Compressor for steam turbine.

[joshBaldwin]

My plant is wasting a lot of steam so we were thinking of installing a 12MW steam generator. How ever, our steam is to wet and to rich in silica... A a result, we got proposed to use a geothermal steam turbine that are apparently more resistant to bad steam quality... However, they have a bad effeciency and they cost to much..

Is it worth it to consider to super heat our steam that is now at 189degC and 1250kPa and bring it to 4130 kPa (600psi)?

 

[pmover]

if going to superheat the steam, why increase the pressure? never heard of a compressor for steam.

seems a temp increase in steam is better, but then the silica problem needs to be addressed.

how about other alternatives - smaller capacity boiler, lower firing rate on existing boiler, modify piping system such that steam demand matches boiler output, etc.

good luck!
-pmover

 

[joshBaldwin]

Iguess there is a direct correlation between turbine input moisture and its effeciency... Is is true with pressure ? I would guess so too.

The steam feed comes from what has not been used in our processes. As a result, we dont have a control on boiler operating parameters, because the processes have certain requirements.

Would it be worth it to heat the steam that comes in to decrease the moisture such as the effeciency or the turbine goes up enought to asorb the cost... is there plants doing such thing ?

 

[dcasto]

the reason you want superheated steam is to assure the steam isn't condensing if you have silca plateing out.

Yes, they use to compress steam way back when to improve effiencies or recycle steam vents in boiler plants.

 

[rmw]

Vapor compression is common in desalination systems but the compressors don't have a compression ratio that you are seeking. How about a recripocating engine? It doesn't take a lot of steam pressure to act against a large bore piston.

rmw