Steam System Applications

This chapter reviews the specific type of steam systems found in the process industry and some of the design considerations required for each type. It is relatively easy to see that process steam systems are used to make products we use every day. Although there are dozens of steam system configurations in use today, generally, steam system configurations can be described in one of these four types of applications: high-pressure steam with high condensate returns; low-pressure steam with high condensate returns; high- or low-pressure steam with little or no condensate returns; and very high-pressure or superheated steam with some condensate returns. There are many types of specialized steam using equipment, but the chapter focuses on four major types: back pressure turbines (BPT), hydro heaters, superheaters, and steam mufflers. When multiple boilers are connected to a common steam header, high water protection is required for each boiler.