Steam Systems I: Advantages and Basics of Steam

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Welcome to Steam Systems Part I: Advantages and Basics of Steam.

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This module was produced with the support of Spirax Sarco.

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At the completion of this course you will be able to

List the advantages of steam

Describe the formation of steam

Understand the relationship between pressure, temperature, and energy

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Steam has come a long way from its traditional associations with locomotives and the

Industrial Revolution. Today, it serves as an integral and essential part of modern

technology. Without it, our food, textile, chemical, medical, power, heating and transport

industries could not exist or perform as they do.

Steam provides a means of transporting controllable amounts of energy from a central,

automated boiler house, where it can be efficiently and economically generated, to the

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point of use. Therefore, as steam moves around a plant, it can be considered to be both

the transport and provision of energy.

For many reasons, steam is one of the most widely used commodities for conveying

heat energy. Its use is popular throughout industry for a broad range of tasks from

mechanical power production to space heating and process applications.

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Steam is efficient and economic to generate. Water is plentiful and inexpensive. It is

non-hazardous to health and environmentally sound. In its gaseous form, it is a safe and

efficient energy carrier. Additionally, steam can hold five or six times as much potential

energy as an equivalent mass of water.

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Modern shell boilers are compact and efficient in their design, using multiple passes and

efficient burner technology to transfer a very high proportion of the energy contained in

the fuel to the water, with minimum emissions.

The boiler fuel may be chosen from a variety of options, including combustible waste.

This makes the steam boiler an environmentally sound option amongst the choices

available for providing heat. Centralised boiler plants can take advantage of low

interruptible gas tariffs because any suitable standby fuel can be stored for use when the

gas supply is interrupted.

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Highly effective heat recovery systems can virtually eliminate the costs associated with

blowdown, return valuable condensate to the boiler house, and add to the overall

efficiency of the steam and condensate loop.

The increasing popularity of Combined Heat and Power systems, known as CHP,

demonstrates the high regard for steam systems in today's environment and energy-

conscious industries.

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Steam can easily and cost effectively be distributed to the point of use. It is one of the

most widely used methods of conveying heat over distances. Because steam flows in

response to the pressure drop along the line, expensive circulating pumps are not

needed.

Overall, the lower capital and running costs of steam systems mean that many users

choose to install new steam over other energy media, such as gas fired, hot water,

electric and thermal oil systems.

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Another advantage is that steam is easy to control. There is a direct relationship

between the pressure and temperature of saturated steam. Therefore, the amount of

energy input to the process is easy to control by controlling the saturated steam

pressure. Modern steam controls are designed to respond very rapidly to process

changes.

Energy is easily transferred to the process because steam provides excellent heat

transfer. When the steam reaches the plant, the condensation process efficiently

transfers the heat to the product being heated.

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Slide 11

Steam can surround or be injected into the product being heated. It can fill any space at

a uniform temperature and will supply heat by condensing at a constant temperature.

This eliminates temperature gradients which may be found along any heat transfer

surface. This is a problem which is frequently a feature of high temperature oils or hot

water heating, and may result in quality problems, such as distortion of the materials

being dried.

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Because the heat transfer properties of steam are so high, the required heat transfer

area is relatively small. This enables the use of a more compact plant, which is easier to

install and takes up less space in the premises.

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A modern packaged unit for steam heated hot water, rated to 1200 kW (4.1 million

BTU/hour) and incorporating a steam plate heat exchanger and all the controls, requires

only 1 m (10 sq. ft)of floor space. In comparison, a packaged unit incorporating a shell

and tube heat exchanger would typically cover an area of two to three times that size.

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The modern steam plant is easy to manage. Industrial energy users are increasingly

looking to maximise energy efficiency and minimise production costs and overheads. In

today's competitive markets, the organisation with the lowest costs can often achieve an

important advantage over rivals. Production costs can mean the difference between

survival and failure in the marketplace.

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Ways of increasing energy efficiency include monitoring and charging energy

consumption to relevant departments. This builds an awareness of costs and focuses

management on meeting targets. Variable overhead costs can also be minimised by

ensuring planned, systematic maintenance; this will maximise process efficiency,

improve quality, and cut downtime.

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Most steam controls are able to interface with modern networked instrumentation and

control systems to allow centralised control, such as in the case of a Supervisory Control

and Data Acquisition, known as SCADA, system or a Building/Energy Management

System. If the user wishes, the components of the steam system can also operate

independently (standalone).

Steam is flexible, sterile and intrinsically safe. Not only is it an excellent carrier of heat, it

is also sterile, and thus popular for process use in the food, pharmaceutical and health

industries. Additionally, it is widely used in hospitals for sterilisation purposes.

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The industries in which steam is used range from huge oil and petrochemical plants to

small local laundries. Further uses include the production of paper, textiles, brewing,

food production, curing rubber, and heating and humidification of buildings.

Many users find it convenient to use steam as the same working fluid for both space

heating and for process applications. For example, in the brewing industry, steam is

used in a variety of ways during different stages of the process, from direct injection to

coil heating.

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Steam is also intrinsically safe. It cannot cause sparks and presents no fire risk. Many

petrochemical plants utilise steam fire-extinguishing systems. It is therefore ideal for use

in hazardous areas or explosive atmospheres.

The alternatives to steam include water and thermal fluids such as high temperature oil.

Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and will be best suited to certain

applications or temperature bands.

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Compared to steam, water has a lower potential to carry heat, consequently large

amounts of water must be pumped around the system to satisfy process or space

heating requirements. However, water is popular for general space heating applications

and for low temperature processes (up to 120C)/248F) where some temperature

variations can be tolerated.

Thermal fluids, such as mineral oils, may be used where high temperatures (up to

400C/752F) are required, but where steam cannot be used. An example would include

the heating of certain chemicals in batch processes. However, thermal fluids are

expensive, and need replacing every few years. They are not suited to large systems.

They are also very 'searching and high quality connections and joints are essential to

avoid leakage.

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Generally speaking, for commercial heating and ventilation, and industrial systems,

steam remains the most practical and economic choice.

As a brief review, the advantages of steam are that it is

Efficient and economic to generate

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 Easy to distribute and control

Highly effective in the transfer of energy to process and

Sterile and intrinsically safe

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Like many other substances, water can exist in the form of either a solid, liquid, or gas.

We will focus largely on liquid and gas phases and the changes that occur during the

transition between these two phases. Steam is the vaporized state of water, which

contains heat energy intended for transfer into a variety of processes from air heating to

vaporizing liquids in the refining process.

Lets move on to define some of the basic terminology that will be used in this course.

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In SI units, the basic unit of measurement for heat energy is a joule. This refers to the

work done when the application point of a one Newton force moves one metre in the

direction of the application. It is roughly equivalent to the energy required to lift a small

apple one metre straight up.

In US customary units, heat energy is measured using the British Thermal Unit or BTU.

Specifically, it is the amount of heat energy necessary to raise the temperature of one

pound of water up by one degree Fahrenheit.

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Temperature is the degree of hot or cold measured on a definite scale. For all practical

purposes a measurement from a known starting point to a known ending point.

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Saturation is the point where a substance can hold no more energy without changing

phase or physical state.

Enthalpy is the term given for the total energy, measured in joules or BTUs, due to both

pressure and temperature of a fluid or vapor, at any given time or condition.

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Absolute Pressure is the pressure measured from the datum of a perfect vacuum. This is

measured in bars or kilopascals (kPa) in SI units and pounds per square inch (PSIA) in

US customary units. An a is added to indicate that it is absolute pressure. In other

words, a perfect vacuum has a pressure of 0 bar a and 0 PSIA.

Gauge Pressure is the pressure measured from the datum of the atmospheric pressure.

Although in reality the atmospheric pressure will depend upon the climate and the height

above sea level, a generally accepted value of 1.01325 bar a (1 atmosphere) is often

used. This is the average pressure exerted by the air of the earth's atmosphere at sea

level.

So effectively, gauge pressure is shown on a standard gauge and indicating the

pressure above atmospheric pressure. It is measured in bars or kilopascals in SI units

and pounds per square inch in US units.

A g is added to indicate that it is gauge pressure.

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Gauge pressure = Absolute pressure - Atmospheric pressure

Differential pressure is simply the difference between two pressures. When specifying a

differential pressure, it is not necessary to use the suffixes 'g' or 'a' to denote either

gauge pressure or absolute pressure respectively, as the pressure datum point becomes

irrelevant.

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Sensible Heat (hf) is the heat energy that raises the water temperature from a freezing

point. The maximum amount of sensible heat the water can absorb is determined by the

pressure of the liquid.

Latent Heat (hfg) is the enthalpy of evaporation. The heat input produces a change of

water from liquid to gas.

Total Heat is the sum of sensible heat combined with latent heat (ht=hf+hfg).

If you would like to download a copy of these definitions please click the paperclip icon

and select the document titled Steam Systems Part 1 Definitions.

Now that we have an understanding of the definitions we need for this course, lets take

a look at how steam is created.

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Steam is created from boiling water. As heat energy (BTUs or joules) is added to water,

the temperature rises accordingly. When water reaches its saturation point, it begins to

change from a liquid to a gas. Lets investigate how this happens by placing a

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thermometer in one kilogram or one pound of water at a temperature of 0C or 32F, the

coldest temperature water can exist at atmospheric pressure before changing from liquid

to a solid.

Lets put this water into a pan on top of our stove and turn on the burner. Heat energy

from the burner will be transferred through the pan into the water, causing the waters

temperature to rise.

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We can actually monitor the heat energy transfer by watching the thermometer level rise.

4.19 kJ of energy are required to heat one kilogram (just over two lbs) of water by one

degree Celsius. As we discussed previously, one BTU of heat energy will raise one

pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Each degree of temperature rise registered

on the thermometer, can be read as the addition of or 4.19kJ per degree Celsius or 1

BTU per degree Fahrenheit.

Eventually, the water temperature will rise to its boiling point at atmospheric pressure,

100C or 212F at sea level. This is also known as the saturation temperature, because

the water is saturated with heat energy. Any additional heat energy that we add at this

point will cause the water to begin changing state (phase) from a liquid to a gas (steam).

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At atmospheric pressure (0 bar g / PSIA) and at sea level we have added 419 kJ to one

kilogram of water or 180 BTUs to our pound of water, changing the water temperature

from 0C or 32F to 100C or 212F (212-32=180). This enthalpy is known as Sensible

Heat, measured in joules per kilogram or BTU per pound. If we continue to add heat

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energy to the water via the burner, we will notice that the thermometer will not change,

but the water will begin to evaporate into steam.

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The heat energy that causes the waters change of phase from liquid to gas is known as

Latent Heat. This latent heat content is the sole reason steam is generated. Latent heat,

also measured in joules per kilogram or BTU per pound, has a very high heat content

that transfers to colder products or processes very rapidly without losing any

temperature. As steam gives up its latent heat, it condenses and the water becomes the

same temperature as the steam. The water only cools when it loses sensible heat. The

sum of the two heat contents, sensible and latent, are known as the Total Heat.

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A very interesting thing happens when we go through this exercise. We see the change

in volume that the gas (steam) occupies versus the volume that the water occupied.

One kilogram (just over two pounds for comparison) of water at atmospheric pressure

occupies only 0.001 m3, but when we convert this water into steam at the same

pressure, the steam occupies 1.7 m3 for the same kg.

One pound of water at atmospheric pressure occupies only 0.016 cubic feet but when

we convert this water into steam at the same pressure, the steam occupies 26.8 cubic

feet for the same one pound.

The steam that we have just created on our stove at home will provide humidification to

the surrounding air space along with some temperature rise. Steam is also meant to be

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a flexible energy carrier to other types of processes. In order to make steam flow from its

generation point to another point at which it will be utilized, there must be a difference in

pressure.

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Therefore, our pan type steam generator will not create any significant force to move the

steam. A boiler, for all practical purposes, is a pan with a lid. There are many types of

boilers that are subjects of other courses. We will simply refer to them as boilers in this

course. Lets discuss how a boiler makes steam.

If we contain the steam within a boiler, pressure will begin to rise with the change of

volume from liquid to gas. At atmospheric pressure the saturation temperature is 100C

or 212F. However, if the pressure is increased, this will allow the addition of more heat

and an increase in temperature without a change of phase. In other words, as this

pressure rises, the boiling point of the water inside also rises. If the pressure of saturated

steam is known, the temperature is also known. Therefore, increasing the pressure

effectively increases both the enthalpy of water, and the saturation temperature, allowing

us to use steam at temperatures well over 100C or 212F. The relationship between the

saturation temperature and the pressure is known as the steam saturation curve.

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Here we can see the curve measured in SI units: bars g of pressure and degrees

Celsius

Heres the same curve in US customary units, with pressure measured in pounds per

square inch, and temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

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Water and steam can coexist at any pressure on this curve, both being at the saturation

temperature. Steam, at a condition above the saturation curve, is known as superheated

steam. The temperature above the saturation temperature is called the degree of

superheat of the steam. The water at a condition below the curve is called sub-saturated

water.

Saturated steam tables provide data relating pressure to temperature, heat energy and

volume of the steam. These tables are available for download from the paperclip icon.

To download a copy of these tables, please click the paperclip icon and select the

document titled Saturated Steam Tables.

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Another thing that happens when steam is created in a boiler is that the gas (steam) is

compressed into a smaller volume (m3 per kg or ft3 per pound). This is because the non-

compressible liquid (water) is now a compressible gas. The higher the pressure, the

higher the temperature. The lower the latent heat content of the steam, the smaller the

volume the steam occupies. This allows the plant to generate steam at high pressures

and distribute that steam in smaller piping to the point of usage in the plant. This higher

pressure in the boiler provides for more driving force to make the steam flow.

The need for optimum efficiency increases with every rise in fuel costs. Steam and

condensate systems must be carefully designed and maintained to ensure that

unnecessary energy waste is kept at a minimum. For this reason, this series of classes

will deal with the practical aspects of energy conservation in steam systems, as we go

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through the system. In the next class, we'll look briefly at boilers and their efficiency

before moving on to steam distribution.

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Lets take a moment to review what we have covered throughout this course.

Steam is the vaporized state of water which contains heat energy intended for transfer

into a variety of processes from air heating to vaporizing liquids in the refining process.

Generally speaking, for commercial heating and ventilation, and industrial systems,

steam remains the most practical and economic choice.

the advantages of steam are that it is

Efficient and economic to generate

Easy to distribute and control

Highly effective in the transfer of energy to process and

Sterile and intrinsically safe

Heat is measured in joules using SI units or BTUs using US units

Steam is created by boiling water- as heat energy is added to the water, the

temperature rises accordingly

4.19 kJ of energy are required to heat one kilogram of water by one

degree Celsius

One BTU of heat energy will raise one pound of water by one degree

Fahrenheit

A boiler acts like a pan with a lid by containing the steam within the boiler,

causing the pressure to rise as the liquid changes to a gas

Gas is also compressed into a smaller volume when steam is created

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Slide 34

Thank you for participating in this course.

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