What Is the Steam Turbine Surface Condenser Cooling Water Duty Calculator?
A surface condenser is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger that condenses exhaust steam under deep vacuum, establishing the cycle cold-end sink.
How Does the Steam Turbine Surface Condenser Cooling Water Duty Calculator Work?
Latent heat of vaporization released by condensing steam is absorbed by cooling water circulating through thousands of titanium or brass tubes.
Steam Turbine Surface Condenser Cooling Water Duty Calculator Formula & Variables
The core mathematical equation utilized by this calculator is expressed as:
dot{Q} = dot{m}_{ ext{steam}} (h_{ ext{in}} - h_{ ext{out}}) quad [ ext{MW}], quad dot{m}_{ ext{cw}} = rac{dot{Q}}{C_p Delta T}
Surface condenser thermal heat duty and circulating cooling water mass balance.
How to Use the Steam Turbine Surface Condenser Cooling Water Duty Calculator
- Input steam flow in tons/hr, exhaust enthalpy in kJ/kg, condensate enthalpy in kJ/kg, and cooling water temperature rise.
Step-by-Step Example Calculation
150 MW Thermal Power Plant Surface Condenser
Input Values:
steamFlowTonsHr:140
exhaustEnthalpyKjKg:2380
condensateEnthalpyKjKg:175
coolingWaterTempRiseC:9
Worked Steps: Condenser heat rejection = 85.75 MWth, Circulating water pumping requirement = 8,198 m³/h.
Understanding Your Result
Displays condenser heat duty in MW, required cooling water pumping rate in m³/h, and condensation rate in kg/s.
Factors That Affect the Result
- Lower cooling water inlet temperature deepens condenser vacuum, raising turbine expansion ratio and gross electrical output.
When Should You Use This Calculator?
- Thermal power plant design, cooling tower sizing, once-through river cooling permits, and combined cycle heat balance analysis.
Assumptions & Limitations
- Assumes constant cooling water specific heat Cp = 4.184 kJ/kg·K and density 1000 kg/m³.
Frequently Asked Questions
Calculation Accuracy & Reference Note
Standard power plant thermodynamic heat balance.