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Barometric Leg Defined

The document defines a "barometric leg" as the drain connection and piping connected to a direct contact condenser within a vacuum system. A barometric leg allows condensate to drain from the condenser through a vertical downflow pipe terminating in a receiver or hotwell at ground level. The pressure difference between the condenser's operating vacuum (15" HgA) and atmospheric pressure (30" HgA) pushes the water level up the barometric leg so it meets the condenser outlet 17 feet above the hotwell. For safety, the condenser is recommended to be installed 34 feet above the hotwell in case vacuum increases. No 90 degree turns should be in the barometric leg; only straight pipe or 45

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Hassan Assegaf
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633 views1 page

Barometric Leg Defined

The document defines a "barometric leg" as the drain connection and piping connected to a direct contact condenser within a vacuum system. A barometric leg allows condensate to drain from the condenser through a vertical downflow pipe terminating in a receiver or hotwell at ground level. The pressure difference between the condenser's operating vacuum (15" HgA) and atmospheric pressure (30" HgA) pushes the water level up the barometric leg so it meets the condenser outlet 17 feet above the hotwell. For safety, the condenser is recommended to be installed 34 feet above the hotwell in case vacuum increases. No 90 degree turns should be in the barometric leg; only straight pipe or 45

Uploaded by

Hassan Assegaf
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2510 Metropolitan Drive • Trevose, PA 19053

Tel.: (215) 639-0900 • Fax: (215) 639-1597


Email: [email protected]
Web: www.s-k.com

THE BAROMETRIC LEG AS DEFINED FOR UTILIZATION ON A DIRECT CONTACT


CONDENSER WITHIN AN EJECTOR VACUUM SYSTEM

The steam jet ejector is the ‘driving force’ within a vacuum system that utilizes a ‘jetting’ steam
flow through an expansion nozzle, into a suction mixing chamber and out through a
‘recompression’ venturi diffuser with the ejector mass flow discharge developing a capability to
increase the pressure to operate with a following barometric condenser. The steam ejector
supports preceding process equipment that is engineered to operate under sub-atmospheric
conditions. A vacuum system can have multiple ejector/condenser stages wherein each stage
incrementally increases pressure until atmospheric pressure is achieved.

As stated, a “barometric leg” is terminology applied to the drain connection and piping
connected to the condenser drain as a tail leg. The operating range of these direct contact
condensers are from 1” up to 30” of Hg vacuum. Since a cooling medium (primarily water in all
cases) is used for condensing of carry-over steam, other condensable vapors and non-
condensibles from the preceding steam jet ejector, the condenser has a “drain leg” to expel the
cooling water/condensate mixture to atmosphere while saturated non-condensibles exit the
condenser vent. The vertical ‘down-flow’ drain leg terminates in a receiver (or Hotwell) installed
at ground level.

For further definition of the “barometric leg”, let us say that the operating pressure of the direct
contact condenser is 15” HgA while the ‘sealed’ drain leg to the Hotwell receiver is at
atmospheric pressure (say 30” HgA or 14.7 psia). In this case, the atmospheric pressure
‘pressing down’ on the hotwell water level surface will push the water level up to meet the
condenser’s operating pressure of 15”HgA (or 17 feet of water in the drain leg piping). The
condenser would have to be installed so that the flanged tail pipe outlet from the condenser is
17 feet absolute minimum above the Hotwell. To insure that the condenser lower body bottom
section does not flood if vacuum actually increases, it is recommended that the condenser be
mounted 34 ft above the Hotwell water level. Certainly, this is not imperative for installing a
barometric condenser and the length of the barometric leg, but considerations should be made
as to potential variations in operating
vacuum to prohibit potential flooding of the
barometric condenser. There should be no
90 deg turns (should have only ‘straight’
pipe or, if necessary, a 45 deg ‘jog’ as a
maximum) in the barometric leg assembly.

The Hotwell receiver itself should have


certain criteria of design and provide a
liquid level control by installation of a weir
baffle and have the barometric leg ‘sealed’
a minimum of 6” below the top of the weir.
The Hotwell would also serve as a sump
for condensate removal. The Hotwell
receiver sump could be ‘self-draining’ if it
were elevated above ground level.

August 21, 2012


Robert Clark, Sr. Applications Engineer
Schutte & Koerting

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