liminfoSteam Table
Free reference guide: Steam Table
About Steam Table
The Steam Table Reference is a comprehensive, searchable collection of thermodynamic properties for water and steam. It includes saturated steam tables organized by temperature (0.01C triple point through 374.14C critical point) and by pressure (0.1 MPa through 10 MPa), with specific volume, enthalpy, entropy, and latent heat (hfg) values for both saturated liquid and saturated vapor states at each condition.
Beyond saturation data, the reference provides superheated steam property tables at four key pressures (0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 MPa) covering temperatures from saturation up to 500-700C. Each table lists specific volume (v), specific enthalpy (h), and specific entropy (s), making it straightforward to determine steam conditions for power plant turbine inlet design, process heating, and heat exchanger sizing.
The calculation examples section includes five complete worked problems: boiler steam generation rate from fuel consumption, Rankine cycle thermal efficiency with all four state points, steam turbine power output with isentropic efficiency correction, flash steam fraction through pressure reduction valves, and steam trap capacity sizing for heat exchangers. Fundamental concepts like steam quality, the Mollier diagram, and phase change energetics round out the reference.
Key Features
- Saturated steam tables by temperature: 0.01C (triple point), 100C, 150C, 200C, 250C, 300C, and 374.14C (critical point) with v, h, s, and hfg values
- Saturated steam tables by pressure: 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, and 10.0 MPa with saturation temperatures and all thermodynamic properties
- Superheated steam property tables at 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 MPa covering power plant operating ranges up to 700C
- Complete Rankine cycle efficiency calculation with all four state points, isentropic expansion, and quality determination at turbine exit
- Boiler steam generation rate calculation from fuel consumption, heating value, and efficiency with a worked LNG example
- Flash steam fraction calculation through pressure reduction valves with energy recovery potential estimation
- Steam turbine output calculation including isentropic efficiency correction and steam consumption rate (kg/kWh)
- Fundamental concepts: steam quality (x) with wet steam property formulas, Mollier (h-s) diagram interpretation, and phase change energy comparison (latent vs sensible heat)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the critical point of water?
The critical point is at 374.14C and 22.089 MPa (220.89 bar). At this point, the latent heat of vaporization becomes zero, and liquid and vapor phases become indistinguishable. Above the critical point, water exists as a supercritical fluid used in ultra-supercritical power plants operating at 600C / 30+ MPa.
How do I read the saturated steam table?
Each entry provides the saturation pressure (or temperature), then properties for saturated liquid (f) and saturated vapor (g): specific volume (m3/kg), specific enthalpy (kJ/kg), specific entropy (kJ/kg-K), and latent heat hfg. For wet steam between f and g, use h = hf + x*hfg where x is the quality (0 to 1).
What is the typical efficiency of a Rankine cycle?
A basic Rankine cycle with 2.0 MPa / 400C superheated steam and 10 kPa condenser pressure achieves about 32.3% thermal efficiency. Real power plants improve this with reheat, regeneration (feedwater heaters), and higher steam parameters. Modern supercritical plants exceed 45% efficiency.
How do I calculate flash steam from condensate?
Flash steam fraction = (h_high - hf_low) / hfg_low, where h_high is the enthalpy of the high-pressure condensate and hf_low/hfg_low are saturated liquid enthalpy and latent heat at the low pressure. For example, 1.0 MPa condensate flashing to 0.2 MPa produces 11.72% flash steam.
How do I size a steam trap?
Calculate the condensate load from the heat duty: steam rate = Q / hfg, where Q is the required heat transfer and hfg is the latent heat at operating pressure. Apply a safety factor of 2-3x and check that the differential pressure (steam pressure minus back pressure) is adequate for the selected trap capacity.
Why is steam such an effective heat transfer medium?
Steam has an extremely high latent heat (2,257 kJ/kg at 1 atm), which is 5.4 times the sensible heat needed to heat water from 0 to 100C. This means small steam flow rates can deliver large amounts of heat, the heat is released at a constant temperature (ensuring uniform heating), and condensate can be recovered for reuse.
How do I calculate steam turbine power output?
First find the ideal (isentropic) enthalpy drop, then apply the turbine efficiency: h_out = h_in - eta*(h_in - h_out_s). Multiply the actual enthalpy drop by the mass flow rate for power in kW. For example, at 5.0 MPa/500C with 88% efficiency and 10 kg/s flow, the output is 10.76 MW with a steam rate of 3.35 kg/kWh.
What does the degree of superheat mean?
The degree of superheat is the temperature difference between the actual steam temperature and the saturation temperature at the same pressure. For example, steam at 200C and 0.1 MPa has a superheat of 200 - 99.63 = 100.4C. Superheated steam has higher energy density and prevents condensation in turbine blades.