Spirax Sarco has launched the industry’s most comprehensive range of desuperheaters for precise control and efficient heat transfer when cooling superheated steam. Featuring a high turndown of up to 50:1, the desuperheaters are suitable for a wide range of applications and increase process efficiency by allowing waste and residual heat to be recovered and recycled. They also protect process plant from damage caused by overheating.

Manufactured at Spirax Sarco’s UK factory, the desuperheaters are supplied as ready-to-install engineered systems, fully assembled with all the required valves, pumps, steam traps, controls and other ancillary equipment, saving installation time and project costs. Each desuperheater is tailored to the application for the highest efficiency in a wide range of industries, including food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, processing, power generation and oil and petrochemicals.

Desuperheaters reduce the temperature of superheated process steam by introducing finely atomized cooling water droplets into the steam flow. To be effective, the droplets must remain suspended in the downstream pipework for as long as possible, otherwise ‘water droplet fall-out’ occurs reducing efficiency and causing corrosion. Spirax Sarco desuperheaters eliminate water droplet fallout and ensure reliable, efficient energy transfer.

The range comprises four designs.

* The Spray Nozzle Desuperheater is inserted into the steam line and is easily retrofitted into existing pipes. It is particularly cost-effective for large diameter pipes.

* The Spray Desuperheater is a complete pipeline unit incorporating spray nozzle technology with an integral thermal pipeline sleeve. Superheated steam circulates around the sleeve assisting the evaporation of atomised water, eliminating water droplet fall out.

* Both types of spray desuperheater are suitable for steady loads, since they offer a maximum turndown of 5:1. Where tighter control of the downstream temperature is needed in processes with higher load fluctuations, a Venturi or steam atomising type desuperheater with a larger steam turndown could be a better option.

* The Venturi Type uses a “double mix” operation combined with increased turbulence for more efficient steam cooling. With a turndown of up to 10:1, it suits most general applications.

The 50:1 turndown of the Steam Atomising desuperheater suits applications where the load varies considerably. A secondary, high-pressure steam supply is used to atomise the cooling water entering the superheated steam.

Spray Type, Venturi and Steam Atomising desuperheaters can be installed vertically or horizontally to suit the application. The desuperheaters have no moving parts making them virtually maintenance free and highly reliable to support high productivity.