Steam Condensers

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.
 Elements of steam condensing plant
1. Condenser: It is a closed vessel used to condense the steam. The low
pressure steam gives off its heat to the coolant (here water from cooling tower)
and gets converted into water during the process of condensation.
2. Condensate Extraction Pump: It is a pump which is installed in between
the condenser and hot well. It transfers the condensate from the condenser to
the hot well.
3. Hot Well: It is a sump that lies in between the condenser and boiler. It
receives the condensate from the condenser by condensate pump. The feed
water is transferred from the hot well to the boiler.
4. Boiler Feed Pump: It is a pump installed in between the hot well and
boiler. It pumps the feed water from the hot well to the boiler. And this is
done by increasing the pressure of condensate above boiler pressure.
5. Air Extraction Pump: It is a pump used to extracts or removes the air
from the steam condenser.
6. Cooling Tower: It is a tower which contains the cold water and this
water is made to circulate within the condenser for cooling of steam.
7. Cooling Water Pump: It is a pump lies in between the cooling tower
and condenser. It circulates the cooling water through the condenser.
Working principle of steam condenser
A flow of cooling water is continuously circulating from the
condenser inside a steam
condenser to the cooling tower and the cooling tower to the
condenser. When low-pressure
exhaust steam leaves the turbine and passes through the
condenser, it loses the heat and
condenses into water. The circulating cooling water performs
the extraction of the heat from
the steam
Two types of devices are installed on the condenser: the condensate
extraction pump and the air extraction pump. Therefore, when the steam
condenses into water, it re-circulates
again to the steam generator with the help of a condensate extraction
pump. Using the air
extraction pump, a vacuum (the pressure below the atmospheric
pressure) is created inside
the condenser so that cooling water can circulate easily and also the
condensate flow can be
stabilized.
Due to the low pressure inside the condenser, the air enters the system
so that the
condenser is filled with a mixture of water, air, and steam
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.
 Classification of Condensers
1.Jet Condensers: The exhaust steam and water come in direct
contact with each other and temperature of the condensate is
the same as that of cooling water leaving the condenser. The
cooling water is usually sprayed into the exhaust steam to cause,
rapid condensation.
.
2.Surface Condensers: The exhaust steam and water do not
come into direct contact.
The steam passes over the outer surface of tubes through which
a supply of cooling water is maintained.
Types of 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
 A. Parallel flow jet condenser
In parallel flow jet condenser both the steam and the water enters from
the top and flows in the same direction as shown in Figure below. The
exhaust steam is condensed when it mixes up with water.
The condensate and the cooling water are delivered to the hot well from
where surplus water flows to the cooling pond through an overflow pipe.
Sometimes a single pump know as wet air pump is used to remove both
air and the condensate but generally separate air pump is used to remove
air as it gives a great vacuum.
 B. Counter flow or low level jet condenser
In counter flow or low level jet condenser, the exhaust steam enters from
bottom and mixes with the down coming cooling water as shown in
Figure above.
The air pump mounted at the top of the condenser shell creates vacuum
as it suck air. This draws the supply of cooling water which falls from a
large number of jets through perforated conical plate.
The water then falls in the trays and flows through second series of jets
and mixes with the exhaust steam entering at the bottom. This cause
rapid condensation after which the condensate
and the cooling water are delivered to the hot well by the condensate
extraction pump.
 C. Barometric or high level jet condenser
This type of condenser is provided at a high level as shown in
Figure 3 having a long tail pipe.
The exhaust steam enters from the bottom and flows upwards.
This steam then mixes with cooling water which falls from the top
through various baffles.
The vacuum is created by the air pump placed at the top of the
condenser shell. The condensate and the cooling water flows
downwards through a vertical tail pipe to the hot well without the
aid of any pump. The surplus water
from the hot well flows to the cooling pond through an overflow
pipe.
Types of Surface condenser (nonmixing type
condenser)
A. Down flow surface condenser
B. Central flow surface condenser
C. Regenerative surface condenser
D. Evaporative condenser
 2. Surface Condenser
A. Down-Flow Type: The cooling water enters the shell at the lower
half section and after traveling through the upper half section comes
out through the outlet.
The exhaust steam entering shell from the top flows down over the
tubes and gets condensed and is finally removed by an extraction
pump. Due to the fact that steam flows in a direction right angle to
the direction of flow of water, it is also called cross-surface
condenser.
B. Central Flow Type: In this type of condenser, the suction pipe of
the air extraction pump is located in the center of the tubes which
results in radial flow of the steam.
The better contact between the outer surface of the tubes and steam is
ensured; due to large passages the pressure drop of steam is reduced.
C. Evaporative Type: The principle of this condenser is that
when a limited quantity of water is available, its quantity needed
to condense the steam can be reduced by causing the circulating
water to evaporate under a small partial pressure.
The exhaust steam enters at the top through gilled pipes.
The water pump sprays water on the pipes and descending water
condenses the steam.
The water which is not evaporated falls into the open tank
(cooling pond) under the condenser from which it can be drawn
by circulating water pump and used over again.
The evaporative condenser is placed in open air and finds its
application in small size plants.
D. Inverted Flow Type: This type of condenser has the air suction at the top;
the steam after entering at the bottom rises up and then again flows down to
the bottom of the condenser, by following a path near the outer surface of the
condenser. The condensate extraction pump is at the bottom.
E. Regenerative Type: This type is applied to condensers adopting a
regenerative method of heating of the condensate. After leaving the tube nest,
the condensate is passed through the entering exhaust steam from the steam
engine or turbine thus raising the temperature of the condensate, for use as
feed water for the boiler.
In direct contact condensers, despite surface condensers, the cooling water
and exhaust steam are mixed.
For higher capacity plants, the use of surface condensers is more suitable
than direct contact condensers.
Condensing operation using a direct contact condenser is cheaper and easier.
Condensate cannot be reused in direct contact condensers, but in surface
condensers, it can be reused.
The volume of water circulating in the direct contact condenser is less than
that of the surface condenser.
Unlike surface condensers, the maintenance costs of direct contact
condensers are low.
More power is required for air and water pumping in direct contact
condensers.
 Vacuum efficiency
The vacuum efficiency is a measure of the degree of perfection in
achieving the desired vacuum in the condenser.
The vacuum efficiency may be defined as the ratio of actual vacuum as
recorded by the vacuum gauge to the ideal vacuum i.e. the vacuum
obtained when there is no leakage of air.
 Condenser Efficiency
It is defined as the ratio of the difference between the outlet
and inlet temperatures of cooling water to the difference
between the temperature corresponding to the vacuum in the
condenser and inlet temperature of cooling water, i.e.,
 Circulating Water System
The circulating water system (CWS) supplies cooling water from the normal heat sink to
the turbine condensers and auxiliary cooling water system (ACWS).
After removing heat from the condensers and ACWS, the circulating water is returned to
the normal heat sink.
Design Bases
The CWS performs no safety-related function and therefore has no nuclear safety related
design basis.
The CWS is designed to meet the following functional criteria:
● Supply cooling water from the normal heat sink to the turbine condensers and ACWS.
● Discharge heated water from the turbine condensers and ACWS to the normal heat sink.
● Cool the discharged heated water in the normal heat sink to an acceptable
temperature.
Component Of Circulating Water System
Cooling Towers
Circulating Water Pumps
Cooling Tower Makeup System
Chemical Treatment System
Cooling Tower Blowdown System

Cooling water can flow through the condenser in two

methods.
1.Once-through system
2.Closed loop system
1.Once-through system
Water is taken from a natural body of water like a lake, river, or
ocean and pumped through the condenser, where it is heated,
and then discharged back to the source.
•It is used when there is a large source of water available.
•The once-through system, although more efficient, causes
thermal pollution. In addition, availability of huge quantity of
water is shrinking.
 2. Closed loop system
Warm water from the condenser is passed through a cooling device like a
cooling tower or a spray pond and the cooled water is then pumped back
for condenser circulation.
A natural body of water is necessary nearby to supply the makeup water
to replace the loss due to evaporation, blowdown, and so on. Closed loop
systems are now almost universally preferred.
Feed Water / Condensate Heaters
• Feed water / Condensate heaters are used in Thermal Power Plants for
preheating the Feed water going to the boiler.
• The feed water heaters increase the sensible heat content of feed water so
that the sensible heat required to be given in the boiler is reduced.
Purpose
As the steam required for heating is tapped from the selected stages of the
turbine, there is reduction in exhaust loss in the turbine cycle.
As the feed water temperature of the feed water entering the boiler increases,
the boiler fuel input decreases.
Feed water / Condensate Heaters