Various types of condenser used in thermal power plant

• Condenser is a device during which the steam is condensed by cooling it with water. The condensed steam is thought as condensate.

Advantages of condenser :

• Steam consumption is reduced for the output.

• The condensate is recovered for the boiler feed water.

• Efficiency of power plant is exaggerated.

Classification of condenser :

1. Jet condenser

2. Surface condenser

Jet condenser :-

• The exhaust steam and water come in direct contact with one another and condensate temperature is same as that of cooling water exploit the condenser.

Surface Condenser :-

• The exhaust steam and water do not come in direct contact with one another.

Jet condenser :

• Jet condenser is classified into

  • Parallel flow type

  • Low level type

  • High level type

  • Counter flow type

  • Low level type

  • High level type

  • Ejector type

Parallel flow condenser :-

• The exhaust steam and cooling water notice their entry at the top of the condenser and then flow downwardly and condensate, water are finally collected at the bottom.

Counter flow type :

• The steam and cooling water enters the condenser from opposite direction. Usually, the exhaust steam travels in upward direction and meet the cooling water that flow downwardly.

Low level jet condenser :

• The cooling water enter at the top and sprayed through jets. The steam enter through bottom and mixed with fine spray of cooling water.

• The condensate is removed by separate pump. The air is removed by an air pump separately from the top.

High level jet condenser :

• It is also same like low level jet condenser. During this condenser, the condenser shell is placed at the height of 10.36 m above the hot well.

• The column of water within the tail pipe forces the condensate into the hot well by gravity.

Ejector condenser :

• Cooling water underneath a head of 5 to 6 m enters at the top of condenser. It posses through a convergent nozzles, there’s pressure drop at the throat of the nozzle. Steam is mixed with water and condensed.

• Within the converging cones, pressure energy is partially converted into kinetic energy. In diverging cones, the kinetic energy is partially converted into pressure energy.

Surface condenser :

• Surface condenser is classified into

  • Down flow condenser

  • Central flow condenser

  • Evaporation condenser

Down flow condenser :

• In this condenser, steam enters at the top and flows downward. The water flowing through the tubes in one direction, lower half comes out the opposite direction in the upper half.

Central flow condenser :

• In this condenser, the steam passages are all around the periphery of the shell. Air is pumped away from the centre of the condenser. The condensate moves radically towards the centre of the tube. Some of the exhaust moving towards the centre meets the under cooled condensate.

Evaporation condenser :

• Steam is passed through a series of tubes and also the cooling waterfalls over these tubes within the form of spray. A steam of air flows over the tubes to increase evaporation of cooling water.

JET CONDENSER Vs SURFACE CONDENSER