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Home > Steam Theory > What is Steam?

 Steam Theory
 1. Basics of Steam

o What is Steam?

o Principal Applications for Steam

o Types of Steam

o Flash Steam

o How to Read a Steam Table

 2. Steam Control

 3. Steam Heating

 4. Basics of Steam Traps

 5. Steam Trap Selection

 6. Steam Trap Problems

 7. Steam Trap Management

 8. Water Hammer

 9. Risk Mitigation

 10. Steam Quality

 11. Steam Distribution

 12. Condensate Recovery

 13. Energy Efficiency

 14. Compressed Air / Gas

 15. Other Valves

-- What is Steam?

What is Steam?
Contents:

1. How steam works

2. Dry Steam vs. Wet Steam
3. Steam as a Source of Power
4. Steam as a Source of Heat
a. Direct Steam Heating
b. Indirect Steam Heating

Steam is the gas formed when water passes from the liquid to the gaseous state. At the
molecular level, this is when H2O molecules manage to break free from the bonds (i.e.
hydrogen bonds) keeping them together.

How steam works

In liquid water, H2O molecules are constantly being joined together and separated. As the
water molecules are heated, however, the bonds connecting the molecules start breaking
more rapidly than they can form. Eventually, when enough heat is supplied, some
molecules will break free. These 'free' molecules form the transparent gas we know as
steam, or more specifically dry steam.
 Dry Steam vs. Wet Steam
In steam-using industries, two commonly referred to types of steam are dry steam (also
called ”saturated steam”) and wet steam.
 Dry steam applies to steam when all its water molecules remain in the gaseous state. It's
a transparent gas.
 Wet steam applies to steam when a portion of its water molecules have given up their
energy (latent heat) and condense to form tiny water droplets.

Take the example of a kettle boiling water. Water is first heated using an element. As
water absorbs more and more heat from the element, its molecules become more agitated
and it starts to boil. Once enough energy is absorbed, part of the water vaporizes, which
can represent an increase as much as 1600X in molecular volume.

Sometimes a mist can be seen coming out of the spout. This mist is an example of how
dry steam, when released into the colder atmosphere, loses some of its energy by
transferring it to the ambient air. If enough energy is lost that intermolecular bonds start
forming again, tiny airborne droplets can be seen. This mixture of water in the liquid state
(tiny droplets) and gaseous state (steam) is called wet steam.
 For more information about the nature and various types of steam, read the following
article:
 Types of Steam

Steam as a Source of Power

Steam played a vital role in the industrial revolution. The modernization of the steam
engine in the early 18th century led to major breakthroughs such as the invention of the
steam locomotive and the steamboat, not to mention the steam furnace and the steam
hammer. The latter is not a reference to water hammer found in steam piping, but rather
to a steam-powered hammer used to shape forgings.

Nowadays, however, internal combustion engines and electricity have often replaced
steam as a power source. Even so, steam is still being widely used in electrical power
plants and for some large scale industrial applications.

Steam as a Source of Heat

Steam is now mostly known for its heating applications, as both a source of direct and
indirect heat.

Direct Steam Heating

The direct steam heating method refers to processes where steam is in direct contact with
the product being heated.
The example below shows Chinese dumplings being steamed. A steaming basket is placed
over a pot of boiling water. As the water boils, steam rises into the basket and cooks the
food. In this setup, the boiler (pot) and steaming vessel (basket) are combined together.

The principle behind steaming food is that by allowing steam to come in direct contact
with the product being heated, the latent heat of steam can be directly transferred to the
food, and the water droplets formed through condensation can supply moisture.

In industry, the direct steam heating method is often used for cooking, sterilization, steam
smothering, vulcanization and other processes.

Indirect Steam Heating

The indirect steam heating method refers to processes where steam is not in direct
contact with the product being heated. It is widely used in industry because it provides
rapid, even heating. This method often uses a heat exchanger to heat the product.
The advantage of this method over direct steam heating is that the water droplets formed
during heating will not affect the product. Steam can therefore be used in a variety of
applications such as for melting, drying, boiling and the like.

Indirect steam heating is used in a wide range of processes such as those for the
production of foods and beverages, tires, paper, cardboard, fuels such as gasoline and
medicine to name a few.

For greater details on the usage of steam in industry, read the following article:
 Principal Applications for Steam
Steam Theory Index Principal Applications for Steam

Also on TLV.com
 Services
 Types of Steam
 Steam and Condensate Training Seminars
 Saturated Steam Table by Pressure
 Steam Bulletin: Archive - Email Magazine

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