JP6463205B2 - Failure determination apparatus and failure determination method for steam system - Google Patents

Description

  The present application relates to a failure determination device and a failure determination method for determining a failure of a steam trap in a steam system including a drain collecting portion and a plurality of steam traps.

  For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a steam system including a plurality of piping systems having steam traps (steam traps) and a drain collecting part (condensate collecting pipe) is known. In this steam system, a plurality of piping systems are connected to one drain collecting section, and drain (condensate) generated in each piping system flows into the drain collecting section through a steam trap and is stored. In the steam trap, only the drain that flows in is automatically discharged. As described above, in a steam system including a plurality of piping systems through which drain flows, by providing a drain collecting portion, it is possible to simplify piping connection and reduce the size of the system.

  Also, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, a so-called disk type is known as a kind of the steam trap described above. The steam trap includes a casing in which an inflow passage, a discharge passage, and a variable pressure chamber are formed, and a disc-shaped (disc-shaped) valve body accommodated in the variable pressure chamber. In the variable pressure chamber, end portions of the inflow passage and the discharge passage are opened, and concentric inner ring valve seats and outer ring valve seats are formed at the open ends. The valve body opens and closes the inflow passage and the discharge passage by being attached to and detached from the inner ring valve seat and the outer ring valve seat. Specifically, the force (valve opening force) that acts on the lower surface of the valve body due to the fluid pressure in the inflow passage and the discharge passage is the force (valve closing force) that acts on the upper surface (back surface) of the valve body due to the fluid pressure in the variable pressure chamber. If it becomes larger than that, the valve body is separated and the inflow passage and the discharge passage are opened. Then, the drain flows from the inflow passage to the variable pressure chamber and the discharge passage and is discharged to the outside. Conversely, if the force (opening force) that acts on the lower surface of the valve body due to the fluid pressure in the inflow passage and the discharge passage becomes smaller than the force that acts on the upper surface (back surface) of the valve body due to the fluid pressure in the variable pressure chamber, The body is seated and the inflow passage and the discharge passage are closed. Then, the draining operation is stopped.

JP 2011-60269 A JP 2012-241818 A

  By the way, in the steam system described in Patent Document 1, when the disc type described in Patent Document 2 is used for the steam trap, if the valve body is left open due to a failure in any of the steam traps, In other steam traps that have not been performed, the valve body may be left open.

  That is, when the valve element is left open by any steam trap, high-pressure steam is discharged (leaked) from the steam trap. The discharged (leaked) high-pressure steam flows into the drain collecting portion, and the pressure in the drain collecting portion increases. If it does so, in the other steam trap which is not out of order, the pressure of an exhaust passage will become high and the valve opening force of a valve body will become large. Therefore, the valve element is left open even in other steam traps that are not malfunctioning. As described above, when a valve element is left open due to a failure in one steam trap, the same phenomenon occurs in a plurality of other steam traps. Therefore, in this state, it is difficult to determine which steam trap actually fails.

  The technology disclosed in the present application has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object thereof is to provide a plurality of steam traps in a steam system including a drain collecting portion to which a plurality of systems having disk-type steam traps are connected. It is to reliably and easily determine which of them has failed.

  The technique disclosed in the present application is a steam system including a plurality of piping systems, a plurality of steam traps provided in the respective piping systems, one drain collecting portion, and a plurality of leak detectors. A steam system failure determination apparatus and failure determination method for determining which of the traps has failed are assumed. In the plurality of piping systems, drains generated by condensation of steam circulate. The steam trap has a casing and a valve body. The casing is formed with a variable pressure chamber and a drain inflow passage and a discharge passage whose end portions open to the variable pressure chamber. The valve body is accommodated in the variable pressure chamber, the valve opening force due to the pressure of the inflow passage and the discharge passage acts on one surface, the valve closing force due to the pressure of the pressure change chamber acts on the other surface, It has a disk shape that opens or closes both the inflow passage and the discharge passage. The drain collecting unit is connected to the plurality of piping systems, and drains discharged from the plurality of steam traps are collected. The said leak detector is provided in each said steam trap, and detects that the vapor | steam is leaking in this steam trap.

  The failure determination device of the present application includes a storage unit in which the detection by the plurality of leak detectors is stored in time series, and among the plurality of steam traps, the detection is first stored in the storage unit. It is determined that the steam trap corresponding to the leak detector has failed.

  In addition, the failure determination method of the present application includes a storage step of storing the detection by the plurality of leak detectors in time series, and the leak detector that stores the detection first in the storage step among the plurality of steam traps. And a determination step for determining that the corresponding steam trap has failed.

  As described above, according to the failure determination apparatus and the failure determination method of the steam system of the present application, the detection by the plurality of leak detectors is stored in time series, and among the plurality of steam traps, the leak detection is stored first. The steam trap corresponding to the leak detector is judged to be broken. Therefore, it is possible to reliably and easily determine which of the plurality of steam traps has failed.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a steam system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the steam trap according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the steam trap according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a table showing storage contents in the storage unit of the failure determination device according to the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are essentially preferable examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the technology disclosed in the present application, applications thereof, or uses thereof.

  The steam system 1 of the present embodiment heats an object (for example, a reaction kettle) with steam (saturated steam). As shown in FIG. 1, the steam system 1 includes a steam circuit 10 through which steam flows. The steam circuit 10 includes a steam generation unit 21, a plurality (six in this embodiment) of steam use systems, and a drain collecting unit 25. The steam system 1 is provided with a failure determination device 30 according to the claims of the present application.

  The steam generation unit 21 generates water (saturated steam) by heating water. Each of the six steam use systems has a heat exchanger 22 and a steam trap 23. The steam generation unit 21 is connected to six steam usage systems via the inflow pipe 11. That is, the inflow pipe 11 is branched into six and connected to the steam use system. The number of steam use systems described above is merely an example, and the present application only needs to have two or more steam use systems.

  In each steam use system, the heat exchanger 22 has an inlet connected to the steam generator 21 via the inflow pipe 11 and an outlet connected to the inlet of the steam trap 23 via the outflow pipe 12. In the heat exchanger 22, the steam supplied from the steam generating unit 21 dissipates heat to the object and condenses, and the object is heated. The steam becomes drain (condensate) by condensing. That is, the heat exchanger 22 is a latent heat exchanger that heats an object by latent heat of condensation of the steam (latent heat heating), and constitutes a steam using unit.

  The steam trap 23 is provided on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 22, and drain (condensate) generated by condensation of steam in the heat exchanger 22 or drainage mixed with steam (condensate) flows into the steam trap 23. The steam trap 23 automatically discharges only the drained water from the outlet. The detailed configuration of the steam trap 23 will be described later.

  The drain collecting portion 25 is a relatively elongated tubular container. The drain collecting portion 25 is connected to each of the six steam use systems via the inflow pipe 13. That is, the inflow pipe 13 is connected between the outlet portion of the steam trap 23 and the drain collecting portion 25. In the drain collecting unit 25, the drain generated by the condensation of the steam in the heat exchanger 22 of each steam use system flows and gathers. That is, the drain collecting unit 25 collects drains discharged from the six steam traps 23. The inflow pipe 13 is provided with an opening / closing valve 24. In this embodiment, the outflow pipe 12 and the inflow pipe 13 in the six steam use systems constitute a piping system through which drain generated by condensation of the steam flows, and a steam trap 23 is provided in the piping system. .

  A drain discharge pipe 14 is connected to the bottom of the drain collecting portion 25. The drain discharge pipe 14 discharges the drain of the drain collecting portion 25. Actually, a part of the drain evaporates into the vapor at the drain collecting portion 25, and the vapor is discharged to the drain discharge pipe 14 together with the drain.

<Composition of steam trap>
The steam trap 23 of this embodiment is a so-called disc type steam trap. As shown in FIG. 2, the steam trap 23 includes a casing 41 including a main body portion 42 and a lid portion 43. The main body portion 42 is provided with an inlet 44 and an outlet 45 formed on the same axis. In the casing 41, a variable pressure chamber 46 is formed between the main body 42 and the lid 43. In the casing 41, an inflow passage 51 that connects the inlet 44 and the variable pressure chamber 46, and a discharge passage 52 that connects the discharge port 45 and the variable pressure chamber 46 are formed in the main body 42. That is, one end of the inflow passage 51 is connected to the inflow port 44, and the other end is connected (opened) to the lower part of the variable pressure chamber 46. One end of the discharge passage 52 is connected to the discharge port 45, and the other end is connected (opened) to the lower part of the variable pressure chamber 46.

  An inner ring valve seat 47 and an outer ring valve seat 48 are formed in the main body 42 at the open ends of the inflow passage 51 and the discharge passage 52 that open to the variable pressure chamber 46. The inner ring valve seat 47 and the outer ring valve seat 48 are annular valve seats formed concentrically on the same plane. An inflow passage 51 is located inside the inner ring valve seat 47, and an annular groove 49, which is a part of the discharge passage 52, is formed between the inner ring valve seat 47 and the outer ring valve seat 48.

  Further, the steam trap 23 includes a disc-shaped (disk-shaped) valve body 55. The valve body 55 is accommodated in the variable pressure chamber 46, and opens and closes the inflow passage 51 and the discharge passage 52 by being attached to and detached from the inner ring valve seat 47 and the outer ring valve seat 48. In the valve body 55, the valve opening force due to the pressure (fluid pressure) of the inflow passage 51 and the discharge passage 52 acts on one surface (the lower surface in FIG. 2; hereinafter referred to as the lower surface), and the other surface (FIG. The valve closing force due to the pressure (fluid pressure) of the variable pressure chamber 46 acts on the upper surface in FIG. When the valve opening force acting on the lower surface is smaller than the valve closing force acting on the upper surface, the valve body 55 is seated on the inner ring valve seat 47 and the outer ring valve seat 48 and closes both the inflow passage 51 and the discharge passage 52. (Closed). Further, when the valve opening force acting on the lower surface is larger than the valve closing force acting on the upper surface, the valve body 55 is separated from the inner ring valve seat 47 and the outer ring valve seat 48 as shown in FIG. Both the passage 51 and the discharge passage 52 are opened (opened).

  In the steam trap 23, when the valve body 55 is separated from the inner ring valve seat 47 and the outer ring valve seat 48 and is opened, the high-temperature and high-pressure drain that flows into the inlet passage 51 from the inlet 44 is discharged into the outlet passage 52 and the outlet 45. Discharged through. After the drain is discharged, high-temperature and high-pressure steam flows from the inflow passage 51 to the discharge passage 52. Since the steam flow is faster than the drain flow, the pressure between the valve body 55 and the inner ring valve seat 47 and the outer ring valve seat 48 decreases. On the other hand, since the steam also flows into the variable pressure chamber 46, the pressure in the variable pressure chamber 46 increases. That is, when the steam flows, the valve opening force acting on the lower surface of the valve body 55 decreases, and the valve closing force acting on the upper surface of the valve body 55 increases. As a result, the valve body 55 is seated on the inner ring valve seat 47 and the outer ring valve seat 48 and is closed, so that steam discharge (leakage) is prevented. When the steam in the variable pressure chamber 46 condenses due to heat dissipation or the like and the pressure in the variable pressure chamber 46 decreases, the valve opening force acting on the valve body 55 becomes larger than the valve closing force, and the valve body 55 again becomes the inner ring valve seat 47. Then, the valve is opened away from the outer ring valve seat 48. The above opening / closing cycle of the valve body 55 is repeated.

  An annular bimetal 61 and an annular plate 63 are provided on the outer periphery of the outer ring valve seat 48 of the main body 42. That is, below the valve body 55, the annular plate 63 and the bimetal 61 are arranged in this order from the top. In the main body portion 42, a conical slope portion 62 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring valve seat 48 at a position corresponding to the lower end portion of the bimetal 61. When the steam trap 23 becomes low temperature, the diameter of the bimetal 61 is reduced and the slope 62 is raised. Thereby, the bimetal 61 moves upward and pushes up the valve body 55 via the annular plate 63. Thus, when the valve body 55 is pushed up and opened, low-temperature drain or air is discharged to the discharge passage 52 and the discharge port 45. Further, when high-temperature drain flows into the inflow passage 51 from the inflow port 44 and the steam trap 23 becomes high temperature, the diameter of the bimetal 61 expands and goes down the slope portion 62. Thereby, the bimetal 61 moves downward, and the annular plate 63 and the valve body 55 are lowered accordingly. In this state, the valve body 55 can be opened and closed by the above-described valve opening force and valve closing force.

  An outer stopper 64 and an inner stopper 65 are provided on the outer periphery of the outer ring valve seat 48 of the main body 42 to limit the lowered position of the annular plate 63. A plurality of outer stoppers 64 and inner stoppers 65 are provided at intervals in the outer circumferential direction of the outer ring valve seat 48. Moreover, in the steam trap 23 of this embodiment, the cap 56 is covered on the upper part of the cover part 43, and the air storage chamber 57 is formed.

  Furthermore, the steam system 1 includes a plurality of (six in the present embodiment, the same number as the steam traps 23) leak detectors 23a. As shown in FIG. 1, the leak detector 23 a is provided in each of the six steam traps 23. The leak detector 23 a detects that steam is leaking (discharged) in the steam trap 23 based on the temperature and vibration of the steam trap 23.

<Configuration of failure determination device and failure determination method>
The failure determination device 30 determines which of the six steam traps has failed. As shown in FIG. 1, the failure determination device 30 includes a storage unit 31 in which the detection (leak detection) by the six leak detectors 23a is stored in time series. The failure determination device 30 determines that the steam trap 23 corresponding to the leak detector 23a in which the detection (leakage detection) is first stored in the storage unit 31 among the six steam traps 23 has failed. A specific failure determination method by the failure determination device 30 is as follows.

  In any of the six steam traps 23, when the valve body 55 is opened (opened) due to a failure, high-pressure steam is discharged (leaked) from the steam trap 23. If it does so, a vapor | steam leak will be detected by the leak detector 23a provided in the steam trap 23, and the detection signal will be sent to the failure determination apparatus 30 via a wireless or wired communication line. Then, the high-pressure steam discharged (leaked) from the failed steam trap 23 flows into the drain collecting portion 25, and the pressure of the drain collecting portion 25 increases. Therefore, in the other steam traps 23 that have not failed, the pressure in the discharge passage 52 that communicates with the drain collecting portion 25 increases, and the valve opening force of the valve body 55 increases. As a result, the valve body 55 is left open in the other steam traps 23 that have not failed. In the other steam trap 23 in which the valve body 55 is left open in this way, the leak detector 23a detects the steam leak as described above, and the detection signal is sent to the failure determination device 30.

  In the failure determination device 30, when a detection signal is sent from each leak detector 23a, the leak detection is stored in time series in the storage unit 31 (storage step). An example of the storage operation in the storage unit 31 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, six steam traps 23 are designated as A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively, and the steam trap 23 of A is broken from the state in which all the steam traps 23 are functioning normally. Will be described. First, at time t1, the occurrence of steam leakage in the steam trap 23 of A is stored. Next, at time t2, the occurrence of steam leakage in the C steam trap 23 is newly stored. Next, at time t3, the occurrence of steam leakage in the B and D steam traps 23 is newly stored. Next, at time t4, there is no new steam leak occurrence, and at time t5, a new steam leak occurrence of the F steam trap 23 is stored. Next, no new steam leak occurs at time t6. In this way, the occurrence of steam leakage from each steam trap 23 is stored in time series in the storage unit 31. Subsequently, in the failure determination device 30, it is determined that the steam trap 23 of A in which the occurrence of the steam leak is first stored in the storage unit 31 is broken (determination step).

  That is, at time t6 in FIG. 4, steam leakage has occurred in all the steam traps 23 other than E, and it is unknown which steam trap 23 has actually failed. In this case, due to the failure of the steam trap 23 of A in which steam leakage has occurred at time t1 prior to time t6, steam leakage has occurred in other steam traps 23 that have not failed. Can be determined. In this case, when the steam trap 23 of A becomes normal due to repair or replacement, the pressure of the drain collecting portion 25 is reduced, so that the steam leakage of the other steam traps 23 does not occur.

  As described above, according to the failure determination device 30 of the above-described embodiment, the leak detection by the plurality of leak detectors 23a is stored in time series, and among the plurality of steam traps 23, the leak that first stores the leak detection is stored. It is determined that the steam trap 23 corresponding to the detector 23a has failed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably and easily determine which of the plurality of steam traps 23 has failed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the failure determination device 30 determines that the steam trap 23 in which the leak detection is first stored is determined as a failure. However, the present application is not limited to this, and is stored in the storage unit 31 of the failure determination device 30. For example, an operator may make a determination based on the content that has been made.

  The technology disclosed in the present application is useful for a failure determination device and a failure determination method for determining a failure of a steam trap in a steam system including a drain collecting portion and a plurality of steam traps.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steam system 23 Steam trap 23a Leak detector 25 Drain assembly part 30 Failure determination apparatus 31 Memory | storage part

Claims (2)

A plurality of piping systems through which drainage generated by condensation of steam flows;
A casing in which a variable pressure chamber, a drain inflow passage and a discharge passage having an end opening to the variable pressure chamber are formed, and a valve opening that is accommodated in the variable pressure chamber and is provided on one surface by the pressure of the inflow passage and the discharge passage. A force acting on the other surface, a valve closing force due to the pressure in the variable pressure chamber acting on the other surface, and a disc-shaped valve element that opens or closes both the inflow passage and the discharge passage. A plurality of steam traps provided;
A drain collecting portion connected to the plurality of piping systems, and collecting drains discharged from the plurality of steam traps;
Steam that is provided in each of the steam traps and includes a plurality of leak detectors that detect that steam is leaking in the steam traps, and that determines which of the plurality of steam traps has failed. A system failure determination device,
The steam trap corresponding to the leak detector that has a storage unit in which detections by the plurality of leak detectors are stored in time series and in which the detection is first stored in the storage unit. A failure determination apparatus for a steam system, characterized in that it is determined that a failure has occurred. A plurality of piping systems through which drainage generated by condensation of steam flows;
A casing in which a variable pressure chamber, a drain inflow passage and a discharge passage having an end opening to the variable pressure chamber are formed, and a valve opening that is accommodated in the variable pressure chamber and is provided on one surface by the pressure of the inflow passage and the discharge passage. A force acting on the other surface, a valve closing force due to the pressure in the variable pressure chamber acting on the other surface, and a disc-shaped valve element that opens or closes both the inflow passage and the discharge passage. A plurality of steam traps provided;
A drain collecting portion connected to the plurality of piping systems, and collecting drains discharged from the plurality of steam traps;
Steam that is provided in each of the steam traps and includes a plurality of leak detectors that detect that steam is leaking in the steam traps, and that determines which of the plurality of steam traps has failed. A system failure determination method,
A storage step of storing the detection by the plurality of leak detectors in time series;
A steam system comprising: a determination step of determining that the steam trap corresponding to the leak detector first stored in the storage step among the plurality of steam traps has failed. Failure judgment method.

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