Uphill Return

Magiccontrols

I have been asked to do a job in a factory where they want to have some steam fin tube radiation installed at the bottom of an elevator shaft. The condensate return line is about 20 feet above the bottom of the elevator shaft. I was told that there used to be a radiator there and the steam was piped into the radiator and the condensate was piped back up to the condensate line without a pump. The piping is still there but the radiator has been removed and the lines are capped at the bottom of the elevator shaft. There is still a bucket steam trap up at the condensate return line right before it ties into the main condensate return. Is it possible that this could have worked? There is 20 pounds of steam pressure.

Thanks

Dave in QCA

YES

20 pounds of pressure is enough to lift a column of water about 50 feet.  So, if the steam pressure is 20 psi, and the steam is always up, it will work just fine.  However, anytime that the steam pressure is down and then comes back up, you are likely to get a little bit of hammering before it pushes the condensate out.

jpf321

bucket traps

in TLAOSH Dan talks about how bucket traps are used to lift condensate .. and I don't think it required significant pressures. in fact pressures of that range may harm bucket traps .. but I'm not exactly certain of the operating limits of the traps.

jpf321

found this ..

maybe helpful .. http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/163/Older-Steam-Heating-Systems/1314/Inverted-Bucket-Traps