Steam Formation

Dr. Chidanand
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering,
B. M. S. College of Engineering, Bull Temple Road, Bengaluru.
Steam:

A pure substance is a homogenous in nature, retaining its chemical

composition same while undergoing phase change process in a
thermodynamic process. (perfect gas, does not change phase)

Ice water steam

When we provide continuous heat to water then

at 100 temperature and 1 atm. pressure, it boils and changes its phase
from liquid to vapour. This vapour is known as steam.
Steam, which is gaseous form of pure water, is an excellent working
medium in various thermodynamic systems because of its following
properties:
1) It can carry large quantities of heat
2) It is produced from water which is cheap and readily available
3) It can be used for heating purposes after its duty as working agent
is completed.
4) It can be used purely as a heating medium in food processing
Industries because of a fast, easily controllable and hygienic method
of heating.
Formation of Steam
In general, steam can be formed by boiling water in a vessel. But to
use it effectively as a working or heating medium, it has to produce in
a closed vessel under pressure. Steam formed at a higher pressure
has higher temperature and can be made to flow easily through
insulated pipes from steam generator to point of use. A simple
arrangement of formation of steam at constant pressure is shown in
Fig.
Consider 1 kg of water at 00C which is taken into cylinder fitted with
freely moving frictionless piston. A chosen weight is placed over the
piston, so that total weight of piston and chosen weight will exert a
constant pressure ‘p’ on the water. ( starting point ‘A’ on temp-enthalpy
fig)
On further addition of heat, the temperature of water starts rising until it
reaches the boiling point is reached. The temperature at which water
boils, depends upon the pressure acting on it. This is called saturation
temperature. The saturated temperature is defined as the temperature at which
the water begins to boil at the stated pressure.
This is represented by temperature Ts at point ‘B’. The amount of heat required
to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water from 0o C to the saturated temperature
Ts at a given constant pressure is defined as the sensible heat denoted by hf.
Its also called as enthalpy of liquid.
Further heat addition, evaporation of water continuous while temperature of
water remains same at Ts because water is saturated and any heat addition will
change the phase from liquid to gases phase. The evaporation will takes place
till all the water particles are completely converted into steam and represented
by point ‘C’. This is represented by constant pressure and temperature
horizontal line.
The amount of heat required to evaporate 1 kg of water at saturated
temperature Ts to 1 kg of dry steam at the same saturated temperature at a
given constant pressure is called latent heat of evaporation or enthalpy of
evaporation denoted by hfg.
Further heating steam at constant pressure, increases temperature of steam
above Ts. The temperature of steam above saturated temperature at a given
pressure is called superheated temperature.

In this process, dry steam will be heated from its dry state and process of
heating called superheating, and condition of steam is called superheated
steam.(line CD)

The amount of heat required to increase the temperature of dry steam from its
saturation temperature to any desired higher temperature at a constant
pressure is called amount of superheat or enthalpy of superheat.

The difference between the superheated temperature and saturated temperature

is called degree of superheat.
Advantages of superheated steam
1) The superheated steam can be considerably cooled during
expansion in an engine cylinder, before its temperature falls so low
as to cause condensation on cylinder walls which is a direct heat
loss.
2) The temperature of superheated steam being higher, it gives a
high thermal efficiency in heat engine.
3) It has high heat content and so high capacity of doing work. Thus
it results in an economy in steam consumption.
Different types of steam:
Wet Steam: When water is heated beyond saturation state at constant pressure,
its start evaporating. The steam evolving from surface of water entrains finely
divided water molecules. The water molecules suspended in the steam will be
at the sat. temp. and will not yet have absorbed latent heat and converted into
steam. Both steam and entrain water molecules coexist in two phase mixture
called wet steam.

A wet steam is defined as the two-phase mixture of entrained water molecules

and steam in thermal equilibrium at the saturated temperature corresponding
to a given pressure.
Dryness fraction of steam:

A wet steam can be of different qualities, i.e. having different proportion of

water molecules and dry steam, so its essential to know the quality of wet
steam.
The quality of the wet steam is well defined by the dryness fraction indicating
amount of actual dry steam present in a known quantity of wet steam to the
total mass of wet steam.
mg
x
mg  m f

mg = mass of dry steam in wet steam

mf = Total mass of wet steam
Saturated Steam:

A saturated steam at the saturated temperature corresponding to a given

pressure and having no water molecules entrained in it is defined as dry
saturated steam or simply dry steam.

Its dryness fraction is unity (since no water molecules)

Superheated steam:

A superheated steam is defined as the steam which is heated beyond its dry
saturated state to temperature higher than its saturated temperature at a
given pressure. (no need to define dryness fraction)
Enthalpy of steam:

The enthalpy is defined as the sum of internal energy and the product of the
pressure and volume, and its denoted by symbol ‘h’.

So, h=u+pv (J)

As per I law of Thermo., dQ=du+p.dv d(pv)=p.dv+v.dp

dQ =du+d(pv)-v.dp p.dv=d(pv)-v.dp
dQ =d(u+pv)-v.dp for const. pr, dp=0
dQ =d(u+pv)
dQ=dh

For const. pr steam generation process, the amount of heat supplied to the
water to convert into steam is equal to the change in enthalpy.
Enthalpy of dry saturated steam: The enthalpy of dry saturated steam is
defined as the total amount of heat supplied at a given constant pressure to
convert 1 kg of water into 1 kg of dry saturated steam at its saturated
temperature. It is denoted as hg and will be equal to the sum of the sensible heat
hf and the latent heat of evaporation hfg.
hg = hf + hfg (kJ/kg)

Enthalpy of wet steam: As wet steam contains water molecules entrainment in

it, so it will absorb only fraction of total latent heat of evaporation relative to
the mass of dry steam contained in it. So enthalpy of wet steam is defined as the
amount of heat supplied at constant pressure to convert 1 kg of water at 0o C to
1 kg of wet steam at the specified dryness fraction.

Enthalpy of wet steam= sensible heat + x. (latent heat of evaporation)

h=hf + x.hfg
Enthalpy of superheated steam: It is defined as the total amount of heat
supplied at a constant pressure to convert 1 kg of water at 0o C into 1 kg of
superheated steam at the stated superheated temperature. It also termed as
sum of enthalpy of dry steam and amount of superheat.

hsup = hg + Cp (Tsup - Tsat )

hsup = hf + hfg + Cp (Tsup - Tsat )
Specific volume: The specific volume is the volume occupied by the unit
mass of substance. It is expressed as m3 /kg.

Specific volume of saturated water: It is defined as the volume occupied

by 1 kg of water at the saturation temperature at a given pressure. Usually
denoted by vf .

Specific volume of dry saturated steam: It is defined as the volume

occupied by 1 kg of dry saturated steam at a given pressure, and denoted by
vg.
Specific volume of wet steam: Wet steam is a binary mixture of steam with
water molecules entrainment. Its specific volume will be equal to the sum
volume occupied by the dried up portion of steam in 1 kg of wet steam and the
Volume occupied by the entrained water molecules in the same 1 kg of wet
steam. Let x be the dryness fraction of the steam.
So mass of water molecules will be (1-x).

Specific volume = x. vg + (1-x) vf

Specific volume of superheated steam: It is defined as the volume occupied
by 1 kg of superheated steam at a given pressure ad superheated temperature
and it is denoted as vsup.

As superheated steam acts like a perfect gas, and specific volume can be
obtained by Charles law;

vg /Ts = vsup /Tsup

Internal energy of steam: The internal energy of steam is defined as the
difference between the enthalpy of the steam and external work of evaporation.

Int. energy of dry steam: ug = hg- pvg (kJ/kg)

Int. energy of wet steam: u = hf+ x. hfg – p.xvg (kJ/kg)

Int. energy of superheated steam: usup = hsup - pvsup (kJ/kg)

Steam Tables:
All the properties of the steam, as enthalpy, specific volume, temperature, are
estimated from the steam tables either considering the pressure or temperature
basis.