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Open Return Systems: The system can be wet or dry.

It is vented to the atmosphere and the


condensate line is essentially at atmospheric pressure. The driving force for returning
condensate is gravitational acceleration and the return line is sloped.
Closed Return Systems: The pressure in the condensate return line is above or below
atmospheric pressure and is not vented to the atmosphere. The driving force for returning the
condensate is pressure loss along the return line.
Condensate Return Systems
Condensate return types can be wet or dry and the system type can be open or closed. Wet
types refer to liquid only and dry types are for vapor only. Given the flow rate and sizing criteria,
the pipe sizes can be determined using the methods described below.
Sizing Methods
Wet Closed Return: The Darcy-Weisbach and Colebrook-White equations are used to size the
pipe. The sizing criterion is pressure drop per 100 ft. or maximum velocity. Equation 31 is the
Darcy-Weisbach equation modified for steam condensate return.
Piping Design Program - Engineering Basis SOM-IBM Architecture & Engineering Series (AES) 1989
Varkie C. Thomas, Ph.D., P.E. Skidmore, 55 Owings & Merrill, LLP

where P = pressure drop (lb/in2)


f = friction factor (dimensionless)
L = length of pipe section (ft)
D = inside diameter of pipe (ft)
= density of saturated liquid or saturated vapor
V = average velocity (ft/sec)
gc = units conversion factor = 32.2
Typical design pressure losses per unit length ( P/L) are in the range of 1/16 psi to 1 psi per 100
ft. The velocity for liquid condensate systems should not exceed 150 ft/min. For vapor systems,
the velocity should not exceed 7000 ft/min. The friction factor f is calculated from the
Colebrook-White equation as described in Pipe Sizing in this engineering basis.
Wet Open Return: The pipe is assumed to be filled with liquid. Sizing is based on an equivalency
between horizontal pipe flows and sloped pipe flow as shown in Fig. 1-47. The system is vented
and flow is gravitational.
Pipe Slope
in. / 10 ft 0.5 1.0 1.5 2 3 4 5
Pressure Drop
psi / 100 ft 0.18 0.361 0.540 0.722 1.084 1.44 1.805
Fig. 1-47: Equivalency Between Sloped and Horizontal Flows
(reproduced with permission from ASHRAE Handbook: 1985 Fundamentals, Table 18, p. 34.16)
Fig. 1-47 illustrates that for increasing pipe slopes, the pressure drop/100 ft criterion also
increases and you end up with a successively smaller pipe.
Dry Open Return: This method is the same as wet open return. The fluid is assumed to be vapor.
The pipe slope is assumed to be 1 in. per 10 ft and the pressure drop/ 100 ft criterion is set at
0.361 psi. The system is vented and the flow is gravitational.
Fig. 1-48, Fig. 1-49 and Fig. 1-50 are reproduced with permission from ASHRAE Handbook:
1985
Fundamentals, Table 19, p. 34.16. For sizes and pressure losses marked a, the velocity is above

7000 ft/min.
Dry Closed Return: The condensate is assumed to be vapor. Typically, the volume fraction of
vapor in the condensate is between 0.96 and 0.99. The pipe is sized from Fig. 1-48, Fig. 1-49, and
Fig. 1-50, knowing the pressure drop criteria (psi/100 ft), initial supply pressure (PSIG), design
return pressure (PSIG), and amount of condensate flow in the pipe section.
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