Condenser in Steam Power Plant

Just search turbine on Google!

Cooling the condensate puts a partial vacuum on the exhaust port of the low-pressure turbine, making it work harder for the same energy input. It is thermodynamically more efficient than not doing so. The colder the condensate, the better.

How do you condense the condensate?

Cool it below its dewpoint.

What exactly is the dewpoint of water (steam condensate)? The dewpoint of a gas I understand but of water, that I do not understand.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Steam Power! Steam is a marvelous subject, usable for energy devices large and small. As you learn steam power, you will find that some devices get as much energy from the condenser as from the boiler!

Also, processed water for steam use should be reused, not thrown away. In the steam process there are 'non condensible gasses' which can be eliminated in a closed system incorporating a condenser.

The water from the condenser may also be warmer than make-up water, so it will take less energy to get it up to boiling again.

It's a closed system. The water is very near pure distilled water, if not it would eat up the turbine blades.

Since most places don't have a source of pure distilled water to feed the boilers, recycling the spent steam back into water to feed the boilers is the only thing that makes sense.

It works great...................a continuous loop.

Dear Madh, Water cost money.......... heated and treated water cost a lot of money ....is that what your are asking? Additionally note.... boiler blowdowns take two forms; surface blow and bottom blow.

klearzen, what are the advantages of the different types of blowdown? Are they provided for two different purposes? My reason for asking is that we have two generators, one with a bottom blowdown and one with a surface blowdown (It seems that the bottom blowdown operates better)

Surface blowdowns are good for removal of things that float (oil).

Dear Guest, Blowdown regimens are best determined by boiler water analysis and treatment method. The ABMA recommendations are located on the site(link)below. Are you following your water treatment recommendations from you chemical supplier? Are you satisfied with their service? " proof is in the pudding ".they say ...... What do the internals look like during your yearly inspection?
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/feedwater-chemistry-limits-d_1064.html

unless your able to get all the mineral out of water before heating it then you would be introducing fresh water with lots of minerals in it to the system and decrease the run time before repairs are needed. Buildup of scale would block the pipes faster.

A steam condenser is meant to receive the exhaust steam from the turbine or engine ,condense it and maintain a pressure at the exhaust lower than the atmosphere. During condensation latent heat is given up and stem is converted as water and pumped back through pump to the boiler for reuse.

At the last stage of the turbine, the steam must be kept in a superheated status to prevent condensation from happening within the turbine in those last stages: the water droplets will damage the blades. therefore, without a condenser, we will need to stop using the steam at a higher temperature, which makes us loose some of the energy (Rankine cycle...). Therefore, the condenser is a heat exchange vessel that is cooled and thereofre, foces the steam to condense at the end of the turnine. This will create a lower pressure than the normal pressure normally available there. this puts the cycle point where the steam will be at a superheated status and clear from any droplets of water until it comes into the condenser.

Therefore, the condenser's job is mainly to prevent water droplets forming in the turbine and damaging the blades, and in this action, also allows the energy extraction to be higher (look at the Rankine cycle or Moliers Steam/water chart to see the increse in pressure/heat drop achieved).

The condensed water is recycled back to the Boiler: Heating this water by using some of the exhaust heat from the burners will increase the efficiency (Thermal) of the boiler and the whole system.

Is there enough heat in turbine exhaust steam to drive stirling engines? (I'm guessing there would be.)