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Testing Steam Traps

Increasing attention is being paid in modern plants to means of assessing steam trap performance. While it is important to know if a trap is working normally or is leaking steam into the condensate return system, most of the available methods of assessing trap operation are of much more restricted usefulness than is appreciated. To explain this, it is necessary to consider the mode of operation of each type of trap when operating and when failed, and then to see if the proposed test method can distinguish between the two conditions. Measuring temperatures on the downstream side of a trap, by whatever method, is even less likely to be useful. Lets look first at a trap discharging through an open-ended pipe to atmosphere. The pressure at the trap outlet must be only just above atmospheric, and the temperature just above 212F. With any condensate present with the steam at temperatures above 212F on the inlet side, the condensate, after passing through the trap will flash down to 212F and this temperature is the one that will be found. Any leaking steam will help evaporate a little more of the condensate without increasing the temperature. Again, the only exception which may be encountered is the low pressure steam heating system where thermostatic traps normally discharge at temperatures below 212F into atmospheric return. A temperature of 212F here may indicate a leaking trap. Discharge of condensate into a common return line is more usual than discharge to an open end, of course. The temperature in the return line should be the saturation temperature corresponding to the return pressure. Any increase in this temperature which may be detected will show that the return line pressure has increased. However, if trap A discharging into a line blows steam and the pressure in the line increases, then the pressure and temperature at traps B and C and all others on the line will also increase. Location of the faulty trap is still not achieved. from a pressure of 125 psi. The steam tables show that each pound of water carries 324.7 BTU which is a144.5 BTU more than it can carry as liquid at atmospheric pressure. As the latent heat at 0 psig is 970.6 BTU/hr., then 144.5/970.6 lbs. of flash steam are released per pound of condensate, or 14.29%, which is some 74.45 pounds per hour. The volume of steam at 0 psig is 26.8 cu. ft. per pound, so some 1,995 cu. ft. per hour of flash steam is released. The remaining water, 500 - 74.45 = 425.55 lbs. has a volume of about 7.11 cu. ft. per hour. Thus, the discharge from the trap becomes 1995/1995 + 7.11 = 99.65% steam and 0.35% water, by volume. It is sometimes claimed that an observer can distinguish between this flash steam and leakage steam by the color of the steam at the discharge point. While this may be possible when a trap is leaking steam but has no condensate load at all, so that only steam is seen at the discharge, it is obvious that the presence of any condensate will make such differentiation virtually impossible. It would be like trying to distinguish between 99.65% steam with 0.35% water, and perhaps 99.8% steam with 0.20% water!

System Design

Temperature Test Methods

One well established method of checking traps is to measure temperature, either upstream or downstream. People use pyrometers, remote scanners and temperature sensitive crayons or tapes, while generations of maintenance men have thought they could assess trap performance by spitting onto the trap and watching how the spittle reacted! Certainly, if a trap has failed closed, the temperature at the trap will be lower than normal, but equally the equipment being drained will also cool down. The trap is not leaking steam since it is closed, and this failure is only a cause of problems in applications like steam main drips where the condensate not discharged at the faulty trap is carried along the steam line. More usually, the temperature on the inlet side of the trap will be at or close to the saturation temperature of steam at whatever pressure is reaching the trap. Even if the trap were blowing steam, the temperature remains much the same. The one exception is in the case of a temperature sensitive trap, especially one of the bimetal pattern. If this fails open, then the temperature at the inlet side will rise from the normal subcooled level to saturation values, and this rise may be detectable if the steam pressure is a known, constant value.

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Trap Discharge Sounds

In a closed piping system, trap discharge sounds may be a good indicator of its operation. A simple stethoscope will be of little value, but the sound produced at ultrahigh frequencies measured by an ultrasonic instrument eliminates background noise interference. Live steam flow produces a greater and steady level of ultrasound, while flashing condensate tends to have a crackling sound and the level changes with the trap load. The problem is that the instrument requires the operator to make a judgement as to trap condition which will only be as reliable as his training and experience provide for.

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Visual Determinations
The release of flashing steam from condensate nullifies the effectiveness of test cocks, or three-way valves diverting a trap discharge to an open end for test purposes. It also restricts the information which can be gained from sight glasses. Consider a trap discharging to an open end some 500 lbs. per hour of condensate

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Catalogs

Testing Steam Traps

Table 16: Steam Trap Discharge Modes
Mode of Operation

System Design

Trap Type Float & Thermosatic Inverted Bucket Balanced Pressure Thermostatic Bimetallic Thermostatic Impulse Disc Thermo-Dynamic

No Load No Action Small Dribble No Action No Action Small Dribble No Action

Light Load

Normal Load

Full or Overload Continuous Continuous Continuous Continuous Continuous Continuous

Usual Failure Mode Closed, A.V. Open Open Variable Open Open Open

Usually continuous but may cycle at high pressure Intermittent May Dribble Usually Dribble Action Intermittent Intermittent May blast at high pressures

Usually continuous with blast at high loads Intermittent Intermittent

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What must be done, using all audible and visual clues, is to detect normal or abnormal cycling of the discharge. Even this method is very fallible, since the mode of operation of different trap types if not nearly so well defined as is sometimes thought. Table 16 lists some of the possibilities and allows the problem to be seen more clearly. It is seen that the signal to be obtained from the trap, whether visual, audio or temperature, is usually going to be so ambiguous as to rely largely on optimism for interpretation. The one trap which is fairly positive in its action is the disc thermodynamic typeif this is heard or seen to cycle up to ten times per minute, it is operating normally. The cycling rate increases when the trap becomes worn and the characteristic machine gun sound clearly indicates the need for remedial action.

Spira-tec Leak Detector System

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Logic says that if it is not possible to have a universally applicable method of checking steam traps by examining the traps themselves, then we must see if it can be done by checking elsewhere. This is what Spirax Sarco has done with the Spira-tec system. See Fig. 61 (page 58). The Spira-tec detector chamber is fitted into the condensate

line on the inlet side of the trap. If there is, at this point, a normal flow of condensate towards the trap, together with a small amount of air and the steam needed to make up heat loss from the body of the steam trap, then all is normal. On the other hand, an increased flow of gas along the pipe indicates that the trap is leaking. The chamber contains an inverted weir. Condensate flows under this weir and a small hole at the top equalizes the pressure on each side when the steam trap is working normally. An electrode on the upstream side of the baffle detects the presence of condensate by its conductivity which is much higher than that of steam. By plugging in the portable indicator, it is possible to check if the electrical circuit is complete when a visual signal indicates that the trap is working. If the trap begins to leak steam, then the pressure on the downstream side of the weir begins to fall. The higher pressure on the upstream side drops the condensate level below the electrode and exposes it to steam. The conductivity circuit is broken and the indicator light gives a fail signal. The advantage of the system lies in the very positive signal which does not require experience of personal judgement before it can be interpreted.

Using suitable wiring, the test point can be located remote from the sensor chamber or it can have a multi switch to allow up to twelve (12) chambers to be checked from a single test location. When appropriate, an electronic continuous 16-way checking instrument can monitor the chambers and this is readily connected into a central Energy Management System. The object of detecting leaking steam traps is to correct the problem. This can mean replacement of the whole trap, or perhaps of the faulty part of the internal mechanism. It is very useful indeed to be able to check a repaired trap in the workshop before it is installed in the line, and many repair shops now use a Spira-tec chamber as part of a bench test rig. The diagram shows a simple hookup which allows suspect or repaired traps to be positively checked. (Fig. 60)

Cost Of Steam Leaks

The installation and use of the Spira-tec units does involve some cost, and it is necessary to compare this with the cost of steam leakages to see if the expenditure is economically justifiable. Since all equipment must wear and eventually fail, we need first an estimate of the average life of a steam trap. Let us assume that in a particular installation, this is,

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Testing Steam Traps

say seven (7) years. This means that after the first seven years of the life of the plant, in any year an average of almost 15% of the traps will fail. With an annual maintenance campaign, some of the traps will fail just after being checked and some just before the next check. On average, the 15% can be said to have failed for half the year, or 7-1/2% of traps failed for the whole year. Now, most of the traps in any installation, on the mains drip and tracer installations are probably 1/2" or 3/4" size and most of them are oversized, perhaps by a factor of up to 10 or more. Let us assume that the condenste load is as high as 25% of the capacity of the trap. If the trap were to fail wide open, then some 75% of the valve orifice would be available for steam flow. The steam loss then averages 75% of 7-1/2% of the steam flow capacity of the whole trap population, or about 5.62%. The steam flow through a wide open seat clearly depends on both pressure differentials and orifice sizes, and orifice sizes in a given size of trap such as 1/2" usually are reduced as the designed working pressure increases.

Table 17: Steam Flow through Orifices Discharging to Atmosphere

Diameter (inches) 1/32 1/16 3/32 1/8 5/32 3/16 7/32 1/4 9/32 5/16 11/32 3/8 13/32 7/16 15/32 1/2 Steam flow, lb/h, when steam gauge pressure is 2 5 10 15 25 50 75 100 125 150 200 250 300 psi psi psi psi psi psi psi psi psi psi psi psi psi .31 .47 .58 .70 .94 1.53 2.12 2.7 3.3 3.9 5.1 6.3 7.4 1.25 1.86 2.3 2.8 3.8 6.1 8.5 10.8 13.2 15.6 20.3 25.1 29.8 2.81 4.20 5.3 6.3 8.45 13.8 19.1 24.4 29.7 35.1 45.7 56.4 67.0 4.5 7.5 9.4 11.2 15.0 24.5 34.0 43.4 52.9 62.4 81.3 100 119 7.8 11.7 14.6 17.6 23.5 38.3 53.1 67.9 82.7 97.4 127 156 186 11.2 16.7 21.0 25.3 33.8 55.1 76.4 97.7 119 140 183 226 268 15.3 22.9 28.7 34.4 46.0 75.0 104 133 162 191 249 307 365 20.0 29.8 37.4 45.0 60.1 98.0 136 173 212 250 325 401 477 25.2 37.8 47.4 56.9 76.1 124 172 220 268 316 412 507 603 31.2 46.6 58.5 70.3 94.0 153 212 272 331 390 508 627 745 37.7 56.4 70.7 85.1 114 185 257 329 400 472 615 758 901 44.9 67.1 84.2 101 135 221 306 391 476 561 732 902 1073 52.7 78.8 98.8 119 159 259 359 459 559 659 859 1059 1259 61.1 91.4 115 138 184 300 416 532 648 764 996 1228 1460 70.2 105 131 158 211 344 478 611 744 877 1144 1410 1676 79.8 119 150 180 241 392 544 695 847 998 1301 1604 1907

System Design

Figure 60
Steam Trap Test Rig
Pressure Reducing Valve D Strainer Steam Supply Inexpensive test stand may be used to test steam trap operation. Valves A, B, C, and D are closed and the trap is attached. Valve C is cracked and valve D is slowly opened. The pressure-reducing valve is adjusted to the rated pressure of the trap being tested, valve C is closed, and valve A is opened slowly, allowing condensate flow to the trap until it is discharged. Valve B is then partially opened to allow the condensate to drain out, unloading the trap. Under this final condition, the trap must close with a tight shutoff. With some trap configurations, a small amount of condensate may remain downstream of the trap orifice. Slow evaporation of this condensate will cause small amounts of flash steam to flow from the discharge of the trap even though shutoff is absolute.

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Pressure Gauge A Spira-tec Loss Detector Test Trap

Estimating Trap Steam Loss

Steam loss through a failed open trap blowing to atmosphere can be determined from a variant of the Napier formula as follows: Steam Flow in lbs/hr = 24.24 X Pa X D2 Where: Pa = Pressure in psi absolute D = Diameter of trap orifice in inches By multiplying the steam loss by hours of operation, steam cost (typically $6.00 per 1,000 pounds), and by the number of failed traps, total cost of steam system loss may be estimated. The formula above should not be used to directly compare potential steam loss of one type
C Drain B Drain To Atmosphere

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of trap against another because of differences in failure modes. In those that fail open only the inverted bucket trap orifice blows full open. Thermostatic types usually fail with their orifice at least partially obstructed by the valve, and flow through thermodynamic types is a function of many passageways and must be related to an equivalent pass area. In every case, no trap begins losing steam through wear

or malfunction until the leakage area exceeds that needed by the condensate load. The cost then begins and reaches the maximum calculated only when the trap fails completely. The object is, of course to prevent it from reaching that stage. The steam system always functions best when traps are selected that are best for the application and checked on a regular basis to control losses.

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