Method for equalizing steam quality in pipe networks

A method for causing substantial homogenization of the liquid and vapor phases of wet steam entering an impact T-junction having a pipe diameter and defining an inlet leg having a longitudinal axis and two outlet legs defining a longitudinal axis with the longitudinal axes of the inlet leg and the outlet legs intersecting at substantially right angles to define a plane so as to have substantially the same steam quality leaving each outlet leg of the junction as the quality of steam entering the inlet leg, comprising the steps of:

• providing a flow of wet steam having a liquid phase and a vapor phase into the inlet leg of the impact T-junction;
• providing a plate having an orifice therein in the inlet leg of the impact T-junction, said plate being symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of said inlet leg;
• providing static mixer means formed by an array of corrugated lamella plates defining a tortuous flow path through said mixer means;
• mounting said static mixer means in said inlet leg of said impact T-junction downstream of said plate and with the downstream end of said static mixer means between 0.75 and 1.0 pipe diameters from the geometric center of the impact T-junction, the plates of said mixer means extending normal to the plane defined by said intersecting longitudinal axes of said inlet leg and said outlet legs of said impact T-junction and forcing said flow of wet steam to flow through said orifice in said place and said static mixer means just prior to entering said impact T-junction thereby thoroughly mixing the liquid phase and the vapor phase of the flow of wet steam prior to being divided by said impact T-junction;
• and
• flowing wet steam of substantially the same quality as that flowed into said inlet leg, outwardly from each of said outlet legs.