TB-6 Sparging Efficiency

& Performance

Sparging Efficiency vs. Direct Steam Injection

Sparging for Tank & Vessel Heating

Process that require hot water for tanks, vessels, and
continuous fluid heating applications often times
make use of a sparger for heating the water.
Common applications are
whitewater heating
in the Pulp & Uncondensed Steam Bubbles Rise to
Paper industry, Top of Tank and Escape to Atmosphere
wash down water
tanks, and a number of other
on demand
hot water
Steam Control Valve Delivers Partial Pressure
Steam, Reducing Steam Velocity at Sparger Thus
Reducing Efficiency of Steam Condensation

applications. Spargers are Hot Zone

inexpensive and can often be fabricated Around
locally which offers benefits from an Sparger
initial capital investment. Typical
tank heating utilize single or
multiple spargers located at the Steam
bottom of the tank. The sparger
delivers steam through a perforated
pipe in the bottom of the tank (Figure
1). Although this method will heat the water, there are a number of
issues regarding energy loss efficiencies and performance related to this Figure 1 - Tank Sparger (External
method of heating. Steam Control)

Sparging for Continuous Processing Pipes & Vessels

In process applications
Uncondensed Steam
where continuous Bubbles Rise to Top of
processing is required Tank and Escape to
for production needs, Atmosphere

spargers, or sparge
aerators are placed in Steam Control Valve Delivers
Partial Pressure Steam, Reducing
multiple spots in the Steam Velocity at Sparger Thus
piping or vessel (Figure Reducing Efficiency of Steam
Condensation
2) to heat the water. A
common application is
in the Steel industry
where Acid Pickling
mixes water and
chemicals to treat cold
rolled steel to prevent Hot Zone
Steam
rust and corrosion.

In continuous water heating, a sparger can be Figure 2 Steam Aerator with external steam control
placed in a pipe to heat the water. A number of
challenges that can affect efficiency and performance will result from variations in the process conditions.

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Sparging External Steam Valve Control

In sparging, steam control is attempted via an externally modulated steam control valve. The steam
pressure is adjusted to control the flow rate of steam with a control valve. Problems arise when the steam
pressure has been dropped to a point where the steam flow is no longer choked. With an external steam
valve, there is always a pressure drop before the steam reaches the injector. As the sparger has a fixed
number of openings, a change in steam pressure will result in a change in steam velocity. When heating
a cold tank of water the rate at which the steam condenses into the water is quite rapid. However, as the
water is heated in the tank the tendency or rate at which the steam condenses into the water decreases.
As this rate decreases there is a tendency for the individual small steam bubbles being introduced
through the sparging tube to recombine into larger steam bubbles. Many of these large steam bubbles
will float to the top of the tank and be lost to atmosphere.

Issues with sparging:

Rough Operation Steam hammer and vibration often result from poor mixing and condensing of the
steam. As temperature demand drops, steam pressure drops, lowering the steam velocity and potentially
causing instability. Uncondensed steam bubbles will typically collapse when they come in contact with a
cold pipe wall in the liquid piping. When these bubbles collapse, the water rushes in to fill the void and
impacts the pipe wall. In some cases this will result in some pinging noise and in severe cases, steam
hammer & vibration.

Poor Temperature Control Uncondensed steam bubbles that condense downstream in the piping or
escape to atmosphere in tanks, are never registered by the temperature controller. The uncontrolled
nature of the condensing steam results in variation of the temperature and over heating of the fluid.

Energy Loss Uncondensed steam bubbles represent a direct loss of energy. This decrease in
efficiency increases the amount of steam energy required to heat the fluid. In some cases by as much as
30-40% of the steam energy can be lost to atmosphere. This problem is particularly acute as the tank
temperature approaches the boiling point.

Hot Zones - The nature of the sparger creates areas of hot zones around the sparger. These hot zones
can over heat areas of the tank and burn temperature sensitive materials.

The other issue that arises with uncondensed steam bubbles in the process is that of safety. As these
large bubbles condense a relatively large volumetric change occurs. The volumetric change translates
into rapid uncontrolled movement of the liquid in tank. This movement (known as hammering) can be
very violent and cause considerable damage to the tank and sparging components inside the tank. This
problem not only raises safety concerns if the tank fails but also increases the likelihood of increased
maintenance costs.

Optimizing the Fluid Heating Process

Optimizing your process with Steam Injection can be done safely, and result is a more cost effective and
better performing system. ProSonix method of Direct Steam Injection utilizes integral Internal Modulation
to control the mass flow of the steam. Unlike spargers which use a steam valve to control steam pressure,
our integral Internal Modulation controls the mass flow of the steam maintaining full pressure steam
across the entire operating range of the heater.

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Optimizing the Fluid Heating Process Cont.

Internally Modulated Steam Control ProSonix unique method of steam injection utilizes an internal
steam control to precisely deliver the appropriate mass flow of steam for the required heating. This is achieved via
and integral Pneumatic Actuator, and a variable position stem plug in the steam jet diffuser. We do not throttle or
regulate steam pressure. This design offers a precise method of steam control through a choked flow control
delivery of the steam. Choked flow is the phenomenon of accelerating a vapor to maximum velocity by creating a
pressure differential through an engineered nozzle. By establishing choked flow, the steam mass flow can be
metered to precisely control the heating of the liquid. This produces predictable results based on position of the stem
plug. Through a variable-area steam diffuser, steam flow is metered at the point where steam and liquid first
contact and mix. Internally Modulated DSI heating controls the mass flow of the steam and not the pressure.

Advantages to Internally Modulated Steam Heating

No Process Upsets - High velocity steam flow optimizes the steam mixing and condensation with the liquid
and eliminates problems with vibration/steam hammer.

No Steam Control Valve (PRV) Required - This method eliminates the need for an external steam control
valve or downstream mechanical mixing devices.

Reliable Temperature Control Rapid and complete condensation of the steam allows for temperature
reliable control of +/- 1 F.

Self Cleaning Design High velocity steam also is self cleaning and eliminates debris along scale & mineral
build-up on the steam diffuser.

Lower Maintenance Costs Proper condensation of the steam eliminates excessive wear on the surface of
the PSX Heaters mechanical surfaces.

Low Pressure Drop Typically 1-2 psig reducing pump energy demand.

Inline Heating with Direct Steam Injection

Putting a PSX Heater on the incoming water or slurry
line will allow for much more efficient and reliable
heating prior to delivery to the tank. If longer retention
time is required to hold the tank at a certain
temperature, the fluid can either be re-circulated back
through the PSX Heater at trim temperature condition,
or a J-Series Jet Sparger can be installed on the tank
for trim heating.

By using internally modulated steam control, the

heating process will be stabilized by assuring
complete condensation and mixing of the steam. This
results in fewer process upsets, more reliable heating,
and fewer energy losses.

Flow rates can range from 1 5,000 gpm. The

PSX heater has a high heating capacity and can
achieve
. a temperature rise from 1 to 250F in a
single pass through the heater. ProSonix Inline Direct Steam Injection Heater
The PSX heater can be controlled either locally or
remotely via the plant DCS or PLC control system. Remote control inputs typically used are 3-15 psig, 4-
20 mA, or other Fieldbus devices.

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ProSonix Jet Diffuser Installation and Piping Recommendations

Tank Heating J-Series Jet Sparger
High velocity steam delivery assures Control Input:
Manual Operation or
complete mixing of steam, reducing remote automatic control
via a local Temperature

occurrences of vibration, and saves Controller

energy losses from uncondensed steam

escaping. Integral stem plug eliminates Plant
Air
need for steam pressure control valve. Pressure
Gauge Tank or Vessel

The PSX heater has a high heating Shut-off

Valve
Steam
Strainer
Temperature
Transmitter

capacity which accelerates tank heat-up Steam

Check
Valve

time over the time it takes conventional

S
steam sparging. Injection of high velocity High Velocity Steam

steam minimizes improves condensation

and mixing thus structural damage to the Plant
Air
Double Acting
tank from the sparger can be eliminated. Air Cylinder

For higher temperature heating, tank PSX J-Series Jet Diffuser Tank Mount Direct Steam Injection Heater
agitation is recommended.
Comparison of Efficiency Sparging vs. Direct Steam Injection (Internal Modulation)
Direct Steam Injection heating combined with Internal Modulation will transfer all the available steam
energy to the liquid in a very stable and efficient manner has been verified. Improvements that can be
realized will depend on a numbers of factors such as duration of heating, viscosity of fluid, and process
heating parameters. In the table below, a comparison of a sparging system in a tank for water heating is
compared with a PSX DSI Heater that is heating a re-circulating flow through the tank. A 1000 gal tank of
water heated from 70 F to 205 F using 90 psig steam at 335 F. The increase in tank temperature over
time and the amount of steam used were monitored. Given these parameters the results were as shown
in the Table 1.

Table 1 Conventional Sparging

Tank Time to Reach Ave. Rate of Observations
Temperature Temperature Temperature Rise
70 - 140 F 7 min 10 F / min. Almost all steam condensed
Steam flow constant, bubbles appeared at tank
surface at 85 F indicating some incomplete
condensing
140 - 170 F 8 min. 3.75 F / min. Vapor still present
Steam flow constant
170 - 185 F 7 min. 2.5 F / min. More vapor present
Steam flow constant
185 - 205 F 11 min. 1.8 F / min. Significant vapor present at surface
Steam flow constant
Total time to heat to 205 F was 33 minutes. A total
of 1,432 lb of steam was sent to the spargers

As noted in the table it took 33 minutes and 1,432 lbs. of steam to heat the 1000 gallons of water in the
tank from 70 F to 205 F. If this entire volume of water was to be heated in one pass (1000 gallons / 33
min. = 31 gpm) through the PSX heater the process will only use 1110 lbs of steam. This will result in a
reduction of 322 lbs of steam or a 29% reduction in steam usage.

Reduction in steam usage and cost is important, but in many cases reducing process time can have a
greater impact on production costs. Reducing the time it takes to heat a tank from a cold start-up by 33%
or more can have a dramatic effect on daily production capacity.

For additional information, please visit www.pro-sonix.com

PSX2010 TB-6 20101210