Steam is commonly used in industrial environments for power generation and in heating and drying applications. On a paper or board machine, steam is used to dry the sheet of paper or board to a target moisture content before it is wound up on large rolls that can be transported, stored, or shipped. Before one can understand how steam is used in heating and drying applications, like paper machine drying systems, it is important to understand how steam is created, how heat energy is transferred from the steam to the sheet, and the relationship between steam pressure and steam temperature.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Describe the three phases of water
- Define the boiling point of water
- Define "latent heat"
- Define "condensation"
- Define "superheated steam"
- Describe problems with using superheated steam on a paper machine
- Describe the relationship between steam pressure, temperature, and latent heat
- Describe how steam is used in a paper machine drying system
- Identify the flow of steam and condensate through the paper machine