How to condense steam to water?

In summary, Jim Hardy was trying to figure out a way to turn steam into water and he was having difficulty. He used a wallpaper stripper and tried to release the steam into the atmosphere but it didn't condense that much. He also tried to make his pipe longer but it didn't work as well. Finally, he wants to condense the steam to water but he doesn't know how to do it. He is also trying to capture the soot from an exhaust pipe using the steam method. He is using compressed air and ice.
  • #1
Mohiden
12
0
hi

I would like to know what is the easiest way to condense steam 100°C to water ??

thanks.
 
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  • #2
Release it into the atmosphere.

(A more specific question may elicit a more specific/useful answer.)
 
  • #3
Or simply stop applying heat to it. No matter what container it's in, even if its container is the atmo, it will eventually cool below 100C.

cmb is correct. Please elaborate.
 
  • #4
I'm doing an experiment and I'm using wallpaper stripper as my steam generator. So in the end of the experiment, i want to turn the steam into water and I'm having difficulty on this.
I tried to release the steam into the atmosphere but it didn't condense that much. The steam is disappearing in the atmosphere. Also i tried to make my pipe longer but it didn't work as well.
So what i want is a process that condenses steam to water.
 
  • #6
thanks xxChrisxx ,,
For cooling it down i used steam hear exchanger coil and i gave it some cold air through a fan. But the result was still the same. not enough water.
i'll try to increase the pressure on my pipe but what is the best way to do that!? As i have 3m long pipe.
Is there any device that can increase my pipe pressure or a away?
 
Last edited:
  • #7
What on Earth are you trying to do?

Why do you want to make the water from steam anyway?
And if that's the case, why are you using a wallpaper stripper?

If you are building this yourself,
a: you'll never get enough pressure to get it to work.
b: even if you do, do you really want a couple of bars worth of superheated water in a DIY setup made from bits of old pipe?

Pressure + Superheated water + DIY.
Sounds like a recipe for burning your face off to me.
 
  • #8
I'm doing an experiment to capture the soot from exhaust pipe using steam method.
So what i want a sample of liquid that has steam and soot. All my experiment process is going well only the part of changing the state from vapour to liquid. And I reduced the soot temperature to 100C which also mixed with steam. Only when i release it to atmo it gose and i won't get that much of liquid.
 
  • #9
release it into a collection chamber that's kept cold- an Erlenmeyer flask, maybe
 
  • #10
how much water are you boiling into steam ?
You can't condense any more than that.
A 1500 watt wallpaper stripper might boil about 1/2 gallon per hour. What power is yours?

Your heat exchanger will have to handle that 1500 watts which means it'll probably need water cooling. Could you surround your condensing pipe with a larger pipe that's kept full of cool water?
 
  • #11
I think this is some kind of newfangled enviro-craze to capture tailpipe emissions ?

An exhaust pipe is quite well hot enough as is, just inject your water in small amounts and you should have no trouble making steam.. recapturing the water in order to filter it I presume sounds like a very complicated idea however.
 
  • #12
Now i have many ideas and thanks for you guys.

jim_hardy,
I'm boiling around 2 litres and my wallpaper stripper power is 2000 watts but i can control the power.
I don't think so i have this kind of pipe which keeps the cool water. But What i am thinking is to surround my pipe with an ice and that might do the same think.

Guilty Spark,
It is a very complicated idea but this is what I'm required to do in my project.
 
  • #13
Ice?? ICE? Baby.. lol.

If this is for automotive use why in the world would you use ice?!? If this becomes some kind of standard on new cars everyone is going to be very upset that their car needs a new ice block every 50km!

As soon as the converter has don its job, you want to inject the steam into the pipe. Then the mix of exhaust gas and water vapour will travel together, hopefully mix and you will condense the contaminated water out by cooling the pipe.

I would not use ice for said reasons, but maybe compressed air such as snow cannons use? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowmaking#Snowmaking_guns
 
  • #14
Becuase it's investigating a concept on a test rig. Not a design.
 
  • #15
Im just trying to steer him in a more logical direction, using a heatgun to generate steam is a pretty poor test setup. If you want good results you need good test parameters.

The purpose of testing is to achieve a working design. Is it not?
 
  • #16
Guilty Spark

i'm using compressed air as well. See the attached file and u can see how the experiment looks like.
you can see from the pic compressed air going into the ejector and also the exhaust gas. When they release form the ejector the steam will be joined and mixed.
Then the soot with steam are going into the heat exchanger.
The reason that i have tube underneath the steam pipe end because I'm having some water coming out from wallpaper stripper.

My aim from this experiment is to capture the particulate matters and measure them by using different measuring methods.
I'm investigating the particulate matter.

So any better ideas for the cooling part :D
 

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  • #17
This remains a mystery! Why is there soot in the steam? How and why something got to where it is is usually significant in figuring a method to remove it.
 
  • #18
The soot is from combustion of the engine, being captured by the steam in order to filter it out.

Maybe take a look at this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Surface_Condenser.png

It runs cold water through and the steam condenses on the cold pipes inside. Pretty much how an air conditioner makes so much liquid- water vapour is chilled on the coils and condenses to liquid.

Interesting setup, but I am still confused as to how it works?

I would say you should get yourself a good electric kettle, strip the heating circuits out and put them in a well made pressure vessel with LOTS of safety precautions. Blow off valves, a safety cage, ground fault breakers. Then you can do away with the compressed air, as you have pressurized steam.

**Note that if you are going to hurt yourself please don't attempt this, I have done such things before so its up to you whether you think you can do it in a safe manner!

For test purposes ice water would be ok going through the radiator, then if you find it works perhaps move on into ac systems/
 
  • #19
Guilty Spark said:
The soot is from combustion of the engine, being captured by the steam in order to filter it out.

Are you also 'Mohiden'? How did you figure this out from the OP's question? He/she said 'from exhaust', which could mean a host of things.
 

1. How does steam condense into water?

Steam condenses into water when it loses heat energy and reaches its saturation point. This causes the steam molecules to slow down and come closer together, forming liquid water.

2. What is the purpose of condensing steam into water?

Condensing steam into water is necessary for many industrial processes, such as power generation and food production. It allows for the transfer of heat energy and the use of steam as a source of power.

3. What factors affect the rate of condensation of steam into water?

The rate of condensation of steam into water is affected by factors such as temperature, pressure, and the surface area available for condensation. Higher temperatures and lower pressures can increase the rate of condensation, while a larger surface area can speed up the process.

4. How is steam condensed into water in industrial settings?

In industrial settings, steam is typically condensed using a heat exchanger. This is a device that transfers heat energy from the steam to a cooling medium, such as water, causing the steam to condense into liquid form.

5. Can steam be condensed into water without losing any heat energy?

No, steam cannot be condensed into water without losing heat energy. This is because the process of condensation requires heat energy to be released in order for the steam to reach its saturation point and form into liquid water.

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