Installation and use of steam traps
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Dear marine friends, could you help me check? With the pipes installed in this way, can the water from the valve be drained? Is it because the air resistance is too high, preventing water from splashing?
No problem; otherwise, the steam heat won’t be fully utilized if it escapes.
If this is an elevation view, it is somewhat difficult to drain condensate water. Some condensed water accumulates in the reboiler, which also affects its heating capacity. Generally speaking, a certain voltage difference should be maintained, with the reboiler, heat exchanger, and hot water tank arranged in a stepped configuration. Would it be more reasonable to change the flow direction of the condensate water in the heat exchanger to from bottom in and top out?
In a vertical arrangement as shown, the back pressure on the steam trap will be relatively high, which should reduce the heating efficiency of the reboiler. However, if the heat exchange area of the reboiler is sufficient, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If the steam trap malfunctions, it could cause water hammer. If arranged in a trapezoidal shape, related problems should be able to be minimized
It’s better to use a quality steam trap; otherwise, all that will be discharged is steam
The actual installation position is more or less like this. My question now is: aside from whether the heat exchanger is efficient or not, I’m not sure whether the condensate from the reboiler can be drained into the hot water tank
There are no major issues. I think that if the distribution is reasonable and the two steam exchangers are identical, it’s possible to consider sharing a set of drain valves
In the shared setup, the distance from the reboiler steam outlet to the steam trap is too great; it’s possible that the requirements for steam trap installation cannot be met
When selecting a steam trap, it is necessary to provide the manufacturer with information regarding air resistance and back pressure. Additionally, the piping system in such cases needs to be considered comprehensively.
If it were me, I wouldn’t design it like you did. I would avoid using a trap; instead, I would place the condensate tank earlier and control its liquid level. This way, there’s no need for a trap or valves, and no steam is lost. The liquid in the condensate tank can then be used for heat exchange with the heat exchanger, and the secondary steam at the top can be considered for recovery
Well, that is indeed a good approach; in this way the condensate tank remains under pressure, but it becomes more difficult to control the liquid level