Pipe Sizing - Condensate-Discharge Lines

Pipe Sizing - Condensate - Discharge Lines - Help
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pipe sizing - condensate - discharge lines - help

The Condensate Discharge Line Sizing page provides a simple calculation system for determining discharge pipe sizes. To use the Condensate Discharge Line Sizing page do the following: Use the Pipe Material selection dropdown box to choose either steel or copper pipe. Click anywhere in the box to see the options and then click on your choice. Click in the first input box where it displays Enter Value and type in the value. Next click in the adjacent units dropdown box and click on your required unit. Repeat this for all input boxes. Click Calculate to display the results. See Common features for the operation of the Reset and Print buttons. If any of the results do not have the correct units click in the adjacent unit dropdown box and click on your required unit. If the results units are changed after the results have been calculated you will be prompted to Recalculate. Note you can prevent this message appearing and perform the recalculation automatically by using Preferences to change the operation from manual to automatic. Note: If you change your mind about anything such as the inputs, the format of the results or the units, simply make your changes and click Calculate again. Please refer to the links below for further information on: Scope Flash Steam Falling Discharge Lines Rising Discharge Lines The Maximum Length of Rising Discharge Lines Glossary
Scope Drain lines and discharge lines sized in this utility are for process applications, that is, for steam apparatus utilising the heat content of steam via the process of condensation. For process applications, steam-trapping devices are sized to be able to fulfil both the full load and stall load condensate flow/pressure conditions. The drain line can be the same size as the steam-trapping device, but the trap discharge line will be sized on the amount of flash steam generated in it. In these circumstances, it is quite feasible that the discharge line will be larger than the drain line and the steam-trapping device. Drain lines serving steam main drain pockets and steam line separators are sized on different parameters. Typically the trap or trapset will be sized to match the outlet of the separator. Flash Steam When water at saturation temperature passes through a steam trap orifice, some of it will flash off into steam. This is simply due to the fact that saturated water can hold more heat at a higher pressure than at a lower pressure. At the lower pressure, the excess heat boils off some of the liquid into flash steam. Flash steam takes up a much larger volume than water, and has a choking effect on flow. To take this into account, a correctly sized discharge line will always tend to be larger than the corresponding drain line. The difference in size will be directly related to the difference in pressure. Please refer to Module 14.6, Flash Steam, on the Learning Centre for further detail on Flash Steam and its impact on Condensate Recovery. Discharge lines - flash & condensate velocities The condensate pipe sizing utility allows the user to size the discharge pipe on various flash steam and condensate velocities. The user is initially provided with default design values for each fluid, 1.4 m/s for condensate and 20 m/s for flash steam. These values can be changed to suit individual requirements, and corresponding changes in pipe sizes can be observed.
http://www.spiraxsarco.com/esc/eng/help/cond_pipe_discharge_eng.asp
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The maximum condensate velocity is restricted to 3 m/s, whilst the maximum flash steam velocity is restricted to 30 m/s. Falling Discharge Lines Discharge lines are sized on the amount of flash steam produced due to the pressure drop between the steam and condensate systems. A correctly sized falling discharge line will allow passage for flash steam to flow above the gravitating liquid condensate, and will therefore tend not to induce high friction losses. However, should a falling discharge line be undersized so that a greater part of the pipe is taken up carrying the liquid condensate, less space is available to carry flash steam. Consequently, friction losses will increase, causing the backpressure to increase. This will effectively reduce the capacity of the pipe. Please refer to Module 14.3, Sizing Condensate Return Lines, on the Learning Centre for further details. Rising Discharge Lines Discharge lines are sized on the amount of flash steam produced due to the pressure drop between the steam and condensate systems. A rising discharge line will have a natural tendency to be flooded with liquid condensate due to the lifting pipework. This increases the condensate backpressure, as flash steam has to pass through the liquid held in the flooded portion of the pipe. Because of this, rising discharge lines are more generously sized than falling lines. Given a choice, rising discharge lines are not recommended, but it must be accepted that they exist in practice. Where they do exist, it is important to be aware that they have limitations, which need to be considered for them to operate properly. The condensate pipe sizing utility allows the user to enter the condensate backpressure. The calculator defaults to condensate lines that fall below the outlet of the apparatus being drained. In this instance, the option 'Falling lines' is automatically selected and it is required to enter the pressure in the condensate system. On condensate lines that rise such that the topmost part of the line is higher than the outlet point from any steam using apparatus being drained by the line (see Figure 1 for typical example), the user has the option to select 'Rising lines' on the calculator. With 'Rising lines' selected, the calculator refreshes the page and allows the user to not only enter the condensate pressure, but also the lift (in units of length). The calculator converts this length into units of head pressure of water, and adds this to the condensate pressure to give a total quantity of backpressure.
Fig.1: Condensate line lifting after the apparatus outlet When rising lines are selected, a maximum recommended pipe length is returned. If the line is longer than this, it is
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recommended that the trap discharge line be terminated into an adjacent vented receiver and pumped from that point. Please refer to Module 14.2, Layout of Condensate Return Lines, on the Learning Centre for further details. The Maximum Length of Rising Discharge Lines There is a distinct possibility that flooded condensate discharge lines will be subject to waterhammer as flash steam, which initially has to force its way through the liquid condensate, collapses due to heat loss causing a relative vacuum and rapid influx of condensate into the void. Discharge lines that fall in the required direction of flow will not be flooded if correctly sized; this means that liquid condensate will only partially occupy the pipe cross section, giving flash steam the means to flow over the surface of the slower flowing condensate. Rising discharge lines will naturally tend to flood and are more generously sized than falling lines to aid the passage of flash steam through the flooding condensate. Account is taken of flooded rising lines by considering the net amount of pipe lift and its effect on backpressure. The condensate pipe sizing utility does not require the pipe length to be entered to be able to calculate the required pipe diameter; however, frictional losses will naturally occur. Falling lines designed with the correct slope rely on gravity to cancel out the friction losses but, as rising lines cannot do this, friction losses increase with the pipe length. Because of this fact it makes sense to check rising lines to determine whether there is a danger of the line being too long, and whether or not the line should, instead, terminate in a vented receiver, with the condensate being pumped from this point onwards. The process of determining whether the discharge line should be pumped can be approached somewhat systematically by considering the flowrate of liquid condensate at the velocity entered by the user, and calculating the area of pipe required to carry the condensate flow at that velocity. The amount of liquid condensate is calculated from the total condensing load minus the amount of flash steam formed. By subtracting the total condensate backpressure (including the static head caused by the lifting pipe) from the upstream trap pressure, and dividing it by the unit friction loss determined from the pipe-sizing table, it is possible to estimate the point along the discharge line at which there is no energy left to propel the condensate any further. If the pipe is longer than this, it makes sense to consider terminating the discharge line in a vented receiver at some point between the trap discharge and the point at which the line lifts up. It is usually more economical to situate the pump at the trap end of the line rather than at the point where the lift occurs. Example 1a: A rising condensate steel discharge line 0.5 km long Liquid Condensate velocity: Flash Steam velocity: Steam trap pressure (P1): Condensate backpressure: Lift: Total backpressure (P2): Condensing rate: Density of condensate: 1.4 m/s 20 m/s 6 bar g 1 bar g 0.981 bar (10 metres) 1.981 bar g 5 000 kg/h 1 000 kg/m3
From the calculator the required pipe size is: DN 80 The amount of flash created: The amount of liquid left: At a liquid velocity of 1.4 m/s Pipe area to carry 0.001 335 m3/s: (0.001 3 / 1.4) x 106 = 930 mm2 Pipe diameter to carry this flowrate: (4 x 930/ )1/2 = 34.4 mm 314 kg/h (6.3%) 4 686 kg/h = 1.3 kg/s / 1 000 kg/m3 = 0.001 3 m3/s
From the sizing table: The friction loss for a 34.4 mm pipe carrying 1.3 kg/s of liquid = 507.9 Pa/m Maximum pipe length = (P1 - P2) x 100 000
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Actual friction loss = (6 - 1.981) x 100 000 507.9 = 791 m As this 500 m line is shorter than the maximum recommended length of 791 m, the line does not need to be pumped. Example 1b: A rising condensate discharge line 0.5 km long Liquid Condensate velocity: Flash Steam velocity: Steam trap pressure (P1): Condensate backpressure: Lift: Total backpressure (P2): Condensing rate: Density of condensate: 2 m/s 20 m/s 6 bar g 1 bar g 0.981 bar (10 metres) 1.981 bar g 5 000 kg/h 1 000 kg/m3
From the calculator the required pipe size is: DN 65 The amount of flash created: The amount of liquid left: At a liquid velocity of 2 m/s Pipe area to carry 0.001 335 m3/s: (0.001 3 / 2) x 106 = 650 mm2 Pipe diameter to carry this flowrate: (4 x 930/ )1/2 = 29 mm 314 kg/h (6.3%) 4 686 kg/h = 1.3 kg/s / 1 000 kg/m3 = 0.001 3 m3/s
From the sizing table: The friction loss for a 29 mm pipe carrying 1.3 kg/s of liquid = 1 166 Pa/m Maximum pipe length = (P1 - P2) x 100 000 Actual friction loss = (6 - 1.981) x 100 000 1 166 = 344 m As the pipe route is 500 metres long, and the maximum recommended length is 344 metres, it is recommended that the trap discharge line be made to fall and terminate in a vented receiver at some point between the pump and the lift, and pumped from that point. When confronted with the situation that the trap discharge line has to be pumped because it is longer than the recommended length, it is usually more economical to situate the pump at the trap end of the line rather than at the point where the lift occurs. It is now required to: 1. 2. Re-size the trap discharge line on the original upstream pressure of 6 bar g, but now based on a falling line with a downstream pressure of 0 bar g, due to the line terminating to a receiver vented to atmosphere. The calculator gives a trap discharge line size DN100. To size the condensate pump discharge line. Using an electrical pumping unit which discharges condensate at 1.1 times the condensing rate (5 500 kg/h), and with a pump delivery head of 30 metres, the pump discharge pipe is DN50.
Example 2a: A rising condensate discharge line 100 m long Liquid Condensate velocity: 1.4 m/s Flash Steam velocity: 20 m/s
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Steam trap pressure (P1): Condensate backpressure: Lift: Total backpressure (P2): Condensing rate: Density of condensate:
3 bar g 1 bar g 0.981 bar (10 metres) 1.981 bar g 5 000 kg/h 1 000 kg/m3
From the calculator the required pipe size is: DN 50 The amount of flash created: The amount of liquid left: At a liquid velocity of 1.4 m/s Pipe area to carry 0.001 36 m3/s: (0.001 36 / 1.4) x 106 = 972 mm2 = 35 mm Pipe diameter to carry this flowrate: (4 x 972/ )1/2 100 kg/h (2%) 4 900 kg/h = 1.36 kg/s / 1 000 kg/m3 = 0.001 36 m3/s
From the sizing table: The friction loss for a 35 mm pipe carrying 1.36 kg/s of liquid = 509 Pa/m Maximum pipe length = (P1 - P2) x 100 000 Actual friction loss = (3 - 1.981) x 100 000 509 = 200 m As this 100 m DN50 line is shorter than the maximum recommended length of 200 m, the line does not need to be pumped. Example 2b: A rising condensate discharge line 100 m long Liquid Condensate velocity: Flash Steam velocity: Steam trap pressure (P1): Condensate backpressure: Lift: Total backpressure (P2): Condensing rate: Density of condensate: 2 m/s 20 m/s 3 bar g 1 bar g 0.981 bar (10 metres) 1.981 bar g 5 000 kg/h 1 000 kg/m3
From the calculator the required pipe size is: DN 50 The amount of flash created: The amount of liquid left: At a liquid velocity of 2 m/s Pipe area to carry 0.001 36 m3/s: (0.001 36 / 2) x 106 = 681 mm2 = 30 mm Pipe diameter to carry this flowrate: (4 x 681/ )1/2 100 kg/h (2%) 4 900 kg/h = 1.36 kg/s / 1 000 kg/m3 = 0.001 36 m3/s
From the sizing table: The friction loss for a 30 mm pipe carrying 1.36 kg/s of liquid = 1 123 Pa/m Maximum pipe length = (P1 - P2) x 100 000 Actual friction loss
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= (3 - 1.981) x 100 000 1 123 = 90 m As the pipe route is 100 metres long, and the maximum recommended length is 90 metres, it is recommended that the trap discharge line be made to fall and terminate in a vented receiver at some point between the pump and the lift, and pumped from that point. When confronted with the situation that the trap discharge line has to be pumped because it is longer than the recommended length, it is usually more economical to situate the pump at the trap end of the line rather than at the point where the lift occurs. It is now required to: 1. 2. Re-size the trap discharge line on the original upstream pressure of 3 bar g, but now based on a falling line with a downstream pressure of 0 bar g, due to the line terminating to a receiver vented to atmosphere. The calculator gives a trap discharge line size DN40. To size the condensate pump discharge line. Using an electrical pumping unit which discharges condensate at 1.1 times the condensing rate (5 500 kg/h), and with a pump delivery head of 34 metres, the pump discharge pipe is DN32.
Example 3a: A rising condensate discharge line 500 m long Liquid Condensate velocity: Flash Steam velocity: Steam trap pressure (P1): Condensate backpressure: Lift: Total backpressure (P2): Condensing rate: Density of condensate: 1.4 m/s 20 m/s 15 bar g 0 bar g 2.942 bar (30 metres) 2.942 bar g 2 000 kg/h 1 000 kg/m3
From the calculator the required pipe size is: DN 50 The amount of flash created: The amount of liquid left: At a liquid velocity of 1.4 m/s Pipe area to carry 0.000 489 m3/s: (0.000 489 / 1.4) x 106 = 349.1 mm2 Pipe diameter to carry this flowrate: (4 x 349.1/ )1/2 = 21.1 mm 240 kg/h (12%) 1 760 kg/h = 0.489 kg/s / 1 000 kg/m3 = 0.000 489 m3/s
From the sizing table: The friction loss for a 21.1 mm pipe carrying 0.489 kg/s of liquid = 1 062 Pa/m Maximum pipe length = (P1 - P2) x 100 000 Actual friction loss = (15 - 2.942) x 100 000 1 062 = 1 135 m As this 500 m line is shorter than the maximum recommended length of 1 135 m for a DN25 pipe, the line does not need to be pumped. Example 3b: A rising condensate discharge line 500 m long Liquid Condensate velocity: 1.7 m/s Flash Steam velocity: 20 m/s Steam trap pressure (P1): 15 bar g
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Condensate backpressure: Lift: Total backpressure (P2): Condensing rate: Density of condensate:
0 bar g 2.942 bar (30 metres) 2.942 bar g 2 000 kg/h 1 000 kg/m3
From the calculator the required pipe size is: DN 50 The amount of flash created: The amount of liquid left: At a liquid velocity of 1.7 m/s Pipe area to carry 0.000 489 m3/s: (0.000 489 / 1.7) x 106 = 287.6 mm2 Pipe diameter to carry this flowrate: (4 x 287.6/ )1/2 = 19.1 mm 240 kg/h (12%) 1 760 kg/h = 0.489 kg/s / 1 000 kg/m3 = 0.000 489 m3/s
From the sizing table: The friction loss for a 19.1 mm pipe carrying 0.489 kg/s of liquid = 1 790 Pa/m Maximum pipe length = (P1 - P2) x 100 000 Actual friction loss = (15 - 2.942) x 100 000 1 790 = 673 m As this 500 m line is shorter than the maximum recommended length of 673 m for a DN50 pipe, the line does not need to be pumped. Example 4: A rising condensate discharge line 300 m long Liquid Condensate velocity: Flash Steam velocity: Steam trap pressure (P1): Condensate backpressure: Lift: Total backpressure (P2): Condensing rate: Density of condensate: 1.4 m/s 20 m/s 5 bar g 0 bar g 2.942 bar (30 metres) 2.942 bar g 2 500 kg/h 1 000 kg/m3
From the calculator the required pipe size is: DN 40 The amount of flash created: The amount of liquid left: At a liquid velocity of 1.4 m/s Pipe area to carry 0.000 673 m3/s: (0.000 673 / 1.4) x 106 = 481 mm2 Pipe diameter to carry this flowrate: (4 x 481/ )1/2 = 24.7 mm 77 kg/h (3%) 2 423 kg/h = 0.673 kg/s / 1 000 kg/m3 = 0.000 673 m3/s
From the sizing table: The friction loss for a 24.7 mm pipe carrying 0.673 kg/s of liquid = 881 Pa/m Maximum pipe length = (P1 - P2) x 100 000 Actual friction loss = (5 - 2.942) x 100 000
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881 = 234 m As the pipe route is 300 metres long, and the maximum recommended length is 234 metres, it is recommended that the trap discharge line be made to fall and terminate in a vented receiver at some point between the steam trap and the lift, and pumped from that point. When confronted with the situation that the trap discharge line has to be pumped because it is longer than the recommended length, it is usually more economical to situate the pump at the trap end of the line rather than at the point where the lift occurs. It is now required to: 1. 2. Re-size the trap discharge line on the original upstream pressure of 5 bar g, but now based on a falling line with a downstream pressure of 0 bar g, due to the line terminating to a receiver vented to atmosphere. The calculator gives a trap discharge line size DN80. To size the condensate pump discharge line. Using an electrical pumping unit which discharges condensate at 1.1 times the condensing rate (2 750 kg/h), and with a pump delivery head of 32 metres, the pump discharge pipe is DN50.
Glossary Please refer to the Glossary for an explanation of the terms used on the Condensate Pipeline Sizing pages.
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Pipe Sizing - Condensate-Discharge Lines

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Pipe Sizing - Condensate - Discharge Lines - Help