JPH0369900A - Operation detector for steam trap - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To safely and accurately detect an operating condition of a steam trap in a condition, where the steam trap is being intactly fitted to a piping, by detecting the degree of damping of near infrared rays. CONSTITUTION:Near infrared rays, supplied from a luminous device 38 and having a frequency to be absorbed in water, is supplied to a secondary side of a discharge valve port 15 of a steam trap via a two-line optical fiber connector 30. The near infrared rays are reflected by a reflecter plate 20. An electric signal corresponding to a reflected ray is generated with a ray-receiving device 31 by the reflected ray reaching the ray-receiving port of the two-line optical fiber connector 30. In this case, since light shows a strong absorption characteristic at a specific frequency in a range of the near infrared rays, for example 1.9 mum, by moisture content, detecting the degree of damping of the rays enables detection of whether only condensate is flowing or steam is also flowing and display of the results.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention detects and confirms the operating status of a steam trap, that is, whether condensate is being discharged normally, whether steam is leaking, etc. This relates to a steam trap activation detector.

When steam performs work and loses heat, it condenses into high-temperature water called condensate. In order to maintain thermal efficiency in steam-using equipment, it is necessary to discharge only condensate without letting steam escape. A special automatic valve for this purpose is a steam trap.

As fuel costs soar, steam leaks are being increasingly monitored. A prerequisite for adopting a steam trap is that it does not leak steam. Trap operation is closely monitored after piping installation, and traps leaking steam are repaired or proactively replaced.

BACKGROUND ART Conventional techniques and their problems Various steam trap operation detectors have been developed and put into practical use. One method is to place a heat exchanger on the inlet side of the steam trap, measure the amount of heat consumed by the heat exchanger, and measure the amount of heat of condensate discharged from the steam trap, and compare the two. This is to determine whether there is a leak of live steam. in this case,
Measurements cannot be made unless the steam trap is removed from the piping and attached to the measuring device. Therefore, it is impossible to measure the steam trap as it is piped, which is time consuming and inefficient. Furthermore, the measuring device is large-scale and expensive. Therefore, one method for detecting steam leakage from a steam trap that is still connected to the piping is to install a see-through window in the steam trap casing or the outlet piping of the trap to visually observe the state of the fluid inside. .

This may cause the glass that makes up the viewing window to break and steam, hot water, and water to blow out, potentially resulting in personal injury.

Additionally, ultrasonic sensors are being used to measure the vibrations associated with steam trap discharge.

This involves pressing a detection needle with an ultrasonic microphone attached to one end against the outer surface of the steam trap, converting the vibrations transmitted from the detection needle into an electrical signal, and amplifying that electrical signal to cause the meter needle to swing. or play it on a speaker. In this case, vibrations other than those generated by the steam trap, that is, vibrations of steam-using equipment such as cylinder dryers to which the steam trap is connected, may also be detected, making it difficult to determine operation or inaccurate. becomes.

Therefore, a technical problem of the present invention is to enable safe and accurate detection of the operating state of a steam trap while it remains attached to piping.

Means for Solving the Problems The technical means of the present invention taken to solve the above-mentioned technical problems includes a reflector plate attached to the secondary side of the discharge valve port of the steam trap, and a reflector plate facing the reflector plate. A two-wire optical fiber connector has a light emitting port that supplies near-infrared rays and a light-receiving port that receives near-infrared light reflected from the fouling plate, and near-infrared rays of a wavelength that is absorbed by moisture are transmitted through the two-wire optical fiber connector. a light-emitting device that sends the reflected light, a light-receiving device that receives the reflected light from the reflector and converts it into an electrical signal, and a light-receiving device that receives the electrical signal from the light-receiving device to determine whether only condensate is flowing or whether steam is also flowing. It is equipped with a measurement display section that detects and displays whether there is a person in the room.

action The operation of the above technical means is as follows.

Near-infrared rays having a wavelength that is absorbed by water and delivered from the light emitting device are delivered to the secondary side of the discharge valve port of the steam trap via a two-wire optical fiber connector. This near-infrared rays are reflected by a reflector.

Depending on what reaches the light receiving port of the two-wire optical fiber connector, the light receiving device generates a corresponding electrical signal. Light exhibits strong absorption characteristics at specific wavelengths in the near-infrared region, such as 1.9 μm, due to moisture, so by detecting the degree of attenuation of this light, it can be determined whether only condensate is flowing or steam is also flowing. It can detect and display whether there is a current flowing.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, by detecting the degree of attenuation of near-infrared rays, a steam trap can be attached to a pipe.
The operating status of the steam trap can be safely and accurately detected while the steam trap is left open.

Embodiment An embodiment illustrating a specific example of the above technical means will be described (see FIG. 1).

The illustrated steam trap is of a float type, and the casing consists of a main body 10 and a lid 11. A trap population 12 and a trap outlet 13 are formed in the main body 10. The hollow float 14 is accommodated in the valve chamber 15 in a free state. A valve seat member 9 is attached to the lower part of the valve chamber 15, and a discharge valve port 16 is opened. Discharge valve port 16 communicates with trap outlet 13 via riser passage 18 .

A fouling plate 20 is installed in the rising passage 18 on the secondary side of the discharge valve port 16.
Attach. A two-wire optical fiber connector 31 having a light emitting port facing the reflecting plate 20 and a light receiving port for receiving near-infrared light reflected from the reflecting plate 20 is attached to the main body 10.

Near-infrared rays with wavelengths that are absorbed by moisture are converted into light generated by a light-emitting element 38, which is a light-emitting device, and guided to the two-line optical fiber 30 via a filter lens 39 that transmits only light with the wavelengths concerned. It is fed into the rising passageway 18 via the two-wire optical fiber connector 31. This near-infrared rays are reflected by the reflecting plate 20. Among them, depending on what reaches the light receiving port of the two-wire optical fiber connector 31, the light receiving element 31, which is a light receiving device, generates an electric signal corresponding to the light receiving port. This electrical signal is amplified by an amplifier 34 and compared with a reference voltage 35 stored in advance.

The float 14 rises and falls depending on the amount of condensate accumulated in the valve chamber 15 to open and close the discharge valve port 16. That is, when condensate flows in, the discharge valve port 16 opens, and when steam flows in, the discharge valve port 16 closes to prevent steam from flowing out. In this way, when the steam trap operates normally and only condensate is discharged, the electrical signal of the light receiving element 31 is smaller than the reference voltage 35, and the measurement display section 33 indicates that the trap is operating normally. do. If some abnormality occurs in the steam trap and steam leaks, the electric signal will be greater than base 4 (voltage 35), so it will be displayed as abnormal operation.

In this example, a float type steam trap is shown, but it is possible to similarly detect other steam traps such as a disk type, bucket type, or bimetal type used in the membrane. Needless to say.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the steam trap operation detector of the present invention. 10: Main body 12 Nidrap person ro 13 Nidrap outlet 14: Float 15: Valve chamber 1
6: Discharge valve port 20: Reflector plate 30: 2-wire optical fiber connector

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reflector plate attached to the secondary side of the discharge valve port of the steam trap, a light emitting port facing the reflector for supplying near-infrared rays, and a light receiving port for receiving near-infrared light reflected from the reflector. a two-wire optical fiber connector, a light-emitting device that transmits near-infrared rays of a wavelength that is absorbed by moisture through the two-wire optical fiber connector, and a light-receiving device that receives reflected light from the reflector and converts it into an electrical signal. A steam trap operation detector, which is equipped with a measurement display section that receives an electric signal from the light receiving device and detects and displays whether only condensate is flowing or whether steam is also flowing.