Steam Conditioning and Desuperheating

Fisher and Sempell steam conditioning desuperheating products

What is Steam Conditioning and Desuperheating?

A desuperheater injects a controlled, predetermined amount of water into a steam flow to lower the temperature of the steam. To achieve this efficiently, the desuperheater must be designed and selected correctly for the application. Although it can appear simplistic in design, the desuperheater must integrate with a wide variety of complex thermal and flow dynamic variables to be effective. Steam conditioning valves control steam pressure and temperature by combining both functions within one integral control unit. These valves address the need for better control of steam conditions brought on by increased energy costs and more rigorous plant operation. Steam conditioning valves also provide better temperature control, improved noise abatement, and require fewer piping and installation restrictions than the equivalent desuperheater.

How It Works

Common Applications

Power Generation

Competing in today’s power market requires heavy emphasis on the ability to utilize multiple strategies. Increased cyclical operation, daily start-stop, and faster ramp rates are used to ensure full load operation at daily peak hours to maximize profit and allow for plant availability.

Hydrocarbon and Petrochemical Industries

Temperature is controlled in a variety of ways in a process plant environment. The most common ways to control temperature are through the use of heat exchangers and process steam. Process steam must be conditioned to a point near saturation where it is transformed into a medium that is more efficient for heat transfer. Properly selected equipment will ensure optimum plant availability, reliability, and profitability.

Steam Conditioning Valve

The steam conditioning valve incorporates a spraywater manifold downstream of its pressure reduction stage. The manifold features variablegeometry, backpressure activated spray nozzles that maximize mixing and quick vaporization of the spraywater

Steam Attemperator

A steam attemperator is normally used in power boiler service where only temperature control is required, or when an application requires a separation of the pressure reduction and desuperheating functions. The steam cooler is equipped with a water supply manifold that provides cooling water flow to a number of individual spray nozzles installed in the pipe wall of the outlet section. The result is a fine spray injected radially into the high turbulence of the axial steam flow.

Desuperheater Designs

Fixed-Geometry Nozzle Design

A simple mechanically atomized desuperheater with single or multiple fixed-geometry spray nozzles.

Variable-Geometry Nozzle Design

Designed with one or more variable-geometry, back pressure activated spray nozzles this unit can handle applications requiring control over moderate load changes.

Self-Contained Design

This design combines the Variable-Geometry Nozzle design with a water flow control element that acts like a spray water valve. packaged together to minimize space constraints and piping modification necessary on existing installations. Shown to the right.