Steam Tracer

Lines and Traps

Department Editor: Scott Jenkins
Temperature differential

S
team tracer lines are designed to maintain the fluid in a
150 160 180 200 240 300 400 500 700 900 1050
primary pipe at a designated uniform temperature. In most
cases, these tracer lines are used outdoors, which makes 11 11
10 10
ambient weather conditions a critical consideration. 9 9
The primary purpose of steam traps on tracer lines is to retain 8 8
the steam until its latent heat is fully utilized, and then discharge 7 7
the condensate and non-condensable gases. As is true with any
6 6
piece of heat transfer equipment, each tracer line should have its

Btu/ft2/h/ºF temperature difference

own trap. Even though multiple tracer lines may be installed on 5 5
the same primary fluid line, unit trapping is required to prevent
4.5 4.5
short-circuiting.
In selecting and sizing steam traps, it is important to consider 4.0 4.0
their compatibility with the objectives of the system, as traps must
3.5 3.5
accomplish the following:
3.3 3.3
1. Conserve energy by operating reliably over a long time period
2. Provide abrupt periodic discharge in order to purge the 3.0 3.0
condensate and air from the line 2.8 '
2.8
3. Operate under light load conditions (
4. Resist damage from freezing if the steam is shut off 2.6
)
2.6
The cost of steam makes wasteful tracer lines an exorbitant 2.5 + ; I 2.5
overhead that no industry can afford. 79
2.4 , H< 2.4

I K
'&
7J
<B
Trap selection for steam tracer lines 2.3 2.3
The condensate load to be handled on a steam tracer line can
be determined from the heat loss from the product pipe by using 2.2 2.2
this formula:
2.15 2.15
L ×U × T × E
Q =
S×H 2.10
Where:
Figure 2. (above) The graph
Q = Condensate load in lb/h depicts heat loss of an uninsulated
L = Length of product pipe pipe. The temperature differential is
between tracer line derived from the process tempera-
traps in ft ture minus ambient design (T=75˚F)

U = Heat transfer factor in

Btu/ft2/°F/h Safety factor
∆T = Temperature differential in °F Use a 2:1 safety factor whether
E = One minus the efficiency of insulation exposure to ambient weather
(example: 75% efficient insulation or conditions is involved or not.
1 – 0.75 = 0.25 or E = 0.25) Do not oversize steam traps or
tracer lines. Select a steam trap
S = Linear feet of pipe line per ft2 of surface
to conserve energy and to avoid
H = Latent heat of steam in Btu/lb plugging with dirt, scale and
metallic oxides.
Example
Installation
Three tracer lines at 100 psig steam pressure are Install distribution or supply lines
used on a 20-in.-dia., 100-ft-long insulated pipe at a height above the product lines
to maintain a process temperature of 190°F with requiring steam tracing. For the
an outdoor design temperature of –10°F. Assume efficient drainage of condensate
further that the pipe insulation is 75% efficient. and purging of non-condensables,
What is the condensate load? pitch tracer lines for gravity drain-
Using the formula: age and trap all low spots. This
Figure 1. A con- will also help avoid tracer line
100 ft × 2.44 Btu/ft 2 / o F/ h × 200 o F × 0.25 densate manifold freezing (see Figure 1).
=72 lb/h
0.191 ft lin /ft 2 × 880 Btu/lb shows multiple tracer To conserve energy, return con-
lines and steam traps densate to the boiler. Freeze-pro-
Divide by three in order to get the load per tracer line: 24 lb/h. tection drains on trap discharge
On most tracer line applications, the flow to the steam trap headers are suggested where
is surprisingly low; therefore, the smallest trap is normally freezing conditions prevail.
adequate. Based on its ability to conserve energy by operating Acknowledgements
reliably over a long period of time, handle light loads, resist Material for this month’s “Facts at Your Fingertips” column
freezing and purge the system, an inverted bucket trap is recom- was supplied by Armstrong International,
mended for tracer line service. Three Rivers, Mich.

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