Other

Hudson Products Corporation

Michael W Larinoff

For multi-cell, mechanical draft, vacuum steam condensers, a design of a noncondensible gas removal system that isolates bundles and fan cells from external/internal influences and gas/vapor interchange and allows bundles to operate in a reverse air-flow direction, all of which promotes freeze protection and improved performance.

Air-cooled vacuum steam condenser bundle isolation

There is disclosed a new and improved multi-row steam condensing bundle for use in air-cooled vacuum steam condensers employed in power plant applications and the like. Specific freeze protection design is directed to the first row of tubes in the bundle by employing blow-through steam. The excess steam that is not condensed in the first row is introduced into a second pass reflux row of tubes located in the protected warm air region of the bundle. All other tube rows in the bundle are of single pass design with divided rear headers except when the last two rows are configured in a similar two-pass arrangement that protects the exposed top tube row of the bundle from cold wind gusts. It is a mixed flow bundle design because some of the tube rows have counterflow steam and condensate while others have parallel flow.

Air-cooled vacuum steam condenser with mixed flow bundle

A low cost, extended surface, finned-tube of rectangular cross-section is disclosed for use in single-row bundles of the type used in power plant air-cooled steam condensers. The steel U-shaped fins are metallurgically bonded to the steel tubes by hot-dip galvanizing; aluminum fins would be brazed on. The bottom section of the tubes that flow the condensate have a built-in freeze protection feature.

Finned tubes for air-cooled steam condensers

There is disclosed a new and improved single-row, two-pass steam condensing bundle used for condensing steam in air-cooled vacuum steam condensers in power plant applications and the like. The new bundle is divided into a plurality of identically built mini-bundle sets. Each mini-bundle set has one centrally located 2nd-pass tube with symmetrically placed 1st-pass tubes positioned on either side of it. The steam leaving each 1st-pass tube is controlled by a flow equalizing device installed at the end of the tubes. The flow of the noncondensible gas mixture leaving each 2nd-pass tube is controlled by an individual orifice in the gas piping system. The larger the number of mini-bundle sets incorporated into the bundle, the greater its counterflow freeze protection feature.

Air cooled vacuum steam condenser with flow-equalized mini-bundles

A device for condensing steam, the device including a bundle of long heat-exchange tubes extending from first and lower header means to second and upper header means defining paths for the steam as it moves from the lower header means toward the upper header means and for effecting a flow of steam upwardly and a flow of steam condensate downwardly within the tubes, and new baffling installed inside some of the tubes of the bundle to channel and separate the upward bulk flow of stream and the downward bulk flow of condensate so as to prevent interaction between the two fluids that disrupts normal flow and heat transfer.

In-tube fluid-channeling baffles for air-cooled vacuum steam condensers

An improved steam power system comprising a turbine for converting steam energy into mechanical energy upon expansion of steam therein, a boiler for generating steam to be fed to the turbine, and a conduit arrangement coupling the boiler to the turbine input and then coupling the turbine exhaust to the boiler through air cooled steam condensing mechanisms, the condensing mechanisms including a plurality of U-shaped tubes through which the expanded steam flows and is condensed; front header means at the input ends of the tubes located in the cooler ambient air exposed regions of the tubes for receiving exhaust steam from the turbine; rear header means at the output ends of the tubes located in the warmer unexposed regions of the tubes for receiving condensate and non-condensible gasses; and means in the rear headers to remove non-condensible gasses from the rear headers, the tubes being designed and constructed to protect the tubes from freezing for lack of steam by employing a tube arrangement that flows steam from the input headers not only for its exposed single row condensing duty but for a second row as well, the second row being located in the heated and protected unexposed center of the tube bundles thus insuring an additional supply of steam from the inner rows for the exposed tubes in the top and bottom faces of the bundles which require the most protection.

Freeze protected, air-cooled vacuum steam condensers

An improved air-cooled vacuum steam condenser in a steam turbine cycle comprising a turbine for generating mechanical power, a boiler for generating steam, a conduit arrangement coupling the boiler to the turbine and then another conduit arrangement coupling the turbine exhaust back to the boiler through steam condensing mechanism. The steam condensing mechanisms include a plurality of finned tubes through which the expanded exhaust steam may flow counter to its condensate and be condensed; a plurality of front headers at the lower ends of the condensing tubes for conveying the exhaust steam from the turbine and receiving the condensate from the finned tubes; a plurality of rear headers at the upper ends of the condensing tubes for receiving the non-condensible gasses; and means in the rear headers to remove non-condensible gasses from the rear headers.

Air-cooled vacuum steam condenser

An improved air-cooled vacuum steam condenser in a steam turbine cycle comprising a steam powered system comprising a turbine for converting steam energy into mechanical energy upon expansion of steam therein, a boiler for generating steam to be fed to the turbine, and a conduit arrangement coupling the boiler to the turbine and then recoupling the turbine exhaust to the boiler through steam condensing mechanisms, the condensing mechanisms include a plurality of finned tubes through which the expanded exhaust steam flows and is condensed; a plurality of bundle front headers at the input ends of the condensing tubes for receiving exhaust steam from the turbine; a plurality of bundle rear headers at the output ends of the condensing tubes for receiving condensate and non-condensible gasses; a plurality of vertically oriented water leg pipes, one for each bundle rear header of each bundle, coupling each rear header with a water leg manifold; a hydraulic balance device in the condensate drain system coupling the water leg manifold and a condensate storage tank, the hydraulic balance device providing the means to maintain a predetermined hydraulic pressure therein for thereby sustaining the heights of the condensate in the water leg pipes within predetermined limits for fluid sealing purposes; and means to remove non-condensible gasses from the rear headers.

There is disclosed a mechanical draft, vacuum steam condenser for use in steam turbine power plant service which permits the operator to turn selected air moving fans on or off in order to control the quantity of air flow over the tubes of the tube bundles without interfering with the removal of non-condensible gases from the bundles serviced by the other fans.

Air-cooled, vacuum steam condenser

There is disclosed apparatus for use in condensing steam from the turbine exhaust of a power plant or the like, comprising a steam condenser having means for circulating cooling medium therethrough in order to condense a portion of the steam from the turbine exhaust, a wet cooling tower in which the cooling medium is cooled by means of ambient air, and a dry cooling tower in which the other portion of the steam is condensed by means of ambient air.

Steam condensing apparatus

There are disclosed four embodiments of apparatus for use in condensing steam from the turbine exhaust of a power plant or the like, each comprising a steam condenser having means for circulating cooling medium therethrough in heat exchange relation with steam from the turbine exhaust, and wet and dry cooling towers in which the cooling medium is cooled by means of ambient air.

There is disclosed a heat exchanger having one or more bundles of tubes through which steam or other vapor is passed and comprising horizontally arranged rows of tubes each of which is connected to a separate outlet header. Condensate from the outlet headers of each bundle is drained into a pot having individual water leg seals which isolate vapor pressure within such outlet headers from one another. The outlet headers are of generally rectangular cross section and staggered in a horizontal direction, with the lower end of each successive outlet header to be contacted by air extending below the upper end of the preceding outlet header. The tubes of each such successive row of tubes are longer than those of the preceding row to be contacted by air and extend over the upper end of the outlet header connecting with the tubes of the preceding row of tubes.

Condensing heat exchanger

Cooling equipment is disclosed as having an axial flow fan whose blades are restrained from excessive bending in an axial direction.

Cooling equipment

There is disclosed apparatus which includes an air-cooled condenser having main and vent portions for use in condensing steam or other vapors containing non-condensibles such as air at a pressure near or below atmospheric, a pot into which condensate from an outlet header for the condenser is drained, and equipment for ejecting air and other non-condensibles from the outlet header to the atmosphere.

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Oldsmar, FL, United States of America

Michael W Larinoff