Given the wide variety of steam traps and their varying operating characteristics. Therefore, users often encounter difficulties when selecting steam traps. How to choose the correct steam trap to smoothly discharge condensate from the steam pipeline has become a challenge.

The key considerations for selecting a steam trap include temperature and pressure range, drainage capacity, industrial valve type, valve body material, and other related factors. At first glance, it may seem cumbersome, but the process can be understood as four simple steps:

1: Determine the drainage requirements required for the operation of the drain valve (such as hot or subcooled discharge) and determine the type of drain valve.

2: Select the valve model based on pressure, temperature, installation direction, and other factors.

3: Calculate the condensation water amount of the process load and multiply it by the manufacturer's recommended safety factor.

4: Select the most suitable drain valve based on the lowest product operating cycle cost (LCC).

Steam drainage process

1. Steam transmission pipeline

The purpose of steam transmission pipelines is to transport reasonable and high-quality steam to steam consuming equipment or heat tracing pipelines. The most important purpose of steam traps on steam transmission pipelines is to prevent pipeline water hammer. The steam trap is used to prevent the accumulation of condensate, which means that the steam trap needs to discharge condensate without subcooling (i.e. quickly discharge condensate close to steam temperature).

2. Steam heating equipment

The operating status of steam consuming equipment (such as heaters) directly affects product quality. Due to the uneven heating caused by condensed water, reduced heat transfer efficiency, and other similar issues, a drain valve with continuous drainage characteristics is the best choice for this type of process, which can shorten the startup time and ensure that there is no accumulation of condensed water.

These steam consuming equipment will enter some air during shutdown, as air and some non-condensable gases can cause a decrease in heat exchange efficiency and effectiveness. Therefore, the selected drain valve should be equipped with a high-performance exhaust valve.

In addition, some steam consuming equipment may install regulating valves (such as control valves) at the steam inlet to control the heat entering the equipment. The steam pressure inside the equipment may be lower than the back pressure, making the drain valve unable to drain properly. This situation is called 'stagnant flow'. When stagnant flow occurs, we need to use equipment that combines pump and drain functions to overcome high secondary pressure to pump condensate.

3. Heat tracing pipeline

The requirements for the steam trap in the heat tracing pipeline are different from the previous two. Steam is heated through copper tubes (which have high thermal conductivity) and maintained at 100 ° C (212 ° F) or above, maintaining a certain degree of fluidity for high viscosity fluids. Suitable steam traps should have the ability to prevent copper ion precipitation and fully utilize the sensible heat of steam/condensate.

4. Power driven equipment

Power driven equipment includes steam turbines, steam hammers, or steam wheels used for compressors, pumps, or generators. In order to ensure safe and efficient operation in these processes, it is necessary to ensure that the condensed water in the equipment can be quickly discharged, so that there is no accumulation of condensed water in the equipment, and to prevent equipment damage. Dvsvalve supply various industrial valve,get details quickly!