13 Facts About Superheated steam

Superheated steam is steam at a temperature higher than its vaporization point at the absolute pressure where the temperature is measured.

Dry Superheated steam must reach much higher temperatures and the materials exposed for a longer time period to have the same effectiveness; or equal F0 kill value.

Superheated steam is not useful for heating, but it has more energy and can do more work than saturated steam, but the heat content is much less useful.

Superheating and pressure reduction through expansion ensures that the Superheated steam flow remains as a compressible gas throughout its passage through a turbine or an engine, preventing damage of the internal moving parts.

Saturated steam is steam that is in equilibrium with heated water at the same pressure, i e, it has not been heated above the boiling point for its pressure.

Dry steam is saturated steam that has been very slightly superheated.

Towards the end of the 19th century, when superheating was still a less-than-certain technology, such Superheated steam-drying gave the condensation-avoiding benefits of superheating without requiring the sophisticated boiler or lubrication techniques of full superheating.

Saturated Superheated steam is advantageous in heat transfer due to the high latent heat of vaporization.

In layman's terms, saturated Superheated steam is at its dew point at the corresponding temperature and pressure.

The main disadvantages are the added complexity and cost of the superheater tubing and the adverse effect that the "dry" Superheated steam has on lubrication of moving components such as the Superheated steam valves.

The superheater tubes had a reverse bend at the firebox end so that the Superheated steam had to pass the length of the boiler at least twice, picking up heat as it did so.

Superheated steam is not usually used in a heat exchanger due to low heat transfer co-efficient.

In refining and hydrocarbon industries superheated steam is mainly used for stripping and cleaning purposes.