Rick wrote:
Well, in the mode and condition which I described, I KNOW that the
engines can run indefinitely without exceeding the condenser capacity.

OK. I'm a bit surprised to hear that, since it's definitely not true of
most plants I know about. Otherwise loss of condenser vacuum wouldn't be
given such a prominent place in the drill book.


... The circulator pump moves more water than is required to remove
the heat leaving the turbine. Reduced power operation might have been
required, just as modern plants - even military plants - but there is
no time limit associated with that condition.



???


What part of steam plant operation and construction elicited the "???" ?
Most condensers and circpumps have a larger capacity than required for
normal operation up to a sea temperature around 85* F. Under some
conditions of sea temperature and load, reduced power operation may be
required to match condenser capacity. Once the balanced is achieved
there is no time limit to operation.

Well, that's what I meant. You're taking that balance very much for
granted. "Under some conditions, reduced power operation may be
required" is definitely true, but an understatement IMHO. Sometimes you
have to shut down and start over, to restore vacuum!

Run that by again ... "compression" of the shaft? I would love to see
the figures on that one ...

Sorry about that.... got it backwards... in stopping the shaft against
the momentum of the ship, the shaft would be in tension... not going to
produce much axial load that way! Make that strain on the couplings, not
the line bearings

BTW I wonder why our brilliant Navspritjax didn't catch that mistake?

Interesting discussion, thanks for joining in.

Fresh Buckets O' Steam
Doug King