ARE YOUR STEAM TRAPS
WORKING CORRECTLY?
All conventional steam traps leak eventually.
“How long will they leak before being noticed?”
A steam trap survey will help you solve leaks
and reduce costly energy loss.
Total steam leak percentages range anywhere between 10% to 55%,
depending on factors such as:
Type of steam trap (thermodynamic, inverted bucket, etc.)
Quality of water treatment
How often your units are surveyed
Maintenance schedules
Steam pressure
Steam Trap Survey Request Form
WHY SURVEY YOUR STEAM SYSTEM?
A steam trap survey is essential to find leaking or faulty traps and offer significant savings for the customer.
With conventional steam traps, once fitted they could begin leaking anytime from the same day to six months later. Without regular testing, leaks would be impossible to determine.
A failed open (leaking) steam trap on a 145 psig steam line, will cost up to an additional US$ 2,000 per year. Thus, for a site with 100 units, with a conservative failure rate of 15%, the additional cost due to wastage would cost US$ 30,000 per year in unnecessary steam losses.
Leaking steam systems are tremendously inefficient. It’s like trying to heat your home with the windows open.
DSS have steam survey engineers ready and equipped to test, analyse and find these leaking units and using proprietary software based Steam Trap Management System (STMS), they are able to accurately interpret the ultrasonic readings to provide a detailed report showing:
- Pounds or kilograms of steam lost per trap, per annum
- Cost of steam lost in local currency
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions
- Steam trap lifespan
- Maintenance costs
The DSS steam survey provides valuable information allowing calculated decisions to be made relating to:
- Maintenance
- Energy
- Finance
- Purchasing
- Emission monitoring
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS:
Along with the above information provided by the standard STMS report, our software can accurately determine the quantity of CO2 that is emitted from the additional steam needed to make up for any steam lost through the leaking units.
This information is essential to map out a path for compliance to the relevant Environmental Emission Legislation which is becoming increasingly more stringent worldwide.
METHODS OF TESTING STEAM TRAPS
To ensure accurate testing is carried out, DSS uses a combination of ultrasonic and thermal imaging readings to determine the condition of your installed units.
It is possible to check blocked or undersized steam devices using only temperature readings but this method will not to determine if a unit is leaking steam. Is is certainly not possible to determine how much steam is leaking. This is done by using proprietary ultrasonic testing equipment combined with the Delta Steam Trap Management System, providing exceptionally accurate and informative results.
It is essential to ensure that your service provider is using testing equipment which can accurately and reliably calculate losses from your steam traps.
Without the correct software based Steam Trap Management System, the test engineer is unable to accurately determine the steam loss rate and therefore unable to provide an accurate steam loss report.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE CUSTOMER?
Payback from an optimised steam system is well within a few weeks if the customer implements the replacement of the devices as indicated in the STMS report.
The replacement program required after our survey is carried out has immediate and large returns. Payback from this replacement program with DSS steam traps is always within one year and sometimes as quick as two to three months. Unlike savings from conventional mechanical devices which are only gained for the next year or two, savings achieved from replacing failed conventional units with our DSS venturi valves is at least for the next 20 years due to the DSS 10-year steam trap performance guarantee, giving you, the customer, peace of mind of an investment well worth it’s cost.
HOW THE STMS WORKS:
DSS’s Steam Trap Management System (STMS) has a continuously updated database of units from all major trap manufacturers worldwide. This software analysis uses ultrasonic readings taken from our DSS hand-held ultrasonic tester and provides accurate and reliable steam loss data. The information required for the STMS to determine a result from the steam trap reading is:
- The ultrasonic reading taken from the steam trap
- The differential steam pressure for the unit
- The trap make, model and size
Final results provide the customer with a clear, unambiguous picture of the condition of every unit on site, showing sufficient information to enable an accurate return on investment (ROI) to be calculated for steam trap replacements required to eliminate the existing steam leakage.
SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS:
The DSS steam survey experience stems from over 20 years of steam trap testing, performed in numerous countries worldwide. Companies where we have tested include:
OTHER STEAM EQUIPMENT:
Other than the trap itself, it is also important to inspect peripheral equipment including manual valves, bypass valves, check valves, and the operational status of the steam-using equipment. Regularly optimizing your steam system will help maximize process efficiency and will often lead to significant energy savings.
Request our engineers to perform a Steam Trap Survey for you.