Why Does Steam Flow From the Generator to the Calorimeter?

A calorimeter is an apparatus used to measure quantities of heat. Steam flows from a generator to a calorimeter so that its enthalpy, or heat content, can be measured relative to the total amount of energy used to create the steam in the first place; in this way, the efficiency of the generator can be determined.

Dry Steam

The heat content of the steam produced by a generator varies according to its pressure and quality. If a generator exhausts nonsaturated or dry steam, its efficiency can be determined by directly measuring the heat content of the steam at the generator inlet and outlet.

Wet Steam

If a generator exhausts saturated or wet steam, it is difficult to determine the heat content of the steam because the temperature and pressure of saturated steam are not independent of one another. In this case, a throttling calorimeter can be used to determine the heat content of the steam.

Steam Flow

Passing the entire steam stream from a generator to a calorimeter is usually impractical, but if a partial sample of the stream is taken, it must be representative of the whole flow. The generator exhaust pressure needs to be high enough to drive steam through the calorimeter or a vacuum system is needed.