International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: Abhilash Abhinandan, Soumyaranjan Behera, Santosh Sahoo, Arpit Kavi Satapathy, Rama Chandra Parida, Amar Kumar Das
Abstract: This study experimentally evaluates a laboratory-scale counter-flow jet condenser proposed for medium-capacity thermal power applications. Steam at 0.12 MPa is introduced from the base of the shell while sub-cooled cooling water is admitted through twin concentric spray nozzles mounted at the top.This setup creates opposing flow paths that maximize the local temperature gradient. Tests were performed with massflow rates of 0.03-0.06 kg s-1for steam and0.4-0.9 kg s-1for cooling water. Results show that increasing the water flow from 0.4 to 0.9 kg s-1 raises the volumetric heat-transfer rate by up to 38%, while the overall condensation efficiency improves from 83% to 92% before plateauing once the water approaches its thermal capacity. Nozzle optimization proved equally critical: reducing the orifice diameter from 2.0 mm to 1.2 mm generated finer droplets, shortened condensation time by 17%, and lifted the heat-transfer coefficient by 12% owing to enhanced inter-phase contact. Thermal-efficiency analysis further indicates that a 7 °C reduction in inlet-water temperature can yield an additional 6% gain in condenser effectiveness. These findings demonstrate that coupled control of cooling-water throughput and jet-nozzle geometry can substantially boost jet-condenser performance, offering a pragmatic pathway to lower specific steam-cycle energy consumption in compact power and refrigeration systems.
