Cyclic demand steam supply system

Abstract

A steam system is disclosed having a steam boiler (14) designed to produce an adjustable supply of boiler steam and a steam accumulator (12) designed to supply all of the steam to steam load (66) as opposed to functioning as an auxiliary source to boiler (14). Steam accumulator (12) is a pressure vessel designed to function as a wet steam accumulator and sized to provide large quantities of steam in short bursts for a predetermined period of time to a sustained cyclic steam load (66) for a period of time sufficient to compensate for the time delays necessary to adjust the boiler steam produciton rate to equal changes in the average of the cyclic demand load. Accumulator (12) is formed of a pressurized vessel having a plurality of tubes (54) therein which are designed to have a sufficient heat transfer surface to transfer the majority of energy from boiler steam to the heated accumulator water (67) through conduction of heat through the tube heat transfer surfaces so that the majority of the boiler steam is actually condensed prior to being discharged into the heated accumulator water (67).