Steam Traps

A steam trap discharges condensate, air and other non-condensable gases from a steam system while holding the steam itself back. Without one, condensate collects and causes waterhammer and poor heat transfer; with a trap that fails open, live steam is lost continuously. The trap is therefore a small component with a large influence on both the safety and the running cost of a steam installation.

Two mechanisms cover most duties here. The inverted bucket trap uses a submerged bucket that sinks when condensate fills it and rises when steam enters, opening and closing a valve at the top of the body. It tolerates waterhammer and dirt well and is a robust general choice. The thermodynamic trap uses a single disc that snaps shut on the velocity of flash steam, giving a compact, high-pressure-capable trap with few moving parts.

Bodies here are cast and ductile iron for the bucket types and forged steel for thermodynamic patterns, in small bores from around DN15 to DN50 at PN16, with threaded and flanged connections. Sizing is by condensate load rather than line size, so an oversized trap is a common and costly mistake.

When specifying, state the operating pressure, the condensate load, the back pressure at the trap outlet and the connection type. Share those on an enquiry and we can propose a trap type and configuration for the duty.