Steamfo / Stac -Flo Technical Info

Backed by the Hudson® Organization
Hudson's Stac-Flo® steam condenser systems may include programmed computer controls, motor control centers, vacuum systems piping, walkways structural steel supports, and Tuf-Lite® fans. For applications in environments as diverse as an African desert and the North Slope of Alaska, Hudson Products has the engineering and manufacturing expertise to provide the best air-cooled steam condenser available.

Total Supply, Engineering and Service
Single-source responsibility assures fast response, lower costs, and efficient project execution. Our experienced field service group can supply construction and startup support services.

Hudson's Manufacturing Capabilities
Hudson Products Corporation designs and manufactures heat transfer equipment for the petroleum, chemical, gas-processing, and electric utility industries. Our production facility is located 35 miles south of Houston on a 120-acre plant site with 8 acres under roof. It is equipped with state-of-the-art metal working machinery and has the largest production capacity of any air-cooler plant in the world.

With Hudson's manufacturing capability, and marshalling capacity, manufacturing of Stac-Flo® units can be coordinated for shipment to the plant site on an "as needed" basis. This approach eliminates the need for large laydown areas and double handling of components during plant construction.

Independent Tube Rows and Condensate Recovery System
Hudson's independent tube row design provides improved performance in summer and added freeze protection in winter. Separate rear headers for each row prohibit back flow of steam to eliminate the trapping of non-condensables in individual tube rows. This design, combined with a separate ejector system for each tube row, ensures maximum reliability. Condensed steam from the rear headers is collected in Hudson's patented condensate recovery system.

The design maintains high efficiency over a wide temperature range and partial load operation while minimizing the potential for freeze-up

Tuf-Lite Fans
Stac-Flo steam condensers achieve low parasitic power requirements by employing Hudson's high efficiency, low noise, corrosion resistant, fiberglass reinforced Tuf-Lite axial flow fans. The fans are available in diameters ranging from 5 to 60 feet.

System Flow in Stac-Flo Steam Condensers
A typical flow diagram of a turbine exhaust steam air-cooled condenser system is illustrated below. Steam enters the condenser at the higher end of each bundle and condensate flow out the lower end. Non-condensables are removed from each row by means of individual steam jet air ejectors or vacuum pumps.

Condensate flows by gravity through the patented drain system to the conensate tank. Optionally, condensate can be reheated in a deaerator utilizing steam from the turbine exhaust.

This flow diagram illustrates an A-frame configuration. Stac-Flo steam condensers are also available in horizontal and vertical configurations.

Hudson Hy-Fin® Tubes
Stac-Flo steam condensers are available in a variety of fin tube configurations to suit the needs of the application. Condenser tubes are available in 1 to 2-inch diameters in combination with extruded, extruded serrated, embedded, or wrap-on fin types.

Over 50 years of extended-surface experience gained from thousands of installations worldwide, coupled with Hudson's dedication to Total Quality Management, assures the quality and reliability of Hudson's Stac-Flo Steam Condensers.

Water Usage	Hudson's Stac-Flo steam condensers use air, not water, as the cooling medium, allowing economic criteria to determine plant design and location, rather than availability of water.

Thermal Pollution	Air-cooled steam condensers eliminate thermal pollution of rivers, lakes and streams by discharging heat directly to the atmosphere.

Chemical Pollution	Because Stac-Flo condensers do not use evaporative cooling, they eliminate requirements for disposal of large quantities of chemically-treated water.

Visual Pollution	Water vapor plumes that rise into the air from evaporative coolers can cause ground fog and ground ice formation, both of which are potential hazards. Stac-Flo steam condensers eliminate these conditions.

Siting Flexibility	Environmentally compatible Stac-Flo steam condensers eliminate water dependence, chemical effluent disposal, thermal pollution and plume formation to simplify the permitting process and allow maximum flexibility in plant siting.