A steam power plant using a condenser is shown in Fig. 8.2. The various components of a steam condensing plant are described below.
- Condenser: It is a closed vessel heat exchanger in which steam coming from the turbine is condensed by abstracting heat by cooling water where the pressure is maintained below atmospheric pressure.
- Condenser cooling water pump: The cooled water from the cooling tower is circulated through the condenser by this pump. This pump is not required if water from the cooling tower is not re-circulated.
- Make up water pump: This pump circulates the required quantity of water through the condenser.
- Condensate extraction pump: The function of the condensate pump is to extract the condensate from the condenser where the pressure is below atmospheric pressure and feed it to the hot well, where the pressure is at atmospheric level.
- Hot well: It is a sump between the condenser and the boiler where the condensate coming from the condenser is collected.
- Air-extraction pump: The function of the air-extraction pump is to extract the air which has leaked into the condenser by various paths and to maintain the required vacuum inside.
- Boiler feed pump: Its function is to pump the condensate from hot well into the boiler by increasing the pressure of condensate above the boiler pressure.
- Cooling tower: It is essential when large amount of cooling water required is not available from the river throughout the year. Its function is to cool the hot water coming out of the condenser instead of discharging it to waste. The hot water is cooled by evaporative cooling.
Figure 8.2 Steam power plant using a condenser
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