Steam-Water Heat

Exchanger Analysis
Condenser
Theory
• Introduction
• Steam has been used to generate electricity and to conduct heat for a
long time, so it is reasonable to assume that it will continue to be used
in these fields in the near future.
• In all applications, it is necessary to condense the steam as it transfers
the heat to a refrigerant environment.
• This environment could be cold water in the condensers of a power
plant, hot water in a super heater, a sugar solution in a sugar refinery,
etc.
• During condensation, some high heat flows may occur and, provided
the heat is transferred quickly from the condensing surface to a
refrigerant environment, the steam used in the heat exchangers can be
compact and efficient.
 Cont…
• From a physical point of view, the heat from a surface can be
condensed in two ways called film or dropwise condensation. These
two mechanisms are different and independents, although the
dropwise condensation enables high heat transfer coefficients (six to
eight times that of film wise one), it is typical of very few fluids.
Condensation
• Condensation is the process of changing the state of matter, in which a
component that is in a gaseous state becomes a liquid. It is the opposite
process to the vaporization, in which a component that is in liquid state
changes to a gaseous state.
• Condensation occurs naturally, although it can also be produced artificially
in laboratories by means of devices called condensers.
• It is important to note that in this process the component only changes its
state. However, it does not become another component, but remains and
simply change its physical state of matter.
• Certain temperature and pressure conditions are necessary for the
condensation process and the change of matter from a gas to a liquid
component to occur.
• When conditions occur at pressures close to ambient ones, it is called
condensation in transit. When this process is forced by using a high
overpressure, it is called liquefaction.
 Cont…
• Condensation occurs naturally when a gas cools down to its dew point,
changing from a gaseous to a liquid state. This can also be achieved by
varying the pressure on this element.
• Condensation can be achieved artificially by using an instrument
called a condenser, which is often used in laboratories or for industrial
processes.
Condensation applications
One of the main field is to obtain water in particularly arid or dry
areas, in order to maintain the humidity in the soil of these areas.
Mechanisms such as dew ponds (excavations in the ground that allow
the accumulation of dew water), and fog strainers, among other
systems for obtaining water, are used for this purpose.
Condensation of ethanol gas.
Another application of this process is in the field of distillation in
chemistry and in laboratories for industrial applications.
Types of condensation
• Condensation of pure steam occurs when its temperature drops below the
saturation temperature.
• In industrial units, the condensation process is mainly due to contact
between the steam and a cold surface; these mechanisms are known as film
and dropwise condensation (Figure a, b).
• When condensation takes place, the latent energy of the water vapor is
released and transferred to the surface forming a thin film of condensed
liquid.
• Other common ways in which this phenomenon occurs are the homogeneous
condensation (Figure c), where the water vapor condenses in the form of
droplets suspended in a gaseous medium to form what is called a fog, and
the direct contact condensation (Figure d), which occurs when the vapor is
supplied directly to a liquid in order to perform the phase change.
Cont…
Practical possibilities
Visual demonstration of film and dropwise condensation as well as
nucleate boiling.
Measurement of heat flow and surface heat transfer coefficient in both
film and dropwise condensation.
Demonstration of the effect of air on condensers.
Investigation of the saturation pressure/temperature ratio for H 2O
between about 20ºC and 100ºC.
Demonstration of Dalton’s Law. (states that in a mixture of non-
reacting gases, the total pressure exerted is equal to the sum of
the partial pressure of the individual gases)
Film condensation
• Film condensation occurs when the condensed liquid wets the wall of
the plate, then the droplets merge to form a film that slides under
gravity in a laminar pattern, whose thickness increases as the
condensate flows.
• A layer of condensate covers the cold surface and this layer provides
resistance to heat transfer.
• When the flow is laminar, the heat transfer rate can be determined
from theoretical considerations provided a number of assumptions are
made.
Assumptions:
The circulation in the condensed film is entirely laminated.
The heat is transferred through the layer solely by means of conduction.
The temperature in the layer decreases steadily from the saturation
temperature of the steam on the outside to the cooling surface
temperature on the inside.
The condensate should flow only under gravity.
• Using these assumptions Nusselt derived the following equation for
vertical surfaces with film condensation:
Cont…
Dropwise condensation
• Non-wettable and as the steam condenses, a large number of generally
spherical bubbles are formed on its surface.
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 Quiz 5%
1. In our todays lecture context, write types of condensation
2. Define:
a) condensation in transit.
b) liquefaction.
3. Write extraction process constituents