Measurement of

Steam Quality
Group 3
What is Steam Quality?
• at 21° Bat 31oC. Estimate the kilo Joules heating value stored in this
tank.
•
Steam Quality
Steam quality plays an important role in determining the
quality of final product. At the same time, steam quality is
also important to ensure smooth working of the plant and
operational efficiency. Steam quality should be monitored
on a regular basis and proper actions should be taken to
ensure that the process is getting the correct quality of
steam. There are multiple factors which determine the
steam quality. The steam which is used should meet
following criteria:
What are the effects of Steam
Quality?
Low steam quality affects steam system operations in
many ways:
• Reduced heat transfer efficiency: The major problem
with low steam quality is the affect on the heat transfer
equipment and process. In some cases, low steam
quality can reduce heat transfer efficiency by more
than 65 %.
• Internal Turbine Component Failures: Liquid introduced
with the steam in a saturated turbine operation will
reduce the life expectancy of the internal components.
• Waterhammer: Steam systems are usually not
designed to accommodate the additional liquid in
steam. Additional liquid creates the chance for
waterhammer to occur. Waterhammer is a safety issue,
and may cause premature failure in the steam system
• Premature Valve Failure: Liquid passing through steam
control valves will erode the internals of the valves
causing premature failure
Water hammer
• Water hammer (or, more generally, fluid hammer, also
called hydraulic shock) is a pressure surge or wave
caused when a fluid, usually a liquid but sometimes
also a gas, in motion is forced to stop or change
direction suddenly, a momentum change.
Types of Steam
• The steam during the steam generation
process can exist in three types:
1. Wet Steam (saturated steam)
2. Dry Steam (dry saturated steam)
3. Superheated steam
WET STEAM:
• Both the water molecules and steam
coexist to form a two phase mixture,
called wet steam.
• Which will be in thermal equilibrium
because both of them will be at the
same saturation temperature.
DRY SATURATED STEAM
• A steam at the saturation temperature
corresponding to a given pressure and
having no water molecules in it is
known as dry saturated steam or dry
steam.
• Since the dry saturated steam does not
contain any water molecules in it, its
dryness fraction will be unity.
SUPERHEATED STEAM
• When a dry saturated steam is heated
further at the given constant pressure,
its temperature rise beyond its
saturation temperature.
• The steam in this state is said to be
superheated.
THROTTLING PROCESS
• The temperature change of gas or
liquid when it is forced through a valve
or porous plug while kept insulated so
that no heat is exchange with the
environment. This procedure is called a
throttling process.
MEASUREMENT OF DRYNESS
FRACTION
• The dryness fraction of steam can be
measured experimentally.
• Calorimeters are used for
measurement of dryness fraction of
steam.
There are for methods of determing
the dryness fraction of steam:
1. Bucket or barrel calorimeter
2. Throttling calorimeter
3. Separating calorimeter
4. Combined separating and throttling
calorimeter
BUCKET OR BARREL CALORIMETER
• In this calorimeter a known mass of water
and then heat loss by steam is equated to
heat gained by water. The steam is passed
through a sample tube into bucket
calorimeter contains known weight of
water.
• The weight of calorimeter with water
before mixing steam and after mixing the
steam is measured by thermometer.
SEPARATING CALORIMETER
• This calorimeter is used to measure
dryness fraction of very wet steam. The
steam is passed through sampling tube.
The moisture is separated mechanically
from steam passing through the separator.
• The Water partials are separated due to
inertia of water partials as steam is passed
through the perforated trays.
• The out going steam is then condensed in
the bucket calorimeter.
THROTTLING CALORIMETER
• This types of calorimeter is used to measure
dryness fraction of steam whose dryness
fraction is considerably high.
• The steam sample is passed through a throttle
valve and is allowed to throttle down to
pressure unit until it comes out in dry
saturated or super heated condition.
• The pressure and temperature of steam
coming out of throttling calorimeter is
measured with water manometer and
thermometer respectively.
How is Steam Quality measured?
A true measurement of steam quality can be
obtained from the use of a throttling calorimeter.
Unfortunately, most industrial plants do not have
the luxury or capability of doing the testing.
• Another way to measure steam quality is
relying on the basics of steam. Saturated
steam is a dry invisible gas and only becomes
visible with the entrained air or liquid.
Therefore, opening a steam valve and
allowing steam to be released into the
atmosphere provides an estimate of the
steam quality in the system.
Examples
• Picture number 1 indicates an acceptable steam quality. The
discharge from the valve through the tube is almost invisible.
• Picture number 2 shows the discharge from the valve off the steam
line to be very visible with liquid being discharged with the steam
vapor. Steam quality is not acceptable for the process.
• Picture number 3 shows the discharge from the valve off the steam
line to be very visible with liquid being discharged with the steam
vapor. Steam quality is not acceptable for the process.
Steam Quality (SQ) Testing Methods and
Acceptance Criteria
When steam quality testing is performed, three parameters
are measured:

• Steam Dryness- The amount of the steam by weight that is

steam and not liquid water.
• Steam dryness is calculated by measuring the
temperature change in a known amount of water in
relation to the mass of steam that is required to cause
that temperature change. The acceptance criterion for
steam dryness (the fraction of steam relative to water –
1.0 = all steam, no water) is at least 0.95, or 95% by
weight.
Non-condensable gases- The amount of the steam by
volume that is not steam or water, but is air or other gas
that does not contribute meaningfully to sterility of the
load
In short, non-condensable gases decrease sterilization
efficacy. As with wet steam, the Sterility Assurance Level
will be less than expected if non-condensable gas content
has increased since product sterility validation. The
percentage of non-condensable gases in the steam should
be less than or equal to 3.5% by volume.
Superheat- The temperature of the steam above the
temperature of saturated steam for a given moisture content

EN 285, the European Large Steam Sterilizer standard, is the

world’s baseline authority for steam quality acceptance criteria.
It is referenced in most national standards and in ISO 17665.
With the release of EN 285:2015, the bar has been raised. The
acceptance criteria are shown in the following table.
 Steam Dryness Non-condensable gases Superheat

>0.95 w/w* ≤3.5% v/v ≤25K

*For laboratory autoclaves, >0.90 w/w is considered acceptable.

Measuring Steam Quality
Throttling Calorimeter
An instrument utilizing the principle of
constant enthalpy expansion for the
measurement of the moisture content of
steam.
Formula:
x = (vavg − vf) x 100 or
mg
x 100
vfg mt
Where:
X = quality, percentage mg = mass of gas
v = specific volume mt = total mass
Example:
GIVEN: 0.05 kg of water at 25oC in a container of
1.0 m3 volume.
FIND: Quality
Solution:
Procedure:
1.Find the proper table: Water + given T
2.Look up vf = 0.001003 m3/kg vg = 43.36 m3/kg
3.Calculate v (= vavg) = V/m = 1.0 m3/0.05 kg = 20 m3/kg
4.Since vf < vavg < vg the phase is saturated liquid-vapor
mixture
5.Since this is a saturated state: P = P sat@25C = 3.169 kPa
6.Finally, x = (vavg - vf)/(vg - vf)
= (20 - 0.001003)/(43.36 - 0.001003)
= 0.461
x = 46.1%