Steam trap maintenance

The life of the trap is greatly affected by the conditions of use and maintenance, and it is unpredictable when it fails. In order to reduce the failure rate of the trap, extend its service life, and ensure the normal operation of the steam equipment, the steam trap should be subject to planned maintenance.

The so-called planned maintenance and repair is based on the prevention and maintenance of the main, after-sales maintenance, supplemented by traps planned maintenance management. Its purpose is first to prevent problems, and secondly to make up for them in time. Specific content includes regular maintenance and routine maintenance.

Routine maintenance ensures the daily operation of the trap. Regular maintenance refers to regular maintenance of steam traps.

After the trap is put into use, its use cycle can be divided into three phases: initial operation, normal operation and replacement.

Below, we will introduce what kind of maintenance work should be done for the traps in different stages of use.

(1) Initial operation

To ensure the stable and safe operation of steam traps and extend their service life. Pipelines for new construction and installation must be thoroughly cleaned in advance to eliminate impurities in the pipeline.

In addition, the trap filter should be regularly cleaned to remove the scale and impurities generated during the initial operation. According to practical experience, in the first month after the new construction pipeline is put into operation, the filter should be cleaned once a week; once a month to three months after it is put into operation, it should be cleaned once a month; after that, it is usually every 3-6 times. Monthly cleaning can be done.

(2) Normal operation period

The ultimate goal of regular maintenance during normal operation is to extend the service life of the trap. If the failure of the trap is foreseen during inspection, the problem can be solved as soon as possible to prevent the failure of the trap from affecting normal production.

In general, the periodic maintenance period of steam traps can be determined twice a year, ie once every six months.

(3) Replacement period

After entering the replacement period, the trap will frequently fail, seriously affecting the normal operation of the equipment and system, or wasting steam. From a preventive point of view, it is best to update the trap before the trap enters the replacement period, or replace the main components of the trap.