SURFACE

CONDENSER
applications of surface condensers and
Requirement of surface condenser

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GOVERNMENT
POLYTECHNICH
NEAR AJI DEM CHOWKI

BHAVAGAR ROA,RAJKOT

FULL NAME

Tarun chavda

ENROLLMENT NO

096200319022

SUBJECT

Thermal Engineering

TOPIC OF SUBJECT

Surface condenser

IN TR O D U C TIO N
SURFACE CONDENSER IS THE COMMONLY USED TERM FOR

A WATER-COOLED SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER

INSTALLED ON THE EXHAUST STEAM FROM A
STEAM TURBINE IN THERMAL POWER STATIONS.[1][2][3]
THESE CONDENSERS ARE HEAT EXCHANGERS WHICH
CONVERT STEAM FROM ITS GASEOUS TO ITS LIQUID STATE
AT A PRESSURE BELOW ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE. WHERE
COOLING WATER IS IN SHORT SUPPLY, AN AIR-COOLED
CONDENSER IS OFTEN USED. AN AIR-COOLED CONDENSER
IS HOWEVER SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXPENSIVE AND
CANNOT ACHIEVE AS LOW A STEAM TURBINE EXHAUST
PRESSURE AS A WATER COOLED SURFACE CONDENSER.
SURFACE CONDENSERS ARE ALSO USED IN APPLICATIONS

AND INDUSTRIES OTHER THAN THE CONDENSING OF

STEAM TURBINE EXHAUST IN POWER PLANTS.

Diagram of water-cooled surface

condenser

W h y is it req u ired ?
THE STEAM TURBINE ITSELF IS A DEVICE TO CONVERT THE

HEAT IN STEAM TO MECHANICAL POWER. THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THE HEAT OF STEAM PER UNIT MASS AT THE INLET
TO THE TURBINE AND THE HEAT OF STEAM PER UNIT MASS
AT THE OUTLET TO THE TURBINE REPRESENTS THE HEAT
WHICH IS CONVERTED TO MECHANICAL POWER. THEREFORE,
THE MORE THE CONVERSION OF HEAT PER POUND OR
KILOGRAM
OF STEAM TO MECHANICAL POWER IN THE TURBINE, THE
BETTER IS ITS EFFICIENCY. BY CONDENSING THE EXHAUST
STEAM OF A TURBINE AT A PRESSURE BELOW ATMOSPHERIC
PRESSURE, THE STEAM PRESSURE DROP BETWEEN THE INLET
AND EXHAUST OF THE TURBINE IS INCREASED, WHICH
INCREASES THE AMOUNT OF HEAT AVAILABLE FOR
CONVERSION TO MECHANICAL POWER. MOST OF THE HEAT
LIBERATED DUE TO CONDENSATION OF THE EXHAUST STEAM
IS CARRIED AWAY BY THE COOLING MEDIUM (WATER OR AIR)
USED BY THE SURFACE CONDENSER.

Typ es of p arts
Shell
The shell is the condenser's outermost body and contains the heat
exchanger tubes. The shell is fabricated from carbon steel plates and
is stiffened as needed to provide rigidity for the shell. When required
by the selected design, intermediate plates are installed to serve as
baffle plates that provide the desired flow path of the condensing
steam. The plates also provide support that help prevent sagging of
long tube lengths.
At the bottom of the shell, where the condensate collects, an outlet is
installed. In some designs, a sump (often referred to as the hotwell) is
provided. Condensate is pumped from the outlet or the hotwell for
reuse as boiler feedwater.
For most water-cooled surface condensers, the shell is under vacuum
during normal operating conditions.

V acu u m system
Diagram of a typical modern injector
or ejector. For a steam ejector, the
motive fluid is steam.
For water-cooled surface condensers,
the shell's internal vacuum is most
commonly supplied by and
maintained by an external
steam jet ejector system. Such an
ejector system uses steam as the
motive fluid to remove any noncondensible gases that may be present
in the surface condenser. The Venturi
effect, which is a particular case of
Bernoulli's principle, applies to the
operation of steam jet ejectors.
Motor driven mechanical
vacuum pumps, such as the liquid ring
type, are also popular for this service.

Tube sheets
AT EACH END OF THE SHELL, A SHEET OF SUFFICIENT
THICKNESS USUALLY MADE OF STAINLESS STEEL IS
PROVIDED, WITH HOLES FOR THE TUBES TO BE INSERTED
AND ROLLED. THE INLET END OF EACH TUBE IS ALSO
BELLMOUTHED FOR STREAMLINED ENTRY OF WATER. THIS
IS TO AVOID EDDIES AT THE INLET OF EACH TUBE GIVING
RISE TO EROSION, AND TO REDUCE FLOW FRICTION. SOME
MAKERS ALSO RECOMMEND PLASTIC INSERTS AT THE ENTRY
OF TUBES TO AVOID EDDIES ERODING THE INLET END. IN
SMALLER UNITS SOME MANUFACTURERS USE FERRULES TO
SEAL THE TUBE ENDS INSTEAD OF ROLLING. TO TAKE CARE
OF LENGTH WISE EXPANSION OF TUBES SOME DESIGNS HAVE
EXPANSION JOINT BETWEEN THE SHELL AND THE TUBE
SHEET ALLOWING THE LATTER TO MOVE LONGITUDINALLY.
IN SMALLER UNITS SOME SAG IS GIVEN TO THE TUBES TO
TAKE CARE OF TUBE EXPANSION WITH BOTH END WATER
BOXES FIXED RIGIDLY TO THE SHELL.

Tubes
Generally the tubes are made of stainless steel, copper alloys such as brass
or bronze, cupro nickel, or titanium depending on several selection
criteria. The use of copper bearing alloys such as brass or cupro nickel is
rare in new plants, due to environmental concerns of toxic copper alloys.
Also depending on the steam cycle water treatment for the boiler, it may
be desirable to avoid tube materials containing copper. Titanium
condenser tubes are usually the best technical choice, however the use of
titanium condenser tubes has been virtually eliminated by the sharp
increases in the costs for this material. The tube lengths range to about 55
ft (17 m) for modern power plants, depending on the size of the condenser.
The size chosen is based on transportability from the manufacturers site
and ease of erection at the installation site. The outer diameter of
condenser tubes typically ranges from 3/4 inch to 1-1/4 inch, based on
condenser cooling water friction considerations and overall condenser
size.

Waterboxes
The tube sheet at each end with tube ends rolled, for each end of
the condenser is closed by a fabricated box cover known as a
waterbox, with flanged connection to the tube sheet or condenser
shell. The waterbox is usually provided with man holes on hinged
covers to allow inspection and cleaning.
These waterboxes on inlet side will also have flanged connections
for cooling water inlet butterfly valves, small vent pipe with hand
valve for air venting at higher level, and hand operated drain valve
at bottom to drain the waterbox for maintenance. Similarly on the
outlet waterbox the cooling water connection will have large
flanges, butterfly valves, vent connection also at higher level and
drain connections at lower level. Similarly thermometer pockets are
located at inlet and outlet pipes for local measurements of cooling
water temperature.
In smaller units, some manufacturers make the condenser shell as
well as waterboxes of cast iron.

Protection from
corrosion
Cathodic protection is typically employed to overcome this problem.
Sacrificial anodes of zinc (being cheapest) plates are mounted at suitable
places inside the water boxes. These zinc plates will get corroded first
being in the lowest range of anodes. Hence these zinc anodes require
periodic inspection and replacements. This involves comparatively less
down time. The water boxes made of steel plates are also protected inside
by epoxy paint.
Cross-sectional schematic diagram of a power plant condenser for
condensing exhaust steam from a steam turbine. This condenser is singlepass on both the tube and shell sides with a large opening at the top for
the exhaust steam to enter and a hotwell at the bottom where condensate
water drips down to and collects. Circulating water for cooling is shown
in light greenish color and condensate is light blue. Note also that the
springs at the condenser support pads or the expansion joint at the
turbine exhaust are designed in for thermal expansion and a normal
installation includes either one or the other, not both like in this diagram.

P ictu re of su rface con d en ser

ap p lication s of su rface con d en sers

Vacuum refrigeration
Vacuum evaporation
Ocean Thermal Energy (OTEC)
Replacing barometric condensers in steam-driven ejector systems
Geothermal energy recovery
Desalination systems