Steam Condensation: Calculating Area for Experiment

[Gary K]

Greetings,

I'm preparing for an experiment on a modified Tesla Turbine design and will need to condense the exhaust steam rapidly in order to measure the pounds per hour of saturated steam that goes through the system. Incoming steam could be as high as 90 PSI through a 1" pipe. As the turbine partially acts as a heat engine, we expect to see exhaust temps in the 215to 250 degrees F range under test conditions. We are wanting to measure up to 200 pounds per hour, but likely will not achieve that input. We are planning on using 8" PVC pipe with a finned copper counter-flow coil, pre-chilled in an ice bath. The question is, how would one calculate the area of the condensing apparatus. We looked into purchasing a vortex mass flowmeter, but the cost is prohibitive for this experiment. Thank you in advance for your input.

 

[Ronie Bayron]

Greetings,

I'm preparing for an experiment on a modified Tesla Turbine design and will need to condense the exhaust steam rapidly in order to measure the pounds per hour of saturated steam that goes through the system. Incoming steam could be as high as 90 PSI through a 1" pipe. As the turbine partially acts as a heat engine, we expect to see exhaust temps in the 215to 250 degrees F range under test conditions. We are wanting to measure up to 200 pounds per hour, but likely will not achieve that input. We are planning on using 8" PVC pipe with a finned copper counter-flow coil, pre-chilled in an ice bath. The question is, how would one calculate the area of the condensing apparatus. We looked into purchasing a vortex mass flowmeter, but the cost is prohibitive for this experiment. Thank you in advance for your input.

Hi,Gary. Don't you have a mechanical engineer on your team, or a physicist may be? Here is a useful reference for you to digest. http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucecesf/tmp/heatandpipes.pdf

 

[Gary K]

Thank you very much Ronie. I had not run across this in my searches.

 

[Gary K]

We are still just a two-man team. One of us does have a physics background, but not a degree.

 

[Ronie Bayron]

Thank you very much Ronie. I had not run across this in my searches.

Yap, no problem Gary.

 

[Ronie Bayron]

We are still just a two-man team. One of us does have a physics background, but not a degree.

Though, I highly recommend you consult with a professional, especially when there's a lot of risk (life or property) involve in the experiment. Accidents could be avoided, you know.