• Closed feedwater heaters may be either horizontal or vertical,

depending upon space availability. Vertical heaters occupy less space.

Fig. 8.14 shows a typical horizontal three-zone closed feedwater
heater. The feedwater tubes are usually in the form of U-tube
bundles. The feedwater enters a divided water box and flows through
the sub cooling zone and then through the condensing zone, and
leaves to the water box through the de-superheating zone. The bled
steam first flows through the de-superheating zone separated by a
shroud. The vertical baffles provide good heat transfer and tube
support. The condensing zone is the Power Plant Engineering major
portion of the heater. The sub cooling zone is separated from the rest
of
• the heater by an end plate. Pressure drops of the feedwater in
heaters are usually large due to friction in long small diameter tubes
of the heaters.
Open Feedwater Heater

• An open feedwater heater or deaerator 1s one in which the

feedwater is heated.
• by direct mixing with the steam bled from the turbine. It is used to
remove.
• dissolved gases in feedwater (Chapter 2). It is located at a sufficient
height (20—25 m) above the boiler feed pump so that the suction
pressure does not fall below saturation pressure to prevent
cavitation.
• There are three types of de-aerating heaters.
• Spray-type deaerators: Here, feedwater is sprayed through nozzles
into the heater from the top and bled steam is fed from the bottom.
Water is heated and scrubbed to release the dissolved gases.
• Tray-type deaerators: Feedwater here falls through a series of
cascading horizontal trays. As water falls from tray to tray, it comes in
direct contact with the up-flowing bled steam, and gets heated and
scrubbed to release the dissolved gases.
• Combined spray-tray deaerators: Feedwater is first sprayed and then
made to cascade down a series of trays and bled steam flows upward.
These types are now preferred in power plants. A typical heater of
this type is shown in Fig. 8.15.