Transcript for The Story of Steam

Rarely ever do I think about vapor as water.

When I see the wet steam

I'm more inclined to think of Half Life.

But, have you often wondered where

the mist you see escaping from city streets comes from?

Rocketboom's Ella Morton

visits the New York City steam plant

to investigate this boiling hot mystery.

Thank you Molly.

Steam on the streets is a common site in New York.

But, where does it come from?

This plant is one of the sources of

those notoriously steamy manholes.

Let's take a quick look at how it all works.

The 14th st. plant produces both steam and electricity.

In a process called

cogeneration.

The action starts by burning natural gas

which spins a turbine to create electricity.

The 1000 degree Fahrenheit heat

byproduct of that process

goes into a heat recovery steam generator.

That boils water

to create steam for the city.

Interestingly enough

the 14th st. plant

has its own special water treatment facility.

Because regular tap water

contains minerals that build up in the steam pipes.

Once steam leaves the plant

it travels through up to 105 miles of underground pipes.

Which get progressively smaller as they reach their destination.

Which, in New York City

includes some of the largest and most famous buildings

in the world.

So, now we return to the question:

Why the steamy manholes?

Is the steam escaping?

And, if so, is the city in peril?

I asked Dennis Holmes

operations manager at the 14th st. plant.

Clear something up.

Is it a bad sign to see steam

coming out of a manhole in New York?

It's not horrible, let's put it that way.

That steam may not be our product, necessarily.

If there is a water leak in the area

and if that water hits our pipe

it's going to get hot

and then it's going to flash off a little bit

and that will be some of the vapor you see.

However, if it looks like it's coming out with a little more force

anytime anybody sees any steam we encourage them to call us.

And so ends the journey of steam.

From plant to pipes

to the potentially perilous pouring

out of New York City manholes.

I'm Ella Morton

and you've been getting steamy

with Rocketboom.