Steam Trap Testing and Maintenance

Keep Your Steam Trap Clean, Safe and Energy-Efficient

Steam is an essential resource used in many industrial processes. Facilities using steam have a vast network of piping, valves, flanges, and steam traps designed to deliver clean, hot, pure, and efficient steam from the boiler room to its intended point of use. Within steam systems there exists constant flow and turbulence.

As pure steam travels from boilers to the intended point of use, cooling is inevitable. The result is accumulated condensate and gases. A Steam traps purpose within this system is to purge the waste and contaminants, keeping the steam and steam system pure.

Steam Traps accomplish this by opening, closing, and modulating automatically, discharging condensate once formed, unless the heat from the condensate can be used. Steam traps are designed to be energy-efficient and not waste quality steam. It removes impurities from the live steam and maintains purity and efficiency throughout the system.

Steam trap Testing

Steam Trap Failure Leads to Lesser Product Quality, Energy Waste, and Safety Concerns

Steam traps are essential in efficiently transferring heat energy through the steam system. When traps fail, money and energy is wasted. Failed steam traps also create back pressure within the steam system, and cause process failures and quality issues during production. In short, failed steam traps lead to unnecessary waste that can be avoided with simple, easy-to-perform, and semi-regular checkups.

Why SDT

Ultrasound is best for Monitoring Steam Traps

Steam is a gas and as it flows through piping and steam traps there is turbulent flow, or lack thereof. Ultrasound technology’s ability to detect turbulence, even through thick piping makes it an essential tool when looking for faulty, failed steam traps.  

Detecting Failed Steam Traps using Ultrasound

Ultrasound technology is the go-to industry standard tool for detecting failed steam traps. Faults are easily detected when the machine is online.

Using Ultrasound, Technicians can hear:

  • The opening and closing of a steam trap;
  • Silence when a steam trap is stuck in the closed position;
  • Turbulent flow when a steam trap is stuck in the open position;
  • Mechanical clattering when a steam trap’s valve is fluttering open and shut.

For a complete Steam Trap Inspection, technicians can combine ultrasound measurements with a temperature reading using advanced ultrasound instruments.

Steam trap Testing

Steam Trap Goals every Maintenance Team should Strive for:

  • Minimum Steam Loss;
  • Maximum Transfer of Heat;
  • Timely removal of condensable gasses;
  • Zero Unplanned Downtime resulting from failures in the Steam System.

Inspection methods will vary from one steam system to another and from one trap to another. There are four common types of steam traps:

  • Inverted Bucket;
  • Float and Thermostatic;
  • Thermostatic or Bimetallic;
  • Thermodynamic or Disk.

They operate based on either changes in density, temperature or velocity. 

While testing methods vary depending on the type of trap, the ultrasonic testing method works for most scenarios. What a technician is listening for on steam traps varies, making the importance of a technician knowing their system and steam traps crucial.

When a technician understands the way their steam system and steam traps sound through an ultrasound device, they can determine the health of their steam system simply by touching the contact sensor to the housing of the trap, and by taking upstream, and downstream temperature measurements.

  Consultation With SDT:
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    Questions concerning Steam Trap Testing

Start by getting an idea of what your steam or trap systems sound like when they cycle by touching the installation with the contact sensor. As impurities are cycled out, listen to the trap collect and purge the steam. During the purging and collection phases, record using your ultrasound instrument. Then, as another useful indicator of how well your traps are running, measure upstream and downstream temperatures.

Steam is a gas, and it moves turbulently, or not at all, via pipework and steam traps. These traps are meant to purge the process. When the steam trap cycles normally, it can be detected with ultrasound. There will be a clear audio rendering representing this cycle. If the steam trap is stuck, open or closed, ultrasounds associated with this lack of cycle won’t be generated. The capacity of ultrasound technology to detect efficient cycles even through thick pipework makes it an indispensable tool for identifying faulty or failed steam traps.

When steam traps fail, they cost money, cause back pressure in the steam system, and result in process failures or product quality problems. Furthermore, failed traps result in excessive waste that can be avoided with simple, easy, and regular inspections.

The best Ultrasound Device for Steam Trap Testing and Maintenance

SDT270

The SDT270 ultrasound detector helps you control energy costs, predict failures, improve product quality and increase overall production uptime.

Conceived to offer simplicity for those who need it and sophisti­cation for those who want it.

SDT340

Detect, Measure and Analyze Ultrasound and Vibration with the SDT340, SDT latest and most advanced Ultrasound Detector.

Build trend graphs that trigger alarms and collect dynamic data for advanced time waveform analysis.

Steam checker

TRAPChecker is an ultrasound solution designed to assess the condition of steam traps and valves.

It is Focused, Simple and Affordable.