Flash tanks for steam and boiler systems Low in initial cost, flash tanks are easy to apply and aid in condensate drainage of steam equipment Reprinted by permission from ASHRAE Journal (August 1991). ©1991 ‘American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.ASHRAE JOURNAL —————— Flash tanks for steam and boiler systems Low in initial cost, flash tanks are easy to apply and aid in condensate drainage of steam equipment By Roy C.E, Ahigren n the old days, steamfitters and plant engineers knew the advantages of having a properly designed flash tank in the right place and for the right purpose. In trying to reduce steam system operating costs today, many are turning once again to this surprisingly versatile and energy efficient device. This article describes how flash tanks work, how they can be employed to improve system operation and save energy, and how they should be designed for safe and trouble-free operation, Operation Flash tanks can be an important part of many steam sys- tems, They get their name from the sudden evaporation or “flashing” that occurs when hot water at some higher pressure is suddenly released to a lower pressure. We can think of the heat that causes this flashing as the difference between the enthalpy of the liquid atthe higher pressure and the enthalpy of saturated liquid at the lower pressure. ‘The enthalpy of evaporation (the heat required to change the liquid to steam atthe lower pressure) determines how much ‘of the liguid can be converted to steam by the heat available. In other words, ‘% of flash steam = heat energy available due to change in pressure ‘energy required for change of phase or 4% flash = hhigh pressure liquid enthalpy ~ low pressure liguid enthalpy enthalpy of evaporation at the lower pressure For example, one pound of boiling water (saturated liquid according to the steam tables) at 100 psig/338°F (689 kPa/ 170°C) is flowing from a pipe into a tank at atmospheric pres- sure, What fraction, X, of the water will lash into steam? From the steam tables, we know that each pound of water at saturation conditions has a given maximum heat content (liquid enthalpy), or total enthalpy for steam. The data from the example and the steam tables can be summarized as shown in Table 1 ASHR AE Journal August 1991 Table 1, Summary of data High pressure Low pressure ‘Amount offiquid, B 7 =-%) ‘Amount of steam, > 0 x Pressure, psig 0 ‘Temperature, °F 22 Liquid specific ‘enthalpy, Btulb Stoam specific ‘enthalpy, Btu — Total enthalpy cfliqui, Btu Tol enthalpy cof steam, Btu ° 180 1.150 4) (908) (1 ~ x) 180) 09 (1150) If we ignore heat losses, the enthalpy of the high pressure ‘water must be equal to the total enthalpy of the low pressure ‘water and steam entering the tank: Liguid enthatpy at higher pressure (1) GO) = Liguid enthalpy at lower pressure a= x) (s) + Enthalpy of steam at lower pressure (x) (1150) 309 - 180 1150 — 180 309 - 180 X= Fp X = 0133 oF 13.3% About the author Roy C.E, Ahlgren is an instructor with ITT Fluid Handling Division, ITT Bell & Gossett, Morton Grove, Illinois. He received a BS, degree in naval science from the US. Naval Academy and a Masters degree in business administration from the llinois Institute of Technology.Flash tanks for steam and boiler systems ‘This says that 0.133 Ib (0.06 kg) of steam at 0 psig/212°F (0 kPa/100°C) will be formed from each pound of water as it drops in pressure from 100 psig/338°F to 0 psig/212°F (689 kPa/170°C to 0 kPa/ 100°C). In general terms, "% flash = high pressure liquid enthalpy ~ low pressure liquid enthalpy enthalpy of evaporation at the lower pressure So, if given flow of wate, 2,000 lb/hr (0.25 kg/s) at 100 psig/338°F (689 kPa/170°C), is flashing to steam at aimo- spheric pressure, the flow of flash steam will be: 0.133 x 2,000 lb/hr = 266 Ib steam/hour (0.03 kg/s, oF 13.3% and the remainder of the flow will be: 0.867 x 2,000 1b/hr = 1,734 Ib water/hour (0.22 ke/S), oF 86.7% ‘The production of flash steam is influenced by other com- ponents in the system too. For example, thermostatic steam traps open only after the condensate has subcooled, ot dropped below the saturation temperature for the given pressure. This subcooled condensate contains less energy than condensate at saturation temperature, so the amount of flash steam for a given drop in pressure will be reduced. For one pound of con- densate, each Fahrenheit degree drop in temperature below saturation reduces the enthalpy of the condensate by approxi mately one Btu. Uses for the flash tank Flash tanks provide one or more of the following: a com- ‘mon lower pressure point for collecting condensate from steam equipment operating at different pressures; a means to cool hot condensate to allow the use of low temperature rated pumping equipment; and a source of low pressure steam for heating or process use, One of the simplest flash tank applications uses high pres- sure condensate to raise the average temperature of amixture of low pressure condensate and make-up feed water in a vented receiver. The high pressure condensate should be introduced by ‘means of a perforated pipe below the waterline so the flash steam can be completely condensed as it mixes with the volume of water, Ifthe flow rates and temperatures result in an average ‘temperature below 212°F (100°C), vent losses will be minimal. ‘Often, several steam condensing units are operated in parallel, each with its own temperature regulating valve, The steam pressure in each unit will vary widely, depending on the setpoint and load. If these units were simply connected to a common condensate return pipe, back-pressure in the pipe from the unit discharging condensate at higher pressure would cause condensate to back-up in the unit operating at lower pres- sure. Installation of a flash tank vented to the atmosphere reduces the possiblity of back-pressure and allows all of the tunis to drain, increasing their productivity and minimizing the potential for heat exchanger damage due to condensate flooding. ‘Although the flash steam is often vented directly to the atmosphere, many have recognized the significant waste of energy and water associated with this practice, and installed another heat exchanger (called a vent condenser) to condense the flash steam, recovering the heat and water. Flash tanks usvally drain by gravity to.a receiver and pump combination, Because condensate flashed to atmospheric pres- sure is cooled immediately to 212°F (100°C), only a little more cooling is required to allow use of conventional, low tempera- ture rated, condensate pumps. These pump receivers are usually vented to the atmosphere, and rated to handle condensate below 200°F (93°C). A vented flash tank is shown in Figure 1. Flash legs are really small flash tanks that have been built into the steam piping to dispose of the condensate from high pres- suse steam mains, The flash leg is an oversized pipe with end- plates welded to it, High pressure condensate passes through a steam trap into the flash leg where it immediately flashes, not to atmospheric pressure, but to the pressure of the low pressure steam main. The flash steam is vented directly to the low pressure main, and the remaining condensate passes through another trap into the low pressure condensate main. A flash leg is shown in detail in the 1980 ASHRAE Handbook—Systems,! Tf several steam loads are operating at constant pressures, ‘we may connect them to a flash tank operating at a pressure lower than the load’s, but higher than atmospheric, In this way, the flash steam can be recovered under pressure and the flash tank becomes a source of low pressure steam. Pressure in the flash tank may be maintained by connecting the steam vent from the flash tank to a pressurized system such as a deaerator or low pressure steam main, In that case, a check valve must be installed to prevent backward flow ifthe flash tank pressure should drop. A back-pressure valve could be used to con- {rol the maximum pressure in the tank, and a relief valve is always required to protect the system. The steam piping between the flash tank and the application point should be generously sized to minimize velocity and carryover of water droplets. Ideally, the system should be designed so that the maxi- ‘mum rate of flash steam flow will not quite provide all the low pressure steam required for the application, Under these condi- tions, a pressure reducing valve (PRY) from a steam supply ‘main would be used to make up the total amount needed, and carry the entire load when the flash tank is not in service, or ‘when high pressure condensate is not available. When flash steam is available, the PRV will close, reducing load on the boiler. A pressurized flash tank is shown in Figure 2. Condensing Loads with ‘Temperature Reguiating Valves CR, Vented Condensate Pump J Condensate Cooler Figure 1. Vented fash tank “ASHRAF Journal Aveust 199)