If the flue gas from a power station is typically 90centigrade when exiting the stack-and the dew point is 100centigrade-then why do we see continual plumes of steam coming from them?
Is it anything to do with the mixture of other gases such as SO2 and NO2 depressing the dew point and causing water vapour to condense at lower than 100centigrade.
Please help as it's doing my head in!!
2007-02-28 21:28:13 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Environment
There is a lost part of physics u are missing. If u have a pot of water on the stove at sea level it boils at 212 deg F. U can boil it for a month and it will not get hotter . That is that each CC of water that is evaporated consumes 60 calories. The same thing happens in the power plant scrubber . Also it is where the monster comes from in a thunder storm . That same 60 calories is returned when the water condensed. This represents a huge amount of energy and up draft.
2007-03-01 02:53:09 · answer #1 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because the water vapor becomes over saturated.
At lower temperature the water vapor cannot hold the same amount of water than at high temperature so it condenses.
You can't have more than 100% relative humidity.
2007-02-28 21:49:41 · answer #2 · answered by Gorilla 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋