Mapua Institute of Technology

School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Laboratory 1

Experiment # 2
Steam Quality Determination

Instructor

Table of contents
OBJECTIVES 1

THEORIES AND PRINCIPLE 1

LIST OF APPARATUS 3

PROCEDURE 5

SET-UP APPARATUS 6

FINAL DATA SHEET 7

SAMPLE COMPUTATION 9

TEST DATA ANALYSIS 10

QUESTION AND ANSWERS 11

CONCLUSION 13

RECOMMENDATION 14

REFERENCE 15
 I. OBJECTIVES

1. To be able to determine the quality of steam produced by the MU Boiler

2. To be familiar in the operation of a steam throttling calorimeter

II. THEORY AND PRINCIPLE

Water becomes a gaseous phase called water vapor when it is heated to its boiling point. "Steam"
refers to this form of vaporized water. Although water vapor is invisible, the mist of water
droplets that form when water vapor encounters cooler air is often referred to as "water vapor
mist." You can't see water vapor because it's invisible. Actual steam, as defined by chemistry and
physics, is invisible to the naked eye. When both temperature and pressure are held constant, 100
degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) is the standard temperature at which water boils.
However, this temperature is reduced at lower pressures such as those found in the upper
atmosphere or at the top of high mountains. Superheated steam results in the water being heated
to an even higher temperature. Steam engines and steam turbines can use this volumetric change
to generate mechanical work. At standard temperature and pressure, the enthalpy of vaporization
is the amount of energy required to convert liquid water into the gaseous form, as its volume
increases by a factor of 1,600. The development of steam engines was crucial to the progress of
the industrial revolution, and steam turbines continue to be the most common method of
producing electricity in the modern era. If liquid water comes into contact with something
scorching, the result could be an explosion of steam (like lava or molten metal, for instance). The
blast of smoke was the cause of several accidents in foundries. Most of the plant damage at
Chornobyl may have also been caused by steam explosions.
Steam quality determination:

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Modern manufacturing techniques like heat transfer, control, and standards aim to improve
product quality and deliver the best possible quality to consumers. Quality checks and
evaluations are performed on every manufactured component multiple time during the
production process to ensure that the final product meets or exceeds the expectations of the
manufacturer and the end user. 1 Given steam's centrality to the manufacturing process, it's
crucial that steam quality be one of the first metrics tracked when making a product in a state-of-
the-art factory. All heat transfer components (shell and tube, plate and frame, plate and coil,
tracing, etc.) assume 100% steam quality in their performance calculations unless otherwise
notified by the end user. This holds for any heat transfer material. In most cases, steam quality is
not strictly monitored because it is assumed to be perfect. Problems arising from subpar steam
quality are typically blamed on another part of the system.

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III. LIST OF APPARATUS

Throttling calorimeter

Mercury Manometer

Thermometer

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 Stop Watch

Boiler

Gloves

IV. PROCEDURES
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1. Purge the water and impurities inside the steam pipeline.
2. Insert the thermometer bulb inside the throttling calorimeter well.

3. Connect the hose of the HG manometer through the drain valve.

4. Open the gate valve and let the steam enter the calorimeter.
5. Duration of the trial is 5 minutes
6. Let the condition of the steam inside stabilize before recording the steam line pressure,
calorimeter well temperature and Hg manometer reading.
7. Calculate all the necessary requirements needed to complete the data sheet.

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V. SET -UP OF APPARATUS

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 VI. FINAL DATA SHEET

Tria Ps=P1 Ps=P1 Tc=T2 Manometer P2 Tsat hf1 hfg1 Hg2 Quality
l psig Mpaa °∁ “Hg Mpaa °∁ KJ/kg KJ/kg KJ/kg X
%
1 30 0.308 110 3/8 0.103 100.34 565.314 2161.24 2676.46 98.54 %
4 20 0.240 105 1/4 0.102 100.23 529.65 2185.4 2676.34 98.65 %

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 VII. SAMPLE COMPUTATIONS

Trial 1
P1=30 psig=0.308 Mpaa

T C =110 ° ∁∨230 ° F

3
∗1
8
P 2= + 0.101325=0.102596 Mpaa∨0.1026
295
0.103−0.100 x−99.63
T sat = = =100.34
0.105−0.100 101−99.63

Using P1to find hf1 and hfg1

P1=0.308 Mpaa

.305−.308 563.88− x KJ
hf 1= = =565.314
.305−.310 563.88−566.27 kg
.305−.308 2162.2−x KJ
hfg 1= = =2161.24
.305−.310 2162.2−2160.6 kg
.100−.103 2675.5−x KJ
hg 2= = =2676.46
.100−.105 2675.5−2677.6 kg
( hg 2+ Cps [ Tc−Tsat ] −hf 1)
Quality X=
hfg 1

(2676.46 +1.922 [ 110−100.34 ] −565.314)

Quality X= =98.54 %
2161.24

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Trial 4
P1=20 psig=0.240 Mpaa

T C =105 ° ∁ ∨221° F

1
∗1
4
P 2= +0.101325=0.1022 Mpaa
295
0.102−0.100 x−99.63
T sat = = =100.23
0.105−0.100 101−99.63
KJ
hf 1=529.65
kg
KJ
hfg 1=2185.4
kg
.100−.102 2675.5−x KJ
hg 2= = =2676.34
.100−.105 2675.5−2677.6 kg
( hg 2+ Cps [ Tc−Tsat ] −hf 1)
Quality X=
hfg 1

(2676.34 +1.922 [ 105−100.18 ] −529.65)

Quality X= =98.65 %
2185.4

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 VIII. TEST DATA ANALYSIS

The steam quality produced by the MU fire tube boiler can be assessed in this experiment using a

steam calorimeter. For this experiment, each trial consisted of two trials. The pressure and

temperature before and after throttling in the steam calorimeter are two crucial factors to

consider. Using the pressure gauge, P1 was calculated. We measured P2 with a mercury

manometer. First, the difference in mercury level inside the manometer was measured, and the

result was converted to pounds per square inch (psi). T1, or the calorimeter's temperature, was

measured using a thermometer. The following numbers are required to calculate x: hg, 2, cp of

water and superheated steam, hf, 1, and hfg1.

The majority of these values can be obtained by using steam tables and figures derived from the

pressures and temperatures mentioned in the previous sentence. Table 2 was used with pressures

in mind. Interpolation is used to produce hf1 and hfg1. Then, using the same procedure and P2 as

the specified property for steam table use, hg2 was produced. Finally, a given formula (Eq 1)

connecting all the measured values was used to determine the steam quality x. 96 to 98 percent

of the calculated steam quality was considered to be generally acceptable. The consideration of

dryness in Eq 1 has resulted in a few minor differences between the values obtained from

equation 1, which can be compared. The steam must be superheated after throttling in order for

this calorimeter to function properly. Before throttling, this condition calls for a high dryness

fraction of steam. If the dryness fraction of the steam is greater than 0.80, the calorimeter cannot

be used. Depending on the steam's initial pressure, the steam's minimum dryness fraction can be

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determined by throttling the calorimeter because the pressure after throttling stays close to

atmospheric.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

1. What are the factors that affects the boilers efficiency?

Answer: The efficiency of a boiler is influenced by a variety of factors, such as the

pressure in the superheater, the temperature of the water feed, the temperature of the

steam, the rate at which steam is produced, the rate at which fuel is consumed, and the

calorific value of the fuel that is burned.

2. How do we increase a boilers efficiency?

Answer: Inefficient energy use is a result of the boilers' advanced age and the heat losses

that have developed over time. If your boilers are old and inefficient, you can expect to

pay more monthly fuel. The good news is that there are multiple strategies for

overcoming this issue and reclaiming the wasted heat from the building's central heating

system, reducing the facility's operating costs. The following are some suggestions that

can be implemented to improve boiler efficiency.

1. Lower the Excess Air

2. Installing an Economizer

3. Improve the Boiler Insulation

4. Reduce Deposits and Scales

5. Preheat the Combustion Air

6. Reduce Boiler Pressure

7. Reduce the Steam Usage

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3. What is a fire tube boiler?

Answer: There are two primary boiler types to select for your needs. They can either be a

water-tube boiler or a fire-tube boiler. Finding the one that fits your requirements ideally

can be challenging. To properly evaluate each variety, one must consider its unique

characteristics. One type of boiler, known as a "fire-tube boiler," has tubes that run

through a sealed container of water, carrying the heat from the combustion process. The

gas heat is conducted through the tube walls into the water, which boils and produces

steam.

4. What is steam purity?

Answer: The term "steam purity" is used to describe how little solid, liquid, or vaporous

contaminants are present in a given volume of steam. Pure steam is virtually

uncontaminated. When discussing the cleanliness of steam, it is customary to refer to the

solids content.

5. What is a quality of wet steam?

Answer: A dryness fraction of 0.9 indicates that steam is 90% dry, since 10% water by

mass is the same as 90% dry. The efficiency and quality of the heating are both affected

by the amount of dryness in the steam, which in turn affects the total amount of

transferable energy contained in the steam (typically just latent heat).

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CONCLUSION

The quantity of steam in the vapor produced and the percentage of water moisture can be

determined by analyzing the steam quality, making it a crucial factor in steam generation. Since

there is a known formula for calculating this characteristic, and the boiling process occurs at

constant pressure, we can calculate the enthalpies of water going in and coming out of the

system. The quality of the steam produced, if any, and whether or not it is superheated can be

calculated using mass and energy balance. The first goal of the experiment was met because the

quality of steam produced by a boiler could be determined with this information. This is,

however, only a small part of the whole picture when figuring out steam quality. The throttling

calorimeter is used as part of the steam quality determination process. Steam and water

temperatures and pressures were monitored under different circumstances. Steam dryness was

taken into consideration but not calculated. Steam pressure before throttling, steam pressure after

throttling, and steam temperature after throttling were all used in the calculations. Wet steam's

water particles are easily isolated, allowing for highly accurate measurements to be taken. It's

also worth noting that the throttling calorimeter's pressure values are preferable to the

thermometers for use in calculations because they take into account variations in barometric

pressure.

In conclusion, steam quality is around 98% due to its near-saturated vapor state. The reason a

mercury manometer is used rather than a water manometer is also known. The use of a water

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manometer to measure steam pressure would be futile due to the excessive water rise that would

occur if used. The steam table is a good place to look if you need a quick reference for enthalpy

values. Since the process in the setup is a constant enthalpy or isenthalpic process, a throttling

calorimeter was employed to obtain precise relations on the inlet and outlet.

RECOMMENDATION

Before experimenting in an online learning environment, the researcher suggests adding more

content and reading as background information. This will allow for the interpretation of the

results in a more meaningful manner. It is recommended that the content include activities such

as watching relevant videos and actually carrying out the experiment to provide a more accurate

portrayal of the topic at hand and a deeper understanding of the material being covered. In

addition, the researcher suggests that the experiment be carried out whenever it is possible to do

so in order to acquire first-hand knowledge and experience with the subject matter that is being

discussed.

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Reference
- https://www.edibon.com/en/computer-controlled-separating-and-throttling-calorimeter
- https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/mercury-manometer-5043049797.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermometer
- https://www.lazada.com.ph/products/branded-watch-waterproof-digital-lcd-stopwatch-
chronograph-timer-counter-sports-alarm-free-delivery-i1313526938.html
- https://dieselship.com/marine-technical-articles/marine-engineering-knowledge-
general/marine-boilers/boiler-basics/

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