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How to Figure Steam Quality

Saturated steam is steam that is in equilibrium with heated water at the identical pressure. This means the steam is constantly evaporating and condensing in equal rates. Steam quality is defined as the concentration of water in the steam that can easily condense out. If additional heat is added to saturated steam, the steam becomes superheated and is considered "dry" steam. This is critical for applications such as steam turbine.

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Instructions

- 1
  Determine the total mass of the vaporized steam. For example, in a closed system, assume the steam as a vapor is present in a concentration of 2,500 pounds.
- 2
  Determine the total mass of the condensation that is in equilibrium with the steam. Assume this value to be smaller than the steam at 200 pounds.
- 3
  Determine the steam quality by dividing the mass of the steam by the mass of the entire system. This is done by first adding the steam and the condensate (2,500 + 200 = 2,700 pounds). Next, divide the mass of the steam by the mass of the system such as (2,500 / 2,700). This calculates to a steam quality of 0.926. Multiple by 100 to get the value in a percentage, which is a steam quality of 92.6%.

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