Diseño y construcción de un banco de pruebas de trampas de vapor en la Facultad de Mecánica

Abstract

This study aimed to design a steam trap test bench in the Steam Generation Laboratory of the Mechanics Faculty. For the implementation phase, the ASME B31.1 standard was used, and it was carried out in four phases: study and necessary resources, design through SolidWorks software, calculation and selection of elements, and construction of the test bench. The results showed that, after performing functional tests such as thermography, the thermographic report of the thermostatic steam trap showed an obstruction at the inlet because the temperature on the surface did not present a uniform distribution (average value of 14.1 °C). In contrast, the inverted valve and buoy-type mechanical steam trap did not present any blockage. An ultrasound analysis was also carried out, determining four inspection points: in section 1, points A and B presented a high frequency (2.67165 and 2.67165 H), and points C and D a moderate frequency (2.65745 and 2.65745 Hz); in section 2 point A had a high frequency (2.68168 Hz) and began to decrease at point B, showing that the inverted valve steam trap was operating correctly, in section 3 the points A and B had a low frequency (2.65252 and 2.65521 Hz), and at point C it increased (2.65521 Hz), which indicated that the thermostatic steam trap was operating correctly and in section 4 the frequency of points A and B was moderate, then it remained constant and point D increased (0.0864553 Hz). It was concluded that the buoy-type, inverted valve, thermodynamic, and thermostatic steam traps worked correctly, so an operation and maintenance manual was prepared to ensure the operation of the test bench.