Improving Your Steam Trap Population is a Series of Simple Steps

You’re in a meeting with your engineering/maintenance/operations coworkers and you’ve been tasked with, “Getting our steam traps in order.” Everyone nods their head and offers good reasons such as, reducing carbon emissions, increasing heat transfer productivity and cutting energy costs in order to help you focus on your project. So, what do you do?

First, don’t panic. An effective steam trap inspection/upgrade/maintenance program is just a series of steps, taken in a logical order to achieve the desired result. And the team of Marspec Technical Products and #TLV can help you make it happen.

We recommend that your first step is a comprehensive steam trap survey to identify and determine the current condition of your steam trap population. Ideally, the survey is carried out by steam system-knowledgeable personnel utilizing automated steam trap testing equipment. This step will deliver a snapshot of all of the steam traps in your plant or designated operating area. It will list the location by description and ID tag number, the manufacturer and model of traps in service, their operating condition and a determination of annual dollar losses from both open and closed failures. The equipment must be precise enough to determine the actual steam loss without operator intervention. In other words, the judgement – based on actual laboratory testing of each particular model - is fully automatic.

Marspec Technical Products utilizes TLV’s TrapMan? system to render judgment of each steam trap surveyed. Marspec operators are certified in the use of TrapMan? as a result of classroom work and field observation by TLV personnel. This fully automated system’s test accuracy has been certified by an independent, worldwide auditing authority.

Also, the Marspec team is well-versed in looking at the “big picture” of the associated piping, trap installation and general application needs of each condensate drainage location. There are times that a steam trap problem is due to the installation itself. These issues are noted and included as part of the service.

When your survey is complete, Marspec and TLV will present the results and help you and your team understand your unique situation and make recommendations to achieve your specific goals.

But, before you rush out to buy replacement traps for the ones found to be failed, we recommend that you develop a series of steam trap specifications by application. Our experience has shown us that users who do this have a much better rate of future success when a limited selection of steam trap models is authorized for specific applications.

For example, steam main drip traps (those traps that drain condensate from supply headers) and steam tracing traps (traps used at the end of tube tracing for process temperature maintenance or for freeze prevention) can comprise as much as 80% of the steam trap population in refining, chemical processing and pulp/paper facilities. Specifying limited steam trap models for use in these applications will greatly reduce misunderstanding of the trap’s operation and limit chances for misapplication.? Depending on the pressure class, two or three models could meet the tasks.

Steam traps on process heat transfer equipment need a different approach, one not unlike that used in specifying a control valve. These steam traps require a clear understanding of the operating conditions of the equipment as well as the steam and media input/output conditions. The Marspec team can help you determine the best solution to insure that your heat exchange equipment will operate at its best. In fact, the best solution might not be a steam trap, but a TLV PowerTrap steam trap/pump unit.

Now that your survey is complete and you’ve selected the best steam trap model for each of your applications, it’s time to begin the installation of your replacement traps. Marspec can help you there as well with simple, clear training sessions for your installation contractor or plant maintenance personnel. This training will greatly reduce the chances of misapplication from incorrect installation or selection of incorrect material. We can provide laminated pocket guides with pictures of the proper steam trap as well as any client storeroom numbers of descriptions for each defined application.

We find it’s best to take your replacement project one operating area at a time. This is especially true with steam tracing when you may elect to fully replace tubing or install steam supply and condensate recovery manifolds with clear steam circuit ID tags on each valve. For steam main drip traps, it would be ideal to wait for an outage to replace the traps as well as upgrade the pipe, strainer and valves in the steam trap station.

For process heat exchange equipment, you’ll need to have the material specified, ordered and on hand prior to the planned equipment outage. And if the steam trap or other condensate drainage solution is new to the exchanger, take time to design the piping to insure that the exchanger can be drained fully and the steam trap is installed for best operation. Many times, a clean sheet approach is best here. Again, Marspec and TLV can help with advice based on years of experience.

It's also important to note that you will need to maintain the tagging system generated in the steam trap survey. Referring to the steam trap locations by these tag numbers will greatly reduce the chance for confusion and misapplication. And future steam trap surveys will be more useful if the history for each tag number is maintained and updated.

Since you’ve expended the effort to create your steam trap standards, you will also want to make sure that you have sufficient storeroom stock to cover new installations or replacements. Repair kits and complete steam traps should be stocked. Also, Marspec keeps inventory for our customers as well.

Take a break and then plan your next steps.

We recommend at least annual surveys of your population prior to the arrival of cold weather. This will help you find those traps and associated piping that may give you problems in cold conditions. The Marspec team can also work with you to survey specific operating areas of your facility on a schedule that is best for you.

Marspec Technical Products and TLV can help you find emissions reductions, operating efficiencies and reduced fuel costs through steam trap standards and planned maintenance. The first step is to give the Marspec team a call at 251-625-4949 and tell us about your goals. We’re here to help. ?