🔍 Key Concepts

• Direct contact (DC) heater / deaerator function in a steam plant • Where vent condenser cooling water normally comes from in closed feedwater systems • Difference between condensate, feedwater, and circulating (salt water) systems

💭 Think About

• Think about what fluid you want to cool in the vent condenser and where that fluid is located in the plant’s flow path. • Which pump(s) operate at conditions suitable for providing relatively cool water continuously to the vent condenser? • Would you want salt water directly involved with the DC heater vent space, or would that risk contamination of the feed system?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify where the vent condenser is physically and functionally located in the feed/condensate system. • Check which pumps handle condensate versus those that handle high‑pressure feedwater going to the boiler. • Consider whether the salt water circulator is normally tied into closed feedwater components like the DC heater vent condenser.