Technical corner

92/38, No.12 Street, Quarter 18, Binh Hung Hoa Ward, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Preliminary investigation Log in Registration

Your cart

(0) Product

Hotline_247 0907450506

Home|Technical corner

Technical corner

9.Wet Steam vs. Dry Steam: The Importance of the Steam Dryness Fraction

20/09/2023

Did you know that boilers do not generate 100% saturated steam (dry steam)? When a steam boiler heats up water, bubbles breaking through the water surface will pull tiny water droplets in with the steam. Unless a superheater is used, this will cause the steam supply to become partially wet (wet steam) from the added liquid.

10.Temperature Problems Caused by Air

20/09/2023

Is the supply steam to your process at the correct pressure, but for some reason under-temperature? Does the product fail to heat up to the correct temperature? Air can diffuse and mix with steam at start-up or during regular operation, which effectively reduces the steam pressure and results in reduced heat transfer. This phenomenon can be explained by Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures.

11.Removing Air from Steam Equipment

20/09/2023

As seen in the article discussing Temperature Problems Caused by Air, removing air from steam equipment is essential to effectively use steam. The following article will first cover the relationship between the densities of air and steam, and then discuss how this affects the positioning of air vents in steam-using equipment.

12.Air Vents for Steam

20/09/2023

In the article Removing Air from Steam Equipment, discussion mostly revolved around the density of air and steam, as well as how system configuration can influence the position of air vents. The following article will focus on balanced pressure air vents for steam systems.

13.Is My Trap Leaking Live Steam?

20/09/2023

Have you ever wondered about the vapor clouds seen at the outlet of steam traps? These wisps of vapor can be either live steam or simply flash steam. This article aims to deepen understanding of the subtle difference between the two.

14.Flash Steam

20/09/2023

Flash steam is a name given to the steam formed from hot condensate when the pressure is reduced. Flash steam is no different from normal steam, it is just a convenient name used to explain how the steam is formed. Normal or “live” steam is produced at a boiler, steam generator, or waste heat recovery generator – whereas flash steam occurs when high pressure / high temperature condensate is exposed to a large pressure drop such as when exiting a steam trap. High temperature condensate contains an excess of energy which prevents it from remaining in liquid form at a lower pressure. The result is that the excess energy causes a percentage of the condensate to flash.

15.Distinguishing between Flash Steam and Steam Leaks

20/09/2023

Is it Flash Steam or a Steam Leak? Flash steam is typically generated from the condensate discharged by a steam trap, but this should not be confused with a leak. Leaks, on the other hand, generally occur when a steam trap malfunctions. The result is the discharge of live steam. In both cases, steam discharge can be observed at the trap outlet. The difficulty for site personnel or operators lies in how to determine whether a steam trap is leaking purely based on observation of the steam discharge from the trap. There are no easy answers, as the steam in both patterns looks very similar. The first consideration might be whether the amount of steam discharge tells us anything. Unfortunately, the amount alone is not enough to paint the whole picture. The appearance of flash steam can vary considerably based on the type of steam trap, the condensate load, and the operating steam pressure. See the videos below showcasing steam traps in operation to see the difference.

What is a Steam Trap?

20/09/2023

Steam traps are a type of automatic valve that filters out condensate (i.e. condensed steam) and non-condensable gases such as air without letting steam escape. In industry, steam is used regularly for heating or as a driving force for mechanical power. Steam traps are used in such applications to ensure that steam is not wasted.

The History of Steam Traps #1

20/09/2023

What Came Before Steam Traps? Mankind first began to use steam in industry following the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. Initially, steam was used as a motive source, to drive pumps, locomotives and the like. After a time, the use of steam as a motive source declined and instead steam began to be more widely used as a heating source. As you know, a characteristic of steam is that it condenses and changes to condensate when heat is used. In the beginning, the condensate was removed by either periodically opening a valve to blow out the condensate or by leaving a valve slightly open at all times to discharge the condensate while at the same time leaking steam (we touched on this in What is a Steam Trap?).

The History of Steam Traps #2

20/09/2023

In The History of Steam Traps Pt 1, we discussed the appearance of several different types of traps throughout the history of traps. The earliest of these was the bucket steam trap, which uses a buoyancy-based mechanical operation principal. After the bucket trap came the thermostatic bimetal trap, whose operation principal relies on differences in fluid temperature. This was followed by the appearance of the thermodynamic disc trap, whose operation principal is based on the phase change of steam -> condensate and the law of energy conservation. In this tutorial, we will discuss which types of traps from each operation principal category are widely in use today and the reasons for their popularity.

How Mechanical Traps Work: A Look at their Mechanism and Merits

20/09/2023

Mechanical traps are steam traps that operate on the principle of specific gravity (specifically the difference in the specific gravities of water and steam), unlike other types of steam traps that rely on temperature change or velocity/phase change. In mechanical traps, the valve opens and closes due to the movement of a float that rises and sinks with the flow of condensate. Mechanical traps are able to operate in precise response to the flow of condensate without their performance being compromised by most external factors. This is one of their distinct advantages over thermostatic and thermodynamic steam traps, whose performances can be affected by external factors such as rain, wind, or even insulation.

How Disc Traps Work: A Look at their Mechanism and Merits

20/09/2023

Thermodynamic type steam traps are valued for their compact size and versatility over a wide pressure range. They can have a simple construction, and operate in either horizontal or vertical positions. These characteristics make thermodynamic steam traps a favored choice for a wide variety of tracing, drip, and certain light process steam applications.