Patent ID: 6484503
Filing Date: 2002-11-26
Classification: F01K,F28B

Abstract:
A steam turbine exhaust system comprising:a dual section vessel including a first section being a turbine exhaust steam enclosure and a second section being a condensate water vessel accumulation, said sections being connected by a system of water columns, said system of water columns comprising at least one very moderate diffuser for retaining turbine steam velocity without increase in pressure, towards impact with the water columns, an integral condensate recirculation connection having one end immersed in said condensate water vessel for collecting warm condensate water and transporting to a counter-current heat exchanger, the heat exchanger controlling the temperature of the condensate so that the condensate exit temperature being within a small temperature difference to a cooling medium through the heat exchanger, then returning the condensate at the reduced temperature for distributing through water dispersion pipes connected to the ends of the diffusers, said ends of the diffusers are arranged for receiving, compressing and condensing a turbine exhaust steam from the last turbine stage, colliding with a cold condensate, at the colliding location, the exhaust steam continues to flow as two phase flow, where the steam being compressed and simultaneously condensed and producing an incrementally lower exhaust steam temperature and higher vacuum at the exhaust of a turbine last stage, said vacuum being incrementally higher than a condensate water vessel vacuum which results from the rise in condensate temperature during its downward flow in the water columns.