Superheated steam has important advantages in certain applications, such as power stations to drive turbines.  However, for efficient use of heating applications, however, the steam must be desuperheated with the help of a desuperheater.

Superheated Steam Facts

Superheated steam is steam that is at a temperature higher than the saturation temperature for the steam pressure.  They use superheated steam in power generation plants.

Superheating Steam Has A Few Advantages

• Wet steam within a turbine would result in water droplets and erosion of the turbine blades, as well as increased friction.
• They can use higher pipeline velocities. This means that a smaller distribution pipeline can be used.
• Superheated steam means there specifically is no condensation in the pipework.

 Disadvantages of Superheated Steam

• The coefficient of heat transfer when using superheated steam as the heating medium is variable, low to difficult to quantify accurately. This makes accurate sizing and control of heat transfer equipment difficult.
• Some processes perform less efficiently when supplied with superheated steam.
• The higher temperature of superheated steam may then damage sensitive equipment.

These disadvantages meant that superheated steam is generally undesirable.  It makes economic sense to desuperheat some of this steam in the power generation cycle and then use it for process applications.

The Basics of Steam Desuperheating

Desuperheating is the process by which superheated steam is restored to its saturation state, or the superheat temperature reduces.  Most desuperheaters are used to restore the saturated state and produce discharge temperatures that approach saturation.

When the desuperheater is operational, it adds a measured amount of water to the superheated steam within the desuperheater.  As the cool water enters the desuperheater it is evaporated after absorbing the heat from the superheated steam, thereby reducing the temperature of the steam and bringing it to its saturation state.

The amount of water added to the superheated steam is determined by measuring the temperature of the steam downstream of the desuperheater and toggling the volume of cooling water being released to keep the downstream temperature balanced.

Typical Applications of a Desuperheater

The two biggest areas of application for Desuperheaters are in power generation and the process industry.  Desuperheaters within power generation are mainly used to reduce the temperature of steam from turbine bypass systems to an efficient level for operation on other parts of the plant requiring saturated steam for heat transfer purposes.  In process industries, they use desuperheaters frequently as part of a system for reducing the temperature and pressure of steam from boilers to economical levels of operation.  Here are some examples specifically of the process industry applications.

• Food – Steam cooking kettles.
• Brewing and Distilling – Steam heating systems.
• Chemical and Pharmaceutical – Vacuum distillation startup heaters and aromatics recovery.
• Paper and Board – Paper drying machines.
• Refineries – Thermal and catalytic crackers and vacuum distillation.
• Oil and Petrochemical – De-salting, isomerization processes, and vacuum distillation.

Leading the Industry in Desuperheater Technology

Komax Systems has been leading the industry in desuperheater technology and serving process engineering for over 45 years.  We have specifically applied Komax technology to over 100,000 installations worldwide. We offer a diverse range of Desuperheaters, including Steam Desuperheaters and LNG Desuperheaters. With technological superiority, the Komax Desuperheater provides a custom solution, high consistency, no moving parts, 3 stages of mixing, & our patented Equalizer™ Mixing Module:

• Advanced technology with 6 fixed mixing elements.
• Accurate temperature control.
• Low maintenance, minimal noise, and vibration, increased efficiency.
• Ideal for Power Plants, LNG Plants, and cooling of Gas or Steam.

To get a quote customized to perfectly fit your project get in touch with one of our skilled engineers.