Heating with Steam

Contents:

 Advantages of Steam Heating

1. Heating with Hot Water or Oil

2. Heating with Steam

3. Summary of Benefits

Steam is one of the most common and effective heat transfer mediums used in industry, but
it is not the only medium available. Other fluids such as hot water and oil are also used for
indirect heating in heat exchangers. The following series of articles will focus on the
advantages of using steam compared to hot water or oil for heating.

Advantages of Steam Heating

Heating with Hot Water or Oil

Heat transfer from a liquid medium such as hot water or oil utilizes the medium’s sensible
heat. The liquid is supplied at elevated temperatures to the heat exchanger. As the liquid
gives off thermal energy, its temperature decreases, exiting the exchanger at a lower
temperature. The amount of energy released per unit of heat transfer medium is relatively
low (typically around 17 kcal/kg, or 30 Btu/lb).
Heating with Steam
Steam is supplied in a gaseous state to the heat exchanger. Heat transfer with saturated
steam utilizes the latent heat of steam, releasing a large amount of energy as it condenses
(changes to the liquid state). Liquid condensate exits the heat exchanger at close to
saturated steam temperatures. The amount of energy released per unit of steam is high (up
to 539 kcal/kg, or 970 Btu/lb, and higher with vacuum steam).
 Summary of Benefits
Utilizing latent heat (steam heating) for heat transfer is far more effective than utilizing
sensible heat (hot water or oil heating), as a much higher amount of energy is released in a
shorter period of time. This offers the following benefits:
Property Advantage
Rapid even heating through
Improved product quality and productivity
latent heat transfer
Pressure can control temperature Temperature can be quickly and precisely established
Smaller required heat transfer surface area, enabling
High heat transfer coefficient
reduced initial equipment outlay

Steam Heating Mechanism

Contents:

 How Does Steam Provide Stable, Even Heating?

 How Does Steam Provide Rapid Heating?

1. Heat Transfer from Condensation (Steam)

2. Heat Transfer by Convection (Hot Water and Oil)

 Heat Transfer Rate

1. Experimental Data

In this article, we will first take a look at how steam provides even and rapid heating. This
will be followed by a discussion about the heat transfer rate supported by experimental data
comparing hot water and steam.

How Does Steam Provide Stable, Even Heating?

Unlike heat transfer by convection (e.g. hot water), heat transfer by condensation (e.g.
steam) does not involve a temperature change. When steam condenses on the heat transfer
surface, it passes on its latent heat to the product. The condensate then formed still contains
its sensible heat, so it is of the same temperature as the steam from which it was produced.
This enables even heating across the whole heat transfer surface.
If the pressure at the heat transfer surface (e.g. jacket, shell or coil) of the equipment is
held constant, continuous heating at a constant temperature can take place throughout
every part of the heat transfer surface.
On the other hand, with hot water or oil heating, the temperature of the heating medium is
reduced as sensible heat is transferred from the heating medium to the product. The
temperature gradient is therefore constantly dropping because each unit of heat transferred
will also lower the heating medium's temperature. This can result in uneven heating, which
may adversely affect the product being heated.

How Does Steam Provide Rapid Heating?

Heat Transfer from Condensation (Steam)

The secret is in the transfer of heat resulting from the process of condensation.
The latent heat contained in steam is released the instant steam condenses into the liquid
state. The amount of latent heat released is 2 to 5 times greater than the amount of sensible
heat available from hot water (saturated water) after condensation. This latent heat is
released instantaneously and is transferred through the heat transfer surface to the product
being heated.

Through condensation, steam naturally flows against the heat transfer surface. This helps
speed the heating process.
 Heat Transfer by Convection (Hot Water and Oil)
In contrast, hot water and oil transfer heat by convective heating, which does not involve a
change of state. If left to natural convection, heat transfer is extremely slow. Thus, a pump
is typically used to create flow against the heat transfer surface to increase the rate of heat
transfer. This is known as forced convection heating.

Heat Transfer Rate

The rate of heat transfer between a moving fluid and a solid is usually indicated by the
convective heat transfer coefficient. Its values are roughly considered to be:

 1000 — 6000 W/(m2°C) [176-1057 Btu/(hr-ft2°F)] for hot water, and

 6000 — 15000 W/(m2°C) [1057 - 2641 Btu/(hr-ft2°F)] for steam.

In a heat exchanger, however, the heat transfer process cannot be summarized by the
convective heat transfer coefficient alone since heat transfer occurs through several
mediums. It is thus a combination of the following three mechanisms:

1. heat transfer from the heating medium to the surface of the heat exchanger
2. heat transfer within the walls of the heat exchanger, and
3. heat transfer from the wall surface of the heat exchanger to the product being
heated.

Evaluating heat transfer in a heat exchanger therefore requires the overall heat transfer
coefficient (i.e. U-value), which takes into account all three mechanisms. Its units are the
same: W/(m2°C), or Btu/(hr-ft2°F).

Experimental Data
The U-value can vary greatly from one heat exchanger application to another, but
experimental data has shown that steam heating can reach U-values up to 1.7 times those of
hot water heating. Here is an example of the improvements involved in changing the heating
medium of a jacketed kettle from hot water to vacuum steam at company A:
Task: Improve production rate by reducing process time needed to concentrate a chemical
agent diluted in a solvent.
Sector: Fine Chemicals
Equipment: Glass-lined Jacketed Kettle (10m3)
 Convective Heat Transfer Overall Heat Transfer Process
 
Coefficient Coefficient Time
500 W/m2°C [88.1 Btu/(hr- 213 W/m2°C [37.5 Btu/(hr-
Hot Water 10h
ft2°F)] ft2°F)]
Vacuum 10000 W/m2°C [1761 Btu/(hr- 356 W/m2°C [62.7 Btu/(hr-
7h
Steam ft2°F)] ft2°F)]

As the data illustrates, the U-value increased by a factor of 1.7, which significantly reduced
production time.
For more detailed calculations and equations related to the Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient,
read the next article in the series here.

Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient

Contents:

 Steam vs. Hot Water

 Calculating the U-value

 Advanced Understanding

The overall heat transfer coefficient, or U-value, refers to how well heat is
conducted through over a series of resistant mediums. Its units are the W/(m 2°C)
[Btu/(hr-ft2°F)].

Steam vs. Hot Water

The following article demonstrates how to calculate and compare the U value for the heat
transfer of steam and hot water through different types of mediums, including film
coefficients and the actual wall material itself.
The overall heat transfer coefficient is influenced by the thickness and thermal conductivity
of the mediums through which heat is transferred. The larger the coefficient, the easier heat
is transferred from its source to the product being heated. In a heat exchanger, the
relationship between the overall heat transfer coefficient (U) and the heat transfer rate (Q)
can be demonstrated by the following equation:

where
Q = heat transfer rate, W=J/s [btu/hr]
A = heat transfer surface area, m2 [ft2]
U = overall heat transfer coefficient, W/(m2°C) [Btu/(hr-ft2°F)]
ΔTLM = logarithmic mean temperature difference, °C [°F]
From this equation it can be seen that the U value is directly proportional to Q, the heat
transfer rate. Assuming the heat transfer surface and temperature difference remain
unchanged, the greater the U value, the greater the heat transfer rate. In other words, this
means that for a certain heat exchanger and product, a higher U value could lead to shorter
batch times and increased production/revenue.

Calculating the U-value

Several equations can be used to determine the U value, one of which is:

where
h = convective heat transfer coefficient, W/(m2°C) [Btu/(hr-ft2°F)]
L = thickness of the wall, m [ft]
λ = thermal conductivity, W/(m°C) [Btu/(hr-ft°F)]
Heat transfer through a metal wall
In the case of creating hot water for example, heat transfer basically occurs from fluid 1
(source of heat) through a conductive solid (metal wall) to fluid 2 (water, the product being
heated). However, film resistance must also be considered. That is why the convective heat
transfer coefficient (h), sometimes referred to as the film coefficient, is included when
calculating heat transfer between a fluid and a conductive wall.
Additionally, in certain unique applications such as pharmaceutical or biotechnology process
heating, that heat transfer can occur through several layers of wall material. In such
instances, the above equation can be adapted by incorporating each layer of the solid’s
thickness (L) divided by its thermal conductivity (λ).
To facilitate example calculations below, the following values may be used as a reference for
the convective heat transfer coefficients:
Fluid Convective heat transfer coefficient (h)

Water about 1000 W/(m2 °C) [176 Btu/(hr-ft2 °F)]

Hot Water 1000 – 6000 W/(m2 °C) [176 - 1057 Btu/(hr-ft2 °F)]

Steam 6000 – 15000 W/(m2 °C) [1057 - 2641 Btu/(hr-ft2 °F)]

Example comparing effect on U of different heat sources, steam or hot water

Two carbon steel (λ = 50 W/(m °C) [28.9 Btu/(hr-ft °F)]) jacketed kettles with an inner wall
thickness of 15mm [0.049 ft] are used to heat water. One uses hot water as the heat
source, while the other uses steam. Assuming heat transfer coefficients of 1000 W/m 2 °C
[176 Btu/(hr-ft2 °F)] for the water being heated, 3000 W/m2 °C [528 Btu/(hr-ft2 °F)] for hot
water, and 10000 W/m2° C [1761 Btu/(hr-ft2 °F)] for steam, let's calculate the U values for
both heating processes.
Carbon Steel Jacketed Kettle – Comparing Hot Water vs. Steam Heat Source
Hot water:

Steam:
In this case, steam provides a calculated U-value improvement of 17%.
Now imagine that the same kettle transfer wall is also lined with glass 1mm [0.0033 ft] thick
(λ = 0.9 W/(m °C) [0.52 Btu/(hr-ft °F)]). Including these values into the above U-value
equation provides the following results:
Glass-Lined Jacketed Kettle – Comparing Hot Water vs. Steam Heat Source
Hot Water:

Steam:

In this case of additional resistance to conductivity, the U-value is still improved, but only by
9%; and this demonstrates how a poor thermal conductor such as glass can greatly interfere
with heat transfer.
So for certain heat exchange equipment such as a carbon steel kettle, changing the heat
source from hot water to steam can potentially improve the U-value and heat transfer
significantly if the wall material is highly conductive. However, the same dramatic effect is
not expected in instances where a heat exchanger with several wall layers including layers of
material that are not highly conductive (such as a glass-lined kettle) is used.
Nevertheless, some processes require a certain wall material, such as glass lining, to prevent
reactivity with the product. Even so, the heat transfer rate may still be improved in such
circumstances by changing the heat source from hot water to steam to optimize production.

Advanced Understanding

Fouling
Fouling of the wall material surface can represent an additional barrier to heat transfer. This
problem can occur on both the heating medium side and the product side for multiple
reasons. Some causes can be particle deposits on the heating side, and excessively high or
low temperatures on the product side.
For example, steam pressure is sometimes raised to create the necessary pressure to push
condensate through the outlet control valve on a level pot. However, with an increase in
pressure within the heat exchanger, steam temperature rises accordingly, and this excessive
heat can cause increased fouling on the product side. Conversely, if condensate is allowed to
accumulate within equipment, fouling can be caused on the heating side by the debris
entrained in the pooled condensate, and on the product side by lower temperatures that
cause the product to cake onto the surface when required product viscosity is not
maintained.
Fouling can be added to the above equation by including the ratio of its thickness (L F) over
its conductivity (λF), in the same manner as the glass-lining was added above, but is typically
incorporated into and expressed as a fouling factor for an exchanger that has been “in-
service”. Commonly, the calculations to compare reduction in U are for clean versus in-
service duty.

What is Vacuum Steam?

Vacuum steam is the general term used for saturated steam at temperatures
below 100°C.
As briefly discussed in Principal Applications for Steam, both positive pressure steam and
vacuum steam can be used in heating processes. The following article will discuss the
properties of vacuum steam and its advantages over heating with hot water.

The higher the pressure, the higher the temperature of saturated steam. At regular
atmospheric pressure, saturated steam is roughly 100°C. Saturated steam generated from
boilers, however, is generally much higher in temperature because it is generated at higher
pressures. This steam (positive pressure steam) is therefore frequently used in industry for
heating processes requiring temperatures above 100°C.
Alternatively, producing saturated steam for heating processes below 100°C is also possible.
Such steam is often referred to as vacuum steam because it requires pressures below
regular atmospheric pressure. Vacuum steam is generally generated at higher pressures
after which pressure is reduced by using equipment such as an inlet control valve. A vacuum
pump is also usually used to help achieve lower pressures at start-up and enable the smooth
release of condensate.
Use of vacuum steam requires careful temperature and pressure reading. To determine
steam temperature, referring to a steam table such as the one above is recommended. For
example, through this steam table, we can see that if a process requires saturated steam at
temperatures of 60°C or 90°C, saturated steam pressures should be set to 19.946kPa and
70.182kPa, respectively.
Vacuum Steam vs. Hot Water

Heating with vacuum steam offers the same advantages as heating with steam at
temperatures of 100°C or higher:
Property Advantage

Rapid even heating through

Improved product quality and productivity
latent heat transfer

Pressure can control Temperature can be quickly and precisely

temperature established

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