A steam separator, sometimes called a moisture separator or steam drier, is a device for separating water droplets from steam. The simplest type of steam separator is the steam dome on a steam locomotive. Stationary boilers and nuclear reactors may have more complex devices that impart a "spin" to the steam so that water droplets are thrown outwards by centrifugal force and collected. All separators require steam traps to collect the water droplets that they remove.

Contents

• Applications
• See also
• Sources

It is important to remove water droplets from steam because:

• In all engines, wet steam reduces the thermal efficiency
• In piston engines, water can accumulate in the cylinders and cause a hydraulic lock which will damage the engine
• In thermal power stations, water droplets in high velocity steam coming from nozzles (or vanes) in a steam turbine can impinge on and erode turbine internals such as turbine blades.
• In other steam-using industrial machinery, water can accumulate in piping and cause steam hammer: a form of water hammer caused by water build up 'plugging' a pipe then being accelerated by the steam flowing through the pipe until it reaches a sharp bend and results in catastrophic failure of the pipe.

A steam drier is also sometimes applied to a drier that operates as a low-temperature superheater, adding heat to the steam.

Applications

• Atomizers
• Boilers
• Catalyzing systems
• Cooking processes using a steamer
• Engines
• Other steam systems
• Rubber vulcanizing machines
• Steam-powered irons
• Turbines

See also

• Steam dryer, a device for drying another material, such as laundry or a biomass fuel, with the use of hot steam, rather than for drying steam.

Sources

• Nuclear Encyclopedia article; Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
• Separators and their Role in the Steam System

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