Steam compression with inner evaporative spray cooling: a case study

An adiabatic dry saturated steam compression process with inner evaporative spray cooling in screw compressors for steam heat pump systems is studied. Thermodynamic model and simulation of this variable-mass compression process are devised. Differential equations are formulated and used to calculate the amount of liquid injected and the work to drive the compressor on the basis of simplification, taking into consideration the factors such as the isentropic efficiency of the compressor and the degree of superheating. Compared with the ordinary adiabatic compression, an example of steam compression with water injection is illustrated. The results show that the compression work is reduced and the discharge temperature decreases.