Adca Training

Part 3

This presentation is only a guideline, that can only be completed by a trained personnel.
(This document’s total or partial use and/or reproduction is only allowed if the reference to the source is kept)
 Part 3
• Pipeline Sizing – Water Hammer
• Steam Trapping – Condensate Removal

Part 4
▪ Pressure Reduction
▪ Safety Relief Valves and Other Steam Valves

Part 5
▪ Control Valves
▪ Components of Control Valves
▪ Humidification
 MASS FLOWRATES OF SATURATED STEAM FOR DIFFERENT VELOCITIES IN PIPES DIN2448 - STANDARD

FLOWRATE Kgs / h
Pm v
DN DN DN
Pm – Gauge bar m/s DN 15
20
DN 25 DN 32 DN 40 DN 50
65
DN 80 DN 100 DN 125 DN 150 DN 200 DN 250
300
15 10 17 28 48 64 103 171 236 397 600 878 1476 2346 3319
pressure; 0.4 25 17 29 47 80 107 171 285 393 662 1000 1464 2459 3911 5532
40 28 46 75 128 171 274 456 628 1058 1601 2342 3935 6257 8851
15 13 22 35 60 81 130 216 297 501 757 1108 1862 2960 4187
0.8 25 22 36 59 101 135 216 360 495 835 1262 1846 3103 4934 6979
V – Velocity. 40
15
35
14
58
24
95
39
161
67
216
89
346
143
575
238
792
327
1335
552
2019
835
2954
1221
4964
2052
7894
3263
11166
4615
1 25 24 40 65 111 149 238 396 546 920 1391 2035 3420 5438 7692
40 38 64 104 178 238 381 634 873 1472 2226 3256 5471 8700 12307
15 21 35 57 97 131 209 347 478 806 1219 1784 2998 4767 6743
2 25 35 58 95 162 218 348 579 797 1344 2032 2973 4996 7945 11238
40 56 93 152 259 348 557 927 1276 2150 3252 4757 7994 12711 17980
15 28 46 75 127 171 273 454 626 1055 1595 2333 3921 6235 8820
3 25 46 76 125 212 285 455 757 1043 1758 2658 3889 6535 10392 14699
40 73 122 199 339 455 728 1212 1669 2813 4253 6223 10456 16627 23519
15 34 56 92 157 211 337 560 771 1300 1966 2876 4833 7685 10871
4 25 57 94 154 261 351 561 934 1286 2167 3277 4794 8055 12809 18119
40 90 150 246 418 561 898 1494 2057 3467 5243 7670 12888 20495 28990
15 40 67 109 186 250 400 665 916 1544 2334 3415 5738 9125 12907
5 25 67 111 182 310 417 666 1109 1527 2573 3890 5692 9564 15208 21512
40 107 178 292 496 667 1066 1774 2443 4116 6224 9107 15302 24333 34420
15 53 88 144 244 328 525 873 1202 2026 3064 4482 7532 11977 16941
7 25 88 146 239 407 547 875 1455 2004 3377 5106 7470 12553 19961 28235
40 141 234 383 652 875 1399 2328 3206 5402 8170 11953 20084 31937 45176
15 59 98 160 273 366 586 975 1342 2261 3420 5003 8407 13369 18911
8 25 98 163 267 455 610 976 1624 2237 3769 5700 8339 14012 22282 31518
40 157 261 427 727 977 1562 2599 3579 6031 9120 13342 22420 35651 50429
15 72 119 195 331 445 711 1184 1630 2747 4154 6078 10212 16239 22971
10 25 119 198 324 552 741 1186 1973 2717 4578/ 6923 10129 17021 27066 38285
40 191 317 519 884 1186 1897 3157 4347 7325 11077 16207 27233 43305 61255
15 96 160 261 444 596 954 1587 2186 3683 5570 8150 13694 21776 30802
14 25 160 266 435 740 994 1590 2645 3643 6139 9284 13583 22823 36293 51336
40 256 425 696 1185 1591 2544 4233 5829 9823 14854 21732 36517 58068 82138
15 134 222 363 617 829 1326 2205 3037 5118 7740 11324 19027 30256 42798
20 25 223 369 604 1029 1381 2209 3676 5062 8530 12899 18873 31712 50427 71330
40 356 591 967 1646 2210 3535 5881 8099 13648 20639 30196 50740 80684 114128
 ▪ Steam and condensate pipelines can be sized using 2 methods.
Velocity and Pressure Drop.
Velocity Should be sized on
Velocity is the method used 99% of the time. approx 25 m/s !!!
• Example: Flow = 1000 kg/h @ 10 barg reducing to 1 barg

100mm @ 25 m/s
50mm @ 25 m/s

CORRECT

If we did not size pipe work correctly

50mm @ 90Km/h 50mm @ 405 Km/h

INCORRECT
▪ Moving water contains a great deal of energy because of it’s weight and velocity. When
the slugs of condensate are suddenly stopped or reaches a change of direction , the
energy of movement (kinetic energy) as to be dissipated in some way. Since condensate
is being transported in a confined space (pipe), the energy will be transmitted to any
obstacle in it’s path and into the walls of the space (pipe wall, fittings, valves, etc).
▪ The main conditions for the occurrence of water hammer in both steam and condensate
lines are:
- Presence of condensate
- High live or flash steam velocity
- Change of direction or obstruction in the line Water Hammer

Condensate
Condensate slugs
 ▪ Potential sources of water hammer:
Strainer with hanging basket Concentric reducer Riser

▪ How to prevent water hammer:

➢ Steam valves should be opened slowly to gradually increase the condensate flow
➢ Install drain pockets with appropriate steam traps along the line
➢ Pipe design in such a way as to eliminate back flow (check valves may be necessary)
➢ In case of condensate lifting after the trap, there must be sufficient pressure to move it out
➢ Build separate condensate lines if condensate comes from different line pressures
▪ On horizontal steam mains always use eccentric reducers with the flat at the bottom.

Steam CORRECT
Eccentric reducer

INCORRECT
Steam
Concentric reducer
CORRECT
By fitting a drain pocket of similar pipe
diameter the condensate will not be
able to pass over it and will be
collected and drained away.

INCORRECT
Fitting a small bore drain pipe to the
bottom of a large pipe will not work
very efficiently. The velocity of the
steam will carry the water over the
drain pipe and into the system.
▪ Separators are designed to efficiently remove the moisture from steam flow. Wet steam is steam
containing a degree of water, and is one of the main concerns in any steam system. It can reduce plant
productivity and product quality, and can cause damage to most items of plant and equipment.
▪ Whilst careful drainage and trapping can remove most of the water, it will not deal with the water
droplets suspended in the steam. To remove these suspended water droplets, separators are installed in
steam pipelines.
▪

S25 S16 SH25

S25VH

▪ The centrifugal type separator uses a series of fins to generate high-speed cyclonic flow. The velocity of
the steam causes it to swirl around the body of the separator, throwing the heavier, suspended water to
the wall, where it drains down to a steam trap installed under the unit.
▪ In those systems where steam or compressed air contamination and or when production rules do not
allowed external corrosion, austenitic stainless steel humidity separators are recommended.

S10
S25SS Clean Steam

▪ Clean steam systems required a specific design with internal rugosity < 0,5 microns Ra
 The steam trap has the basic task of retaining steam in piping
and process equipment while automatically permitting
condensate and free air venting.
Some rule of thumb:
▪ Indoors a trap set should be present on a steam main every 50 -70m
▪ Outdoors a trap set should be present every 30 – 50m
▪ A trap set should be present at the base of any lift
▪ They also should be found before isolation and control valves, flowmeters and the
base of separators
▪ Trap sets should always be present at the end of lines, suitable for condensate
drainage and air venting
 ➢ Thermostatic bimetallic (operated by changes in fluid temperature)

▪ A bimetallic disc is a combination of two layers of metal with widely different coefficients of
expansion, which are inseparably bonded together. One side of the disc has a large
coefficient of expansion comparing with the other . In cold conditions the discs are
completely flat (fig.1). When heated , they will bend because one of the layers expands more
than the other (fig.2).

▪ When assembly in groups with the small coefficient of expansion against each other, they
will lie flat in cold condition (fig.3), but become increasingly convex when the temperature
increases (fig.4).

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4
 ➢ Thermostatic bimetallic (operated by changes in fluid temperature)
▪ By stacking a number of disc pairs over the valve stem (fig.5) an increase of the expansion is achieved.
And when the temperature near the bimetal rises, the bending of the disc-pairs will bridge the valve
clearance and makes the valve close.
The temperature of saturated steam is determined by its pressure. In the steam space, steam gives up its
enthalpy of evaporation (latent heat), producing condensate at steam temperature. As a result of any
further heat loss, the temperature of the condensate will fall.
A thermostatic trap will pass condensate when this lower temperature is sensed.
As steam or hot condensate reaches the trap, the temperature increases and the trap closes.
The closing force (F1) is caused by the steam temperature, the opening force (F2) by the steam pressure
on the valve. The condensate temperature regulates the position of the valve.

Bimetals F1
Clearance

Temperature
Closing force
Valve

Seat
Open force

Pressure

F2
Valve Fig.5
➢ Thermostatic bimetallic (operated by changes in fluid temperature)

Steam
Hot condensate
Condensate

Air
 ➢ Thermostatic capsule (operated by changes in fluid temperature)
Start-up position:
The membrane regulator contains a liquid
having an evaporation temperature a few
degrees below the saturation temperature of
water. During shut down or start-up, i.e. if cold
condensate is present, the liquid filling is
completely condensed. The pressure in the
capsule is lower than the service pressure.
The membrane and the valve disc is forced in
the open position. The trap remains open
Valve Fig.1
(fig.1)
Closed position:
With rising condensate temperature, the liquid
filling starts to evaporate. The pressure in the
capsule increases, the membrane and the valve
disc is moved into the closing position. Just
before the condensate has reached is saturation
temperature, the valve is closed completely
(fig.2)
Fig.2
Seat
➢ Thermostatic capsule (operated by changes in fluid temperature)

Steam
Hot condensate
Condensate

Air
 Bimetallic or Capsule

BM Series TH –TSS Series

Advantages Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages

Mains drainage; No application where water Mains drainage; Can be slow acting which
Very robust, resist water logging can be a problem; Good for venting air; may cause water logging;
hammer and frost; No adjustment needed for High cycle times can cause
Does not react very quickly
Used on high pressure varying steam pressures. premature capsule failure.
to changing conditions of
applications;
pressure and flow.
Free air discharge;
Can be used on superheated
steam;
Makes use of some sensible
heat.

Application
Mains drainage, space heating pipes, steam tracing Mains drainage, calandar rolls, space heating pipes,
High pressure applications. Steam tracing lines, thermostatic air vents.
 ➢ Mechanical (operated by changes in fluid density)

▪ A float through a simple lever mechanism opens

or closes the valve seat according to the
condensate level in the trap. The opening is
proportional to the condensate rate and it is not
influenced by temperature or pressure. Discharge
is modulating and does not interfere with automatic
controls, if fitted.

▪ Air venting is ensured by a thermostatic element

located in the steam space above the condensate
level. After releasing the initial air, it remains closed
until air or other non-condensable gases
accumulate during normal running and cause it to
Steam open by reducing the temperature of the air/steam
mixture. The thermostatic air vent offers the added
Condensate benefit of significantly increasing condensate
Air capacity on cold start-up.
 ➢ Mechanical (operated by changes in fluid density)

▪ In the inverted bucket steam trap the operating

force is provided by steam rising into an inverted
bucket and causing it to float in the condensate with
which the trap is filled.

Steam ▪ The upward movement of the bucket is converted

Condensate through levers into a valve movement. The valve is
held shut when the bucket is floating, due to the
presence of steam and the valve is open when the
bucket sinks due to the presence of condensate.

▪ A small vent hole on the upper part of the bucket

provides air and steam discharge for bucket
movement.
Float & Thermostatic
FLT Series
Advantages
Can be used on all process
applications;
High capacities;
Good for air venting;
Good performance on very
low differential pressures;
Not disturbed by wide and
sudden fluctuations of
pressure.
Application
All heat exchangers applications,
Jacketed vessels, heater coils, calander rolls etc.
or
Disadvantages
Can freeze in exposed
position if not equipped with
anti-freeze device;
Can be susceptible to water
hammer;
Limitation on maximum
pressure;
Advantages
Mains drainage
Continuous steam systems;
They can withstand
reasonable water hammer;
Can not air bind;
Mains drainage, continuous process installations.
Inverted Bucket
IB Series
Disadvantages
Slowly air release;
Can lose water seal and blow
steam if wrongly installed;
Can freeze in exposed
position if not equipped with
anti-freeze device;
 ➢ Thermodynamic (operated by changes in fluid dynamics)

▪ When steam is supplied to the plant, disc is

raised from it’s seat rings by incoming pressure
allowing instant discharge of air and condensate.

▪ When condensate becomes hot enough flash

steam is formed as it flows through the trap. The
high velocity of this flash steam creates a low
pressure area under the disc which draws it
towards the seat and builds up pressure in steam
Steam
Condensate chamber.

▪ The flash steam pressure in steam chamber

acting on the full top area of the disc, forces it down
against the pressure of the incoming fluid until it
seats on inner and outer ring, closing the inlet and
trapping pressure in the steam chamber.

▪ In due course, condensation in chamber

decreases the pressure there, the disc is raised by
incoming pressure and the cycle starts again.
 DT 40 DT 42

Advantages
Simple operation (just one moving part);
Compact, light-weight;
No adjustment need for varying steam pressures;
Unaffected by water hammer.
Disadvantages
Blast action can damage equipment;
Always pass a small amount of live steam;
Not suitable for very low differential pressures;
May air-bind if a lot of air reaches the trap quickly on start up;
Not recommended on automatically controlled systems
(intermittent condensate discharge) .

Application
Mains drainage
▪ In general, steam traps continue to be undervalued in steam systems. Since they usually fail open,
the process is not interrupted and losses are covered by the energy invoice.

▪ Yet, one must point out an application in particular, probably the most critical one:

- Small steam traps drip points, end of line, manifolds, tracing, etc.

▪ In some plants one doesn’t even know where they are. Many are “hidden” behind piping racks, at
the top of plant’s aisle or under pipes in hard to reach gutters. And they stay there year after year
putting on weight on the energy invoice.

▪ Uniadca system allows

steam traps quick
maintenance by keeping a
connector settle in the
pipes and replacing only
the regulation element.
Main features:

- Excellent air discharge (valve totally opened during start up)

- Continuous discharge
- Economical condensate discharge at low saturation
temperature.
- Robust, resistant to water hammer and ice.
- Seat in austenitic steel and if necessary, coated with cobalt
BS32
alloy.
- Heat treated or coated valve seat.
- Bimetallic disks with additional anti-corrosive treatment.
- Built-in strainer
- Stainless steel hexagonal head screws to avoid residue choke.
- Threads absence in the column regulator connection.

Designed with the purpose of offering a truly competitive alternative and maintenance
simplicity, in a few minutes.
▪ Automatic clean steam traps and air vents operate on the same main principle as
thermostatic TH series already described.

▪ Steam traps should be designed and installed in such a way that no condensate
held-up is present.

▪ When installed as air vents they should be placed above the condensate level in
order to be reached only by air and steam mixtures.

TSS7 TSS6
Internal surface finish < 0,5 microns Ra.
▪ Labyrinth – not a true automatic steam trap

▪ Orifice – not a true automatic steam trap

▪ Open Bucket – not common doing to expensive construction and low performance
advantages
 ➢ Questions to ask
• Steam pressure
• Pressure before the trap
• Steam back pressure on trap (if any)
• Application it is being used on
• Is it superheated steam, if so what temperature
• Inside or outside
• Body material preference
• Pipeline connections
• Flow rate (mains drainage flow rate not required)
• If flow rate not known we need more information to calculate how much steam
is used
▪ When the condensate is removed through a siphon or dip pipe, like
in rotating drying cylinders, steam locking may occur. If this happen
and while the steam trap is locked, condensate accumulation inside
the equipment will delay the process or damage raw material and or
equipment.
▪ To avoid this problem a trap is needed with a steam lock release
valve (needle valve). The aperture of this valve will bleed the steam
locked in the siphon pipe directly into the outside pipe.
▪ Since inverted bucket traps naturally bleed some steam trough the
bucket hole, they can be used in some applications where steam
locking exist, mainly if the equipment accept intermittent discharge
steam traps.

▪ The large volume of air

normally present in the
cylinders and other
equipment can delay the
heating process even if a float
and thermostatic trap is used, SLR FLT17
thus, a separate air vent is Steam Lock
often still needed. Release
 ➢ Mechanical POP – Pressure Operated Pump
▪ A mechanical pump consists of a body shell, into
which condensate flows by gravity. The body contains
a float mechanism, which operates a set of
changeover valves.
▪ Condensate is allowed to flow into the body, which
raises the float. When the float reaches a certain
level, it triggers a vent valve to close, and an inlet
valve to open, to allow steam to enter and pressurise
the body to push out the condensate. The condensate
level and the float both fall to a preset point, at which
the steam inlet valve shuts and the vent valve re-
opens, allowing the pump body to refill with
condensate.
▪ Check valves are fitted to the pump inlet and
Steam discharge ports to ensure correct directional flow
Condensate through the pump.
Air The cyclic action of the pump means that a receiver is
required to store condensate while the pump is
discharging
▪ The POP-K packaged pump units can be used to lift
or displace hot condensate and other liquids even in
hazardous areas.

▪ A POP-K packaged unit comprises an Adcamat

pump, a vented receiver and all auxiliary items,
compactly mounted on a metal frame piped and ready
for connection.
▪ Packaged units save time, work and site costs.

▪ In addition they ensure that installation of the pump is correct in

every detail.
▪ Two or more units can be connected in parallel to cope with
flow rates beyond the capacity of a single pump.
▪ Units operating with compressed air are also available.
▪ Modulated control of the steam supply causes wide changes in pressure
differential. The pressure in the unit drained may fall to atmospheric or even
lower. In some plants it is not recommended to introduce air into the steam
heating space and so the use of vacuum breakers is not tolerated, besides, if the
condensate lifts after the steam trap the vacuum breaker will not assist drainage.
The solution in these situations is the use of a Pump / Trap combination.
 Secondary flow ▪ When the steam pressure is
sufficient to overcome back
Steam
pressure the trap operates.
Control Valve Heat Exchanger
▪ If the pressure decreases, the
pressure operated pump start to
operate removing the
Motive Steam
condensate by pumping trough
the steam trap.

Steam trap Float type

Condensate
 P2 Pressure is
always higher than
P1
 P2 Pressure
does not always
exceed P1
▪ CDV 32 condensate drain valve automatically drains condensate from steam
systems during start-up.

▪ A compression spring inside the governor keeps the valve open if the appliance
stays without pressure.

▪ As soon as the service pressure has

reached the closing pressure to which the
CDV has been adjusted, the valve closes due
to the differential pressure.
▪ When the pressure drops below the closing
pressure the Condensate Drain Valve opens Steam
Condensate
by spring force
 Steam Condensate
Manifold
MAS-H

▪ Draining a steam main with an elevated condensate line.

▪ Example 1

Equation for the calculation of heat (steam) demand, according to the properties of a heat
exchanger:
MSteam 
Q(Heat)
r

Known are the heat demand per hour or the heat exchanger heating capacity.
(If the heating capacity is unknown there are some “ways” to determine it approximately (using the
knowledge about steam systems and equipments).

Since the accumulation of condensate may reduce the heating capacity, only the latent heat (r) shall
be utilized for heating and not the sensible heat stored in the condensate.
- Heat demand for the heat exchanger = 300 000 Kcal/h
- Steam pressure = 6 bar (r = 493,8 Kcal/h)
300000
M  607,5Kg/h
493,8

Some allowance should be considered because of heat losses by radiation.

▪ Example 2

Equation for the calculation of heat demand, according to the properties of the fluid to be heated:

QHeat   m  Cp  ΔT
Known is the time required for heating a given quantity of a product:
- Product = water
- Inlet temperature in the heat exchanger = 20ºC
- Outlet temperature in the heat exchanger = 60ºC
- Flow = 3750 Kg of water in 30 min.
- Cp (water) = 1Kcal/Kg ºC

m  Cp  T  60' 3750  1 60º 20º  60'

Q Heat   Q
30' 30'

 Q  300000Kcal /h

With this it is possible now to determine the amount of steam!

▪ Example 3

Knowing the heat surface of the heat exchanger it is possible to determine the heat demand using the
following formula:
QHeat   A  K  Δtlm
Where,
A – Heat exchanger area
K – Coefficient of overall heat transfer
Δtlm – Mean Logarithm Temperature Difference
Δtlm 
Δt1- Δt2
or Δt1
Δtm – Mean Temperature Difference ln
Δt2
Δtm  ts 
ti  tf 
2
ts – 165º (steam at 6 bar g)
A = 3m2
*K = 800 Kcal/Kg/h ºC

Δtm  165 
20  60   125º C
2
Q(heat)  3  800  125  300000Kcal/h

* Arbritrary value for demonstration purposes only. One must confirm it according with the equipment used.
▪ For correct trap sizing, we need to know:

- Condensate loads in Kg/h

- Safety factor to be applied (if necessary)
- Differential pressure
- Maximum allowable pressure (max. system pressure)

For the given example condensate load have been determined before.

Depending on experience factors and particular application a safety factor can be

applied. In this case we consider 2:1, so, 607,5Kg x 2 = 1215Kg/h.

Differential pressure is the difference between the pressure before and after the
steam trap.
 P5=1,2bar

Condensate Steam

P1=6bar

Secondary flow
4m

P2=xbar
Control Valve
P4=0,44bar Heat Exchanger
(4x0,11)
P3=xbar
P1 – Pressure on steam main (6 bar)

P2 – Pressure after the control valve, assuming the pressure drop on the control valve (less

10% as example)

P3 – Pressure before the steam trap, including pressure drop in the heat exchanger tube

bundle (we consider 0,5 bar for this example)

P4 – Pressure after the steam trap doing to the lift pipe (every 1m of lift reduces pressure

differential by 0,1 bar; we may consider 0,11 to compensate pipe friction)

P5 – Pressure on the condensate main (1,2bar)

ΔP = Pressure before the trap(P3) – Back pressure (P4+P5)

P3  6bar  0,9   0,5  4,9 bar; P4  4  0,11  0,44bar; P5  1,2 bar
ΔP  4,9  0,44  1,2   3,26 bar
▪ The first choice for a heat exchanger steam trapping is the float & thermostatic steam trap.

▪ As the maximum pressure is not more than 6 bar the FLT17 series is suitable, and for a
flow of 1215 Kg/h the size DN25HC ΔP4,5 bar discharge at 3,26bar differential pressure
≈ 2050Kg/h (extrapolating).

FLOW RATE CAPACITY IN Kgs/h

DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE (bar)
M ODEL SIZE
0,5 1 1,5 2 3 4,5 6 7 8 9 10 12 14
FLT17-4,5 1"-25HC 900 1250 1450 1700 2010 2400
FLT17-10 1"-25HC 450 620 790 880 1100 1250 1500 1600 1700 1750 1800
FLT17-14 1"-25HC 340 435 530 600 610 850 990 1100 1190 1240 1300 1350 1380

Even if the pressure on the condensate main (P5=1,2bar) un-exist (during the start-up, for
example) , the ΔP will not exceed the maximum permissible ΔP of the steam trap
(ΔP=4,9 – 0,44 = 4,46 bar) and so, our selection can be:

▪ Adca FLT17- 4,5 DN25HC float and thermostatic steam trap.

▪ During start up of a steam system the pipes are full of air, besides, further amounts of
air and other non-condensable gases will enter the system together with the steam,
even if in low proportions.
▪ As explained in Part 1, air barriers represent a length warming period and
consequently reduction in plant efficiency and process performance.
▪ Automatic air vents for steam systems operate on the same principle as thermostatic
steam traps and they should be placed above the condensate level in order that only
air and steam mixtures reach them.

TH13 A
▪ Air and other incondensable gases
removal from water (liquid) lines is
crucial for a good system performance.

▪ The presence of air normally causes

excessive noise, low system
performance and corrosion. In extreme,
air locks can even inhibit the normal
operation of pumping system.

▪ As explained in Part 1 air also operates

as a barrier to normal heat transfer
efficiency.
AE16 SS
▪ Ball float compressed air and gas traps
or liquid drainers are ideal devices to
drain condensation from air and gas
lines.

▪ A float through a simple lever

mechanism opens or closes the valve
seat according to the condensation
level in the trap. The opening is
proportional to the condensate rate and
it is not influenced by temperature or
pressure. A separate balance pipe
connection is provided to prevent air
binding.

FA16 SS
▪ As explained in Part 1 the vacuum
formation is present in all steam
systems and it may destroy equipments
by implosion (amongst other problems).
▪ Vacuum breakers protect plant and
process equipment against vacuum
conditions.
▪ A spherical ball which remain on it’s
seat during normal operation (under
pressure condition), is lifted off it’s seat
in case of vacuum formation, and air is
drawn into the equipment “breaking” the
vacuum.
▪ For larger volume equipments a disk VB21
type spring loaded check valve or
specific air vacuum valves can be
specified.