Steam Generator

Boiler is an apparatus to produce steam. Thermal energy released by combustion of fuel is

transferred to water, which vaporizes and gets converted into steam at the desired temperature
and pressure.
The steam produced is used for:
(i) Producing mechanical work by expanding it in steam engine or steam turbine.
(ii) Heating the residential and industrial buildings
(iii) Performing certain processes in the sugar mills, chemical and textile industries.
Boiler is a closed vessel in which water is converted into steam by the application of heat.
Usually boilers are coal or oil fired. A boiler should fulfill the following requirements
(i) Safety. The boiler should be safe under operating conditions.

(ii) Accessibility. The various parts of the boiler should be accessible for repair and
maintenance.

(iii) Capacity. The boiler should be capable of supplying steam according to the requirements.
(iv) Efficiency. To permit efficient operation, the boiler should be able to absorb a maximum
amount of heat produced due to burning of fuel in the furnace.
(v) It should be simple in construction and its maintenance cost should be low.
(vi) Its initial cost should be low.
(vii) The boiler should have no joints exposed to flames.
(viii) The boiler should be capable of quick starting and loading.
The performance of a boiler may be measured in terms of its evaporative capacity also called
power of a boiler. It is defined as the amount of water evaporated or steam produced in kg per
hour. It may also be expressed in kg per kg of fuel burnt or kg/hr/m2 of heating surface.

Benson boiler
 • Feed water is supplied to storage tank and separating drum through economiser.

• Sensible heat is supplied to feedwater through economiser.

• Water is evaporated in the steam separating drum.

• Steam separted in the boiler is passed through superheater and then to prime mover.

Loeffler boiler

• Deposition of salt and sediment on inner surface is prevented.

• Pressure feed pump draws the water through the economiser and delivers into the
evaporator.

• 65% of steam coming out from superheater is passed through evaporator.

• Steam coming out from H.P turbine is passed through L.P turbine by Reheating the steam.
 SCHMIDT-HARTMANN BOILER

• In primary circuit steam at 100 bar is produced from distilled water.

• Generated steam is passed through submerged heating coil.

• High pressure condensate formed in the submerged heating coil is circulated through low
pressure feed heater to rise feed temperature.

Velox boiler
 • Air is compressed by compressor which runs by gas turbine.

• Compressed air is supplied to combustion chamber.

• Burned gas in combustion chamber is passed through the annulus of tubes to generate steam.

• Gas coming out from annulus is passed over superheater.

• Power developed by gas turbine is used to run the compressor.

Design of condenser:

In designing the condenser, the designer has to find out quantity of circulating water required per kg
of steam condensed and the surface area of the condenser. The design totally depends upon the type
of the water available, the temperature of water available and arrangement of the condenser. A best
design of a condenser is that which requires minimum quantity of cooling water at available
temperature to condense one kg of steam.

The pressure in the condenser should be such that the saturation temperature of steam at condenser
pressure should be greater than water inlet temperature by 100c to 150c. If the quantity of heat to be
transferred(Q) is know and U and temperature differences are known then the surface area required
to transfer the heat can be calculated.
The attainable heat transfer rate dictates the size and therefore the cost of the condenser. The overall
heat transfer coefficient can be increased by increasing the overall heat transfer coefficient.

Benson boiler

Benson boiler is operated at critical pressure in order to eliminate the bubble formation, which
reduces the transfer of heat from tube surface to the flowing medium. The water as passed through
the economizer into the radiant evaporator the major portion of water is converted into steam. The
remaining water is evaporated in the final evaporator absorbing the heat from hot gases by
convection. The saturated high pressure steam at 225 bar is further passed through the super heater
to increase the quality of steam. During starting the water is passed through the economizer,
evaporator, superheater and back to the feed line via starting valve A. During starting the valve B is
closed. As the steam generation starts and it becomes superheated, the valve A is closed and the
valve B is opened. During starting, first circulating pumps are started and then the burners are started
to avoid the overheating of evaporator and superheater tubes.
EVAPORATIVE CONDENSOR

These condensers are more preferable where acute shortage of cooling water exits. Water is sprayed
through the nozzles over the pipe carrying exhaust steam and forms a thin film over it. The air is drawn
over the surface of the coil with the help of induced fan. The air passing over the coil carries the water
from the surface of condenser coil in the form of vapour.

The latent heat required for the evaporation of water is taken from the water film formed on the
condenser coil and drops the temperature of the water film and this helps for heat transfer from the
steam to the water.

The mode of heat transfer reduces the cooling water requirement of the condenser to 10% of the
requirement of the surface condenser. The water particles carried with air due to high velocity of air are
removed with the help of eliminator.

The quantity of water sprayed over the condenser coil should be sufficient to keep the condenser coil
thoroughly wetted. The water flow rate higher than this will only increase the power requirement of
water pump without increasing capacity.
This type of condenser works better in dry weather compared with wet weather as the water vapour
carrying capacity of dry air is higher than wet air at the same temperature.

DRY TYPE CONDENSOR

The condensation of steam coming out of the turbine is effected with the use of atmospheric air
instead of water as in case of once through cooling system. The turbine exhaust is passed through the
air cooled coil. The air is passed over the finned coil surfaces with the help of fan and condenses the
steam. The condensed steam is collected in the condensing headers and then it is passed to the boiler
with the help of feed pump. Steam from the turbine exhaust is distributed to finned carbon steel
tubes which are grouped in rectangular bundles and installed in frame modules above the air
circulation fans. The use of direct type cooling system is limited to unit turbine size of 200MW
capacity

Design of condenser:

In designing the condenser, the designer has to find out quantity of circulating water required per kg
of steam condensed and the surface area of the condenser. The design totally depends upon the type
of the water available, the temperature of water available and arrangement of the condenser. A best
design of a condenser is that which requires minimum quantity of cooling water at available
temperature to condense one kg of steam.

The pressure in the condenser should be such that the saturation temperature of steam at condenser
pressure should be greater than water inlet temperature by 100c to 150c. If the quantity of heat to be
transferred(Q) is know and U and temperature differences are known then the surface area required
to transfer the heat can be calculated.

The attainable heat transfer rate dictates the size and therefore the cost of the condenser. The overall
heat transfer coefficient can be increased by increasing the overall heat transfer coefficient.

COUNTER FLOW MECHANICAL COOLING TOWER

Both cross flow and counter flow designs have relative strengths and weakness. Both design are
comparatively adopted. The counter flow is inherently more effective as all the air eventually
approaches saturation at the hottest water temperature, whereas in cross flow much of the air is under
utilized because it approaches saturation in the lower portion of the tower temperatures, well below
the inlet water temperature.

Cross flow were more economical than counter fow when splash type fill was used, One main reason for
this was the wide counter flow cooling tower require high air inlet opening at the bottom which are less
effective in the cooling process than the parts of the tower above the air inlet openings.
WET COOLING TOWER

Wet cooling towers have hot water distribution system that showers water evenly over a lattice of
horizontal slats or bars called fill or packing. The fill thoroughly mixes the falling water with air moving
through the fill as the water splashes down from one fill level to another by gravity. Outside air enters
the tower through the louvres on the side of the tower. Intimate mixing of water and air enhances
heat and mass transfer which cools the water. More the wate evaporates, more will be the cooling
since the latent heat of evaporation is taken from the water itself. Cold water is collected in a
concrete basin at the bottom of the tower, from where it is pumped back to the condenser. Air
entering the tower is unsaturated and as it comes in contact with water spray, water continues to
evaporate till the air becomes saturated.