Steam Trap Selection (How Application Affects Selection?) Given the large variety of steam traps and their operating characteristics, users may encounter some difficulty when trying to select the correct trap to most effectively drain condensate from their steam applications. Key trap selection considerations should include pressure and temperature ratings, discharge capacity, trap type, body material, and many other relevant factors. While it may seem daunting at first, this process can generally be separated into fourRead More…

Steam Pressure Reducing Valves In a steam-using plant, steam is often generated at high pressures and reduced locally to provide heat for each steam user. This is usually done to minimize the diameter of steam distribution piping and enable more cost-efficient steam delivery. A common way of lowering pressure is by throttling down the size of the steam passageway. For the most basic pressure reduction, it is possible to simply use a conventional globe valveRead More…

Real Cost of Steam Trap Failures Finding out failed steam traps and fixing them up can avoid the wastage of steam and improve the productivity and performance of the steam system. It would be worthwhile to understand the implications of steam trap failures on the performance of the steam system. Simply put, steam traps fail in two ways: open and closed. When a steam trap fails open, it acts like an open valve, completely leakingRead More…

Why Steam Traps Fail? Authors: Bruce Gorelick, Enercheck Systems and Alan Bandes, UE Systems, Inc. Properly functioning steam traps open to release condensate and automatically close when steam is present. Failed traps waste fuel, reduce efficiency, increase production costs and compromise the overall integrity of the steam and condensate systems. Traps should be tested on a regular basis — or the neglect may be quite costly. There are three general conditions, which adversely affect traps:Read More…