Steam Trap Basics

with Guidelines for Selection

and Effective Use
WHAT IS A STEAM TRAP ?

which must be drained regularly, to prevent the

condensate from covering the heat transfer
surfaces. If condensate is allowed to collect
and cover these surfaces, the heating efficiency
of the process decreases, resulting in reduced
plant output and higher fuel costs. Steam
coming into contact with accumulated water in
the steam space also causes sudden localised
pressure variation known as THERMAL
SHOCK which is harmful to the equipment.

A steam trap is an automatic drain device i.e.

the basic function of a steam trap is to drain
ACCUMULATED condensate from the system
without loss of steam. Along with condensate,
traps must vent air and incondensible gases
such as oxygen & carbon dioxide, that cause
corrosion.
Note : Traps are not separators. They do not
separate the condensate from the steam, but
only drain out condensate that has already
separated and collected at the inlet to the trap.
This is why traps are located at the low points of
the system.
WHY ARE STEAM TRAPS NEEDED ?

When water boils, carbonates present in the

water release carbon dioxide gas. This gas
dissolves in the hot condensate to form
carbonic acid, which is corrosive. Dissolved
oxygen present in the water also becomes
gaseous on heating, and enhances corrosion.

Steam generated in a boiler is carried through

pipelines to different equipments, either for the
purpose of heating, or motive power.

Overall, inadequate removal of condensate

leads to mechanical wear, corrosion, as well as
reduced plant efficiency.

At start-up of the boiler, the system is full of air.

This air must be vented, to make room for the
steam to fill the system. After the air is vented,
initial heating of the system by the steam, leads
to the formation of large amounts of
condensate. This too must be drained before
the system can stabilise for normal operation.

Let us consider the case of the following

deficiencies in a steam system :
A. Inadequate Steam Trapping :
As explained above, condensate that is
allowed to collect in the lines causes water
hammer. This water hammer is the cause of
failure of many a piping component and the
lines themselves.

Thereafter, during the process of being

transported from the boiler to the equipment, a
small amount of heat is lost from the steam to
the atmosphere. This results in the formation of
small amounts of condensate in the distribution
lines. Water droplets in the pipes, collect at low
points and form slugs of water. With the force of
the steam as it travels through the pipes
(sometimes at speeds ranging upto 150 km/hr),
these slugs of water are carried forward and
slammed into bends, valves, traps, and any
other fittings in the piping system. This WATER
HAMMER is extremely detrimental, and causes
extensive damage.

In process, or steam heated equipments,

inadequate steam trapping results in
reduced heat transfer across the heating
surfaces which in turn results in poor quality
of the end product due to the heating process
being hampered. Reduced productivity is
another result of inadequate steam trapping
because the heat transfer rate is reduced,
hence the heating cycle duration must be
increased. In addition, thermal shocks
damage heat transfer equipment.
B. Adequate but inefficient steam trapping :
This is the most common situation.
Inefficient traps though adequate in number,
result in the following problems :

Once the steam reaches the user equipment,

the steam gives up its heat and condenses.
Large amounts of condensate are generated,
-1-

Steam Trap Basics

with Guidelines for Selection
and Effective Use

ISO 9001 : 2000

REGISTERED
FIRM

2.1 Inverted Bucket Steam Traps :

Advantages
l Simple construction
l Rugged, not easily affected by water hammer
l Follow the steam saturation curve
l Reliable
l Operate under high back pressure
l Respond to changing condensate loads
l Primary failure mode - open
l Performance easy to check
Limitations
l Condensate discharge temperature cannot be adjusted
l Marginal air handling capacity
l Have to be specifically selected for the
correct operating pressure
l Can be mounted only in a single position
l Care must be taken to ensure that the trap
does not lose its prime

Loss of steam :
At a conservative estimate, one leaking trap
2
installed on a 12 kg/cm line wastes
approximately 10 kg/hr of steam. When the
total steam loss is calculated for an entire
plant, the result is normally an astounding
figure for a medium sized plant.
l Insufficient drainage :
As discussed in (A) above.

HOW TRAPS WORK

Basically there are three types of steam traps :1. Thermodynamic steam traps.
2. Mechanical (buoyancy operated) steam
traps.
3. Thermostatic steam traps.
All these three are differentiated according to
their operating principles.
1. Thermodynamic Steam Traps :
Operate on the principle of thermodynamics
and fluid dynamics. They utilise the heat energy
of hot condensate and the kinetic energy in the
steam to open and close.
Advantages
l Simple, small, and light construction
l Can be mounted in any position
l Rugged, not affected by water hammer
l Operate over a wide pressure range
l Follow the steam saturation curve
l Performance easy to check
l Primary failure mode - open

2.2 Ball Float Steam Traps:

Advantages
l Simple construction
l Unaffected by pressure fluctuations
l Follow the steam saturation curve
l Respond to changing condensate loads
l Operate under high back pressure
Limitations
l Float easily damaged by water hammer
l Can be mounted only in a single position
l Require auxiliary air vent which is an
additional source of failure
l Primary failure mode - closed
l Performance difficult to check

Limitations
l Condensate discharge temperature cannot be adjusted
l Poor air handling capacity
l Excessive back pressure may effect
operation
l High noise level
l Reduced life at high pressures.

3. Thermostatic Steam Traps:

Operate based on the temperature difference
between steam and condensate.
3.1 Bi-metallic steam traps
Advantages:
l Extremely rugged and reliable
l Energy efficient, capable of discharge
temperature adjustment
l Follow the steam saturation curve
l Can be mounted in several positions
l Primary failure mode - open

2. Mechanical Steam Traps :

Operate on the principle of buoyancy i.e. they
respond to the difference in the densities of
water, steam, air/gases. There are predominantly two types of mechanical traps as
detailed :-2-

Steam Trap Basics

with Guidelines for Selection
and Effective Use

ISO 9001 : 2000

REGISTERED
FIRM

Limitations:
l Sluggish operation
l Affected by dirt
l Condensate discharge temperature
reduces as back pressure increases
l Difficult to check when operating in
throttling mode.

Consider the diagram below.

Saturation
Curve
Temperature

3.2 Diaphragm Type Steam Traps

Advantages
l Simple, small and light construction
l Extremely sensitive and quick to operate
l Excellent air handling capability
l Energy efficient, available with different
sub-cooling temperatures
l Follow the steam saturation curve
l Can be mounted in several positions.

Trap 'A'

(X)

Trap 'B'

Pressure

Limitations
Controller is failure prone - cannot
withstand water hammer
l Generally not suited for high pressures
l Difficult to check when operating in
throttling mode
l Affected by dirt.

The trap 'A' opens quickly to discharge

condensate which has cooled only a few
degrees below that of steam. The performance
curve of this trap is almost parallel to the
saturation curve, thus ensuring that the trap
discharges hot condensate over a wide range of
pressure. Trap 'B' on the other hand is effective
in discharging hot condensate only at point (X).
At increased pressure, the trap will retain
condensate in the system until its temperature
falls below the steam temperature. As the
pressure reduces below that of point (X), the
trap will fail to close, thus allowing steam to
pass.

STEAM TRAP SELECTION

Before proceeding further, it is worth
considering the IDEAL STEAM TRAP. The
performance curve for the ideal steam trap
follows the steam-water saturation curve. This
means that at any pressure, the trap will open to
discharge condensate if the temperature of the
fluid at the inlet to the trap falls below the
saturation temperature of water at that
pressure, and it will close when the incoming
fluid temperature reaches the saturation
temperature. Thus no water is retained in the
system, and no steam is lost. In practice
however, the performance curves of most traps
will not match the steam-water saturation curve
exactly, over variations in pressure. They will
either lose some steam or allow some amount
of condensate back-up.

Steam trap selection is a two step process

l Selecting a suitable type of trap
l Sizing the trap correctly
Selection of the trap type involves choosing the
type that will provide the right combination of
performance characteristics most closely
matching the needs of the plant and equipment.
Sizing is the process of deciding the size of the
trap, by matching the condensate generation
with the capacities of traps as furnished by the
manufacturer.
-3-

Steam Trap Basics

with Guidelines for Selection
and Effective Use

ISO 9001 : 2000

REGISTERED
FIRM

The Selection Process

used, based on what each user defines as his
selection criteria.
In the table below various selection criteria
have been classified indicating their relevance
to the process of selection.

The steam trap selection process begins with

the plant's needs. Many criteria must be
considered while selecting suitable traps.
Unfortunately, till date, the universal trap has not
been invented. Different types of traps are
Essential Criteria

These criteria cannot be compromised.

However, all standard types of traps Thermodynamic, Mechanical and
Thermostatic, satisfy these criteria when
properly sized and installed.

Safety
Efficiency
Reliability
Important Criteria

These criteria form the basis of choosing

between the different trap types. They
relate to a trap's overall utility and bearing
on the efficiency of the steam system.

Air venting ability

Responsiveness to load fluctuations
Condensate discharge temp. vs.
steam saturation temp.

Proper selection based on these criteria will

result in long term savings which can be
substantial over the trap life cycle, as
compared to the initial cost of a trap.

Subcooling facility
Primary failure mode
Resistance to water hammer
Dirt sensitivity
Operation under back pressure
Ease of checking/maintenance.

Criteria for comparison between reputed

suppliers.

Commercial Criteria
Price
Product availability
Availability of spares / after-sales-service
Manufacturer's warranty.

Orifice or seat size is fixed in thermodynamic

traps and some thermostatic traps. In bimetallic traps the effective orifice varies
slowly as the valve stem moves as a result of
temperature effects on the bi-metal. In
mechanical traps, the seat is selected by the
manufacturer based on the operating
pressure.

-4-

Pressure differentials vary due to fluctuations

and pipe lengths. As the differential pressure
changes, the discharge capacity of the trap
changes. Despite good designs, very often
the actual differential pressure across a trap
is not known, especially in large complexes.
This is one aspect that contributes to the
inclusion of a safety factor in trap sizing.

Steam Trap Basics

with Guidelines for Selection
and Effective Use

REGISTERED
FIRM

The discharge capacity of a trap will increase

as the condensate temperature decreases
below the steam temperature.

Steam
Binding
contd.

binding. In this condition

condensate that has formed
upstream of the trap is
prevented from reaching the
trap, and hence cannot be
drained.

Back
Pressure

High levels of back pressure

found in improperly designed
systems create drainage
problems.

Corrosion

Best controlled by proper water

treatment, corrosion is however
enhanced by poor drainage.

Typical safety factors used in selection are as

below :-

APPLICATION
Process heating
Header drips
Tracing

SAFETY FACTOR
Constant
Variable
Press.
Press.
2
1.5
1.5

3
1.5
1.5

COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED PROBLEMS

Despite all that has been said above, a trap
may not perform effectively due to problems
associated with the piping/application where it
is fitted. Some such commonly encountered
problems are elaborated below.
PROBLEM

COMMENT

STEAM TRAPPING AND ENERGY

CONSERVATION
Steam traps like all other mechanical
equipment, will fail in time. They may fail closed
thereby restricting flow, or they may fail open,
freely passing steam.

Water
Hammer

Good piping practice promotes

good drainage & prevents the
accumulation of condensate
that makes water hammer
possible.

Dirt

Corrosion products and foreign

particles are found in all piping
systems. These clog the small
orifices in traps rendering them
useless. Dirt pockets and
strainers help protect traps.

The costs arising from traps that have failed in

the closed position can be even more
damaging. These arise from reduced
productivity or poor product quality, and higher
rates of equipment damage due to corrosion,
water hammer, and thermal shock.

Steam
Binding

Applications and
piping
configurations that tend to
prevent condensate from
reaching a trap cause steam

The value of a steam trap should be

understood as being its value in terms of the
plant efficiency it brings about, and the loss it
prevents, rather than the cost of the trap itself.

ISO 9001 : 2000 CERTIFIED COMPANY

ENGINEERING PVT LTD

Sometimes instead of large numbers of failed

traps, just a few failed large capacity traps can
be just as disastrous.

Adm. Office : L 14, Ganaraj Estate, Pune - Sholapur Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411 013, INDIA.
Telefax : +91 (0) 20 687 5964.
Works & Marketing : S.No. 116 (New), Gat No. 976 (Old), Wadki, Pune - 412 308, INDIA.
Tel.: +91 (0) 20 698 9709. Telefax: +91 (0) 20 698 9470
Email: enq@pennantindia.com Website: http://www.pennantindia.com

Oct. 2003

ISO 9001 : 2000