Steam Condensing Plant — Essential Components Which of the following components are required for a working steam condensing plant?

Introduction / Context:
A condensing plant lowers the exhaust back pressure to improve cycle efficiency and recovers condensate for reuse. Knowing the essential components is fundamental to plant design and troubleshooting vacuum problems.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Surface condenser used to condense exhaust steam.
• Condensate must be returned to the feed system.
• Non-condensable gases infiltrate and must be removed to maintain vacuum.

Concept / Approach:
The condenser provides a large heat-transfer surface to condense steam. The condensate pump removes the accumulated condensate to the hot well/feed system. The air extraction pump (or vacuum pump) evacuates non-condensable gases to sustain low absolute pressure; without it, vacuum collapses and condenser performance degrades.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify condenser: condenses exhaust, creating low back pressure.Identify condensate pump: moves condensate from condenser to feed circuit.Identify air extraction pump: removes non-condensables to keep vacuum.All three are required for sustained condensing operation.

Verification / Alternative check:
Operating manuals list these as core equipment; vacuum deterioration is traced to air-leak issues requiring extraction capacity.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Any single item alone cannot maintain a functional condensing cycle; all are needed in concert.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing the air extraction pump with the condensate pump; they perform different duties.

Final Answer:
all of these