JPH071080B2 - Steam trap activation detector - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention detects and confirms an operating state of a steam trap, that is, whether or not condensed water is discharged normally, whether or not steam is leaked, and the like. The present invention relates to a steam trap operation detector.

When steam does work and loses heat, it condenses into hot water called condensate. In steam-using equipment, it is necessary to discharge only the condensate without letting the steam escape in order to maintain thermal efficiency. A special automatic valve for this is the steam trap.

As fuel costs have skyrocketed, steam leaks have become increasingly tightly monitored. Leaving steam is a prerequisite for adopting a steam trap. The operating condition of the trap is carefully monitored even after the pipes are installed, and the trap that leaks steam is repaired or actively replaced.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional technology and its problems Various steam trap operation detectors have been developed and put into practical use. One is to arrange a heat exchanger on the inlet side of the steam trap and measure the amount of heat consumed by the heat exchanger, while measuring the amount of condensate discharged from the steam trap and compare the two. By doing so, it is determined whether or not there is a leak of live steam. in this case,
Measurement cannot be performed unless the steam trap is removed from the pipe and attached to the measuring device. Therefore, it is not possible to measure the steam trap as it is piped, which is troublesome and the measurement efficiency is poor. In addition, the measuring device is large and expensive. Therefore, as one of the methods for detecting the steam leakage of the steam trap that is still being piped, there is a method of visually observing the state of the fluid inside by providing a transparent window in the steam trap casing or the outlet side pipe of the trap. . There is a danger that the glass constituting the transparent window will be damaged and steam or hot water will blow out, resulting in personal injury.

In addition, ultrasonic sensors are used to measure vibrations associated with the discharge of steam traps. This is because the detection needle with an ultrasonic microphone attached to one end is pressed against the outer surface of the steam trap, the vibration transmitted from the detection needle is converted into an electric signal, and the electric signal is amplified to shake the needle of the meter. Or, it makes a speaker ring. In this case, vibrations other than the vibrations generated in the steam trap, that is, vibrations of the steam-using device to which the steam trap is connected, such as a cylinder dryer, are also detected, which makes it difficult to determine the operation or becomes inaccurate. .

Therefore, a technical object of the present invention is to enable safe and accurate detection of the operating state of a steam trap while it is still attached to a pipe.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM The technical means of the present invention taken to solve the above technical problem is to dispose an acceleration sensor facing the flow on the secondary side of a discharge valve opening of a steam trap, The change in the signal from the acceleration sensor detects whether only condensate is flowing down or steam is also flowing down.

Action The action of the above technical means is as follows.

The fluid discharged from the discharge valve opening of the steam trap collides with the acceleration sensor. The collision force when the steam trap normally operates and discharges only the condensate, and the collision force when the steam is also discharged due to some abnormality, because the specific weight of the fluid or the flow velocity is different, Change. The collision force of only the condensate becomes larger than the collision force when steam is leaking. By detecting the difference in the collision force with the acceleration sensor, it is possible to know whether only the condensed water is discharged from the discharge valve opening of the trap or the steam is leaking.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION The conventional measurement of vibrations detects vibrations other than the vibrations generated in the steam trap, and the detection accuracy of the operating state is not good. By directly detecting the difference in collision force when steam is leaked by the acceleration sensor, it is possible to detect the operating state of the steam trap safely and accurately without being disturbed and in a state where the steam trap is attached.

Example An example showing a specific example of the above technical means will be described (see FIG. 1).

The illustrated steam trap is a float type, and the casing includes a main body 10 and a lid 11. A trap inlet 12 and a trap outlet 13 are formed in the body 10. Hollow float in valve chamber 15
Accommodates 14 free. The valve seat 9 is formed in the lower part of the valve chamber 15, and the discharge valve port 16 is opened. The discharge valve port 16 is
It communicates with the trap outlet 13 through the through hole 17 and the rising passage 18.

An acceleration sensor 19 is mounted on the secondary side of the discharge valve opening 16 at a position facing the flow from the discharge valve opening 16 via a screw member. The signal detected by the acceleration sensor 19 is input to the display 21 via the cable 20. The display unit 21 is an amplification unit that amplifies a signal, a storage unit that stores a reference level, an input unit that inputs operating conditions such as pressure, a comparison calculation unit that performs a comparison calculation of a detected signal level and a reference level, and It is composed of a display unit and the like.

The float 14 floats and descends according to the amount of condensed water accumulated in the valve chamber 15, and opens and closes the discharge valve port 16. That is, when the condensate flows in, the discharge valve port 16 opens, and when the steam flows in, the discharge valve port 16 closes to prevent the steam from flowing out. In this way, when the steam trap operates normally and only the condensate is discharged, the acceleration sensor is connected via the screw member.
Since the collision force of the condensate that collides with 19 is large and exceeds the reference level, the trap operation is displayed as normal. If something goes wrong with the steam trap and steam leaks,
The collision force that collides with the acceleration sensor 19 via the screw member becomes small and falls below the reference level, so that abnormal operation is displayed. Therefore, the operating state of the steam trap can be safely and accurately detected while it is still attached to the pipe.

In the present embodiment, the float type is shown as the steam trap, but it goes without saying that the same can be detected even if it is a disk type, a bucket type, a bimetal type or the like which is generally used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a steam trap operation detector of the present invention. 10: Main body, 12: Trap inlet 13: Trap outlet, 14: Float 15: Valve chamber, 16: Discharge valve inlet 19: Accelerometer, 21: Display

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An acceleration sensor is provided on the secondary side of a discharge port of a steam trap so as to face the flow, and whether only condensate is flowing down or steam is flowing down due to a change in the signal of the acceleration sensor. A steam trap operation detector that detects whether or not