to salt dissolution capacity.

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2) Classification of Salt：
（1） silicate (with largest distribution coefficient)；
（2）other salts with high solubility，such as NaOH、NaCl、
CaCl2（smaller distribution coefficient when compared to
silicate，but with increasing pressure， distribution coefficient
increase greatly）；
(3) salt with insolubility（small distribution coefficient）；

【Notice】
P < 6Mpa，Mainly considering mechanical carrying；
P > 6Mpa，Considering silicate carrying；
P > 12.75Mpa，Considering second-type salt carrying；
P > 20Mpa，Considering third-type salt carrying；

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 2. Method of reducing the content of silica in vapor

（1）removing silica from the feed water, and preventing the leakage of condenser;

（2）control the PH of boiler water. PH= 9-10. less silica dissolved in feed water

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3. Salt dissolution principle in superheated vapor

1) The salt which has a good solubility in saturated

vapor has a better solubility in superheater;

2)The higher the pressure, the larger the solubility;

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 Section4 Sperating device for steam/water

1.Classification

2. Separators

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1 clasification
① baffle type；
② perforated distribution plate；
③ cyclone separator；
④ Turbo cyclone separator；

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Prof&Dr Zhongzhu Qiu 22
 Seciton5 Steam washing device

Rain type;

Water film type;

Foaming layer;
thickness 2 ~ 3mm, diameter of hole φ5 - 6

Prof&Dr Zhongzhu Qiu 23