Steam condensers turn steam back into water for reuse in power generation systems. Contact and surface condensers use cooler liquid to cool vapor back into water. Surface condensers have the advantage of not requiring additional cold water.
A steam condenser is a machine that transforms steam into water. Many steam systems use a water loop to maximize their efficiency. Water is heated into steam, the steam provides the motivation for a process, a steam condenser turns it back into water and the cycle begins again. Vapor condensers come in two varieties, contact condensers and surface condensers. Each of these systems uses a cooler liquid, usually liquid water, to cool the vapor back into water.
Many power generation systems use steam to actually create power. Oil, coal, and even nuclear power plants use the energy they generate to heat water into steam. That steam turns a turbine, which generates energy. For any power generation system to operate at peak efficiency, water must become steam and then back to water with as little temperature change as possible. The best way to achieve this is to reuse water over and over again.
One important thing about water is the effects that pressure has on it. As the pressure on the water increases, it stays liquid longer. At very high pressure, liquid water exists well beyond its normal boiling point, at which point it turns into vapor. At very low pressure, water turns to steam at a much lower temperature. This property is often used as an assistant in moving water back and forth between a liquid and a gas.
A contact vapor condenser almost always uses water vapor and liquid water as the gas and liquid. Steam or water may have a secondary substance in it, but it has a much smaller volume than water. This system uses a large tank, which may be under higher than normal pressure, to trap and hold the steam. Liquid water is sprayed into the tank, which rapidly cools the vapor and turns it back into water. The combined water is then pumped back into the system.
A surface vapor condenser uses water vapor, but may not use water as a coolant. In this system, the vapor travels to a collection chamber containing pipes filled with refrigerant. The vapor condenses on these pipes and drips to the bottom of the tank. The liquid water at the bottom of the tank is pumped back into the system. At no point during the process will the water and coolant come into contact with each other.
Surface condensers have one major advantage over contact condensers: they do not require additional cold water. A surface steam condenser can use almost any liquid or gas cooler than steam to condense water into liquid. This is useful in dry areas, as water requirements are much lower. Also, the refrigerant pipes and the condensing chamber can be subjected to different pressures, exacerbating the temperature difference.
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