Problems with steam traps in distillation equipment
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We used a distillation tank with and without a hydrostatic separator at the steam drainage point for some time each, and found that operating without the hydrostatic separator was better – that is, for the same volume of material, the distillation time was shorter and the temperature rose more quickly; the staff generally said it was easier to operate. Please discuss why this is the case
I think the drain valve was selected to be too small; the heat exchanger also has similar problems. When the drainage effect is poor due to an undersized drain valve, we remove it.
1. As mentioned above, the size of the drain trap selected is too small. Since it is a heating operation, the initial steam volume will be high; therefore, the selection of the trap must be based on careful calculations. 2. The steam-side pipeline equipment was not thoroughly purged after installation, which resulted in the traps being blocked or partially blocked by welding slag and similar debris; valves do not suffer from similar problems.
This is because during the evaporation process, you make full use of the thermal energy of the steam; in other words, the evaporation is carried out entirely by force through the use of steam. This will definitely be faster in terms of time. But this comes at the cost of significant steam waste, resulting in a considerable increase in costs. Therefore, it is still recommended that you choose a suitable steam trap one that can take advantage of not only the thermal energy of steam but also that of condensate water. This is a way to make rational use of energy——part of energy conservation and emission reduction.
By doing this, steam consumption will increase significantly, as the latent heat of the steam is not fully released； You should consider the function of the steam trap.
Is your condensate water being recycled? What is the pressure difference? If the pressure difference is greater than the rated minimum pressure difference of the steam trap, the steam trap will be unable to discharge condensate at this time. But the back pressure is not greater than the inlet pressure; by using a direct connection, it is possible to discharge the condensed water, but steam is also discharged at the same time.