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When
your steam traps don’t do what they’re supposed to, damaging
water hammer can occur shortening the life of your system and
increasing the chance of more damage to the system. Implementing
a steam trap maintenance program, including regular inspection
with an ultrasound tester will pay immediate and long-term
returns.
With
a fuller understanding of steam traps basics maintenance
personnel are better equipped to inspect traps throughout the
facility using common methods.
1.
Visual Inspection - In
a visual inspection the operator will check that the discharge
valve is functioning. This requires venting live steam to
atmosphere and can pose safety issues. Because it opens the
closed portion of the system it is not a 100% reliable test.
Visual inspection is important because a trained operator can
look for potential problems in engineering and design that can
lead to trap failures.
2. Thermal
Inspection - Another
method for routine testing of traps is with contact or
non-contact temperature checks. Upstream and downstream
temperature checks can reveal failed open traps. But variables
such as back pressure in the system can make temperature checks
less accurate. Thermal inspections are useful for identifying
heat loss, overloads, and pressure build-ups.
3. Ultrasonic
Inspection - Using
both visual and thermal methods it is easy to spot traps that
have completely failed. But an ongoing predictive maintenance
program involves looking for problems before they become
catastrophic so to minimize system damage (water hammer),
minimize inefficiency (loss of heat transfer), and reduce the
residual decline in product quality.
Ultrasonic
testing gives the inspector an "inside view" of the
trap. A quality detector translates high frequency ultrasonic
noise to audible frequencies. These frequencies are localized to
the source of contact so the inspector will not be disturbed
from ambient parasite noise downstream. More sophisticated
ultrasonic detectors are equipped with digital measuring
capabilities, internal dataloggers that track all your steam
system's assets on board, and a direct PC interface for
downloading collected data to an organized filing system. Multi
functional inspection tools combine both ultrasonic and
temperature measuring capabilities in one versatile device.
Inspectors using
ultrasonic inspection methods as part of a regular predictive
maintenance schedule can accurately locate steam traps with full
or partial fault conditions.
Documentation:
A truly successful
maintenance program for your steam system must include
documentation. That means a full plant survey that identifies,
labels, and maps all inspection points. This will ensure that
every trap is inspected regardless of how complex your system
is.
Regular
inspection, documentation, and proactive measures can result in
dramatic savings to any facility utilizing a steam system.
Regardless of the number of traps or the complexity of the
system, including your steam system as part of your ongoing
predictive maintenance program will pay huge dividends. The SDT
170 MD is the ideal tool to utilize for a comprehensive Steam
Trap PdM program. |
