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Steam Cooling for Discharge

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steris

Mechanical
Nov 7, 2007
171
Hi All,

I have excess steam that I need to dispose of - about 10KW (30 lbs/hr) of steam at 15 PSIG. Unfortunately, I can't blow it off to atmosphere. I need to condense it and cool it down to 100F before I can discharge it. I'm steering away from coil condensers because I don't have access to a chilled water loop or treated water and I'm afraid using raw water will lead to mineral build up over time thereby causing failure. Ideally, I am looking for an off the shelf product that condenses steam by injecting it into a bath of water. The device would use raw water to condense the steam and regulate condensate temperature. Does anyone know if a device like this exists? What should I search for. I'm sorry if this is a basic question but this is not my area of expertise. Please let me know if this is not clear. I appreciate the help!

Best,
Steris
 
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Do a search on "barometric condenser". Let me know what you find.

rmw
 
Hi RMW -

Thanks for the tip. Searching for barometric condensers didn't turn up what I was looking for however I did stumble upon sparge pipe tank water heaters. This seems to be similar to what I need. Anyone know of any of these that come with water temperature control? Since I can't adjust my steam discharge rate, the raw water would need to be added at a varying rate to maintain condensate discharge temperature.

Best,
Steris
 
You just need a temperature indicator on your water and a control valve on the make up water inlet. Temp goes up valve opens and reverse. Then an overflow pipe or control valve to maintain level.
 
Hi All -

So eventually I found what I needed. It's called a bubble type direct contact condenser. Watson McDaniels makes one using a flash tank and a thermostatic wax type temperature actuated valve to control cooling/makeup water. Thanks all for the help!

Best,
Steris
 
Here is a link to Komax. We used their products for direct heating water with steam and other for steam injection into a process system. There systems are extremely rugged and require no maintenance.

 
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