Why the condenser is needed for a steam power plant?

In thermal power plants, the purpose of a surface condenser is to condense the exhaust steam from a steam turbine to obtain maximum efficiency, and also to convert the turbine exhaust steam into pure water (referred to as steam condensate) so that it may be reused in the steam generator or boiler as boiler feed water.

What happens if we remove condenser from Rankine Cycle?

Without a condenser, you couldn’t have a closed cycle and the steam could only be expanded to atmospheric pressure, and at the atmospheric boiling point of water, wasting much of the energy in the steam.

Why do we need condenser?

A condenser is the necessary cooling step analog to the boiler. Without a condenser, the heat engine would only take in heat and output work. This cannot operate at steady-state. Eventually the steam in the cycle would get as hot as the boiler and no heat transfer could occur.

How power is generated from steam turbine?

In simple terms, a steam turbine works by using a heat source (gas, coal, nuclear, solar) to heat water to extremely high temperatures until it is converted into steam. The turbines are connected to a generator with an axle, which in turn produces energy via a magnetic field that produces an electric current.

In which turbine condenser is not used?

Explanation: The condenser is not used in a gas turbine power plant. The essential component of a gas turbine is the compressor, combustion chamber and the turbine. The air standard cycle of a gas turbine plant is the Brayton cycle.

Why do heat engines need a condenser?

A condenser is an important part of a closed-loop phase change thermodynamic cycle. Thermodynamic cycles generate mechanical energy from the transfer of heat energy. Transfer is the key word here. The larger the differences in temperature in a closed loop system the more efficent it is.

Why do we need condenser in geothermal power cycle?

A condenser is normally used on all geothermal plants to increase the power by maximizing pressure drop across the turbine. Condensing the steam at the turbine exhaust creates a vacuum (0.15 atm), thus maximizing the pressure drop and power output.

Can we generate electricity from steam?

Geothermal power plants use steam to produce electricity. The steam comes from reservoirs of hot water found a few miles or more below the earth’s surface. The steam rotates a turbine that activates a generator, which produces electricity.

Can a steam engine run a generator?

The steam-electric power station is a power station in which the electric generator is steam driven. Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. Natural gas is frequently combusted in gas turbines as well as boilers.

Why is steam turbine efficiency so low?

The compressor efficiency decrease is due primarily to the effects of compressor fouling. Any reduction in the turbine efficiency is due to the decrease in the turbine non-dimensional speed resulting from the increase in the turbine entry temperatures, as observed in Fig. 18.15.

What is a non condensing turbine?

The non-condensing steam turbine uses high-pressure steam for the rotation of blades. The pressure of outlet steam depends on in the load, therefore, this turbine is also known as the back-pressure steam turbine. This low-pressure steam uses for processing and no steam is used for condensation.

Which heat is removed in condenser?

The high pressure, high temperature refrigerant vapour leaving the compressor inters into the condenser where the latent heat of vaporization of refrigerant is removed in the form of latent heat of condensation by circulating either atmospheric air or water.

Can a steam power plant work without a condenser?

Process plants may not have a condenser just after the turbine bust certainly after the usage of the steam they convert it back to water. Offcourse power plant can work without condenser. The Steam can be utilized for other auxilliaries such as for Desalination plant, for refinery use.

How does a steam turbine work?

The steam turbine uses the high-pressure – high-temperature steam at the inlet port (1) to produce shaft power by expanding the steam through the turbine blades, and the resulting low-pressure – low-temperature steam is rejected to the condenser at port (2).

What is the temperature of steam in a wind turbine?

To maximise efficiencies, the temperature of the steam fed to the turbine can be as high as 900°C, while a condenser is used at the output of the turbine to reduce the temperature and pressure of the steam to as low a value as possible by converting it back to water.

How much heat power does a steam power plant need?

Thus we see that under the conditions shown the heat power required by the boiler is 25.7 MW. This is normally supplied by combustion (or nuclear power). We now have all the information needed to determine the thermal efficiency of the steam power plant as follows: