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  Heat Exchanger Thermal Rating: From Nameplate Capacity to Actual Steam Load

  Posted in: Engineering guides

  The thermal output stated on a heat exchanger nameplate or technical datasheet is useful only when interpreted in the correct context. A thermal rating does not mean that the equipment will always transfer the same amount of heat, nor does it mean that the rating is identical to the actual connected process load. A design rating is based on defined conditions: a stated air, water or other secondary-fluid flowrate, a specified temperature rise and steam at a specified pressure. If any of...

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  Measuring Steam Consumption: Flowmeters and Condensate-Based Methods

  Posted in: Engineering guides

  Actual steam consumption in an operating industrial plant can be established by measuring steam flow directly or, in suitable applications, by determining the amount of condensate produced. Measurement can be used to assess actual plant performance, compare steam users, evaluate energy-saving measures and assign steam demand to individual production stages.

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  Estimating Steam Consumption in Industrial Applications

  Posted in: Engineering guides

  Accurate steam-consumption estimation is fundamental to the design of an industrial steam system. Required steam flow affects pipe sizing, boiler capacity, control-valve sizing and steam-trap selection.

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  Steam Heat Transfer: Fundamentals, Overall U-Value and Thermal Resistance

  Posted in: Engineering guides

  In a steam-heating system, the purpose of steam generation and distribution is to deliver heat at the process heat-transfer surface. Once heat duty and steam pressure are known, steam consumption can be established and used to size the boiler, distribution system and heat exchanger.

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  Steam Quality in Industrial Systems: Dryness, Cleanliness and Air Removal

  Posted in: Engineering guides

  Steam quality is not defined by pressure alone. For an industrial process to operate correctly, steam must reach the point of use in the required quantity, at the required pressure and temperature, free from excessive air and other non-condensable gases, sufficiently clean and as dry as the system requires. Each of these conditions affects heat transfer, process stability and the mechanical behaviour of the distribution system.

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  Superheated Steam: Generation, Properties and Applications

  Posted in: Engineering guides

  Superheated steam is steam whose temperature has been raised above the saturation temperature corresponding to its pressure. The difference between actual steam temperature and saturation temperature is known as the degree of superheat. This condition is especially important when steam is used to produce mechanical work, such as in steam turbines. Superheating, however, does not automatically improve every steam application. Saturated and superheated steam behave differently in heat-transfer...

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