Thermostatic trap in industrial application?

edlav

upstream of coil you may need a bypass

Fisher

Barnes and Jones Lit says

that the thermostatic trap is ideal for almost all applications, including many applications outside of residential steam heating.

I have an application that presently uses Armstrong 800 series inverted bucket traps but we have had some problems with capacity and with traps freezing and bursting. The application is a heating coil in an air handler, 1100 lbs/hr condensate load, steam pressure is 50 PSI, non modulating. Steam to coil is shut off when not in use, which has led to a few frozen, busted traps. Condensate must be lifted 5 ft to gravity return which is vented to atmosphere at condensate pump

Does anyone have any experience with using thermostatic traps in this kind of application?

Brad White_26

If you have to lift the condensate

it almost does not matter what kind of trap you use. You will always have a pocket of sitting water regardless of incoming pressure.

At least an F&T will drain dry given a chance (and with a vacuum breaker after the control valve.

With 50 psi you might invest in a pressure powered pump.

I have a hard time believing you could pass 1100 PPH through a Thermostatic trap. May just be that I never saw one larger than 1 inch or so. Open to learning more...

50 psig non-modulating? Meaning all on and using face and bypass? Or that the pressure remains constant? If vertical integral face and bypass, not sure how you would freeze the traps except as you said, closing the valve.

Fisher

Duh

Fisher

Duh

Brad,
You are right, if the trap has to lift, it will not drain, no matter what type. There are 4 heating coils on the AHU. All of the drip traps drain downhill into the condensate return, but the coil outlets are low enough to have to lift a few feet. We are in Huntsville, Alabama - not cold by NE standards, but cold enough to freeze.

The coil uses face/bypass dampers to regulate air temp. Pressure is constant. Actually they almost never turn this thing off, but once or twice a winter - cracked trap!

Check out www.barnesandjones.com [catalog] [Industrial Thermostatic Steam traps] The capacities are impressive!

Fisher

What do you mean?

Bypass steam around coil?

Brad White_26

Steam Off?

Well, Mr. Fisher, I would just not turn off that steam and let the F&BP dampers do their thing! Or whomever turns of the steam goes up there with a hose and a bucket!

Where is the trap located? And what of downstream cooling coils? Drained I would hope. Could the traps be remote?

I did a job at Hamilton College in NY State. Outdoor pool units and we put the traps indoors in the basement. Some distance but the lines were always dry or full of hot steam.

Thanks for the tips on T-Traps, I will check them out. There is another company, Tunstall here in Mass. that also makes a line. It never occurred to me to use them so.

It does get to freezing in Northern Alabama.
I did consulting work years ago in Huntsville at the "Center for Missile Excellence". Which always made me think, "what is the alternative? 'Pretty good' missiles?"