【Advantages】 1.
Steam Z has no moving parts. With an open orifice, Steam Z
evacuates condensate
continuously. It can be used for more than 20 years with little
maintenance.
2. Steam Z keeps its initial performances in time, with little maintenance. Even when inspection is needed, the
simple structure, light weight and simple shape of Steam Z save
labour and time.
3. Steam Z has almost no steam
leakage. Furthermore, it cannot suffer from blow-through breakdowns.
So, it contributes to energy-saving.
4.
Except for the flow direction, there are no restrictions for its position
on installation. Steam Z can be mounted horizontally,
in an inclined position and vertically even facing upwards. It is also ideal for a moving
environment like on a ship
5. The simple structure, light weight and simple shape of Steam
Z make the
installation easy. It can be of a smaller diameter compared to a
conventional steam trap of the same capacity, which means smaller
diameter piping and a big
reduction in piping cost, especially for new piping.
6. Steam Z evacuates condensate continuously and improves the heat
transfer, which means an increased productivity. There
are no water hammers.
7. The passageway of condensate is in a straight line, and there is nothing
to hinder the free passage of condensate. There is no air-lock or
gas-lock phenomenon. Start-up time in the morning can be
reduced.
8. Steam Z adapts
instantly to load variations. So, in case of a program
control, the temperature control can be done smoothly and with
precision.
9. Steam Z can cope with
very large quantities of condensate, very high steam pressure, very
low differential pressure, which, normally, cannot be handled by a
conventional steam trap.
For instance:
(1)Condensate of more than 1 ton/h with a pressure of more
than 10Mpa
(2)Condensate of more than 80 ton/h
(3)Differential pressure lower than 0.003Mpa
N.B.: For (1) and (2), there are no practical restrictions.
【Disadvantages】
1. Compared to a conventional steam
trap, it is necessary to prepare more
precise data for the definition of Steam Z.
Without knowing the minimum and maximum condensate flow rates and
the differential pressure, it is not possible to design a Steam Z.
2. As the condensate evacuates directly into the piping, especially
in case of large quantities of condensate, in order to avoid
premature erosion, it is recommended to have, downstream
of Steam Z,
a straight line at least 10 times the pipe diameter. If
this is impossible, it is better to use
stainless steel piping up to the first elbow. However, as the mounting
position of Steam Z is free, it is often not difficult to have a straight line 10 times the diameter of the pipe
diameter.