Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Bellville Campus
Department of Mechanical Engineering
THERMODYNAMICS LABORATORY
BOILER EFFICIENCY & CONDENSERS
By

Subject:

Student name

Student no

Signature

M CHAKUVINGA

213013525

CR COETZEE

212120468

T JEBETLE

000000000

T MUCHINEUTA

000000000

JN PETER

000000000

APT200S
Lecturer:

S Makhomo

Evaluation Criteria
Introduction: (Aim for each lab, Background, List of the apparatus, Procedure etc)

10%

Result: (Calculations, Correct method, etc)

55%

Explanations (did you explain what you are doing rather than put formulas.)

10%

Discussion: (Discussion of the results, do they make sense? Any possible errors, etc)

10%

Conclusion and Recommendations: (Did we achieve our aims? What do we need to

do to improve our results)

5%

Presentation, layout and neatness: (Cover page, Typed/ print neat, report format, etc)

10%

Total

100%

Date of submission:

1. Introduction: (Aim for each lab, Background, List of the apparatus,

Procedure etc.)

1.1 Aim
The aim of the experiment is determine the boiler efficiency, Equivalent
evaporation and the Rankine efficiency.

1.2 Background
A boiler is an apparatus used to produce steam. Thermal energy released by
combusting of fuel is used to produce steam at the desired temperature and
pressure. The steam produced is used to produce mechanical work by expanding it
in a steam turbine.
1.2.1 Boiler efficiency
Boiler efficiency is the ratio between the heat transferred to the feed water being
converted to steam, and the heat supplied by the complete combustion of the fuel.
Heat output
100
Heat input
M s ( hwetto) /( M f / s CV ) 100
Boiler efficiency

1.2.2 Equivalent evaporation

Equivalent evaporation is the amount of water at 100C which can be converted
into steam at 100C by heating 1kg of fuel. In the lab diesel was used as fuel.
Equivalent evaporation of a boiler: this is used for comparison total energy
received by steam = (h2-h1)
Water enthalpy of evaporation 2257 kJ/kg at 100C

Heat output
Heat input
M s (hwetto )

M f / s 2256.7

Equivalent evaporation

kg steam / kg fuel
1.2.3 Rankine efficiency
The Rankine cycle is a model that is used to predict the performance of steam engines. The
Rankine cycle is an idealised thermodynamic cycle of a heat engine that converts heat into
mechanical work. The heat is supplied externally to a closed loop, which usually uses water as
the working fluid. It is given by the formula below:

Rankine efficiency ( h1 h2 ) /( h1 h3 ) 100

1.3 List of apparatus

Pressure gauges.
Calorimeters for determining the calorific value of fuel and the quality of steam
Tanks and platform scales for weighing water (or water meters calibrated in place).
Condenser, Boiler (Economizer, Evaporator, Super heater), Stop watch.
Thermometer.

1.4 Procedure
In this experiment, diesel was used as fuel to produce the heat and it was burned at
a rate of 0.361 kg/min. The heat produced was used to boil the water in the
evaporator to produce steam.
Water was pumped from the hot well and fed into the economizer to increase its
liquid enthalpy. From the economizer hot water was then sent to the evaporator, a
component which transformed it into wet steam at a constant pressure. From the

evaporator wet steam was then sent to the super heater, a component which
operates at the same pressure with the evaporator. The temperature of the steam
was then increased by high temperature flue gasses which are channelled from the
combustion chamber on to the superheater. This increase in temperature improved
the quality of the steam by reducing the amount of water vapour in the steam. After
super heating, the quality of steam was then determined by siphoning some of the
steam from the supply line into a combined calorimeter.
Superheated steam in the supply line was then used to drive the turbine, from the
turbine it was sent to a low pressure condenser to reject the remaining heat energy
thus obeying the cycle of a heat engine.
2. Result:
Readings

Volume of fuel
Time
Mass flow rate of steam
CV of fuel
Density of fuel

Reading
1.6 103

Units
m3

3:49
5.3133
45
0.84

min
kg/min
MJ/kg
kg/L

The given steam production rate per hour was converted to production rate per
minute. Fuel consumption rate was determined by first multiplying the density of
the fuel and the amount of fuel consumed. The result was divided by the time
period; in this case the time was 3 min 49 sec. This resulted in a fuel consumption
rate of 0.361kg/min.
The enthalpies from lab 2 were used to determine the various efficiencies.
The boiler efficiency was then calculated using the formula;

Boiler efficiency

Heat output
100
Heat input

M s ( hwetto) /( M f / s CV ) 100

Heat output is the energy needed to convert feed water entering the boiler at a
specific pressure and temperature to steam leaving the boiler at a specific pressure
and temperature. Heat input is the gross heat energy to the boiler.
The equivalent evaporation is the quantity of steam produced in a given steam
boiler if supplied and evaporated at the normal boiling point (100 and normal
atmospheric pressure. The equivalent evaporation was computed using the
formula:
Heat output
Heat input
M s (hwetto )

M f / s 2256.7

Equivalent evaporation

kg steam / kg fuel

The Rankine efficiency was calculated using the formula.

Rankine efficiency ( h1 h2 ) /( h1 h3 ) 100

3. Explanations of results and calculation

The boiler efficiency determined in this experiment was found to be ninety percent
a result which conforms to theoretical values published by various manufacturers.
The high efficiency value simply means that most of the energy released by the
fuel was used to convert water into steam.

The equivalent evaporation was found to be 18.18 kg of steam per kg fuel.

The Rankine efficiency was found to be 20.68%, a very low value considering that
the theoretical values of the Rankine efficiency are a
4. Discussion of results:
The high efficiency could have been as a result of low heat loss through radiation
from the boiler to the surroundings as the boiler was being operated indoors.

5. Conclusion and recommendations.

Appendix
Calculations
m= v
3
=0.84 1.64 10

1.3776 kg
t = 3 min 49 sec =229 sec
=229/60 =3.8167 min

f=1.3776/38167=0.361 kg/min

Heat output
100
Heat input
M s ( hwetto) /( M f / s CV ) 100
Boiler efficiency

b =

5.313 ( 2867.46479.7284 )
100
0.361 45000

=91.19%

Heat output
Heat input
M s (hwetto )

M f / s 2256.7

Equivalent evaporation

kg steam / kg fuel

E E=

5.313(2867.46479.7284)
=18.18 kg steam/kg fuel
0361 2256.7

Rankine efficiency ( h1 h2 ) /( h1 h3 ) 100

R=

( 2867.4642327.339 )
100=20.86
(2867.464278.289)