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Home > Steam Theory > Types of Steam

 Steam Theory
 1. Basics of Steam

o What is Steam?

o Principal Applications for Steam

o Types of Steam

o Flash Steam

o How to Read a Steam Table

 2. Steam Control

 3. Steam Heating

 4. Basics of Steam Traps

 5. Steam Trap Selection

 6. Steam Trap Problems

 7. Steam Trap Management

 8. Water Hammer

 9. Risk Mitigation

 10. Steam Quality

 11. Steam Distribution

 12. Condensate Recovery

 13. Energy Efficiency

 14. Compressed Air / Gas

 15. Other Valves

-- Types of Steam

Types of Steam
Contents:

1. Pressure-Temperature Relationship of Water & Steam

2. Saturated Steam (Dry)
a. Advantages of using saturated steam for heating
3. Unsaturated Steam (Wet)
4. Superheated Steam
a. Advantages of using superheated steam to drive turbines:
b. Disadvantages of using superheated steam for heating:
5. Supercritical Water
6. Various States of Water

If water is heated beyond the boiling point, it vaporizes into steam, or water in the
gaseous state. However, not all steam is the same. The properties of steam vary greatly
depending on the pressure and temperature to which it is subject.
In the article Principal Applications for Steam, we discussed several applications in which
steam is used. In the sections that follow, we will discuss the types of steam used in these
applications.

Pressure-Temperature Relationship of Water & Steam

Click on a word to view animation.

Saturated (dry) steam results when water is heated to the boiling point (sensible heating)
and then vaporized with additional heat (latent heating). If this steam is then further
heated above the saturation point, it becomes superheated steam (sensible heating).

Saturated Steam (Dry)

As indicated by the black line in the above graph, saturated steam occurs at temperatures
and pressures where steam (gas) and water (liquid) can coexist. In other words, it occurs
when the rate of water vaporization is equal to the rate of condensation.

Advantages of using saturated steam for heating

Saturated steam has many properties that make it an excellent heat source, particularly at
temperatures of 100 °C (212°F) and higher. Some of these are:
Property Advantage

Rapid, even heating through latent heat

Improved product quality and productivity
transfer

Pressure can control temperature Temperature can be quickly and precisely established

High heat transfer coefficient Smaller required heat transfer surface area, enabling reduced initial
 equipment outlay

Originates from water Safe, clean, and low-cost

Tips

Having said this, it is necessary to be mindful of the following when heating with saturated
steam:
 Heating efficiency may be diminished if steam other than dry steam is used for process
heating. Contrary to common perception, virtually all of the steam generated from a boiler
is not dry saturated steam, but wet steam, which contains some non-vaporized water
molecules.
 Radiant heat loss causes some of the steam to condense. The generated wet steam thus
becomes even more wet, and condensate also forms, which must be removed by installing
steam traps at appropriate locations.
 Heavy condensate that falls out of the steam flow can be removed through drip leg steam
traps. However, the entrained wet steam will reduce heating efficiency, and should be
removed through point-of-use or distribution separation stations
 Steam that incurs pressure losses due to piping friction, etc., may result a corresponding
loss in steam temperature as well

Unsaturated Steam (Wet)

This is the most common form of steam actually experienced by most plants. When steam
is generated using a boiler, it usually contains wetness from non-vaporized water
molecules that are carried over into the distributed steam. Even the best boilers may
discharge steam containing 3% to 5% wetness. As the water approaches the saturation
state and begins to vaporize, some water, usually in the form of mist or droplets, is
entrained in the rising steam and distributed downstream. This is one of the key reasons
why separation is used to dis-entrain condensate from distributed steam.

Superheated Steam
Superheated steam is created by further heating wet or saturated steam beyond the
saturated steam point. This yields steam that has a higher temperature and lower density
than saturated steam at the same pressure. Superheated steam is mainly used in
 propulsion/drive applications such as turbines, and is not typically used for heat transfer
applications.

Advantages of using superheated steam to drive turbines:

 To maintain the dryness of the steam for steam-driven equipment, whose performance is
impaired by the presence of condensate
 To improve thermal efficiency and work capability, e.g. to achieve larger changes in
specific volume from the superheated state to lower pressures, even vacuum.

It is advantageous to both supply and discharge the steam while in the superheated state
because condensate will not be generated inside steam-driven equipment during normal
operation, minimizing the risk of damage from erosion or carbonic acid corrosion. In
addition, as the theoretical thermal efficiency of the turbine is calculated from the value of
the enthalpy at the turbine inlet and outlet, increasing the degree of superheating as well
as the pressure raises the enthalpy at the turbine inlet side, and is thereby effective at
improving thermal efficiency.

Disadvantages of using superheated steam for heating:

Property Disadvantage

Reduced productivity
Low heat transfer coefficient
Larger heat transfer surface area needed

Variable steam temperature even at Superheated steam needs to maintain a high velocity, otherwise the
constant pressure temperature will drop as heat is lost from the system

Sensible heat used to transfer heat Temperature drops can have a negative impact on product quality

Stronger materials of construction may be needed, requiring higher initial

Temperature may be extremely high
equipment outlay

For these reasons and others, saturated steam is preferred over superheated steam as the
heating medium in exchangers and other heat transfer equipment. On the other hand,
when viewed as a heat source for direct heating as a high temperature gas, it has an
advantage over hot air in that it can be used as a heat source for heating under oxygen-
free conditions. Research is also being carried out on the use of superheated steam in
food processing applications such as cooking and drying.

Supercritical Water
Supercritical water is water in a state that exceeds its critical point: 22.1MPa, 374 °C
(3208 psia, 705°F). At the critical point, the latent heat of steam is zero, and its specific
volume is exactly the same whether considered liquid or gaseous. In other words, water
that is at a higher pressure and temperature than the critical point is in an
indistinguishable state that is neither liquid nor gas.

Supercritical water is used to drive turbines in power plants which demand higher
efficiency. Research on supercritical water is being performed with an emphasis on its use
as a fluid that has the properties of both a liquid and a gas, and in particular on its
suitability as a solvent for chemical reactions.

Various States of Water

 

Unsaturated Water
This is water in its most recognizable state. Approximately 70% of the weight of the
human body is from water. In water's liquid form, hydrogen bonding pulls water molecules
together. As a result, unsaturated water has a relatively compact, dense, and stable
structure.
 

Saturated Steam
Saturated steam molecules are invisible. When saturated steam is released to the
atmosphere by being vented from piping, part of it condenses by transferring its heat to
the surrounding air, and clouds of white vapor (tiny droplets of water) are formed. When
steam includes these tiny droplets, it is called wet steam.
In a steam system, steam released from steam traps is often misinterpreted to be
saturated (live) steam, while it is in fact flash steam. The difference between the two is
that saturated steam is invisible immediately at the outlet of the pipe whereas flash steam
contains visible water droplets the instant it is formed.
 

Superheated Steam
As long as it retains its superheated state, superheated steam will not condense even if it
comes into contact with the atmosphere and its temperature drops. As a result, no clouds
of vapor are formed. Superheated steam stores more heat than does saturated steam at
the same pressure, and the movement of its molecules is more rapid so it is has lower
density (i.e., its specific volume is greater).
 

Supercritical Water
 Though it is not possible to tell by visual observation, this is water in a form that is neither
liquid nor gaseous. The general idea is of a molecular movement that is close to that of
gas, and a density that is closer to that of a liquid.
Principal Applications for Steam Flash Steam

Also on TLV.com
 Services
 Wet Steam vs. Dry Steam: The Importance of the Steam Dryness Fraction
 What is Vacuum Steam?
 Principal Applications for Steam
 Saturated Steam Table by Pressure

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