For instance, purpose-built booster heaters that use natural gas to increase the resulting steam from 380C to 540C enhance the steam turbine's efficiency and production, while a dry cooling system to condense
exhaust steam flow significantly decreases water usage as compared to similar facilities.
For the use as steam expanders, the inlets and exhausts had to be modified to induct and
exhaust steam. The engine heads were modified to accommodate for steam connections.
A significant improvement developed by Best was the use of a piston-type or spool steam admission valve that alternated high-pressure steam in and
exhaust steam out.
The CSP plant also uses a dry cooling system to condense the
exhaust steam flow, significantly decreasing the amount of water the plant uses compared to a similar facility.
Limited availability of water in the region meant that cooling the
exhaust steam from the power plant using wet cooling technology like most power plants was not a viable option.
A third option is to use dry cooling systems instead of wet recirculation, where the
exhaust steam is cooled by air rather than water, but such systems are three times more costly.
The waste heat from the steam turbine contained in low pressure turbine
exhaust steam is combined with the HRSG low pressure steam output, for campus heating.
Slope is not required, however, should be considered in ducts that
exhaust steam or water vapor.
In a single-cylinder steam engine, the
exhaust steam is usually expelled directly into the atmosphere.
"This device comprised many air-cooled copper tubes whose purpose was to condense the
exhaust steam into water and thence back into the boiler, where it was re-used, rather than exhausting clouds of steam into the atmosphere.
"The blast pipe takes
exhaust steam from the cylinders and makes it travel faster.