The condenser is a significant part of power plants which is employed to transfigure vapor to liquid. This cooling device has emerged inevitably in the petroleum and chemical industries etc. The exhaust steams in the turbines of power plants, as well as the refrigeration vapors, are condensed using it. Employing it results in getting a sub-cooled liquid which comes from the turbine as superheated and highly-pressurized vapor. If you are wondering about condenser and the types it possesses, then this article will enlighten you with the necessary information.
Condenser:
The basic work of a condenser can be classified into three different stages and they are listed as follows.
- de-superheating
- condensation state
- sub-cooling state
The three stages are explained below.
- De-superheating: De-superheating is the first phase of a condenser. When the vapor made through the condenser, it enters as a superheated as well as highly pressurized vapor. The key objective of the de-superheating process condenser is to cool the superheated vapor and transfigure it into liquid.
- Condensation state: Condensation state is the next stage in a condenser. From the de-superheating state, vapor doesn’t lose its entire heat. So, this stage is aimed to remove more heat from vapor. When the vapor exits from condensation state, 90% of vapor got turned into liquid and 10% remains as vapor.
- Sub-Cooling state: The third state is called a sub-cooling state. In this state, vapors got completed transfigured to a liquid state. Even rising temperature couldn’t bring the liquid refrigerant to vapor again.
These are three stages that happen in a condenser.
Types of condenser:
Type of Condenser available is the next thing to be concentrated after understanding its working and the stages it encompasses. In general, there are three types of condensers are available.
- Air-Cooled Condenser
- Water Cooled Condenser
- Evaporative Condenser
All the types of condenser have a subset of classification. The air-cooled condenser has natural convection and forced convection. Water-cooled condenser three classifications such as a double tube, shell and coil condenser, shell and tube condenser etc. Evaporative condenser is one of the commonly preferred condensers as it is affordable than water-cooled. In general, the water-cooled condenser needs a cooling tower which makes it quite costly compared to an evaporative condenser. When there is any shortage of water, it is better to rely on the evaporative condenser and it can also be kept outside.
Maintenance is also a prominent thing to keep your eye on when getting to know about the condenser. The water-cooled condenser needs high maintenance and it has three to four times air-cooled condenser. It is often accumulated with algae and bacteria which need to be cleaned regularly. If you are up to water-cooled condenser, it is mandatory to understand its maintenance before investing in it. The air-cooled condenser needs lesser maintenance as it is limited maintenance such as lubricating fan and motor bearings regularly.
I hope this article had passed the light you are searching for and aids you make a well-informed decision while buying a condenser.