The heat trace drains condensate while carrying steam along with it
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The heat trace drains condensate along with steam while dripping; can this be considered a sign that anti-freezing measures are not adequate? I think it might be related to the short length of the bypass line, causing the steam inside not to condense ；
This is just the phenomenon you see. Since steam condensate forms and accumulates inside pipes or containers, it means that the temperature there has reached the dew point corresponding to that temperature. However, when this condensed water is released through drain valves or low-point drains, the ambient temperature is lower than that inside the pipes or containers, and the pressure may also decrease at the same time (as is usually the case). In such conditions, the saturated vapor pressure of the surrounding air is lower than the saturated vapor pressure at the temperature of the condensed water inside the pipes or containers; as a result, the condensed water re-establishes an evaporation equilibrium. The excess water vapor re-condenses as the temperature drops, which is what causes the steam emission you observe. This has little to do with heat tracing for anti-condensation; this is quite common in the northeast, but much less so in the south, due to differences in ambient temperature.
The steam trap wasn’t working properly; after replacing it here, things got better. I’ll look up for you the manufacturer of the check valves we use later.