Developments in or relating to a condensate recovery system
AssigneeSpirax-Sarco Limited
InventorsNishal Ramadas, Richard Quentin Carmichael, Christopher Michael Roland Agard Poczka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A condensate recovery system may comprise a plurality of drain lines for draining condensate from an associated steam plant. Each drain line may incorporate a steam trap and feeds into a common condensate return line running between the drain lines and a condensate receiver tank. The system further may comprise an acoustic sensor positioned along the common condensate return line, upstream of the receiver tank, for providing an acoustic output indicative of the collective steam loss through steam traps upstream of the sensor.
Claims18
A condensate recovery system comprising:
- a plurality of drain lines for draining condensate from an associated steam plant, each drain line incorporating a steam trap and feeding into a common condensate return line running between at least two of the plurality of drain lines and a condensate receiver tank;
- an acoustic sensor positioned along the common condensate return line, upstream of the receiver tank, wherein the acoustic sensor is configured to provide an acoustic output indicative of a collective steam loss through a plurality of steam traps upstream of the sensor;
- and
- a processor configured to analyze the acoustic output of the acoustic sensor on the basis of a pre-determined relationship between the acoustic output and the combined amount of steam passing through the respective steam traps to determine a quantitative measure of actual steam loss from the system.
A method of monitoring steam loss in a condensate recovery system having a plurality of drain lines for draining condensate from an associated steam plant, each drain line incorporating a steam trap and feeding into a common condensate return line running between at least two of the plurality of drain lines and a condensate receiver tank, the method comprising:
- monitoring the acoustic output of at least two acoustic sensors upstream of a receiver tank and downstream from two or more of the steam traps wherein each acoustic sensor is configured to provide an acoustic output indicative of a collective steam loss through one or more steam traps upstream of the respective sensor;
- and;
- analyzing, with a processor, each acoustic sensor on the basis of a pre-determined relationship between the acoustic output of the acoustic sensor and the combined amount of steam passing through the respective steam traps to determine a quantitative measure of actual steam loss from the system.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform:
- receiving an acoustic output from an acoustic sensor positioned along a common condensate return line operatively connected with a plurality of steam traps in a closed system and further located upstream of a receiver tank;
- and
- analyzing the acoustic output on a basis of a pre-determined relationship between the acoustic output and the combined amount of steam passing through the plurality of steam traps to determine a quantitative measure of collective steam loss through the plurality of steam traps.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.