Steam Trap as a Part of Modern Cooling Tower and Its Performance Assessment

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. Steam trap is an element of cooling systems and cooling towers and other industries, and be installed on pipe lines. Steam is formed when water vaporizes to form a gas. In order for the vaporization process to occur, the water molecules must be given enough energy that the bonds between the molecules (hydrogen bonds, etc.) break. This energy given to convert a liquid into a gas is called 'latent heat'. Steam-based heating processes use latent heat and transfer it to a given product. When the work is done (i.e. steam has given up its latent heat), steam condenses and becomes condensate. In other words, condensate does not have the ability to do the work that steam does. Heating efficiency will therefore suffer if condensate is not removed as rapidly as possible, whether in steam transport piping or in a heat exchanger. Various types of performance assessment equipment can be used as part of a proactive steam trap maintenance program to significantly reduce energy losses in steam distribution systems. In this paper, we focused on principles of steam trap and its performance assessment methods.