Question on Steam to Electric
Question on Steam to Electric
(OP)
I have 80psi of excess steam that I would like to put to work. is there any small turbine products/solutions to turn this into electrical energy?
Would i be better off using this for heating?
Would i be better off using this for heating?





RE: Question on Steam to Electric
Don
Kansas City
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
If you have an excess of steam, use a condensing turbine.
If your excess steam quantity is too low for economical power generation, it may be possible to drive pumps or other mechanical loads with small turbines. Heating is, of course, another option.
respectfully
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
it would also be worth re-tracing the process of steam generation and looking at reducing the output of the original process as this will ultimately yield greater savings in energy.
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
Basically i am looking to take the 80 psi and have it turn a shaft. ie: i'd even be happy putting steam through an airmotor if possible! Efficiency is not important (for anything is better than 100% waste)
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
That's why I asked what temperature the steam is. That will tell you how far it is superheated at a given pressure and how much energy per pound you can get out of it before it starts condensing.
You're going to need to know this before you worry about where to buy a turbine.
Don
Kansas City
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
Consider that you might have 30% efficiency in generating the steam and that your reclamation efficiency might also be 30%. That's a net of 9% savings. As you say, it's better than nothing, but eliminating the excess generation might net you more like 50% to 80%.
TTFN
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
http://www.dresser-rand.com/steam/eq/default.asp
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
I have seen turbines rated at 25kw, 750 kw, and 1500 kw.
All ran on steam at 150 psig.
At 80 psig they would develop 13.3 kw, 400 kw and 800 kw.
As I remember the 1500 kw unit required 30,000 lbs. per hr. of steam.
That meant that 15 tons of water was boiled to steam, passed through the turbine and condensed back to water, each and every hour.
If you have no idea what the capacity of your boiler is, try to describe your installation and we may be able to help you.
I agree with the suggestion that it may be better to generate less steam, unless you are burning waste and your fuel cost is very low.
Your boiler controls are probably cutting of the fuel when the pressure reaches 80 psig. You would only be wasting energy if steam was continually blowing out the safety valve. If you add a load to the boiler such as a turbine, the controls will feed more fuel as needed to generate the extra steam demanded by the added load.
As sed2developer and IRstuff have suggested, reduce your steam generation.
Actually, I am pretty sure that your control system is doing that for you automatically right now. If it isn't it should be. If steam is not being released to the atmosphere at 80 psig, then you are probably not wasting any.
yours
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.- http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: Question on Steam to Electric
rmw