Design, construction and testing of a low cost mini electric steam generator

Abstract

This study aimed to design, construct and test a Low Cost Mini Electric Steam Generator for Physics Laboratory with the following components: the AC power supply, heater, boiler, water pump, water level controller, temperature indicator, and steam exhaust. The AC power is a 220 V/60Hz that is used to supply the heater for the boiler to produce steam. The water is automatically fed via a submersible water pump with a water level controller to maintain the correct level of water and avoid its shortage inside the boiler. The boiler was also connected to a temperature sensor. The maximum power line voltage is 227 V while the total resistance of the heater and the transformer is 51.5288 ohms, with a load current of 4.42 amperes and power equivalent to 1000 watts. After a series of tests, it was found out that the Low Cost Mini Electric Steam Generator is capable of producing steam at the rate of 225.2 gm/min. The maximum temperature generated is 1000C, which is the boiling point of water. It can be concluded that the low cost mini electric steam generator was satisfactorily made and can meet the needs of the Physics Laboratory for experiments in thermodynamics.