Direct Steam Injection Heating

摘要

As energy costs continue to rise, direct steam injection pro-B vides one heating solution for instantaneous and precise temperature control. Direct steam injection is a method of heating that mixes a precisely controlled mass flow of steam directly with water or other types of process fluids, providing an instantaneous transfer of heat from steam to fluid. Direct steam injection heating has been utilized for more than 150 years, heating everything from baby food to wastewater to plain water. So how does direct steam injection work? As shown in figure 1, the water or process fluid enters at the inlet (A) and flows past the injector (B). It is then discharged at the outlet (C). Steam enters at the inlet (D) and travels down through the injector (B), where it is diffused into the water or process fluid. Heating is regulated by controlling the amount of steam injected using an actuator to move a stem/plug to expose the required area for the sonic-velocity steam to flow through the injector (B). The turbulent nature of this high velocity discharge enables steam to instantaneously penetrate, disperse and efficiently produce uniform heating.