Condenser Cleanliness and Pump Capacity

Poor condenser performance can lead to increased steam turbine back pressure and can subtract 1% or more from the plant efficiency.   This can add up to a substantial loss of money when factoring fuel costs as well as the potential cost of carbon credits.


Low cleanliness factor (CF) and low pump capacity are common condenser problems that contribute to poor performance.


CleanAir follows the HEI test code to calculate the cleanliness factor (CF) by measuring the actual heat transfer coefficient as a percent of the associated HEI specified design heat transfer coefficient.


We routinely perform evaluations of pump performance in accordance with ASME PTC-8.2 or ASME PTC-18.   The results of these tests are an indication of the pump operation relative to its performance curve, which can help diagnose problems with the heat rejection loop such as insufficient air removal leading to increased back pressure, high dissolved oxygen, or low cleanliness factor.


CleanAir highly recommends evaluating condenser or pump performance during cooling tower performance tests. Water flow rate is the most difficult and time consuming measurement associated with condenser and pump capacity testing.   Since water flow rate measurement is required for cooling tower performance testing, it is often cost effective to conduct condenser or pump performance tests during cooling tower performance tests.



Heat Rejection Cycle

To learn more, click hereto download the paper titled "Heat Rejection Cycle Analysis: A Path to the Recovery of Lost Megawatts"

Related Services:

Plant Performance:

Thermal Performance

Power Consumption

Condenser Cleanliness and Pump Capacity

Cooling Towers:

Air Cooled Condenser

Cooling Tower and Heat Rejection Testing


FEGT Measurements

Pollution Control Eqipment:

APC Equipment Efficiency / Optimization

Heat Rate and Capacity Assessment

Pollution Control Eqipment:

Stack/Source Emissions Testing