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Expansion joints on a steam line that have been destroyed by steam hammer Steam hammer can occur in steam systems when some of the steam condenses into water in a horizontal section of the piping. The steam forcing the liquid water along the pipe forms a " slug " which impacts a valve of pipe fitting, creating a loud hammering noise and high ...
A steam explosion can occur in any kind of a water heater, where a sufficient amount of energy is delivered and the steam created exceeds the strength of the vessel. When the heat delivery is sufficiently rapid, a localized superheating can occur, resulting in a water hammer destroying the vessel.
The simplest type of steam separator is the steam dome on a steam locomotive. Stationary boilers and nuclear reactors may have more complex devices which impart a "spin" to the steam so that water droplets are thrown outwards by centrifugal force and collected. All separators require steam traps to collect the water droplets that they remove.
Steam hammer was suggested as a possible cause. It is a phenomenon that can occur when cold water comes in contact with a hot steam pipe, causing the steam inside to condense into liquid water, resulting in multi-phase flow which can damage piping.
If a steam explosion occurs in a confined tank of water due to rapid heating of the water, the pressure wave and rapidly expanding steam can cause severe water hammer. This was the mechanism that, in Idaho, USA, in 1961, caused the SL-1 nuclear reactor vessel to jump over 9 feet (2.7 m) in the air when it was destroyed by a criticality accident ...
Thus, sensible locomotive management by the operators will help to prevent the occurrence. The phenomenon is particularly evident in areas of impure water, where boiled water creates a foam, or a mist of droplets, filling the space that collects steam at the top of the boiler, to be drawn down the steam collector pipe in the form of slugs of water.
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a form of mild superheater that adds additional heat to wet- or saturated steam, thus ensuring that all water in the steam has been evaporated, thus avoiding problems with water droplets in the cylinders or turbine. Unlike the superheater, the steam drier does not attempt to raise the temperature of the steam significantly beyond the boiling point.