why is saturated steam a common heating medium fos course hero

by Cleora Balistreri 8 min read

What are the applications of saturated and superheated steam?

An application example of putting saturated steam to use can be found here: Superheated steam is not as ubiquitous, but still has an important use case: turbines. Since superheated steam won’t form into droplets at its high temperature, it can keep its machinery dry, saving them from becoming water damaged.

Is superheated steam a good insulator?

In fact superheated steam is as good as insulator or even equivalent to air. That's why SH steam is used in power generation turbines, where a small water droplet may lead to damage of turbine vanes. As you can the heat transfer coefficient is considerably high in case of saturated steam.

Why is steam used as a heat source in a pipeline?

Because it offers a much better heat transfer coefficient and can provide a much larger amount of heat, per unit weight/volume. In most practical applications, steam does have some amount of super-heat to prevent its condensation and related problems during transportation in pipelines.

What happens when the temperature of steam is increased?

During this vaporization process, the steam changes from a liquid phase into a gas phase that can be used and controlled in many industrial processes. But, it is when the temperature is increased (by an independent 'super heater') that the saturated steam becomes superheated steam.

Why is saturated steam better than other types of steam?

Primarily, saturated steam’s big advantage is its adaptability to temperature changes through pressure. The temperature of saturated steam is directly related to its pressure, meaning that controlling it is as easy as increasing or decreasing ...

What is superheated steam?

In short, superheated steam’s name is exactly what it is: saturated steam that’s had its temperature significantly raised. It is important to note, however, that the moment that saturated steam becomes superheated steam is dependent on the steam’s pressure and temperature. That means that once the steam is heated over its boiling point for ...

Why does superheated steam fall flat?

For other applications, superheated steam falls flat because of its high expense to produce, requiring costly machines to create the right temperature. Additionally, its temperature isn’t as easy to maintain with pressure as saturated steam, posing a difficult challenge to its users.

What happens when water is heated into steam?

The basics behind steam are simple: when water is heated, it will be vaporized into steam. During this vaporization process, the steam changes from a liquid phase into a gas phase that can be used and controlled in many industrial processes.

Is saturated steam hot or cold?

The temperature of saturated steam is directly related to its pressure, meaning that controlling it is as easy as increasing or decreasing the pressure. By contrast, the temperature of superheated steam is not related to its pressure. Additionally, saturated steam’s ability for even heating throughout allows for a more useful and usable product.