February 9, 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 1

February 9, 2021 Eng.
Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 1

Eng. Mohammad M. Helmy Abu Zahra
ESE-certified Oil&Gas Instructor
February 9, 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 2
9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 3
$50 $2953
Stripping
steam

Steam?

1
Understanding the Basics

Steam is the gas formed when water turns from liquid state to gaseous state.
This happened when water molecules manage to break “The Hydrogen Bond” keeping these
molecules together
This is achieved by supplying and amount of energy (Heat).

Most mineral compound exist in three physical states (Phases):
Liquid, Vapor and Solid.
The heat added to the system and the degree of excitation determines the state of matter.
Liquid
The three phases coexist in equilibrium at a certain temperature and (Water)
pressure, which is called “Triple Point”.
Triple Point of water is at a temperature of 273.16 K, and an absolute

pressure of 0.006112 bar.
Solid Vapor
If pressure is reduced further than this value, the Ice never melts, it (Ice) (Steam)
directly turns into steam (Sublimation).

1.2.1 Ice.
In Ice, water molecules are locked together, forming a Lattice structure.
Water molecules only vibrate around the mean bond position.
When heat is added to ice, the molecules begin to vibrate more, and some
bond are even broken.
The solid begins to melt and change into liquid.
Heat breaks the Lattice structure till all the ice is changed into liquid,
this is called “Heat of Melting”.
Through melting, the phase is changed into liquid, and density also
changes.

1.2.2 Water.
In water, molecules free to move but still have a strong attraction force
together.
Heat added to the system causes such molecules to move faster and raise the
temperature of water till boiling begins.
Hydroelectricity is electricity obtained from hydropower.

Hydroelectric power comes from water driving a water turbine connected to
a generator.
Hydroelectricity is a low-cost, non-polluting, renewable energy source.
Water is widely used in chemical reactions as a solvent or reactant.

1.2.3 Steam.
Steam is the vapor phase of water, when heat is added to a boiling water liquid, molecules
overcome the attraction force and set free to escape.
When heat is added to water, it begins to heat to its boiling point “Sensible Heat”.
After all water has been at its boiling point, steam bubbles appear “Latent Heat” , in this case
Evaporation occurs and steam is saturated.
Steam produced at liquid water’s boiling point is called “Saturated steam”.

More heat can be added further to saturated steam to form “Superheated steam”.
Enthalpy of Saturated Steam:
hg : Total Enthalpy of saturated Steam, Kj/Kg.

hf : Liquid Enthalpy (Sensible Heat), Kj/Kg.
hfg : Latent Heat of Vaporization, Kj/Kg.
Water is plentiful and inexpensive.
Water is non-hazardous to health and environmentally-friend.
Steam is safe, and an efficient carrier of energy, steam can hold five to six times as much as potential
energy that an equivalent mass of water can hold.
Steam is used to convey energy to long distances, as it flows according to pressure drop, it needs no
pumping.
Due to its low cost of installation, production and distribution, end users preferred to install Steam
System rather than using other heating systems like “Water”, “Gas-fired”, “Electric” or “Thermal”
systems.
Steam can surround or be directly injected to the object to-be-heated.
Steam can fill all the space that it is used in, this provides uniform distribution of heat.
Steam has perfect thermal properties that make is possible to use only small surface area to achieve a
specific heat transfer process, this make a plant so compact.
Steam is sterile, this makes it being used in hospitals, food and pharmaceutical industries.
Steam is also used as a fire-extinguishing agent.

Fire-extinguisher Environmentally-safe and
non-hazardous.
Sterile component Efficient energy carrier

(Requires small area)
Requires no pumping to flow. Low cost of installation,

production and distribution.

Steam is traditionally created by heating a boiler via burning coal and other fuels, but it is also
possible to create steam with solar energy.
Water vapor that includes water droplets is described as wet steam.
As wet steam is heated further, the droplets evaporate, and at a high enough temperature (which
depends on the pressure) all of the water evaporates and the system is in Vapor-liquid Equilibrium
(VLE).

9 February 2021 How steamHelmy
Eng. Mohammad is produced.
Abu Zahra-Private 22
Steam is the vapor phase of water, when heat is added to a boiling water liquid, molecules
overcome the attraction force and set free to escape.
When heat is added to water, it begins to heat to its boiling point “Sensible Heat”.
After all water has been at its boiling point, steam bubbles appear “Latent Heat” , in this case
Evaporation occurs and steam is saturated.
Steam produced at liquid water’s boiling point is called “Saturated steam”.
Enthalpy of Saturated Steam:
hg : Total Enthalpy of saturated Steam, Kj/Kg.

hf : Liquid Enthalpy (Sensible Heat), Kj/Kg.
hfg : Latent Heat of Vaporization, Kj/Kg.

1.4.1.1 Enthalpy of Saturated Steam:
Enthalpy of saturated steam can be found graphically via the shown graph, or by using steam tables:
Saturated Liquid Region

Superheated Steam Region
Liquid and Vapor Region

1.4.1.2 Dryness of Saturated Steam
Beginning with cold water, we need to add heat so that water begins to warm.
As long as more heat is added, water temperature increases, some molecules manage to break the
attraction force between molecules, and bubble away.
Because of turbulence in a boiler, it is rarely possible to produce a 100% dry steam.
If steam contains a 5% water by mass, the produce steam is expressed as a 95% dry steam….. So, the
dryness fraction (X) is 0.95.
As such steam is only 95% dry, it contains less energy rather than a 100% dry steam, the actual
enthalpy of vaporization equals to:
0.95 x Dryness fraction.
The actual total enthalpy is:

hg = hf + hfg . X
The Actual Specific Volume (Vg) equals to :

Vg . X
1.4.1.3 Applications of Saturated Steam:
A) Heating Medium:
Saturated steam is used as a heating medium.
Heat of Condensation is extracted from saturated steam to the process

to be heated.
Such application is used in reboilers and distillation towers.

B) Stripping by Steam:
Saturated steam’s is used to add its partial pressure to the process being heated
to speed up boiling.
Stripping steam is injected to the unstabilized fractions to blow-off any light

components.
VOCs can also be steam-stripped in waste water treatment

processes.
Stripping is a physical separation operation where one or more components are

removed from a liquid stream by a vapor stream.
In industrial applications the liquid and vapor streams can have co-current or
countercurrent flows. Stripping is usually carried out in either a packed or
trayed column.

C) Steam for Drainage Trenches:
During maintenance activities of a hydrocarbon tank or

equipment, hydrocarbons are drained from such equipment to
drainage trenches and pipelines.
Being open to the atmosphere and containing a HC fraction,

such trenches are a hazard area where fires and explosions are
predictable.
Thus saturated steam is added to the trench to snuff the HCs.
Steam is also useful to avoid freezing of heavy HCs in clod climates and prevent drainage facility
blockage.
D) Steam for Tracing:
Steam-tracing is a vital element in the reliable operation of pipelines,

storage tanks and vessels.
A steam-tracer is a small steam pipe rolled along the outer surface of

the system to be heated (commonly a process pipe).
The two pipes –steam and process- are insulated together.
Heat is transferred from steam to the process by conduction, this

prevents the process medium from freezing.

E) Steam for Atomization in Burners:
Steam atomization is a process where steam is used to

mechanically separate a fluid.
In some burners, for example, steam is injected into the fuel in

order to maximize combustion efficiency and minimize the
production of hydrocarbons (soot).
Applied in Boilers and Fired Heaters.

F) Steam for Smokeless Flaring:

Steam is mixed with Waste gases to be flared and also injected to
the produced Flue gases for dilution and distortion.
Saturated steam is either injected centrally within the gases to be

flared, or used at the flare’s tip in upper steam ring.

G) Steam-cleaning (Soot Blowing):
Steam is used to clean a wide range of surfaces.
One example from industry, is the use of steam in soot

blowers.
Fired heaters that use oil or coal as the fuel source must be
equipped with soot blowers for cyclic cleaning of convection
tubes and removing combusted deposits from convection
surfaces to maintain heat transfer at high efficiency.

H) Steam for Humidification (HVAC):
Many large commercial and industrial facilities, especially in colder climates, use low pressure
saturated steam as the predominant heat source for indoor seasonal heating.
HVAC coils, often combined with steam humidifiers,
Air out
Air in

If the saturated steam passes through a surface having a higher temperature, its temperature will
increase above the evaporation temperature.
Such steam is then describe to be “Superheated Steam” due to being heated to temperatures over its
saturation temperature.
Superheated steam heated to 200 – 800°C (392 - 1472°F) at atmospheric pressure.
If saturated steam (a mixture of both gas and saturated vapor) is heated at constant pressure, its
temperature will also remain constant as the vapor quality (think dryness, or percent saturated
vapor) increases towards 100%, and becomes dry (i.e., no saturated liquid) saturated steam.
Continued heat input will then "super" heat the dry saturated steam.
Thus, superheating occurs in a heat exchanger that can be attached to the boiler itself (where
superheat is supplied by flue gases) or can be separated fired heater.

Steam superheaters usually are convection section tubes of fired heaters.

hf
hg
Dryness Fraction

1.4.2.1 Enthalpy of Superheated Steam:
At one pressure, it is possible to superheat steam to various temperatures.
Saturated Liquid Region
Superheated Steam Region
Liquid and Vapor Region

1.4.2.2 Applications of Superheated Steam
A) Driving a Turbine:
Superheated steam’s pressure energy is extracted by being supplied to a

set of nozzles, where it is directed to the rotor, this causes the rotor to
turn.
Steam leaving the turbine contains less energy.
Turbines have sets of blades (Stages) installed along one rotor, this
means that each stage extracts a portion of steam energy, and delivers its
exhaust steam to the next stage.
This means that steam pressure is reduced, and steam becomes wetter as
long as it passes through the turbine. So, it is a must to use superheated
steam to avoid wetting Turbine blades that will lead to blade erosion.

Turbine’s produced work can be utilized for Electric power generation, or supplying a driving force for other rotary
equipment.

Steam turbine and its blades.

B) Locomotives:

C) Steam Boats:

D) Steam-powered Hammers:

E) Pest Control (Soil Steaming):

2
Steam and Condensate Loop

2.1 Boiler:
Boiler is the heart of a Steam Plant.
Boilers use burners to send heat to water to be vaporized.
Throughout boiler’s operation, heat is transferred to water,

water is heated till its bubble point where bubbles of steam
begin to appear.
When steam is pressurized, it occupies less space, that is

why boilers operate under pressure to produce more
quantities of steam.
If needed, such high-pressure steam can be depressurized through “Let-down Stations”.

2.2 Boiler Feed Water (BFW):
The quality of water introduced to the boiler is very important.
Quality of water is important to protect the boiler from damage.
That is why raw water must be chemically-treated before being fed to the boiler.
Water must be fed to the boiler at more than 80 ̊C to protect boiler from “Thermal Shocks”.
Raw water is treated and heated in a tank that is situated above the boiler itself.
In such tank (Deaerator), chemicals and steam are added to reduce water impurities, dissolved
Oxygen is blown-off and water is heated.
Finally, treated and heated water is pumped to the boiler and steam is generated,

Typical BFW Deaerator Schematic.
Typical BFW Deaerator Graphic.
2.3 Blow-down:
Chemical dosing in the boiler feed water leads to the formation of some suspended solids
that collect at the bottom of boiler.
These solids, specially “Silicates”, are so bad when entrained in the produced steam.
These collected solids form what is called “Sludge”.
Such sludge is remove through the bottom of boiler, this is

carried out manually or automatically.
As steam is produced, other suspended solids remain in

boiler’s water, and their concentration increases.
Blow-down is a perfect solution for both problems.
Blow-down is about 10% of the make-up BFW.

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad
Scales accumulated Helmy
inside Abu Zahra-Private
a small-scale boiler by time. 54
Problems caused by Silicates:
1- Drying-out at Steam Superheater:

Silicates form scales that lead to superheater tubes’ overheating and
failure.
2- Depositing in Turbine Blades:

Such scales lead to breaking-off turbine’s blades, causing turbine
vibration, unbalancing turbine’s rotor, and finally turbine failure.
3- Fouling in Vacuum Systems:

Scales cause fouling in vacuum systems like steam jet ejectors.

2.4 Water Level Control:
Water level inside the boiler must be carefully controlled. If not, the
consequences could be catastrophic.
If water level becomes too low, the fire tubes are exposed to over-
heating and failure, this leads to explosions.
If water level becomes too high, water goes through the steam system,
and upsets the downstream processes.
For this reason, automatic control system and liquid level alarms are
used.

2.5 Steam Strainer:
It is a must to ensure that steam flowing from the boiler station is at the
right conditions.
Simply, strainer is a mesh screen. When steam passes through, any debits
will be retained in the mesh.
By time, the mesh becomes blocked and cleaning is needed.
Pressure difference between two points before and after the strainer is an
indication of being blocked.
Strainer type is measured by various figures:

- Mesh number.
- Perforation size.
- Percent of opening area.

Different strainers’ mesh numbers.
2.6 Steam-moisture Separator:
Steam flowing through the plant must be perfectly dry to provide

efficient heat carrying.
Steam-moisture separator uses a series of baffle plates that

steam hits, and liquid drops out.
Moisture droplets collect at the bottom of separator and then

drained.

2.7 Steam Condensate:
When steam enters the steam-using equipment, first, the equipment begins to warm, after that, heat
is transferred form steam to the process.
As steam loses heat, it begins to condense, this forms “Steam Condensate”.
Steam condensate flows at the bottom section of steam pipe.
Such condensate needs to be remove from steam pipes to avoid any further problems.
Steam condensate causes some problems like “Hammering”.

2.8 Steam Condensate Recovery:
An important feature of a process plant is the “Steam Condensate Recovery”.
About 10% of steam generation cost is saved by recovering steam

condensate……..
1- Steam condensate contains few “Silicates”, thus no blow down is required.
2- No chemical treatment or deaeration is needed
3- No energy is needed for preheating, away from BFW.

@ a constant Pressure
T, ⁰C
(Superheated Steam)
Liquid @ Boiling Point Steam @ Boiling Point

(Saturated Steam)
Latent heat
Boiling Point
In-take
Temperature
Heat input, KJ
T
Superheated steam
Subcooled liquid
P
Liquid + Vapor
Saturated steam
Saturated water
Mollier P-H diagram for water.

P
Subcooled liquid
T
Superheated steam
Saturated
water
Saturated steam
Liquid + Vapor
Mollier T-S diagram for water.

3
Boiler’s Package
(Steam Generators)

Boilers are also called “Steam generators” are closed vessels made of
steel and used for generation of steam by vaporizing water through
combustion of fuels like coal, coke, oil, wood, and natural gas.
The hot water or steam under pressure is then usable for transferring the
heat to a process.
When water is boiled into steam, its volume increases about 1,600 times, producing a
force that is almost as explosive as gunpowder.
Boilers can be classified into:

1. Utility steam generator.
2. Industrial steam generator.
3. Marine steam generator.

Volume of steam = 1603 x Volume of liquid water

The boiler system comprises of: feed water system, steam system and fuel system.
Boiler Feed water system (BFW):

It provides water to the boiler and regulates it automatically to meet the steam
demand.
There are two sources of water supplied to the boiler: the steam condensate and
make-up fresh BFW
Various valves provide access for maintenance and repair.
Steam system:
It collects and controls the steam produced in the boiler.
Steam is directed through a piping system to the point of use.
Throughout the system, steam pressure is regulated using valves and checked with
steam pressure gauges.
Fuel system:`
It includes all equipment used to provide fuel to generate the necessary heat. The
equipment required in the fuel system depends on the type of fuel used in the
system.

Boiler’s three systems.
Boilers are classified according to many categories:
Orientation:
Vertical or Horizontal.
Portability:
Stationary:
Power plants, industrial, central heating and combined power and heating.
Portable:
Locomotive or Marine
Fuel used:
Solid, Liquid or Gas Fired.
Types
Industrial Classification:
Fire(Smoke) Tube:
Water Tube:
Classification according to mode of circulation:

Natural circulation (Thermosyphon)
Forced circulation (Pumping).
Fire-tube boilers.
Water-tube boilers.
Water partially fills a boiler barrel with a small volume left above to
accommodate the steam (steam space).
This is the type of boiler used in nearly all steam locomotives. The
heat source is inside a furnace or firebox that has to be kept
permanently surrounded by the water.
Fire-tube boilers usually have a comparatively low rate of steam

production (Max. 25 TPH, and 17.5 bar), but high steam storage
capacity.
Fire-tube boilers mostly burn solid fuels, but are readily adaptable to
those of the liquid or gas variety.
Fire-tube boiler can be one, Two, or three passes of flue gases

through its shell.

Schematic for a fire-tube boiler.
How a fire-tube boiler works.
A view of a fire-tube boiler.

One, two, and three-pass fire-tube boiler.
3 Passes
2 Passes
1 Pass
Advantages: Disadvantages:
Large volume of water, therefore more Not suitable for high-pressure
flexible and can meet the sudden demand of applications : 1.72 Mpa and above.
steam.
Simple mechanical construction, so greater Limitation for high-capacity steam

reliability. generation.
Low in first cost.

Simple to fabricate and transport, occupies
less floor space.
Wide range of steam generation capacities.

Water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire.
Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the
steam-generating tubes.
The heated water then rises into the steam drum. Here, saturated steam is
drawn off the top of the drum. In some services, the steam will reenter the
furnace through a superheater to become superheated.
Cool water at the bottom of the steam drum returns to the feed water drum via
large-bore 'down comer tubes', where it pre-heats the feed water supply.
To increase economy of the boiler, exhaust gases are also used to pre-heat the
air blown into the furnace and warm the feed water supply.

How a water-tube boiler works.
A water-tube boiler.
A water-tube boiler.
Advantages: Disadvantages:
Available in sizes that are far greater than fire- High initial capital cost.
tube boilers.
Cleaning is more difficult due to it
Able to handle higher steam pressures up to 35 design.
MPa.
No commonality between tubes.
Have higher ability to reach higher
temperatures (superheating).
Physical size is an issue to matter.

A) Natural-circulating boiler:
Fired boiler with water circulates by Thermosyphon circulation through tubes due to the
density difference.
Density of water/steam mixture is less than that of pure water, thus, circulation occurs
naturally.
B) Convection-section Heat Recovery Forced-circulation Boiler:

This is a type of boiler used to recover an amount of heat that has been lost before.
Water is forced to circulate to the convection section of a fired heater using a water pump.
C) Kettle-type Waste-heat Boiler:

Waste heat energy is recovered by such boiler.
There is no water circulation, water fills the boiler’s shell and it begins to boil.

Natural-circulating boiler:

Convection section waste heat forced circulation boiler
‫شركة سيدى كرير للبرتوكيماوايت‬

Kettle-shape waste heat boiler.

An efficient steam-generating system contains one or more of the following pieces of
equipment.
All these pieces of equipment target at increasing boiler’s thermal efficiency.
Superheater
Air-preheater
Economizer

3.3.1 Economizer:
Economizer is a mechanical device intended to reduce energy

consumption, or to perform another useful function such as
preheating a fluid.
The feed water from the high pressure heaters enters the
economizer and picks up heat from the flue gases after the low
temperature superheater.
Many types of economizer are designed for picking up heat from the flue gas.
These can be classified as an inline or staggered arrangement based on the type of tube
arrangement.
The staggered arrangement is compact and occupies less volume for the same amount of
heat transfer when compared to the inline arrangement.

Typical BFW economizer schematic.
3.3.2 Superheater:
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry
steam used for power generation or processes.
A superheater is a device in a steam engine, when considering locomotives, that
heats the steam generated by the boiler again, increasing its thermal energy .
If superheated steam is required, the saturated steam must pass through a

superheater.
This is simply a heat exchanger where additional heat is added to the saturated
steam.
There are different types of superheaters:
1- Radiant superheater : is placed directly in the combustion chamber.

2- Convection superheater: is located in the path of the hot gases.
3- Separately fired superheater : as its name implies, is totally separated from the boiler.

How a steam superheater works.
Typical Superheater tube bundle.
3.3.3 Air Preheater:
An air preheater (APH) is a general term to describe any device designed to

heat air before another process (for example, combustion in a boiler).
The primary objective of using APH s increasing the thermal efficiency of the process.
They may be used alone or to replace a recuperative heat system or to replace a steam
coil.
There are different types of air preheaters:
1- Tubular Preheaters.
2- Rotating-plate regenerative air preheater:

Typical Superheater tube bundle.
Typical high-efficiency boiler with its economizer and superheater sections.
2021\02\09 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 100

February 9, 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 1

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February 9, 2021 Eng.

Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 1

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 8

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 10

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 11

This is achieved by supplying and amount of energy (Heat).

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 12

Triple Point of water is at a temperature of 273.16 K, and an absolute

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 13

In Ice, water molecules are locked together, forming a Lattice structure.

Water molecules only vibrate around the mean bond position.

The solid begins to melt and change into liquid.

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 15

Hydroelectricity is electricity obtained from hydropower.

Water is widely used in chemical reactions as a solvent or reactant.

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 16

Steam produced at liquid water’s boiling point is called “Saturated steam”.

Enthalpy of Saturated Steam:

hg : Total Enthalpy of saturated Steam, Kj/Kg.

Steam is also used as a fire-extinguishing agent.

Sterile component Efficient energy carrier

Requires no pumping to flow. Low cost of installation,

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 19

Water vapor that includes water droplets is described as wet steam.

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 20

Steam produced at liquid water’s boiling point is called “Saturated steam”.

Enthalpy of Saturated Steam:

hg : Total Enthalpy of saturated Steam, Kj/Kg.

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 23

Saturated Liquid Region

Liquid and Vapor Region

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 24

Because of turbulence in a boiler, it is rarely possible to produce a 100% dry steam.

The actual total enthalpy is:

The Actual Specific Volume (Vg) equals to :

Saturated steam is used as a heating medium.

Heat of Condensation is extracted from saturated steam to the process

Such application is used in reboilers and distillation towers.

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 26

Stripping steam is injected to the unstabilized fractions to blow-off any light

VOCs can also be steam-stripped in waste water treatment

Stripping is a physical separation operation where one or more components are

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 27

C) Steam for Drainage Trenches:

During maintenance activities of a hydrocarbon tank or

Being open to the atmosphere and containing a HC fraction,

Thus saturated steam is added to the trench to snuff the HCs.

D) Steam for Tracing:

Steam-tracing is a vital element in the reliable operation of pipelines,

A steam-tracer is a small steam pipe rolled along the outer surface of

The two pipes –steam and process- are insulated together.

Heat is transferred from steam to the process by conduction, this

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 30

E) Steam for Atomization in Burners:

Steam atomization is a process where steam is used to

In some burners, for example, steam is injected into the fuel in

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 31

F) Steam for Smokeless Flaring:

Saturated steam is either injected centrally within the gases to be

9 February 2021 Eng. Mohammad Helmy Abu Zahra-Private 32

G) Steam-cleaning (Soot Blowing):

Steam is used to clean a wide range of surfaces.