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StaJford J. Vallery, E.

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J. du

Pon!

fic;

NEmOUTS &- Co.

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rare chemical process plant that has

no steam traps, but m.ost chemical engineers know
little ab out these devices. (The latest edition of

It would be

Perry's "Chenlical Engineers' I-Iandbook" has no

mention of them.) So they are generally ignored,
not n1aintained, and, as a result, waste enornlOUS

.~

(f),,"...c
","
.

amounts of energy. l'he three artieles of this report

will teIl you how to stop this \vaste in your plant.
j

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the quiet thief in OUT plants ..........................

A stearn-trap checking
program .............................................
Setting up a ste~Hn-trap standard
...........................................

Stearn traps

p.

85

p. 87
p. 92

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In the first year of setting up a steam-trap prograrn~ one dollar spent on

Cgrading traps can return more than three dollars in energy sa:uings.
o

A malfunctionmg steam trap is a great waster of

energy. Almast any large plant in the ehemical process
industries has same (aften many) energy-wasting traps.
The cast of energy is usually a large percentage of the
cast of manufacturing. In most petrochemical plants, for
examp!c, it is the second most costIy item (the greatest
expenditure being for hydrocarbon raw materiais). This
energy portion of the cast of manufacturing ranges from 8

to 25%. Fuel used for producing steam is usually the

major part of this. And most plants can save 10 to 20% of
fue! costs simply by having a formal, active steam-trap

program.
1'0 carry this out requires sameanc on the plant's staff
who is interested in energy, has a technica I background
(preferably an engineer), and can devote sufficient time to
develop a simple, yet effective, program.
For field work, this engineer wiH need one mechanic.or
'pefitter

for each 3,000 operating steam traps. For the

a return of $1 million in energy saving for each
$300,000 spent in upgrading the system is the rule rather
than the exception.
(For estimating purposes, you can assume th at a modern petrochemical plant will have about one steam trap for
first year,

each 100

lb/h of steam

consumed.)

How to get started

steam-trap energy-saving
,The
program can be made much easier by following these six

raad to an

effective

steps.
1. Select

a steam-trap energy coordinator.

Develop
a plant standard of four or fewer approved
2.
(Sec the third article of this report, on
types.
steam-trap

every six months, with plant-staff followup to make sure

the program is working.
These six steps can be divided into two sections-Steps
1-4 are designed to solve misaPPlication, and Steps 5 and 6

are designed to eliminate negleet. Recognizing the possibility of trap misapplication and neglect goes a long way
toward solving trap problems.

Energy coordinator
Selecting the right person as the. st cam-trap energy
coordinator is the key to the success or failure of an
effective steam-trap program. This person should be a
senior (at least five years of plant service) employee who
a keen interest in energy saving. A desire to leam is
more important than previous steam-trap experience.
Steam-trap manufacturers provide schools or seminars
on steam traps-types, failures, applications, etc-and aH
are anxious to teIl their stories. The local steam-trap
representative can arrange for attendance at such classes.

has

Also, various state, local and engineering society groups

have knowledgeable people who wiH usually be glad to
assist you by sharing their stcam-trap experience. Such
experience can be more valuable than ven dor information
because of the sometimes conflicting claims from the
An important thing to
various trap manufacturers.

remember is that the person selected for this assignment

should be free for at least a year to devote jul! time to
steam traps and be willing and technically able to leam
and understand steam-trap types, applications, failures,
testing, and the like.

Establish

cost base

One of the best ways to show the effectivencss

p.92.)
3. Monitor steam consumption for your different prodlIctS (pounds of steam consumed per pound of product

produced).
4. Go into selected plant areas, change out al! steam
traps anc! monitor steam savings.
5. Develop and implement a steam-trap checking pro-

cedure to detect bad traps (see the artide OD p. 87) anc!

change thcm out using your plant trap standard.
6. Standardize on a set trap-checking frequeney, say

of your

steam-trap program is to ehoose an area of 150 or more

tra ps that does not now receive routine steam-trap maintena nee. Instrument the steam Oow to th is area so that steam
consumption can be totalcd. Opcrate the area at "average"

production or steam consumption for a reasomlble timea month. Then inspeet each trap and
record the
percentages of coId, properly working, and bad (blowing

say

stram) traps.
Having done this, change out al! tra ps, good as weil as

.g

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CHEMICAL

E~..;CINEE1{JN(--; FEHRUAR'( !I, t9BI

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Routine checking frequency

bad oncs, to the newly cstablshed plant steam-trap standard. Then measure the steam consumption for lhe same
time, again say a month, and show the "avcrage" s3ving

With all traps ch~ll1ged out to good ones and a plant

standard established for speeifying replacement traps, the
system is ready for the first semiannual checkup. After the

per steam trap. This will normally convince the most

skeptical manager of the efTeclivencss of a stcam-trap
program. You will also probably notice that thc steam
plumes from venting steam traps disappear in th is area-a
more visible sign of the program's efTcetiveness.
It is not uncommon for the avcrage saving to be at least

first year, a normal trap failure rate of less than 10% can
be expected. For 600-psig service, you may have a 70'70
failure; but for a 60-psig service, a 2'70 failure is more

likely with properly selected traps.

A normal six-month check frequency is recornmended
initially for all traps. This should be done in J anuary
(winter conditions) and June (summer conditions). The
six-month routine check of every trap in the plant will not
A skillcd trap
require large man power expenditures.
checkcr and a helper can check about 500 tra ps a day. So
for a crew of two with a plant of 3,000 traps, only six
working days (twelve man-days) arc used. At an ave rage

10 lb/h per steam trap for systems whose pressure is

undcr 500 psig. This is an approximatc energy saving of
$300 per year for eaeh trap.

Total plant changeout

Armed with the success of the test area, you ean now
expand to the entire plant. Select a crew of plant pipe(maintcnance mechanies) to be the steam-trap
repair and replacement crew. These again should be
energetic and knowledgeable field people. One field person for each 3,000 steam traps that are easily accessible
will be sufficient. Y our ratio may change to one field
person for each 1,000 stcm traps if t~~ tr~~. are
fitters

of $100/man-day, the cost per check for each trap is

40q;. One trap found and corrected from blowing only
lb/h wil! pay for all 3,000 traps being checked.
It is very important to use the same people to check the
traps each time. Their knowledge from repeating checks
will find and solve some of the difficult trap problems. It
will also guarantee uniformity in checking. Most plants
have found th at a set trap-checking crew can check at least
twice as many traps efTectively in a given time as a crew
whose permanent assignment is not traps.
Here is an example of how the checking would work.
For a plant with 3,000 traps, all are checked in January
by the permanent trap mechanic and a helper. T~is can
be accomplished in less than two weeks. Then, durmg the
next two months, the lone mechanic will replace all "bad"
traps. For the remaining three and a half months, the trap
assemblies th at were changed out are disassembied, and
new assemblies made up for use during the second

onl~

4~

scattered, not accessible, or in very poor conditIOn lmtJalIy.

A crew of six workers can replace about twelve traps per

day. So for a plant containing 3,000 traps, it will take
about a year for a complete changeout. Newly installed

steam traps should conform to your plant standard, which

should address itself to easily accessible and maintainable
steam-trap "banks."

Steam-trap checking procedure

During this changeout time, a comprehensive steamtrap checking program should be formulated by thc plant
energy coordinator. Each trap should be numbered and
listed on both a steam-trap map and a steam-trap list.
These will be thc guides used to find each trap during the
routine six-month test. The "trap map" should show a
plot plan of each process area, with the traps numbered in
letter groups of 50 or fewer traps. Example:

six-month changeout.
A typical timetable

for

3,OOO-trap, single-mechanic

system may look like this:

Task

Ct

Date

Area
A..
Area B
..
Area

..
.

C....

..

lA through 39A
1B through 54B
IC through 47C

Total traps in area

140

The "trap list" should have each letter trap-area on a

single sheet (using both front and back). This makes
expanding the listing of traps in each area ('asy, by either
adding to an existing letter group or creating a new one.
Information on the "trap list" should be:
.
Trap number (lA, SB, etc.).
111
Scrvice dcsc'iption (instrument tracing, column hcat-

'1
i
,

i
l

i
j

er, etc.).
11

Trap

Winter steam-trap check

Replace bad 600-psig traps
Replace bad 425-psig traps

jan. 8-jan. 16
jan. 17-Feb. 14
Feb. 15-Feb. 29

Replace bad 310-psig traps

Replace bad 190-psig traps
Replace bad 130-psig traps
Replace bad 60-psig traps
Replace bad 25-psig traps
Repair trap assemblics
Summer steam-trap check

Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Apr.
Apr.
May

1-Mar. 7
8-!vlar. 23

24-Apr. 6
7-Apr. 19

20-May 7
8-july 7
july 8-july 16

This completes thc cycle and starts it over

again.

Conclusion

con dit ion (cold, good, etc.).

Operating pressure (10 psi, 50 psi, ctc.).

Type trap from the plant standard.
Each trap ShOltlcl th en bc permanently marked with a
stainless steel tag on its condcnsate piping with the trap's
11
11

There arc four essentials to an cfTective trap program:

1. Select the right person to head the program.
2. Set up a plant trap standard.
3. Establish a routine trap-checking

respective number
(lA, SB, 47C, etc.). This allows easy
trap identifcatinn when using thc map and list. Note that
the tag is atlached to the piping--not the trap itsclf. Thus,
if a d~fectivc trap is replaced, t he number rernains in plaee
and does nol have to be changed from the old trap to the

procedure.
permanent trap-maintenance crew.
These few people will save a minimum of
$100,0001 year 1 person in cnergy cost. Your plant will
<11so be quieter,
have fewcr stcam plumes, and have
grcatcr utility-all from a simple yct efTective steam-trap

ncw

program.

O!1C.

SG

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ORGANICS

Disk trap

Light loads
High pressures

lIl.
IV.

llows trap

~!odel_J
l.eve 1 chamber and

control automatic

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WATtR

Fig. 2-1f your plant has standardized on a few types of traps,

you can save space on the trap list by givlng each type a code
number. These are the codes for Ou Pont's Victoria plant.
CODE

BD
DRYERS'---"

-----j-I ----- -+--------Id

b
liGA

Fig. 1-ln order to systematlze steam-trap testing, you must flrst

know what steam traps there are in your plant, and where each
Is to be found. Survey the plant and group the traps at each
location into lots of 50 or fewer. Give each trap an identification
number, and include it on a list This list also shows trap service
(tracing, drip leg, etc.), pressure (In psig) and a code for the type
and slze of trap.

,!

!4WJ

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HZO recorder trap

Process

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P~~~S.

35

tk. vent inst.

Regeneration steam heat er
Cond.

.~:

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A planned check of all the plant's steam traps

-at
regular interoals
will pay alf in energy savings.

In many plants, most of the steam traps are actually

steam wasters, The higher the price of energy, the more
important it becomes to bring these losses under controL
Following is the procedure used in our plant.

/.

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pressures

Hodera te loads

All

pressUl'es

Heavy laad,
pressures

All

I
To help a mainFig.
tenance worker find the
traps, we also make a
trap map. Thls shows
the physlcal locatlon of
each trap, and the route
to follow in checking
them.

PUMP

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CllMICAL ENGINEEKIt\G J'EBRlIM\Y 9.1981

87

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TRAP;'

Fig. 5-HB:'E'J re the tools

and equiprnnt lIsed in
checking Hw tra ps:
1. Gloves

..

;<,

r'

2. Goggles

II:;;PJ!Jf::iZ;?tifafi.-:s.;;'-p<i.~f..
.

3. Spring-type c!othespins (colored and plein)

4. Carrying pellet. and
belt
5. Valve 'If.nJnch
6. Water-tiHed squeeze
bottle
7. Clip board
8. Trap list

"

{fJ:>"

and

trap

map
9. Pencil
10. "Maintenance

required" tags
11. Ultrasonic sound detector.
ct

,}~j
-~~
Fig. 4-Use tile trap !is! and trap map to make up
sta.ini~;ss steel marker tags, and attach them as
silown in the piloto. The tags are attached on tbe
trap's condensate side next 10 the guard valve.
This localion minimizes burn hazards and preventa loss during trap changes.
~

Lt'

Fig. G-Everything except UIS c!ipboard and !ists

is slor0d in the leather pouch. When not in use,
tha u!trasonic tester goes inlo the pouch forward
of the water bottle.

.~..

(42<.
....

,-

"':

;.

".

Fig. 7 Wet testing is done first. A tew drops of water are squited
on the trap. The water should start to vapor!ze immediately. If tt ~
~
does not, this indieates a eold trap.
-

'~

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Fig. 8-A cold trap is marked by plaeing a colored clothespin on

the trap's drain-valve handle. Wet-test each trap in the immediate
area and mark those that are cold.

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give it a sound test. When flow passes through a trap, an inaudible ultra-

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Flg, 10- Disk traps are checked by

touching the detector directly to the
top ot tf1e trap. A goed trap cycles
every 6 to 10 seconds. Cycling taster than onca per second Is called
"machine-gunnlng," and indlcates
sufticienf steam loss to mert replacement. A hot disk trap that does
not cycle at all may have failed In the
open position.

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.

.....'--1'.

....
.

<.!i

'~>~~~;':i<c,.,"";"";':~

..

-..

----OIE~ncAL E~(:u::~fR~<77i!klJARV;~~--

Sf)

'J
~'S-~::"'_';VC7~".'f-o"-:n;;

C>"

..-,;,....;,1>.<-

:-~~~~::.:r
Ii:

~--..-1"
,':::!}."

--"~..!;f.r-r~

r~'

{.$>:....~<.'

~l.i,;"".'
p"~..It.':'

"I

.~

~.

"

(.

"'

....

-~~

.._~...~

Fig, 12-For level chambers and contral

automatics, there is no way to use the
ultrasonic detector, because a properly
funclionlng system is always open, throtHing the condensate flow. Sudl traps are
usually maintained by the instrument
repar group, separate trom the normal
trap-maintenance program. Record the
percentage level as shown by the lovl
indicator.

.}

_i'1

1bo...

"'~

.., i
'Q,

".

'.

,,'

.~

;i~
'

(feil ~~_",,~::'.:~:'.

\;,

\""'.

.'

't,

''r~'t>,-+,,<~,''\

~~~

l
,

.,

"1

.~. '

~:

"

..'

"..-

"lI:.".

,}\,:.r ~;:.'~'~~""
t.
r

','~.,

"'-*',
...:! 7;,
"ii!;p-

~"'Y;~:.....'--4t-::..d:dJ-:

'.,,-i-'

;,

"',,>
'1

"

1- '.;~

r:

J"

"".",

~~::;~,:':::

V'-:':-~~'~~ IMlft1--'
:\~

.".
~

~~ ;~*~~~:~.

Fig. 11-0n beflows traps, listen to the outlet

piping. These traps should cycle or throttle
depending on the condensate load. Ones that
never close are either under a very heavy load or
are blowing steam.

-~.:>~

,,~

.} (.--"
1

,;

...'1t;,,;J-,,";~"'~

~ci"

'q.:

e.,.,
~

'.."c#'.

;~

i:

.,

"-'-

:\

".";i,t".

"

..:( tl-...

.~-

>

"~
}

-,

,----

.,

:1

""~"
~
\

'1

,'.

.'

.....

-l

;, "

,,\

-i;

_..~; _____,,'"~.."""",.~::.~

S:'~('h~.~~'.L

"

::
\,,:

"'\

"";.J..L...",,~~~,i"Q.-.;>iJtP;':-~...~_

.J

frequency we can hear. A bucket

trap (as shown here) should be rela." ,.
tively quiet, or cycle on and aft at
:
regular intervals (determined by
~
condensate lead and steam pres.. su re). A ringing
sound made by the
.1
bucket hitting against the trap wall
"'.'tells that tbe trap is blowing. This
',~
sound is audible, but the ultrasonic
<.,.1
,\-"1~
detector wilf help pinpoint the noisy
-~
one in a bank of traps.

'~

:)

~.--~ .....<-~ ->...-

is

)
;

'.

f:
vibration
ge:1erated-the
f~: sonie
ultrasonic detector changes th to

,'.

'j

;'''~-'-rl~~r-~':'-;'~c-'''~ ,~,,,,--:;,,,:-~?:;.,,~.},,;,.,_1'-~,,,,,,~'1';>";"'~~~:!\7,,~~~~'~~:;~~~>"~f-'K~----:.~,>..;,~,-"",",~~~~~-c-<:"""~~;~:'1'~~~!-'~-

'>V~'"

.;-~~::-.:;~-:'.

:..'""-.~~,;...~-._,

S;"'EAM TRAPS
-.-~--_.----_..--

>- -".

-~

~_..__..--.------

-'---'''-

-~,-,~-----

.....)

13-Mark any "noisy" trap with an

uncolored clothespin. Continue the ultrasonic testiog of all traps in the immediate
Fig.

area.

I
!

l
j

1
J

~
i

j,

.'
'-:'~'.:':'.'...'
;::~,~;
;'.P;
L!i~

~_

Fig. 14-Go back to the first trap in the

group, and check it by observation to
determine what is actually passing through
it. To do th is, close the condensate valve
and open the trap drain-valve. This bucket
trap in 35-psig steam-tracing service is
functioning properly.

-,

t~:.~
,'~;:~?~:

{
{
,

t.

"

ri.

"

t.

.\~\'

.~,

t
~

'\-

,i

-'\;%t;

", ~~

i
~

.
,

~~;

1
;j

15- This

bucket trap, also in tracing

35-psig steam, is blowing.
Note the clothespin th at shows it had been
found to be defective with the ultrasound
test. Often, small bucket traps that are
blowing steam can be corrected by repriming. To do 1his, close the drain valve and
1 leave the condensate valve closed lor
.
.
about 10 minutes. Condensate collecting
," during this
time will sometimes reprime the

Fig.

service

~
"

't:

I
,

':!

.aJl~A
~~~~;:>:/

with

,'II!

f'!J1.

trap.

.,

~'

f.....,
~.

b..~

';';":--j

".--....,,-.

"'--~'

~;.

"

~'- ->:-

Fig. 16- This is normal discharge tor a

550-psig drip-Ieg disk trap. A large number
of high-velocity water droplels are surrounded by flashing steam, Wilh 550-psi
condensate, about one third wil! flash into
steam-do not confuse th is wilh live steam

\- .'
\'i

;'

-.

.IJ

--~'-1

'.' ~

,,)
;,,1
q

'i

blowing through.

"," .>~
:""..,-_

~_._---

90

CII",\11i:'-\f.

-":

/"-"-~'~~~'

,~-,,:,-~,:),.-,-

--

~;'\{:r>~EU\I0i(;

i .,,0

i-,

FEBI.:t!:\RY ~" 19RI

--'-

-'-~:-""">""'1~1;.~ '_7"":~~"_>

~--'~"P,,'"-'f..:,,"".~"-:\<-~.'

'-

'.,:".

:";~';':':w.<';,._.,,-.-

~ ..,,:

.,..x~,,-_,~_---. ...,.,--.

.~L">_

"5
"'""

-~,:~

... -.

;--~

Fig. 17-Here is a wom disk trap that is

2D.king steam durin.:] the off-CYC!8. Not!?
the elear vapor ncxt to the outlet pipe.
C8utiorr. With high-pressure steam traps,
the condensate and stcarn exit at very high
v0!ocities when the trap is opened
("decked"). Maintenance workers should
not deck traps larger than '/2 in. without
sp~~cial permission, because ot the large
volumes of condensate that might be

present.

:f'~-::-<P'~~

~;~:,~;,.:~~

:
~

fI"_.J"~.d'

V...ill'.#"",.-4

-:~,.__4
"'.'#1"".....::;

.#

~......::.

-~~.r.

-;:~::::
':I"'.,<r.p;

..,

'-,-

o,^

-"'"

)
.

\
~!

-"./...#,

.'J

Fig. 18-After all traps in a group have

been given the water test and ultrasonic
test and the noisy traps have been tested
by observation, they are ready to be
marked for maintenance. For eaeh trap
marked with a colored c!othespin (cold
traps), make out a "Maintenance required" tag marked "C" (for "cold") on the
back. The production department should
check to see why the trap is cold (supply
cut oft, p!ugged or crimped tracer, plugged
trap, check valve stuck cIosed, etc.) and
add this inforrnation to the tag, to guide
the Maintenance Dept. in making repairs.
Remove the cothespin atter the tag is in
placE!.

,i

.'
'i

t pt

: :..;;;;::
"'--."",.
=::,=.:.:

Fig. 19-Plain clothespins mark traps that

are either blowing or wasting steam. The
observation (decking) test determines
whether the high sound level is from blowing steam or from a very heavy load. (Normally, traps in tracer or drip-Ieg service will
not be subjected to such loads.) When the
trap has been confirmed as bad, attach a
"maintenance requred" tag marked "B"
(for "bad"). The Maintenance Dept. will
replace these with new assem blies. Remove the clothespin atter tagging the
trap.
Traps mayalso be marked "0" for
external trap damage (cracks, corrosion,
etc.) or "L" tor leaks at weids, fittings and
the like.

'.

f.

:~

..#
.-#
~,~-'

-..

'-

.'-_

=:;::=3
~=;::~

"',,-;i

..

-..

E~~

)."

:=;:=:

~ig==~_~3
>~;,,,

~
f....
_i.,!i,_~~_ ~:
~~
c,-.~~~'".fffp
;..;'", _-c,~~~1

.~~~:i
_:,:::,,:.'':,i,,
?'~'''-'

'"

~~

"::f~~ C,~i"~~ .~r'i?'

ft

~~ {Of)":)
_~_

::.::

.:.~.,~

~.

ij;'

:,

t~

'

~.c

---'-

~;.....'

l/1X

_:=~;'
\j
fiif ::/F
'*,__
:

._~~.~,' '" ~:_::

'_.._.
Fig. 20-Now enter the appropriate code

.t:

,.,.,_,~__.....__,,>

ot._

letter for each trap on the trap listing

sheet:
B Bad trap, blowing live steam.
C Cold Irap.
o Externafly d~maged trap.
G GOQd, properly working lrap.
L Externally leaking trap.
W Trap is wasting steam, but not yet
blowing.

Now recheck 10 see thaI all valves are

back in Ihe "as found" condilion.
When the Irap listing is completed,
copies should be se nt to a predt11ermined
group. W8 circulate them 10 Ihe area produetion supervisor, the appropriate mechanical f0fPmiHl, tlle plant energy coardl.
nator and Ut(! appropriate d\!isJon energy
coordinator.
CBE~H:.-'L
--.--.---,.---------------------..

LSi,:;'\EERil':r;

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FFr.lZL\F',Y

-.--<~>'_"_!!4t.~;"":7.

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t.,

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~..:"';:.!i,!1.7#:'\<_"...tO'__

-<.

<"

0,:,

;_"'.--.-"'~~."(-~~{~,---'-:

:"--._~-*:.~'._,,_->.'~_

;~.:"-"':-',-

.-::"'_"-l'-~:~.

.--