Drain pan on the high-pressure steam pipes in the pipe gallery

Regarding this topic, there is an article on the Fred Steam Energy Saving website titled \"Drainage of Steam Conduction Pipelines\".

Where regulations require it, the valve under the liquid collection container can be lowered; in addition, a sight glass needs to be installed

A liquid collection tank must be installed at every low point; generally, two valves are used – one at the root of the structure and another at the ground-level operation site, with the latter being used for ground-level operations and the former for shutting off flow at the root

There are standards; you can check the relevant manuals or search online

High-pressure superheated steam does not produce condensate water during normal operation; condensate is generated only when the pipes are being warmed up. Therefore, there is no need for regular drain valves – it is sufficient to install a dual-valve system at the bottom of the demister. I wonder if any of you have encountered this situation?

Under normal circumstances, a hydrophobic element is installed every 200 meters or so, in the case of straight pipes； If an upward elbow is encountered, a trap must be installed before the elbow, no matter how close the previous trap is. Regarding the issue mentioned on the 7th floor about superheated steam for which it is not necessary to install an automatic drain, and only a start-up drain is required – this is feasible, but it comes with certain prerequisites. It’s not the case that automatic drain valves can be omitted simply because the steam produced by the boiler is superheated, or because the steam supplied for central heating is superheated; rather, it is necessary to conduct calculations regarding temperature drops along the pipes. Under different flow rates within the plant, if the quality of the steam remains superheated after passing through all these pipes, then such valves are not required. However, if calculations show that the steam quality has dropped to that of saturated steam, then automatic drain valves should be installed on the pipes in the saturated section.

For superheated steam, it is possible to omit the installation of automatic drain valves and use only start-up drain valves, but this is possible only under certain conditions. It’s not the case that automatic drain valves can be omitted simply because the steam produced by the boiler is superheated, or because the steam supplied for central heating is superheated; rather, it is necessary to conduct calculations regarding temperature drops along the pipes. Under different flow rates within the plant, if the quality of the steam remains superheated after passing through all these pipes, then such valves are not required. However, if calculations show that the steam quality has dropped to that of saturated steam, then automatic drain valves should be installed on the pipes in the saturated section.

500 leads to a pipeline; a bypass is added, along with four valves and two automatic traps

The key is: how should the activation of hydrophobicity be set? A flange plus a blind flange can be used to form a liquid separation vessel, with a vent pipe connected to the opening on the blind flange; or a pipe cap can be used as the liquid separation vessel, with a vent pipe connected below the pipe cap. Pipe caps for high-pressure, high-temperature steam can help reduce leakage points. However, when pipe caps are used on steam pipes that run vertically upward, it prevents the debris accumulated inside the pipes from being discharged. On the other hand, using flanges poses a risk due to the high temperatures of 450° and pressures of 5 Mpa; this makes them unsafe and prone to leakage. I would like to know which option is better for actual production