STEAM AND CONDENSATE SYSTEMS 145

5 psi (receiver) + 7.5 psi (riser) + 2 psi (pipe) = 14.5 psi over 75% of the steam rate shown (the square root of
60/100). The cost of wasted steam far outweighs the
or the differential pressure driving the condensate flow cost of proper maintenance to repair the malfunctions,
through the trap is 30 – 14.5 = 15.5 psi. and comprehensive steam trap maintenance programs
From Table 6.12 we see that a Model C trap will have proven to be among the most attractive energy
handle 2100 lb/hr at 15-psi differential pressure; this conservation investments available in large process
would then be the correct choice. plants. Most types of steam traps can be repaired, and
some have inexpensive replaceable elements for rapid
6.4.4 Maintaining Steam Traps for Efficient Operation turnaround.
Steam traps can and do malfunction in two
ways. They may stick in the closed position, causing Table 6.13 Annual Cost of Steam Leaks
—————————————————————————
condensate to back up into the steam system, or they
Steam
may stick open, allowing live steam to discharge into
Wasted per
the condensate system. The former type of malfunc-
Leak Diame- Month Cost per Cost per
tion is usually quickly detectable, since flooding of a a b
ter (in.) (lb) Month Yearb
process heater with condensate will usually so degrade —————————————————————————
its performance that the failure is soon evidence by a 1/16 13,300 $40 $480
significant change in operating conditions. This type 1/8 52,200 156 1,890
of failure can have disastrous effects on equipment 1/4 209,000 626 7,800
by producing damaging water hammer and causing 1/2 833,000 2,500 30,000
—————————————————————————
process streams to back up into other equipment. aBased on 100-psig differential pressure across the orifice.
Because of these potential problems, steam traps are bBased on steam value of $3/1000 lb. Cost will scale in direct
often designed to fail in the open position; for this proportion for other steam values.
reason, they are among the biggest energy wasters in
an industrial plant. Broad experience in large process
plants using thousands of steam traps has shown that, A major problem facing the energy conservation
typically, from 15 to 60% of the traps in a plant may manager is diagnosis of open traps. The fact that a trap
be blowing through, wasting enormous amounts of is blowing through can often be detected by a rise in
energy. Table 6.13 shows the cost of wasted 100-psig temperature at the condensate receiver, and it is quite
steam (typical of many process plant conditions) for easy to monitor this simple parameter. There are also
leak diameters characteristic of steam trap orifices. At several direct methods for checking trap operation. Fig-
higher steam pressures, the leakage would be even ure 6.15 shows the simplest approach for open conden-
greater; the loss rate does not go down in direct pro- sate systems where traps drain directly to atmospheric
portion at lower steam pressures but declines at a rate pressure. In proper normal operation, a stream of con-
proportional to the square root of the pressure. For densate drains from the line together with a lazy cloud
example, a 1/8-in. leak in a system at 60 psig, instead of flash steam, produced as the condensate throttles
of the 100 psig shown in the table, would still waste across the trap. When the trap is blowing through, a

Table 6.14 Operating Sounds of Various Types of Steam Traps

Trap Proper Operation Malfunctioning

Disk type (impulse of Opening and snap-closing of Rapid chattering of disk as

thermodynamic) disk several times per minute steam blows through

Mechanical type (bucket) Cycling sound of the bucket as Fails open—sound of steam
it opens and closes blowing through
Fails closed—no sound

Thermostatic type Sound of periodic discharge if Fails closed—no sound

medium to high load;
possibly no sound if light
load; throttled discharge