Steam Trap Management Program P ower S pecialties C o. A steam system accumulates condensate which reduces heat transfer, worsens corrosion and can cause water hammer in steam piping and related equipment. A steam trap is an automatic valve which allows the removal of condensate and air from the steam system and stops the valuable live steam from flowing through.
Traps operate in a very severe environment of high pressures and high temperatures.
Like any mechanical device, traps will eventually fail, and live steam will blow out uncontrollably. In closed systems, this will go on unnoticed, except by a gradual rise in steam consumption and other symptoms, for example, uncontrollable steam header pressures, loss of productivity at steam using equipment, or an increase in erosion or corrosion in steam and condensate pipework. All of this damage is due to a single plant item, the humble steam trap. An engineer's library would be unique if it did not contain at least one book or file about steam traps. However, most engineers know little about these devices.