Infrared thermography in steam trap inspection

Abstract

Steam traps play a significant role in condensate evacuation from steam as well as in heating ventilation and cooling systems (HVAC), i.e., industrial climate chambers. Preventive maintenance and periodical audit of steam traps increase reliability and reduce the number of facility off hours. In some elements of the system, condensate can damage some parts, which means that monitoring their function is one of the basic preventive maintenance tasks. One way of checking steam traps is by using infrared thermography. The paper presents the simplicity of steam trap control by using an infrared thermography camera.