INTRODUCTION

Steam condensers are devices in which the exhaust steam from

the steam turbine is condensed by means of cooling water.
Condensation can be done by removing heat from exhaust steam
using circulating cooling water. During condensation, the
working substance (steam) changes its phase from vapor to liquid
and rejects latent heat. The primary object of a condenser is to
maintain a low pressure on the exhaust side of the rotor of steam
turbine. This enables the steam to expand to a greater extent
which results in an increase in available energy for conversation
into mechanical work.
The secondary object of condenser is to supply to the boiler pure
and hot feed water, as the condensed steam which is discharged
from the condenser and collect in a hot well can be used over
again as feed water for the boiler.
The use of a condenser in a power plant is to improve the
efficiency of the power plant by decreasing the exhaust pressure
of the steam below atmospheric pressure. Another advantage of
the condenser is that the steam condensed may be recovered to
provide a source of pure feed water to the boiler and reduce the
water softening capacity to a considerable extent. Jet condenser
is a mixing type condenser where exhaust steam is condensed mix
up with cooling water. In a jet condenser, high power is required
for condensation. Design of jet condenser is simple. But after
condensation, cooling water cannot be used to boiler as it is not
free from salt and other impurities. So good quality water is used
in jet condenser for condensation.
In this report, we will discuss an overview of the topic of
capacitors in general in terms of their host, the principle of
their work, the component parts and the types of capacitors,
after which a topic will be explained
Function of condenser
The main function of condenser is to convert gaseous form of
exhaust steam into liquid form at a pressure of below atmosphere.
Cooling medium is used water to convert steam into water. Others
important functions of condensers:
• Function of the condenser is to create a vacuum by condensing
steam
• Remove dissolved non - condensable gases from the condensate.
Elements of a steam condensing plant
The main elements of a steam condensing plants are:
• A condenser in which the exhaust steam is condensed
• Supply of cooling water for condensing exhaust steam
• A pump to circulate the cooling water in case of a surface
condenser
• A pump called the wet air pump to remove the condensed steam
(condensate) the air, and uncondensed water vapour and gases
from the condenser (separate pump may be used to remove air
and condensed steam)
• A hot well where the condensed steam can be discharged and
from which the boiler feed water is taken
• An arrangement (cooling pond or cooling tower) for cooling the
circulation water when a surface condenser is used and the supply
of water is limited.
Types of condensers
The steam condensers are classified as follows:
1. Jet condensers (mixing type condensers)
a. Parallel flow jet condenser
b. Counter flow jet condenser (low level)
c. Barometric or high-level jet condenser
d. Ejector condenser
2. Surface condensers (non mixing type condensers)
a. Down flow surface condenser
b. Central flow surface condenser
c. Regenerative surface condenser
d. Evaporative condenser
Advantages of a condenser in a steam power plant
The main advantages of incorporating a steam condenser in a
steam power plant are as follows:
• It increases the efficiency of the power plant due to increased
enthalpy drop.
• It reduces back pressure of the steam which results in more work
output.
• It reduces temperature of the exhaust steam which also results
in more work output.
• The condensed steam can be reused as feed water for boiler
which reduces the cost of power generation.
• The temperature of the condensate is higher than that of the
fresh water which reduces the heat supplied per Kg of steam
produced
 JET CONDENSERS
Low level Counter-Flow Type Jet Condensers.
In this type, the direction of flow of steam and cooling water are
opposite. In this condenser, the cold water is drawn up in the
condenser from the cooling pond, due to the vacuum head created
in the condenser shell. This condenser consists of a cylindrical
shell arranged with 2–3 water trays with perforations to break up
water into small jets. The exhaust steam and any mixed air enters
the condenser at lower portion as shown in Fig. 1 and tries to
ascend up through the falling sprays. Thus, when the steam comes
in contact with the cold-water particles gets condensed and the air
gets cooled. This cooled air will be removed through the air pump
at the top. The mixture of condensate and cooling water descends
down through the vertical pipe to the centrifugal extraction pump
and is pumped to the hot well. If the condensate in the hot well is
pure then it can be pumped to the boiler as a feed water otherwise
it has to be wasted. The capacity of air pump required is small,
since it has to handle cold air and water vapour. These condensers
can be directly installed below the turbines. Such condensers have
a disadvantage of flooding the steam turbine, if the condensate
extraction pump fails.

Fig 2 Low level Counter-Flow Type Jet Condensers.

High Level Jet Condenser
This is also called as barometric Jet condenser since it placed
above the atmospheric pressure equivalent to 10.33 m of water
pressure. In this case, a long tail pipe of length more than 10.33
m is provided to the bottom of the condenser as shown in Fig 2.
This facilitates the condensate and coolant to be discharged
from the condenser under gravity, hence condensate extraction
pump need not be provided. Another advantage of such
arrangement is that the water from the hot well will not be able
to rise into the condenser and flood the turbine due to the
vacuum head in the condenser. The other details and working
are similar to low level counterflow jet condenser.

Fig 2 barometric Jet condenser

In this arrangement, the water out let pipe from the condenser
bottom comes straight vertically to the hot well which is placed
at the ground level. Cooling water is fed to the condenser chamber
by means of pump. The cooling water enters from the side near
to the top of the condenser chamber.
The exhaust steam enters from the side near to the bottom of the
condenser. This is basically a counter flow jet condenser. Here,
the steams travel upwards inside the condenser whereas the water
jets fall from top. The condensates and cooling water come to the
hot-well through vertical tail pipe due to gravitational force.
There is no need of extraction pump. The air, uncondensed steam
is removed from the chamber by using a dry air pump at the top
of the condenser. Here, the capacity and size of dry air pump is
quite small as it has only to deal with air, and uncondensed steam,
and it has not to handle with cooling water and condensed steam.
TYPES OF BAROMETRIC JET CONDENSER
Multi-Jet Barometric Condensers
They are generally employed where low cost water is available in
ample quantity. It is the simplest design of all barometric
condensers, and requires no auxiliary air pump or pre-cooler. It is
probably the ideal type where load conditions are constant and
there is little air leakage. The Multi-Jet Barometric Condenser is
also used where the vacuum handled is not high and a moderately
large terminal difference is permissible.

Fig 3 Multi-Jet Barometric Condensers

Multi-Jet Spray Type Barometric Condensers
They are generally employed where large capacities are required
and where wide fluctuations in water temperature or steam load
occur. The flexibility of operation achieved by this condenser is
apparent from its design. For full vapor load the rated water
capacity is passed through both the spray and jet nozzles. If the
load or water temperature decreases, it is possible to throttle the
water to the spray nozzles and ultimately turn them off
completely. In the latter case, the condenser is operating similar
to the Multi-Jet type, but with a minimum of injection water under
the given conditions.

Fig 4 Multi-Jet Spray Type Barometric Condensers

Multi-Spray Barometric Condenser
was developed primarily to solve condensing problems where
water supply is limited, it is also well suited in operations where
water temperatures are high in relation to vacuum requirements,
or where a large volume of non-condensable must be removed.
Vapor enters the condenser at the top and is thoroughly mixed
with injection water which is delivered through several spray
nozzles.
The downward action of these
converging sprays creates a suction in
addition to their condensing action.
Vapors condensed in the spray chamber
are delivered with condensing water to
the hot-well through a barometric leg. As
stated, a barometric leg is achieved by
way of a tail pipe to drain the water and
condensate from the condenser to a hot
well at grade. The condenser is normally
elevated to a sufficient height to permit
this liquid to gravity flow down without
Fig 5 Multi-Spray Barometric Condenser
any mechanical assistance.
The minimum required height of the barometric leg is, therefore, a
function of the maximum barometric pressure at the plant site and
the operating (vacuum) pressure inside the condenser. As an
example, let's assume the maximum barometric pressure at a plant is
30" HgA and that the condenser is operating at 4" HgA, then the
minimum required height of the barometric leg is a liquid column
equating to 26" Hg. As 1" of Hg equals 1.133 feet of water, a
minimum barometric leg of 29.5 feet is required. Note that this is the
'minimum' barometric leg height. It's normally recommended that a
34-foot barometric leg be provided which allows the system to pull
a pure vacuum and still allows the water and condensate to drain
freely. The tail pipe of the barometric leg should be vertical with no
horizontal bends. There should be a minimum of gasketed joints or
welds in the tail pipe to minimize leakage potential. It must be
"sealed", that is, the outlet of the tail pipe must be at least 6" below
the minimum level of the water in the hot well. Barometric legs, if
improperly designed and installed, can result in reduced vacuum
capability.
In the Multi-Spray Barometric Condenser, the non-condensable are
drawn through an air suction chamber to a pre-cooler, where water
delivered by a spray nozzle lowers the temperature of the air-vapor
mixture and condenses practically all of the vapor. The remaining
mixture delivered to the air pump is at a temperature close to that of
the spray water which reduces to a minimum the number of
condensable vapors removed by the air pump.
Barometric Counter-Current Condensers
they are used where water supply is limited or an excessive
amount of non-condensable requires the use of a separate vacuum
pump, and local conditions necessitate a side vapor inlet. Fig. 597
Barometric Counter-Current Condensers are the only condenser
available in small sizes to meet the requirements of the above
conditions. In the Fig.6 units, injection water enters the condenser
through a water nozzle at the top of the unit. A distribution tray
in the shell provides a "water curtain" through which the vapor
must pass. The spray nozzles are located to provide maximum
effective distribution independent of the leveling of the
condenser. Most of the vapor entering the condenser is condensed
in the lower part of the shell, and the non-condensable are then
required to travel upward through the water curtains. A baffle
arrangement is provided at the air suction connection to reduce to
a minimum the carry-over of water that may have been entrained
as the air passes through the condenser.

Fig 6 Barometric Counter-Current Condensers