April 7, 1964 G.

PETER 3,127,747
DESALTING A FORCED FLOW STEAM GENERATOR
Filed 001:. 17, 1960

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 United States Patent 0 F 3,127,747
Patented Apr. 7, 1964
1 2
dium which has been used for washing out. The washing
3,127,747 out operation should not disturb the operation of the
DESALTTNG A FURCED FLOW STEAM steam generator and the turbines receiving operating steam
GENERATOR therefrom, i.e., the temperature and amount of live steam
Gottfried Peter, Wlnterthnr, Swizerland, assignor to leaving the steam generator should not be affected by the
Sulzer Freres, S.A., Winterthur, Switzerland, a corpo washingcut operation.
ration of Switzerland
Filed @et. 17, 15960, Ser. No. 63,133 Lt is an object of the invention to provide a system for
Claims priority, application Switzerland Oct. 3%, 1959 Washing out the heating tubes of a forced flow steam gen
1 Claim. (Cl. 60-67) erator which tubes are arranged in parallel relation with
10 respect to the ?ow of the operating ?uid therethrough,
The present invention relates to a method and appara without substantially affecting the quality of the produced
tus for desalting a forced ?ow steam generator, more par steam and the continuity of steam production.
ticularly ‘a forced ?ow steam generator operating at the A further object of the invention is to provide a system
critical or supercr-itical pressure of water whereby por for recovering at least a portion of the thermal energy
tions of pipe lines forming the tubular heat transfer sys contained in the part of the operating medium which has
tem of the steam generator and subject to salt deposits been used for washing out a tube line forming part of the
are periodically washed out by the operating medium of tubular heating system of ‘a forced ?ow steam generator,
the steam generator. if the steam generator is operated by transferring heat from the washing ?uid to the feed
at critical or supercrit-ical pressure, the pressure in the water of the steam generator. In a modification of the
pipe line which is washed out is reduced to subcritical system the washing ?uid is separated into a liquid phase
pressure in order to produce Wet steam whose liquid phase and into a steam phase, the latter being introduced into
dissolves the salt deposits. the steam part of the cycle of the power plant of which the
‘In conventional forced ?ow steam generators operat steam generator forms a part or used for indirectly heat
ing at subcritical pressure salt depositions in the tube sys ing a feedwater preheater. The liquid phase is preferably
tem of the generator are impeded and the water circulat used for indirectly preheating feedwater.
ing through the steam power plan-t of which the steam A further object of the present invention resides in the
generator forms a part is simultaneously desalted by pro provision of apparatus for recovering at least a portion of
viding a liquid separator at the outlet of the portion of the the thermal energy contained in the part of the operating
tube system of the steam generator wherein the water is medium which has been used for washing out a tube line
converted into the steam, the liquid phase of the operat forming part of the tubular heating system of a forced
ing medium being blown down from the separator. Since ?ow steam generator, particularly of a steam generator
the major part of the salts present in the operating me operating at critical or supercritical pressure whereby the
dium is in the liquid phase, the salts are removed from washing ?uid is conducted through heat exchangers in
the circuit together with the blowdown liquid. terposed in the ?ow of the operating ?uid through the
This desalting method is not suitable for a steam gen power plant of which the steam generator forms a part,
erator operating at the critical or at supercritical pressure,for transferring heat from the washing ?uid to the operat
because in these generators there is no de?nite difference ing ?uid and/ or washing ?uid is returned to the operat
between the liquid and the steam phase of the operating ing ?uid in the part of the cycle of the steam power plant
medium and the transition from the liquid phase to the outside of the steam generator for utilizing the heat and
steam phase is not sudden but continuous. Salts con 40 pressure energy contained in the washing ?uid. In a
tained in the feedwater of a forced ?ow steam generator modi?cation of the system according to the invention
operated at critical or supercritical pressure are usually the washing ?uid which has been used for Washing out a
deposited in the zone of the high pressure tube system tube line of the steam generator is passed through ‘a sep
where the operating medium reaches critical conditions arator wherein the liquid phase of the washing ?uid is
and where there is a relatively great increase of the spe separated from the steam phase; the so- obtained liquid
cific volume of the operating medium. The salts sep phase is conducted through one or more heat exchangers
arated in this transition zone from the liquid to the steam for transferring heat to the feedwater of the steam gen
phase and deposited on the inside of the heating tubes erator and the steam phase is conducted to a turbine form
must be periodically removed by washing out. Tnis 1S 7 ing part of the steam power plant which includes the
done according to present operating practice by providing steam generator, for converting thermal energy contained
a check valve at the outlet of each of the tube lines which in the steam phase to mechanical power. Alternatively,
are arranged in parallel relation with respect to the ?ow the steam phase may be used for heating feedwater which
of the operating medium and form the tubular heating sys is under high pressure ‘and the liquid phase may be used
tem of the steam generator, ‘and by connecting a valve for transferring heat to feedwater which is under low
pipe to each of the aforesaid tube lines in the neighbor pressure.
hood ‘and upstream of the respective check valve. When a In plants wherein the Washing-out operation is not con
valve in one of the pipes is opened the pressure in the tinuous so that there are periods of time when no washing
respective tube line is reduced to a subcritical pressure and out ?uid is available for feedwater heating, the missing
the check valve at the outlet of the tube ‘line to which the heat may be derived from steam tapped from a turbine
pipe is connected closes. The result is that wet steam forming part of the power plant which includes the steam
?ows through the tube line whereby salts deposited therein generator. In this case it is preferred to effect the switch
are dissolved and carried out of the steam generator by from Washing-out ?uid as a heating medium to tapped
the wet steam and removed from the circuit of the steam steam as a heating medium by automatically actuating
power plant of which the steam generator forms a part. valves in response to the pressure in the pipe line which
The 'amount of operating medium needed for washing normally conducts the washing ?uid to the heat exchanger
out the individual tube lines of the tubular heating sys or heat exchangers.
tem of a forced ?ow steam generator may be quite great The novel features which are considered characteristic
and it is important that the heat and energy loss caused by of the invention are set forth with particularity in the ap
removing the washing ?uid from the system is held as 70 pended claims. The invention itself, however, and addi
small as possible by recovering at least a portion of the tional objects and advantages thereof will ‘best be under
heat and pressure energy contained in the operating me stood from the following description of an embodiment
 3,127,747
3 4
thereof when read in connection with the accompanying 31 drops below a predetermined value. If the pressure
drawing, the single ?gure of which is ‘a diagrammatic in the pipe 31 rises above the predetermined value, the
Layout of a steam power plant according to the invention. valves 30 and 32 are closedand the valve 33 is opened.
Referring more particularly to the drawing, numeral 1 The second turbine 10 is connected to the low pressure
designates a condenser from which condensate is pumped feedwater heater 3a by a bleeder conduit 35 in which a
by a low pressure feed pump 2 through low pressure pre valve 36 is interposed. Blowdown water is removed
heaters 3 and 3a to a container 4. A high pressure teed from the preheater 3a through the pipe 37 provided with
pump 5 draws water from the container 4 and pumps it a valve 38. The pipe 39 is connected to the pipe 37 up
through high pressure preheaters 6 and 6a to a ‘forced stream of the valve 38. The pipe 39 is provided with a
flow steam generator 7. The steam generated therein is valve 40 and conducts blowdown water from the pre
superheated in a superheater v8 wherefrom the steam is heater 3a through the feedwater preheater 3 which is up
conducted to a ‘?rst turbine 9 and partly expanded. The stream of the preheater 3a, into the condensate ?owing
steam leaving the turbine 9 enters a second turbine it) the from the condenser 1 to the feed pump 2. The valves 36,
exhaust of which is conducted into the condenser 1. 38 and 49 are controlled in response to the pressure pre
The steam generator 7 includes a heating tube system 15 vailing in the bleeder conduit 35 downstream of the valve
consisting of .a plurality of tube lines connected in par~ 36 by means of a pressure sensitive device 41 which
allel relation with respect to the ?ow of the operating causes opening of the valves 36 and 4t) and closing of the
medium, four tube lines 11 being shown. The invention, valve 33 upon dropping of the pressure in the conduit 35
however, is not restricted to steam generators having this below a predetermined value, and vice versa.
number of parallel tube lines. At the end of each tube The illustrated arrangement is preferably used in plants
line '11 a one-way or check valve 112 is provided which where cyclic operation of the valves 16 is not possible
permits ?ow of operating medium in one direction only, so that there are periods of time when no washing ?uid
namely out of the tube lines 11. The outlets of the valves is available as heating agent for the feedwater preheaters.
12 are connected to a collector 13 from which the operat As long as washing ?uid ‘is available due to opening of
ing medium is conducted through a pipe 14 into heating 25 one of the valves 16 the high pressure preheater 6a and
tubes 15. Water is converted into steam in the tubes 11, ‘the low pressure preheater 3a receive Washing ?uid
Le. upstream of the valves 12, and it is in these tubes through the pipes 17 and 18 upon opening of the valves
where salt contained in the feedwater may be deposited. 32 and 38. If the washing operation is stopped, all valves
The tubes 15 contain only steam when the plant is in 16 are closed and the pressure in the pipes 17 and 31
normal operation and no salt is deposited therein. Close 30 drops. This causes the pressure responsive device 34 to
to and upstream of the valves 12 a pipe provided with a open the valves 30 and 33 and to close the valve 32.
valve 16 is connected to each of the tubes 11. These Partly expanded steam tapped from the ?rst turbine 9
pipes are connected to a pipe ‘17 through. which the ?uidnow flows through the valve 36 and the pipes 31 and
leaving the individual tubes 11 through the valves 16 is 17 to the high pressure preheater 6a and from the latter
conducted to the high pressure feedwater preheater 6a 35 through the pipes 18 and 23 and through the valve 33
which is of the indirect heat exchanger type. The operat into the container 4. Closing of the valve 32 causes
ing medium received in the heater 6a from the pipe 17 dropping of the pressure in the pipe 18 downstream of
leaves the heater ‘6a through a pipe 18 and is conducted the valve 32 and in the conduit 35. Under these con
to the low pressure 'feedwater preheater 3a wherefrom the di‘tions the pressure responsive device 41 opens the valves
operating medium is conducted either through a pipe line 35 and 40 and closes the valve 38. The low pressure
39 as heating agent to the feedwater heater 3 or is blown preheater 3a which under these conditions does not re
down through a pipe 37. The pipe line 18 is connected to ceive any Washing ?uid is now heated by steam tapped
the container 4 by a pipe 23 in which a valve 133 is in from the tubine 10. This steam ?ows through the con
serted which will be described later. duit 35 and the pipe 39 back into the circuit of the oper
The valves 16 are periodically opened, one after an 45 ating fluid in the steam power plant upstream of the low
other, so that there is either no or only one valve 16 pressure feed pump 2.
open at a time. Opening of one of the valves 16 causes Although the present invention is particularly suited for
a pressure drop in the respective tube line 11 below the steam generators operating at critical or supercritical
critical pressure so that the operating ?uid passes as wet pressure and described in this combination, the invention
steam through the open valve 16 into the pipe 17 . Pres 50 may also be advantageously used in combination with
ence of wet steam in the tube line 11 causes solution of forced ?ow steam generators operating at subcritical
salts which have previously been deposited in the tube line. pressures, particularly if it is desired to omit a water sepa
The wet steam or washing ?uid also carries along such rator interposed in the main stream of the operating
impurities as are not soluble at the prevailing pressures medium.
and temperatures of the ?uid in the tube line The I claim:
wet steam which ‘has ‘acted as a washing ?uid in the tube In a stream power plant in which operating ?uid moves
line 11, which is connected by the open valve 36 to the in a circuit including a forced ?ow steam generator oper
pipe line 17, consecutively transfers heat in the preheaters ating at least at the critical pressure of water, a prime
6a and 3a to the feedwater. A part of the washing ?uid mover connected for steam flow to said steam generator
is reintroduced through pipe 23 into the feedwater in the 60 for converting thermal energy of the steam to mechanical
container 4. power, means connected to said prime mover for receiv
By transferring heat from the operating ?uid which has ing steam therefrom and condensing the steam, and
been used as washing ?uid, in the preheaters 6a and 3a means connected to said condensing means for receiving
to the feedW-ater land by direct return ‘of a portion of the condensate therefrom and returning the condensate as
washing ?uid to the teedwater, a considerable portion of 65 feedwater to said steam generator, said last mentioned
the heat energy is recovered which would otherwise be means including feedwater preheating means, said steam
lost. generator including a heating tube system comprising a
The high pressure feedwater preheater 6a is selectively plurality of tube lines arranged in parallel relation with
connected to the pipe line 17 or to a pipe 31 which is respect to the ?ow of operating ?uid therethrough, a
connected to the turbine 9 and includes a valve 30. A 70 check valve placed at the outlet of each of said tube lines
valve 32 is provided in the pipe line 18. The valves 30, permitting ?ow of operating ?uid ‘out of said tube lines
32 and 33 are operated in response to the pressure pre and preventing backing up of operating medium into said
vailing in the pipe 31 which pressure acts on a pressure tube lines, a valved pipe connected to each of said tube
sensitive device 34 causing opening of the valves 30, 32. lines upstream of the respective check valve for relieving
and 'closing'of the valve 33 when the pressure in the pipe 75 operating medium from the individual tube lines by
 3,127,747
1::
I.’ 6
opening the respective valved pipe for Washing out the responsive means connected to said pipe downstream of
respective tube line, a Washing ?uid conduit connected to said valve and to said valve for opening said valve upon
all of said valved pipes for receiving the Washing ?uid a pressure drop in said pipe below a predetermined pres
relieved by said valved pipes, said washing fluid conduitsure and for closing said valve upon an increase of the
being connected to at least one of said feedwater pre- 5 pressure in said pipe above said predetermined pressure.
heating means for conducting Washing ?uid thereto and
transferring at least a part of the thermal energy con References Cited in the ?le of this patent
tained in the Washing ?uid to the operating ?uid moving UNITED STATES PATENTS
in the circuit, a pipe interconnecting said washing ?uid 1,942,861 Huster ________________ __ Jan. 9, 1934
conduit and said prime mover for tapping steam from 10 2,842,103 Profos ________________ __ July 8, 1958
the latter, a valve interposed in said pipe, and pressure 2,900,792 Buri ________________ __ Aug. 25, 1959