Question

Explain in detail condensate recovery and mention benefits of condensate recovery.

Answer 1

Condensate is the liquid formed when steam passes from the vapor to the liquid state.

In a heating process, condensate is the result of steam transferring a portion of its heat energy, known as latent heat, to the product, line, or equipment being heated.

What is Condensate Recovery?

If 1 t/h of steam is supplied to equipment for a heating process, then the same amount of condensate (1 t/h) needs to be discharged from the equipment. Condensate recovery is a process to reuse the water and sensible heat contained in the discharged condensate. Recovering condensate instead of throwing it away can lead to significant savings of energy, chemical treatment and make-up water.

Condensate can be reused in many different ways, for example:

As heated feedwater, by sending hot condensate back to the boiler’s deaeratorAs pre-heat, for any applicable heating systemAs steam, by reusing flash steamAs hot water, for cleaning equipment or other cleaning applications

The Benefits of Condensate Recovery

Reusing hot condensate can lead to considerable savings in terms of energy and water resources, as well as improve working conditions and reduce your plant's carbon footprint.