6 2 Use of Steam Tables

20. Steam in the food industry is usually produced in ‘‘water in tube’’ boilers.
21. Water boils at 08C when the absolute pressure is 611.3 Pa
22. Water boils at 1008C when the absolute pressure is 101325 Pa.
23. Steam quality expresses the fraction or percentage of vapor phase to liquid
phase of a vapor-liquid mixture.
24. A Steam quality of 70% means that 70% of the vapor-liquid
mixture is in the liquid phase (liquid droplets) and 30% in the vapor
phase.
25. The quality of superheated steam is always 100%.

Examples

Example 2.1

From the steam tables:

Find the enthalpy of liquid water at 50 8C, 100 8C, and 120 8C.
Find the enthalpy of saturated steam at 50 8C, 100 8C, and 120 8C.
Find the latent heat of vaporization at 50 8C, 100 8C, and 120 8C.

Solution
Step 1
From the column of the steam tables that gives the enthalpy of liquid water
read:
Hat508C ¼ 209:33kJ=kg
Hat1008C ¼ 419:04kJ=kg
Hat1208C ¼ 503:71kJ=kg
Step 2
From the column of the steam tables that gives the enthalpy of saturated steam
read:
Hat508C ¼ 2592:1kJ=kg
Hat1008C ¼ 2676:1kJ=kg
Hat1208C ¼ 2706:3kJ=kg

Step 3
Calculate the latent heat of vaporization as the difference between the enthalpy
of saturated steam and the enthapy of liquid water.

Latent heat at 508C ¼ 2592:1  209:33 ¼ 2382:77kJ=kg

Latent heat at 1008C ¼ 2676:1  419:09 ¼ 2257:06kJ=kg
Latent heat at 1208C ¼ 2706:3  503:71 ¼ 2202:59kJ=kg
Exercises 7

Example 2.2

Find the enthalpy of superheated steam with pressure 150 kPa and temperature
150 8C.
Solution
Step 1
Find the enthalpy from the steam tables for superheated steam:

H steam ¼ 2772:6kJ=kg

Step 2
Alternatively find an approximate value from:

H steam ¼ H saturated þ cp vapor ðT  T saturation Þ ¼ 2693:4 þ 1:909  ð150  111:3Þ

¼ 2767:3 kJ=kg

Example 2.3

If the enthalpy of saturated steam at 50 8C and 55 8C is 2592.1 kJ/kg and 2600.9

kJ/kg respectively, find the enthalpy at 53 8C.

Solution
Find the enthalpy at 53 8C by interpolation between the values for 50 8C and
558C given in steam tables, assuming that the enthalpy in this range changes
linearly:
53  50
H ¼ 2592:1 þ ð2600:9  2592:1Þ ¼ 2597:4 kJ=kg
55  50

Exercises

Exercise 2.1

Find the boiling temperature of a juice that is boiling at an absolute pressure of

31.19 Pa. Assume that the boiling point elevation is negligible.
Solution
From the steam tables, find the saturation temperature at water vapor pressure
equal to 31.19 kPa as T = ...................8C. Therefore the boiling temperature
will be .......................
8 2 Use of Steam Tables

Exercise 2.2

A food product is heated by saturated steam at 100 8C. If the condensate exits at
90 8C, how much heat is given off per kg steam?
Solution
Step 1
Find the the enthalpy of steam and condensate from steam tables:

H steam ¼::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::kJ=kg;

H condensate ¼::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::kJ=kg:

Step 2
Calculate the heat given off:

H ¼ :::::::::::::::::::::::::  ::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¼ 2299:2 kJ=kg

Exercise 2.3

Find the enthalpy of steam at 169.06 kPa pressure if its quality is 90%.
Solution
Step 1
Find the enthalpy of saturated steam at 169.06 kPa from the steam tables:

H steam ¼ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Step 2
Find the enthalpy of liquid water at the corresponding temperature from the
steam tables:

H liquid ¼ ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Step 3
Calculate the enthalpy of the given steam:
H ¼ xs Hs þ ð1  xs ÞHL ¼
¼ ::::::::::::::::::  :::::::::::::::::::: þ ::::::::::::::::::  ::::::::::::::::: ¼ 2477:3 kJ=kg

Exercise 2.4

Find the vapor pressure of water at 72 8C if the vapor pressure at 70 8C and

75 8C is 31.19 kPa and 38.58 kPa respectively.
(Hint: Use linear interpolation.)
Exercises 9

Exercise 2.5

The pressure in an autoclave is 232 kPa, while the temperature in the vapor
phase is 1208C. What do you conclude from these values?
Solution
The saturation temperature at the pressure of the autoclave should be
........................... Since the actual temperature in the autoclave is lower than
the saturation temperature at 232 kPa, the partial pressure of water vapor in the
autoclave is less than 232 kPa. Therefore air is present in the autoclave.

Exercise 2.6

Lettuce is being cooled by evaporative cooling in a vacuum cooler. If the

absolute pressure in the vacuum cooler is 934.9 Pa, determine the final tem-
perature of the lettuce.
(Hint: Find the saturation temperature from steam tables.)