At 01:58 PM 6/22/2011, Jed Rothwell wrote:
They measured the steam quality at the chimney with the meter. I do
not think they actually saw the steam emerge directly from the chimney.
Bummer. You sure?
Many people have asserted that the two meters used in these studies
do not measure by mass, or that they cannot combine this measurement
with the temperature to measure enthalpy. They are saying the
manufacturers of these meters are wrong, and Galantini are wrong. I
doubt it. In any case, the second test proved that the steam is dry.
All other discussion is obfuscation, handwaving, unfounded
accusations of fraud, and a waste of time.
"The second test proved that the steam is dry." What second test?
By the way, I have seen 30 kW of steam emerge from a pipe about 1 m
from the steam generator. It is impressive, but the plume is
surprisingly small. The vapor is visible ~30 cm from the end of the hose.
Easy to be confused by the complex variables involved. The
cross-sectional area of the outlet restriction is important, and this
will be the restriction at smallest area, it is not necessarily the
diameter at the end. But just coming out of the hose, it would be the
cross-sectional area of the inside of the hose. However, the flow
rate would almost certainly depend on the plumbing which the hose is
connected to.
But as the steam cools in the hose, it rapidly loses volume, so the
flow rate at the end decreases. That's why we see such a piddly steam
plume, I suspect.
Wet and dry steam generators at dry cleaners are not that large.
They are 2 to 5 kW. Here is a photo of a 5 kW wet steam stream:
<http://www.chewinggumremovalmachines.com/wet-steam-gum-removal-pressure-washers.php>http://www.chewinggumremovalmachines.com/wet-steam-gum-removal-pressure-washers.php
1.5 kW steam cleaners for home use are common. They do not produce
an impressive plume.
These things are designed to spread the steam out. The applied power
determines the steam flow, and they would then spread this out before
it actually leaves the device.
