Steam Trap For Heavily Contaminated Steam

Industrial process gear and equipment manufacturers are always tweaking designs, adding features, and creating new product variants in response to the challenges presented by the immeasurably broad range of application and operation scenarios for their products. Spirax Sarco is a globally recognized leader in the design and manufacture of steam system specialties, and has created a rugged steam trap to accommodate some tough challenges.

The company’s FTC23 and FTS23 Float Trap products are ball float steam traps suitable for use with saturated and superheated steam. The units can be utilized on process equipment and for drainage of temperature controlled systems. These traps are specifically targeted at applications involving steam that may be carrying solids or incondensable gasses. Solids, if not purged from the system, can accumulate and foul the internal trap mechanism, leading to failure.

The company indicates that the main design feature is a self-cleaning float closing mechanism which maintains safe operation even in the presence of severe contamination. The positioning of the valve and seat also promote the discharge of the condensate, along with entrained contaminants. There is even a manual lever on the exterior of the trap that allows an operator to force the full opening of the valve, regardless of whether condensate is present. This operation facilitates fast removal of contaminants and maintains optimum performance.

The two models differ in their construction materials, with one having a carbon steel body, the other a stainless steel body. Internals are stainless steel on both units.

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