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Methods to reduce leakage losses in steam traps. As a mechanical device, steam traps are inevitably subject to certain malfunctions. The common fault of a steam trap is steam leakage. Regular maintenance can reduce the likelihood of sudden failure of the steam trap; the maintenance interval depends on the nature of the process, with maintenance generally being carried out every six months. The importance of regular inspections can be seen from the graph. This graph shows the amount of steam that can leak through holes of various diameters under a certain pressure difference, and it can be used to estimate the amount of steam that will leak when a steam trap fails to close properly. http://p5.itc.cn/images01/20201028/c4aa1b6427ad403f852fecba8b761afa.jpeg Example of the detection technology used by French LEAKSHOOTER for steam traps: If a steam trap has a hole of 7.5 mm and the operating pressure is 6 bar. As can be seen from the graph, the amount of steam leaking per hour is approximately 110 kilograms. 24 hours per day, 7 working days per week, 50 working weeks per year = 8,400 hours. 8 hours per day, 5 working days per week, 50 working weeks per year = 2,000 hours. Based on 8,400 hours per year, 110 tons of coal or 2,200 GJ of natural gas are wasted each year. When the temperature of the condensate water is high, some of it will flash into secondary steam, blocking the outlet passage of the drain valve. At the same time, when the mechanical mechanism of the drain valve fails, it opens only partially rather than fully. These factors cause the actual leakage loss of steam traps to be lower than the loss values obtained from the graph. Not all of the steam that leaks through the faulty steam trap is wasted, as some of it condenses within the condensate piping, thereby raising the temperature of the condensate to some extent. Apart from the increased heat loss through the associated piping, the loss is merely the steam discharged from the water tank or exhaust pipe. The failure modes of steam traps vary depending on their type, but the factors mentioned above can all affect the leakage loss of steam traps. Although the steam leakage amount from a check valve when it is faulty is less than the theoretical leakage amount for that aperture, in reality the check valve is still leaking steam. Under normal circumstances, a failed steam trap results in leakage losses of 20% to 50% of the theoretical value, and such losses still represent a waste of energy. Introduction to trap testing technology: The LE4800 Plus-ZS trap testing system creates an “internal operation simulation diagram” of the trap for the tester, converts high-frequency sonar signals into signal curves for real-time analysis, and displays on the screen whether there is a leak or if the trap is functioning properly. The tester is not disturbed by ambient noise from downstream, allowing it to easily determine whether the drain valve is leaking or clogged. The instrument integrates a contactless infrared thermal imaging function, which helps to measure the temperatures of the pipes upstream and downstream of the steam trap in order to assess its operating condition. The colors displayed on the instrument’s screen allow for an accurate determination of any faults with the steam trap: blockage (blue on the screen, indicating CLOSED), leakage (red on the screen, indicating OPEN), or normal operation (green on the screen, indicating OK). http://p0.itc.cn/images01/20201028/4780cb4916254c87a8f3b7862627c133.jpeg Drain valve testing technology