Super Cooled

Today the Sauna Heater Team had the opportunity to play with heat transfer. This team has the task to provide a product that has the ability to heat a 6'x8'x7' sauna from 65 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. The city of Virginia, MN steam heats about 2,500 accounts, businesses and residents. The steam plant on the other side of Silver Lake burns biomass to create steam. The steam is fed through turbines to knock down the pressure to 50 psig (pounds per square inch gauge), and to create a little electricity. The steam is fed through insulated copper piping to houses around town. Our group of 4 is going to use this steam heat to warm our consumer's sauna. Three of my group members: Erin, Richie, and Deric, have had thermodynamics. I have not taken thermodynamics yet. This provides for a very interesting learning experience to say the least. Today I learned about super heated steam and sub-cooled steam. I kept calling it super cooled steam because it sounded sweet. One group member didn't seem to like it as much and made sure to correct me often. Since the steam around town is anywhere from 10-50 psig. We are under the assumption that the steam is super cooled or I mean sub cooled. What this means is that its right or below 212 degree saturation temperature; below this temperature it is classified as a sub-cooled liquid. If it was above its saturation temperature of 212 degrees it would be super heated. Saturation temperature is where a phase change occurs so liquid water boils at 212 at sea level so this is its saturation temperature. Today at IRE I'm one step further on my Thermodynamics journey.

 

Proofed by: Ewin