Steam Superheater:

 

Example 3.6:  Oil (C12H26) is burned with 20% excess air.  Completely combusted gases enter a steam superheater at 1550 °F and exit at 1150 °F.  Steam enters at 400 psi and is 92% saturated.  It is required to generate superheated steam at a temperature of 650 °F.  Assume that there is no pressure drop in the superheater and specific heat of the product gases is 0.25 Btu/(lb·°F).  Determine the amount of steam that could be produced per lb of oil burned.  Molecular weight of oil = 170.  Combustion of oil proceeds as follows:

 

 

Solution Basis: 1 lbmole of oil:

 

C                  CO2 produced = 12 lbmol = 528 lb

C                  H2O produced = 13 lbmol = 234 lb

C                  O2 required (stoichiometric) = 18.5 lbmol

C                  O2 in the product = 0.2(18.5)(32) = 118.4 lb

C                  N2 in the product = 3.764(1.2)(18.5) = 83.56 lbmol = 2340 lb

C                  Mass of the gas per lb of oil, W:

W = (528 + 234 + 118.4 + 2340)/170 = 18.942 lb

C                  Sensible heat given by product gases to wet steam, Qh:

Qh = WCp(T1 - T2) = 18.942(0.25)(2010 - 1610) = 1894 Btu

C                  Heat absorbed by steam, qc:

qc = 1335.9 - (424.2 + 0.92(780.4)) = 193.732 Btu/lb

C                  Amount of steam produced per lb of oil burned, wsteam:

wsteam = Qh/qc = 1894/193.732 = 9.777 lb