spent steam from a electric generating plant leaves the turbines at 120 degrees celcius and is cooled to 90 degrees celcius liquid water by water from a heat exchanger. how much heat is removed by the cooling tower water for each kg of of spent steam
To calculate the amount of heat removed by the cooling tower water for each kilogram of spent steam, you need to determine the change in thermal energy of the steam. This can be done using the specific heat capacity and the equation:
Q = m * c * ΔT
Where:
Q = Heat removed (in joules)
m = Mass of steam (in kilograms)
c = Specific heat capacity of steam (in joules per kilogram per degree Celsius)
ΔT = Change in temperature (in degrees Celsius)
First, let's determine the heat removed by the cooling tower water. The change in temperature can be calculated as follows:
ΔT = Initial temperature - Final temperature
= 120°C - 90°C
= 30°C
Next, we need to find the specific heat capacity of steam. The specific heat capacity of water is approximately 4,184 J/kg°C. However, the specific heat capacity of steam is higher due to its state change. We can approximate it as 2,000 J/kg°C.
Now, we can use the equation to calculate the heat removed:
Q = m * c * ΔT
= 1 kg * 2,000 J/kg°C * 30°C
= 60,000 J
Therefore, the cooling tower water removes 60,000 joules of heat for each kilogram of spent steam.