As the marketplace becomes increasingly competitive, more emphasis has been placed on reducing plant downtime and maintenance.

In steam and condensate systems, damage to plant is frequently caused by pipeline debris such as scale, rust, jointing compound, weld metal and other solids, which may find their way into the pipeline system. Strainers are devices which arrest these solids in flowing liquids or gases, and protect equipment from their harmful effects, thus reducing downtime and maintenance. A strainer should be fitted upstream of every steam trap, flowmeter and control valve. Strainers can be classified into two main types according to their body configuration; namely the basket type. "ypical e#amples of these types of strainers can be seen in $igure %&.'.%. !type and the

Fig. 12.4.1 Typical strainers

Y-type Strainers
$or steam, a !type strainer is the usual standard and is almost universally used. Its body has a compact cylindrical shape that is very strong and can handle high pressures. It is literally a pressure vessel, and it is not uncommon for !type strainers to be able to handle pressures of up to '(( bar g. "he use of strainers at these pressures is however complicated by the high temperatures associated with steam at this pressure; and subsequently e#otic materials such as chrome molybdenum steel have to be used. Although there are e#ceptions, si)e for si)e, !type strainers have a lower dirt holding capacity than basket strainers, which means that they require more frequent cleaning. *n steam systems, this is generally not a problem, e#cept where high levels of rust are present, or immediately after commissioning when large amounts of debris can be introduced. *n applications where significant amounts of debris are e#pected, a blowdown valve can usually be fitted in the strainer cap, which enables the strainer to use the pressure of the steam to be cleaned, and without having to shut down the plant. !type strainers in hori)ontal steam or gas lines should be installed so that the pocket is in the hori)ontal plane +$igure %&.'.&+a,,. "his stops water collecting in the pocket, helping to prevent water droplets being carried over, which can cause erosion and affect heat transfer processes. *n liquid systems however, the pocket should point vertically downwards +$igure %&.'.&+b,,, this ensures that the removed debris is not drawn back into the upstream pipework during low flow conditions. Although it is advisable to install strainers in hori)ontal lines, this is not always possible, and they can be installed in vertical pipelines if the flow is downwards, in which case the debris is naturally directed into the pocket +$igure %&.'.&+c,,. Installation is not possible with upward flow, as the strainer would have to be installed with the opening of the pocket pointing downwards and the debris would fall back down the pipe.

Fig. 12.4.2 Correct orientation of strainers

Straight and angle type strainers

In addition to !type strainers, several different body configurations are used in steam systems, namely straight and angle type strainers. "hese are shown in $igure %&.'.-. "hese types of strainer function in a similar way to the !type strainer and have similar performance. "hey are used when the geometry of the steam pipework does not suit a ! type strainer being used.

Fig. 12.4.3 Straight type and angle type strainers

Basket type strainer units

"he basket type or pot type strainer is characterised by a vertically orientated chamber, typically larger than that of a !type strainer. Si)e for si)e, the pressure drop across a basket strainer is less than that across the !type as it has a greater free straining area, which makes the basket type strainer the preferred type for liquid applications. As the dirt

holding capacity is also greater than in steam

!type strainers, the basket type strainer is also used on larger diameter pipelines.

.asket type strainers can only be installed in hori)ontal pipelines, and for larger, heavier basket strainers, the base of the strainer needs to be supported. /hen basket type strainers are used on steam systems, a significant amount of condensate may be formed. 0onsequently, strainers designed for use in steam systems usually have a drain plug, which can be fitted with a steam trap to remove the condensate. .asket type strainers are commonly found in a duple# arrangement. A second strainer is placed in parallel with the primary strainer, and flow can be diverted through either of the two strainers. "his facilitates cleaning of the strainer unit whilst the fluid system is still operating, reducing the downtime for maintenance.

Fig. 12.4.4 "asket strainer

duple!

Filters
/hilst strainers remove all visible particles in the steam, it is sometimes necessary to remove smaller particles, for e#ample, in the following applications1

/hen there is direct injection of steam into a process, which may cause contamination of the product. 2#ample1 In the food industry, and for the sterilisation of process equipment in the pharmaceutical industry. /here dirty steam may cause rejection of a product or process batch due to staining or visible particle retention. 2#ample1 Sterili)ers and paper3board machines.

/here minimal particle emission is required from steam humidifiers. 2#ample1 4umidifiers used in a 5clean5 environment. $or the reduction of the steam water content, ensuring a dry, saturated supply.

In such 5clean steam5 applications, strainers are not suitable and filters must be used. A filter used in a steam system typically consists of a sintered stainless steel filter element. "he sintering process produces a fine porous structure in the stainless steel, which removes any particles from fluid passing through it. $ilters capable of removing particles as small as % 6m are available, conforming to the good practice needs of culinary steam.

Fig. 12.4.#

hori$ontal in-line filter

"he fine, porous nature of the filter element will create a larger pressure drop across the filter than that associated with the same si)e strainer; this must be given careful consideration when si)ing such filters. In addition, filters are easily damaged by e#cessive flowrates, and the manufacturer5s specified limits should not be e#ceeded. /hen the filter is used in steam or gas applications, a separator should be fitted upstream of the filter to remove any droplets of condensate held in suspension. In addition to improving the quality of the steam, this will prolong the life of the filter. A !type strainer should also be fitted upstream of the filter to remove all larger particles which would otherwise rapidly block the filter, increase the amount of cleaning required and reduce the life of the filter element. .y installing pressure gauges either side of the filter, the pressure drop across the filter can be measured, which can then be used to identify when the filter requires cleaning. An alternative to this is to install a pressure switch on the downstream side of the filter. /hen the downstream pressure decreases below a set level, an alarm light can be switched on in a control room alerting an operator, who can then clean the filter. "op

Strainer screens
"here are two types of screens used in strainers1

%erforated screens - "hese are formed by punching a large number of holes in a flat sheet of the required material using a multiple punch. "he perforated sheet is then rolled into a tube and spot welded together. "hese are relatively coarse screens and hole si)es typically range from (.7 mm to -.& mm. 0onsequently, perforated screens are only suitable for removing general pipe debris.

&esh screens - $ine wire is formed into a grid or mesh arrangement. "his is then commonly layered over a perforated screen, which acts as a support cage for the mesh. .y using a mesh screen, it is possible to produce much smaller hole si)es than with perforated screens. 4ole si)es as small as (.(8 mm are achievable. Subsequently, they are used to remove smaller particles which would otherwise pass through a perforated screen. 9esh screens are usually specified in terms of 5mesh5; which represents the number of openings per linear inch of screen, measured from the centre line of the wire. $igure %&.'.: shows a - mesh screen.

Fig. 12.4.' (!a)ple of a 3 )esh screen "he corresponding hole si)e in the mesh screen is determined from knowledge of the wire diameter and the mesh si)e; it is usually specified by the manufacturer. "he ma#imum particle si)e that will be allowed to pass through the screen can be determined using geometry. If, for e#ample, a &(( mesh screen is specified and the manufacturer5s specifications stated that the hole si)e is (.(8: mm, then the ma#imum particle si)e that will pass through the screen can be found using ;ythagoras5 theorem1 (*uation 12.4.1

Fig. 12.4.+ ,eter)ining the )a!i)u) particle si$e "he problem with this dimension is that the screens are two!dimensional and the particle must reach the hole in a certain orientation. "herefore, if a long thin particle reached the strainer 5face on5, it may be allowed to pass through the screen. 4owever, if it hit the hole 5side on5 it would be stopped. If this is likely to be a problem, a finer mesh should be used. "he screening area is the area available for removing debris. A larger screening area means that the frequency of blowdown for cleaning the screen is considerably reduced. "he free area is the proportion of the total area of the holes to the total screening area, usually e#pressed as a percentage. "his directly affects the flow capacity of the strainer. "he greater the free area +and the coarser the screen,, the higher the flow capacity and ultimately the lower the pressure drop across the strainer. As most strainer screens have very large straining and free areas, the pressure drop across the strainer is very low when used on steam or gas systems +see 2#ample %&.'.%,. 4owever, in pumped water or viscous fluid systems, the pressure drop can be significant. Strainers should have flow capacities quoted in terms of a capacity inde# or < vs value. (!a)ple 12.4.1 A =>'( strainer with a <vs value of &?, is installed on a '( mm diameter steam pipe system, which passes @(( kg3h of saturated steam at 7 bar g. /hat is the pressure drop across the strainerA Bsing the empirical formula in 2quation -.&%.&1 (*uation 3.21.2

(*uation 12.4.2

"his

equates

to

pressure

drop

of

just

over

(.@C.

"he pressure drop across a strainer may be determined either from the <v value or from a pressure loss diagram. "he method for doing this for steam flow is shown in "utorial %&.&, and for water flow in "utorial :.-. Screens are typically available in a number of different materials; most commonly austenitic stainless steels are used in steam applications, due to their strength and resistance to corrosion. /here the strainer is used with specialised chemicals or in offshore applications, a monel screen should be used. "op

Strainer options
In addition to standard strainers, there are several other options available.

&agnetic inserts
A magnetic insert may be placed in a basket type strainer in order to remove small iron or steel debris. Small particles of iron or steel may be present in a fluid where there is wear of iron or steel parts. "hese particles will pass through even the finest mesh screens, and it is necessary to use a magnetic insert. "he insert is designed so that all the fluid passes over the magnet at relatively low velocity and the magnetic element is powerful enough to catch and hold all the metal particles present. "he magnetic material is usually encased in an inert material such as stainless steel to prevent corrosion.

Self-cleaning strainers
"here are number of different types of self!cleaning strainer, which enable the build up of debris on the screen to be removed without shutting down the plant. "he cleaning process can be initiated either manually or automatically; furthermore, strainers that are automatically cleaned can usually be set to clean either on a periodic basis, or when the pressure drop across the strainer increases.

&echanical type self-cleaning strainers

9echanical type self!cleaning strainers use some form of mechanical scraper or brush, which is raked over the screen surface. It dislodges any debris that is trapped in the screen, causing it to fall down into a collection area at the bottom of the strainer.

Back-ashing type strainers

.ackwashing type strainers reverse the direction of flow through the screen. A set of valves is changed over so that water is directed across the screen in the reverse direction and out through a flush valve. "he fluid dislodges any debris entrained in the screen and carries it out in the backwash fluid to a waste drain. In addition to the mechanical and backwashing type strainers, there are several types of uniquely designed strainer screens. *ne of the more common types is the )etallic disc. positi/e edge type strainer +see $igure %&.'.7,. "he straining element is constructed from a pack of circular discs, separated by spacing washers built on a main shaft with tie rods. "he thickness of the washers or distance pieces gives the required degree of filtration. "he flow direction of the fluid being strained is from the outside of the element to the hollow core, which is formed by the spaces between the main discs. "his means that any debris is trapped on the outside surface of the discs. In order to clean the strainer, the entire strainer pack is rotated by the e#ternal handle against a set of stationary cleaning knives interleaved with the main pack. =uring this rotation, accumulated debris builds up on the leading

edge of the cleaning knife, and it is deposited into a solid, vertical groove formed in the outside surface of the strainer element by special packing pieces. As there is no flow through this part of the element there is no force holding the accumulated dirt against the element, and it falls into the sump at the bottom of the strainer.

Fig. 12.4.0 The )etallic disc. positi/e edge type strainer

Te)porary strainers
"emporary strainers are designed for protection of equipment and instrumentation during start!up periods. "he strainer is usually installed between a set of flanges for an initial period after a new plant has been installed. Installation of a spool piece equal or more than the length of the strainer is recommended for ease of installation or removal. "here are three basic configurations of temporary strainers, namely the conical type, the basket type and the plate type. Standard construction is of perforated screen or single ply heavy wire mesh. /ire mesh liners can be added inside or outside of the strainer for finer straining capabilities. If a wire mesh is used, care must be taken to ensure that the direction of flow is against the wire mesh with the perforated metal as a back!up.

Fig. 12.4.1 Te)porary cone 2a3 and "asket 2"3 type strainers

!Strainers are devices for mechanically removing solids from flowing liquids or gases by means of a perforated or wire mesh straining element. "hey are used in pipelines to protect equipment such as pumps, meters, control valves, steam traps and regulators. Although there are occasional e#ceptions, the use of !strainers generally follows several rules. $irst,

they are ordinarily employed where the amount of material to be removed is small. Si)e for si)e, their dirt holding capacity is less than a basket strainer. >e#t, !strainers are usually installed when frequent clean! out is not needed. "here are !strainers in service on steam lines, for e#ample, that are not cleaned more than once a year. Denerally, !strainers are used with gases such as steam or air. .asket strainers are used with liquids. $or handling steam, a !Strainer is the standard and is almost universally used. Its compact, cylindrical shape is very strong and can handle high pressures. It is, literally, a pressure vessel. !strainers which handle pressures up to :,((( psi are not uncommon. *f course, in these cases, safety is very important and !strainers, if properly designed, can be used at these pressures without fear of failure. /hen high pressure steam is being handled, another complicating factor arises ! temperature. /ith steam pressures of %@(( psi or higher, standard carbon steel is sometimes not suitable because the steam temperature may be %((( degrees $ or even higher. An official definition adopted by the $luid 0ontrols Institute is 1 A closed vessel with cleanable screen element designed to remove and retain foreign particles down to (.((% inch diameter from various flowing fluids. >ote the term foreign particles. Strainers do not necessarily remove only dirt. "hey take out material which is not wanted in the fluid and this can sometime be a valuable product which may be saved. /hat is the difference between a strainer and a filterA Actually there isn t any since a strainer is, in reality, a coarse filter. "he question is then one of semantics. Denerally it is assumed that if the particle to be removed is not visible to the naked eye, the unit is filtering, and if the particle is visible, the unit is straining. "he average human eye can detect a specific particle between @( and 8( micros. 9ost people cannot see anything smaller than -&@ mesh, or '' microns. Since &(( mesh is equivalent to 8' microns, a general rule would be that if the screening device is coarser than &(( mesh, it is a strainer and if it is finer than &(( mesh it is a filter. *ne of the best uses for a strainer is in conduction with a filter. .y installing a strainer directly ahead of a filter, the large heavy pieces which would quickly clog the filter are removed. "he filter is then free to do its major job of fine particle removal and does not have to be cleaned so often.

The selection of steam traps for specific applications is made in two steps : A. Choice of type B. Choice of size Before discussing these steps it is necessary to make a general comment from the economic point of view. Giving as granted that the condensate must be discharged , it is highly important not to loose live steam in this process. ssuming that today!s cost of steam is appro"imately #.#$ %.&. ' to a kilogram ( and this is very conservative ) it follows that a trap , sized for $## *g + hour losing ,#- of its steam , in a refinery onstream $. hour + day , costs in one year ( $## " #., " /01 " #.#$ ) %.&. ' ,.0 . 2f this refinery has ,### traps incorrectly sized and therefore in such conditions , the loss will be ,.0### %.&. ' per year 3 4ne can easily calculate what happens if the trap has failed in the open position instead of 5ust losing some steam. The choice of the type and size to a steam trap is a matter of great importance .

A. CHOICE OF TYPE
The main criteria for the selection of the type are ( they cannot be listed in order of importance since it varies from application to application ) : 6 7esistance to freezing 6 2nstallation versatility 6 ir venting 6 7esistance to water hammer 6 Cold condition ( if water logging is not allowed the trap must be the open type ) 6 Type of discharge ( with temperature regulating control valves , the modulating type is preferable ) 6 8eat e"change efficiency ( traps discharging sub cooled condensate do not allow an efficient heat e"change ) 6 &ensitive to back pressure 6 7eaction to load changes 6 9ressure variations ( types re:uiring changes of orifices for different pressure are unfit for wide variations ) 6 ;imension and weight <or specific suggestion see = steam traps applications and selection = table .

B. CHOICE OF SIZE
There are / parameters to take into account for a correct sizing : 1. ;ifferential pressure 2. Condensate load to be discharged 3. &afety factor

1 DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE
The differential pressure is simply the difference between the pressure upstream and downstream of the trap. >hen a trap discharges at the atmosphere the downstream pressure is zero ( we always refer to relative and not absolute pressure ) and the differential pressure is the same of the line. >hen there is a condensate return system , there is always some pressure inside it due to friction and line lifting. The best way to know the value of downstream pressure ( also called backpressure ) is to install a pressure gouge 5ust after the trap. 2f this is not practical one should calculate the amount of backpressure by formulas of pressure drop in water ducts adding appro". #., bar for each meter of rise .

2 CONDENSATE LOAD
This is the second parameter to be introduced into the capacity tables. <or draining of steam mains the :uantity of condensate is related to the size of the pipe , to the steam pressure , to the efficiency of thermal insulation , to the outside temperate , to the wind force if any and to the temperature of the line ( cold start ? up or running conditions ). 2n all the other applications traps are used to drains machines utilizing steam as a heating medium. 2n these cases the :uantity of condensate to be removed will be e:ual to the amount of steam used by the machines to give the desired performance .

3 SAFETY FACTOR
<or many reasons the steam trap will be not able to handle on field the condensate loads given in the capacity tables. These reasons are : 6 6 6 6 Type of discharge ( intermittent or continuous ) 8ow the condensate reaches the trap 9resence of large :uantities of air 2nfluence of other traps discharging in the same return line

@oreover there may be incorrect assumptions in the condensate load calculation and it is necessary to take into account that at cold start ? up the :uantity of condensate to be discharged is a lot more than at running conditions. To summarize , the size of the trap is selected entering the capacity tables with the differential

pressure and with the condensate load multiplied by the safety factor. minimum safety factor ,.$ + ,.1 must be always taken into consideration. 8igher safety factors $ + . are re:uired for certain applications .

INSTALLATION
&pecific suggestions for a correct installation depend on the application and on the type of select trap. The following are some general comments : 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 The trap should always be installed below the drain point Try to avoid condensate lifting. 2f this is necessary install a check valve 5ust after the trap lways install = A = type strainer upstream, unless the trap has a built in = A = type strainer @echanical and thermodynamic traps should be installed as close as possible to the drain point Thermostatic traps should be installed at , ? $ mt from drain point. ;o not insulate this cooling leg 2t is advisable to install a check valve up stream of an inverted bucket trap to prevent water seal loss sight glass fitted down stream the trap allows a continuous check of the trap operation lways install isolating valves upstream and downstream for maintenance purposes.

STEAM TRAP SELECTION AND APPLICATIONS

D = Thermody !m"# T = B!$! #ed %re&&'re (hermo&(!("# B = B"me(!$$"# (hermo&(!("# I = I )er(ed *'#+e( , = B!$$ -$o!( ."(h (hermo&(!("# !"r )e (

APPLICATIONS STEAM MAINS TRACIN, LINES S(or!1e (! +& O"$ (! +& A&%h!$( (! +& THAN0S Dye )!(& E)!%or!(or& B$e der& S'#("o he!(er& 3 "( he!(er& Dry" 1 room& HEATHER BATTERIES ,ree ho'&e #o"$& F" #o"$& S'1!r dryer& 4!#+e(ed %! & T"$(" 1 +e(($e& PANS Bre. +e(($e& C! dy +e(($e& Chee&e +e(($e& S'*mer1ed #o"$& 6!(er he!(er& HEAT E5CHAN,ERS DRYIN, CILINDERS F'e$ o"$ %rehe!(er& P$!(" 1 (! +& P!%er dryer& P'$% dryer& Ro(!ry dryer&

TRAP CHOICE D/T D/B

B2T

,/I

,/I

,/I ,/I

C!$e der& P$y.ood %re&&e& Mo$d" 1 %re&&e& PRESSES T"re mo$d %re&&e& 7'$#! 8" 1 %re&&e& M"$+ dryer& Dre&&" 1 &(er"$"8er& O7ENS Pre&&'re #oo+er& A'(o#$!)e& Dr'm dryer& IRONIN, MACHINES T3RBINES MARINE APPLICATIONS I/D D/I D/B ,/T D/T