512 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June 1, 1917. 



Trapping Dollars. 



VALVE SEAT- 

 VALVE CASING 



VALVE 

 ■■f-COPPEB GASKET 



COAL costs money. Its value is based on the big round 

 American dollar. The ordinary manufacturer runs much 

 steam into the open air and it is wasted. Every unit of 

 heat which can be returned to the boiler after the steam has done 

 its duty is just so much money saved. 



Steam traps collect and discharge the hot water of condensa- 

 tion from any system where steam is used, without allowing 

 steam to escape, and are cheap and efficient money savers. 



Where the hot water of condensation is free from grease or 

 any other impurities, it is generally returned to the boiler either 

 directly or indirectly, depending upon 'the system, thus saving 

 the contained heat. This amounts to the equivalent of approxi- 

 mately five to ten per cent of the coal butned. 



In rubber mill work there is exceptional opportunity for re- 

 claiming the hot water of condensation, where so much steam 

 is used for manufacturing purposes, such as in heaters, viil- 

 canizers, presses, in heating buildings in the winter season, etc. 



When a vulcanizer, for example, is located "at a distance from 

 the boiler more or less trouble will be experienced from con- 

 densation which comes over with the steam. If this heat-reduc- 

 ing water is promptly removed by an efficient steam trap there 

 will be no delay in heating up and the desired pressure will be 

 maintained with certainty. Thus time is saved and the danger 

 of flooding the heater eliminated.- Many tires have been under- 

 cured due to an in- 

 efficient steam trap 

 and the consequent 

 submersion of the 

 molds in the heater 

 by water of conden- 

 sation. 6^1 tS» 



This difficulty may J 



be overcome by the /r 



use of a reliable 



steam trap piped to 



the main steam suppl\ 



line at a point where 



the accumulated water 



will flow to the trap 



by gravity and the 



trap will, with the aid 



of steam pressure, 



force the water of 



condensation out of 



the trap into a receiver or back into the boiler, thus saving the 



hot water which otherwise would be allowed to go to waste. 



A very common trouble with steam traps is caused by low 

 places or pockets in the piping system. Water accumulates in 

 the low spots and is forced through into the trap at intervals, 

 causing an uneven discharge. Where the quantity of accumulated 

 water is sufficient and the steam valve in the line is opened 

 suddenly this water is forced through the pipes at such a high 

 velocity as to cause a water hammer which is very destructive 

 to the whole piping system. 



The principal traps in use are siphon traps, float traps, bucket 

 traps and expansion traps. These in turn are sub-divided into 

 special traps, such as return traps, vacuum traps and others 

 designed for special purposes. 



SIPHOX TR..\PS. 

 Siphon traps, the simplest, are constructed according to the 

 well-known siphon loop principle, consisting of two lengths of 



PATENTED 

 Squires Bucket Tr.\p. 



Fjc. 2. Strong Tr.\p. 



pipe with a return bend. These are used for low-pressure work 

 and more for controlling pressures within the system than for 

 discharging under atmospheric pressure. When the pressure 

 does not rise above 2 or 3 pounds, a trap is used which acts on 

 the siphon principle, but is constructed on different lines that 

 permit sinking it in the ground. 



It is considered good rubber mill practice to use separate traps 

 on each unit, particularly the larger machines ; however, a line 

 of presses operating at the same steam pressure may be satis- 

 factorily served by a trap on the main steam supply line. Any 

 well-made trap of proven capacity of cither the float or bucket 

 type may be used in connection with high-pressure steam. The 



former depends 

 on a float for 

 operating the 

 discharge valve, 

 while in the 

 latter the buoy- 

 ancy of a float- 

 ing bucket is 

 overcome by the 

 inflowing water 

 which opens the 

 valve within the 

 bucket when- 

 ever it is discharged. The following are typical bucket traps. 



BUCKET TR.APS. 



In conjunction with vulcanizing presses for mold work, the 

 bucket-type steam trap is generally recommended. If the steam 

 pressure is the same for each press, it will be possible to operate 

 several presses on one trap of suitable size, but five presses 

 operating at 80 pounds and five at 60 pounds, for instance, would 

 require a separate trap for each group. Sometimes the trap valve 

 is opened or closed to increase or decrease the circulation speed, 

 and in" this instance an individual trap is preferable. 



In Fig. 1 is shown a sectional view of the well-known Squires 

 bucket steam trap. It has one inlet, two outlets and tw'o blow-ofif 

 connections. The pipe connections can be made on either side, 

 whichever may be most convenient, leaving the other side 

 plugged, .-^fter installing the trap there should be enough water 

 in it to float the bucket, as the valve does not seat until the 

 bucket is up. .^s soon as sufiicient water enters the trap, the 

 bucket, being buoyant, rises and closes the valve, which is at- 

 tached to it by the valve 

 stem. When condensation in 

 the trap body has reached the 

 high-water line the bucket 

 fills and sinks, opening the 

 valve" W'hich discharges the 

 water in thg bucket, leaving 

 enough to insure a perfect 

 water seal, together with the 

 condensation in the trap body 

 through the valve port to the 

 outlet until it has reached the 

 low-water line. 



-\nother bucket trap, known 

 as the Strong trap, is shown 

 in Fig. 2 and, briefly, consists 

 of an open bucket hinged at one side. When it becomes partly 

 filled by the water overflow from the trap, it tilts to the right,, 

 opening the valve located at the top, and the water is discharged 



Fig. 3. Stickles Tr.\p. 



