Chapter No-7

STEAM CONDENSERS AND COOLING TOWERS

 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.
3. Enables removal of air and non-condensable gases
from steam.
Elements of Condensing Plant:
Elements of
Condensing Plant:
- Condenser
- Air Extraction Pump
- Condensate Extraction
Pump
- Cooling Water
Circulating Pump
- Hot Well
- Cooling Tower
- Make up Water Pump
- Boiler Feed Pump
 Classification of steam condenser
According to the type of flow:
– Parallel flow , Counter flow & Cross flow
According to the Cooling Action:
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) Evaporative condenser
 Jet Condenser
• In jet condensers exhaust steam and
cooling water come in direct contact
and mix up together. Thus, the final
temperature of condensate and
cooling water leaving the condenser
is same.
• Such condensers are normally used
for small power units.
• It can be used when cooling water is
cheaply and easily available.
• The non-Condensable gases are
usually removed with a steam jet air
ejector (SJAE)
 Thermal Analysis of Jet Condenser

 
 Low Level Parallel Flow Jet Condenser
• Exhaust steam and
cooling water both flow
in the same direction.
• Wet air pump is used to
extract the mixture of
condensate, air &
coolant.
• This limits the vacuum
created in the condenser
up to 600 mm of Hg.
- The cooling water is supplied
from the top of the condenser
and steam from side of the
condenser. The water flows in
downward direction through a
series of perforated trays. Steam
gets condensed while it comes
in contact with the falling water.
The air pump always maintains
the required vacuum in the
condenser and induces the
cooling water to be lifted into
the condenser up to a height of
5.5m. The excess amounts of
condensate from hot well flows
into the cooling pond by an
overflow pipe
High Level Jet Condenser or
Barometric jet condenser
Condenser shell is installed at
height greater than that of
atmospheric pressure in water
column i.e. 10.33 m. A tall pipe
more than 10.33m length is
attached to the bottom of the
condenser. This allows the
condensate and coolant to be
discharged from condenser under
the gravity action; hence a
condensate extraction pump is not
required. The water from the hot
well will not be able to rise into
the condenser and flood the
turbine due to vacuum pr.
Maintained in condenser.
 Ejector Condenser
• In this cooling water enters from
the top of the condenser at least
under a head of 6m of water
pressure with the help of a
centrifugal pump and then it passes
over a series of convergent nozzles
and finally it leaves through a
convergent divergent nozzle.
• The non return valve helps in
preventing the rush of water from
hot well to the engine in case the
cooling water supply fails.
• Momentum of flowing water is used
to remove the mixture of
condensate & coolant from
condenser without the use of any
extraction pump.
 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.
• It is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The saturated
steam condenses on the outside surface of the tubes,
and the cooling water circulates inside the tubes, as
shown in figures below
 Surface Condenser

Number of Passes and divisions: Condensers are

designed with 1, 2, or 4 cooling water passes. The
number of passes (N) determines the size and
effectiveness of the condenser.
- Single-Pass Condenser (N=1):
- Two-Pass Condenser (N=2):
 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.
 Types of Surface Condenser
Down Flow Surface Condenser:
 Exhaust steam enters the top
and flows downward over the
water tube
 Cold water flows in lower
tubes first and then in upper
side in reverse direction
 Extraction pump is connected
at the bottom to draw
condensate out of condenser.
 Air extraction pump is located
at the bottom to separate air
and non-condensable gases.
Central Flow Condensers:
Air extraction pump is
located in the center of
condenser tubes.
Steam flows radially
inwards.
Condensate extraction
pump is located at bottom to
collect the condensate.
More heat transfer rate
compared to down flow
condensers.

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Evaporative Condensers:
 Thermal Analysis of Surface condenser:
 

 
 

 
Figure: Temperature profiles in a
Surface Condenser.
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 Condenser thermal performance:
 

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Examples
Example (1): In a spray condenser, find the ratio of
circulating water to steam flow if the condenser
pressure is (0.04 bar), and the cooling tower cools
the water to (15 Co). Assume turbine exhaust at
(85%) quality.
Solution:

 
Example (2): A Two-pass steam Condenser is
designed for a full heat load of (293 MW) at a
pressure of (0.05 bar). The inlet and outlet
temperature of circulating water is (15 Co) and (25
Co) respectively. A (2.5 cm) Diameter, (304 Stainless
Steel) Condenser tube has been selected. The water
velocity inside the tubes is assumed to be (2.6 m/s).
Assume the following:
 

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Example (3): Steam is to be condensed by direct injection of cold water. The steam
enters the condenser at the rate of (450 kg/hr) with dryness fraction of (0.9) and
pressure (1 bar). The estimated heat losses from the condenser to the surroundings is
(8500 kj/hr). If cold water enters at (15 Co) and the mixture of condensate and cooling
water is to leave at (95 Co). Determine the required flow of cooling water.
 

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Example (4): Calculate the condenser pressure for the following condition:
 

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 CIRCULATING WATER SYSYTEM
 The circulating water system supplies cooling water to the
turbine condenser and thus acts as a medium through
which heat is rejected from the steam cycle to the
environment.
 Cooling water can flow through the condenser in two
methods
Once through system
Closed loop system
Once through system:- Closed loop system:-
when there is a large source of water available. warm water from the condenser is
Water is taken from a natural body of water like a passes through a cooling device like
lake, river or ocean and pumped through the
condenser, where it is heated and then discharged a cooling tower or a spray pond.
back to the source. The cooled water is then pumped
 More efficient back for condenser circulation.
 Causes thermal pollution A natural body of water is still
 Availability of huge quantity of water is
shrinking necessary nearby to supply the
It is the most efficient means of heat rejection but make up water to replace the loss
scarcity of circulating water source and due to evaporation, blow down and
environmental regulations limit its use. so on….
 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
 Cooling Tower

 Cooling towers can be classified as :-

 WET COOLING TOWERS
 DRY COOLING TOWERS
 WET COOLING TOWERS

WET COOLING TOWERS

warm water is sprayed into the tower near the top and allowed to
fall through a current of air passing up the tower.
The warm water is cooled, mainly by evaporation, while the
temperature of the air is raised and it gets saturated with water vapor.
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Assuming an adiabatic process:

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Approach (A):-
 the difference b/n the exit temperature of cooling water and the
wet bulb temperature of ambient air.

 Warm water from the condenser enters the cooling tower at

temperature Tc1 and is cooled to temperature Tc2, higher than the
minimum value, the wet bulb temperature twb.

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Cooling range or range (R) :-
 the difference in temperature of the incoming warm water (Tc1) and the
exiting cooled water (Tc2)

 Range varies from 60C to 100C.

 It is the range by which warm water from the condenser is cooled.
The cooling efficiency
 the ratio of the actual cooling of water to the maximum cooling possible.

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 DRY COOLING TOWERS
 A dry-cooling tower is one in which the circulating water flows through
finned tubes over which the cooling air is passed.
 All heat rejection from the circulating water is in the form of sensible heat to
the cooling air.
 A dry-cooling tower can have either mechanical-draft or natural draft.
Advantages:
 They permit plant sitting without regard for large supplies of cooling
water.
 They are less expensive to maintain than wet cooling towers.
 They do not require large amounts of chemical additives and periodic
cleaning as do wet-cooling towers.
 There are two basic dry-cooling tower types:
 Direct dry-cooling tower;
 Indirect dry-cooling tower.

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 Direct Dry-Cooling Tower
 The condenser tubes are placed inside
the tower itself.
 To lower the pressure drop, large
diameter tubes are used.
Indirect dry cooling towers
 They are of two general designs:
 Indirect dry-cooling tower
with conventional surface
condenser.
 Indirect dry-cooling tower
with an open-type condenser.
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END OF CHAPTER 7