Today, I am going to discuss Condenser and vacuum efficiencies.

If you looking for Condenser Efficiency and Vacuum Efficiency, side by side then you landed on the right platform.

I hope this journey with me, will end your search and deliver you a simple, sweet and desired answer with an ending.

So, without wasting too much of your time, let’s get started…

Condenser and Vacuum Efficiencies-

Before starting this article, let’s split these above terms into two topics and further talk about these efficiencies one by one.

So, what am I waiting for?

Let’s dive in…

Condenser Efficiency-

Condenser Efficiency is the ratio of temperature rise of cooling water and the difference between the temperature of steam and inlet temperature of condenser. It is denoted by ηcond.

Where the Condenser cools the water by dissipating it.

A condenser is a closed vessel in which a high volume of steam is condensed and steam is converted into water.

In an ideal condenser, the steam should give only its latent heat to the circulating water so that the temperature of the condensate becomes equal to the saturation temperature corresponding to the condenser pressure.

It means there should be no undercooling of the condensate, Maximum temperature to which the cooling water can be raised is the condensate temperature.

The condenser efficiency is then defined as the ratio of the actual rise in the temperature of the cooling water to the maximum possible rise.

Whereas, condenser efficiency cannot be mentioned as the ratio of output and input because both are unknown.

There is actually no standard method of determining the efficiency of a condenser but a method adopted by the well-known makers of steam turbines, Messer’s parson & Co. has been widely used in engineering practice.

Now, here is the formula of Condenser efficiency–

The efficiency of the condenser formula-

Here is the mathematical representation of this formula with a diagram-

Mathematical representation of Condenser efficiency formula–

As you know, the purpose of a condenser is to drain the latent heat from the steam, also known as the enthalpy of the evaporation.

Here is the numerical condenser efficiency of the condenser-

Example-

The Outlet & inlet temperatures of cooling water to a condenser are 37.5°C and 30C respectively. If the vacuum is 706mm of Hg with a barometer reading of 760mm of Hg. Determine the condenser efficiency.

Solution–

Data Given-

to = 37.5°C ,  ti = 30°C ,  Actual vacuum, Pν= 706mm of Hg , Standard atmospheric pressure, Patm= 760mm

We need to find ts and absolute pressure in the condenser, ie- Pc.

So, Here-

The absolute pressure of the condenser,

Pc= Patm – Pν

From the data given,

= 760-706  

=54 mm of Hg

Now, this value will convert into the bar-

So,

 760 mm of Hg= 71.01325 bar

Hence,

1mm of Hg= 1.01325/760= 0.001333

So, here we need to find out 54mm of Hg-

So,

54mm of Hg= 54×0.001333

=0.072 bar

From the steam table, you can find the saturation temperature corresponding to 0.072 bar is 40°C.

So, from the formula-

nCond=  37.5-30/40-30

= 75%

Hence, the efficiency of the condenser will be 75%, at the given condition.

Vacuum Efficiency-

Vacuum Efficiency is the ratio of the actual vacuum recorded by the gauge to the ideal vacuum. As you know, a pressure less than atmospheric pressure is called a vacuum.

The volume of water is highly reduced hence in a vessel due to the reduction of volume, a vacuum is created. Vacuum is measured in mm of Hg referred to as atmospheric pressure.

The vacuum efficiency is a measure of the degree of perfection of maintaining the desired vacuum in the condenser.

The ideal vacuum means the vacuum due to steam alone when air is absent. Under such conditions, the total pressure in the condenser will reach the pressure of steam corresponding to the saturation temperature of the steam.

If there is no air leakage into the condenser then Pa=0 and hence the vacuum efficiency becomes 100%.

The vacuum efficiency depends upon the effectiveness of the air cooling and the rate at which the air is removed by the air pump.

Generally, the vacuum efficiency is about 98 to 99%.

Maximum vacuum can also be obtained from absolute pressure by using a formula.

So, the Formula of vacuum efficiency will be-

Vacuum Efficiency,

Where,

Actual vacuum= Barometric pressure – Absolute pressure of steam

And,

Ideal vacuum= Barometric pressure – Actual absolute pressure of the condenser

So,

That’s it for now. I hope you gained the desired knowledge regarding Condenser Efficiency and Vacuum Efficiency.

If so, consider sharing with your friends and colleagues or needy ones, because sharing with your loved ones is also a form of caring and you should never miss this opportunity in general.

Sharing links are down below, kindly hit them according to your preferred options.

If you have any questions related to this topic, kindly mention them in the comment section below.

If you have any suggestions to make this place better, feel free to mention them in the comment section or via various contact mediums available on the website. Your effort will be always appreciated.

Don’t forget to bookmark Engineers Rail for convenient readings.

Want to read more? Here are some suggested articles, you should read further-

Difference between condenser coil and evaporator coil?

Difference between condenser and Evaporator?

Lancashire Boiler

Locomotive boiler

Benson Boiler

Velox Boiler

LaMont Boiler

Loeffler Boiler

Schmidt Hartmann boiler

Thank you for being with me. I hope to see you in the next session.

Here you can download this whole article as a PDF to later use-

Condenser efficiency pdf-

Before you go, here are some MCQs, you should consider having a look at for a while-

MCQs-

Abhishek Tiwary

Abhishek Tiwary is a blogger by passion and a Quality Engineer by profession. He completed his B.Tech degree in the year 2017. Now working in a reputed firm. He loves to share his knowledge with others.