CA1089316A - Inverted bucket steam trap - Google Patents

Inverted bucket steam trap

Info

Publication number
CA1089316A
CA1089316A CA310,239A CA310239A CA1089316A CA 1089316 A CA1089316 A CA 1089316A CA 310239 A CA310239 A CA 310239A CA 1089316 A CA1089316 A CA 1089316A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
bucket
casing
chamber
inverted bucket
inlet
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA310,239A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
David A. Keech
Ronald D. Schlesch
Robert F. Lyons
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Armstrong Machine Works
Original Assignee
Armstrong Machine Works
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Armstrong Machine Works filed Critical Armstrong Machine Works
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1089316A publication Critical patent/CA1089316A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16TSTEAM TRAPS OR LIKE APPARATUS FOR DRAINING-OFF LIQUIDS FROM ENCLOSURES PREDOMINANTLY CONTAINING GASES OR VAPOURS
    • F16T1/00Steam traps or like apparatus for draining-off liquids from enclosures predominantly containing gases or vapours, e.g. gas lines, steam lines, containers
    • F16T1/20Steam traps or like apparatus for draining-off liquids from enclosures predominantly containing gases or vapours, e.g. gas lines, steam lines, containers with valves controlled by floats
    • F16T1/30Steam traps or like apparatus for draining-off liquids from enclosures predominantly containing gases or vapours, e.g. gas lines, steam lines, containers with valves controlled by floats of inverted-open-bucket type; of bell type
    • F16T1/305Steam traps or like apparatus for draining-off liquids from enclosures predominantly containing gases or vapours, e.g. gas lines, steam lines, containers with valves controlled by floats of inverted-open-bucket type; of bell type using levers
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10TTECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T137/00Fluid handling
    • Y10T137/2931Diverse fluid containing pressure systems
    • Y10T137/3003Fluid separating traps or vents
    • Y10T137/3021Discriminating outlet for liquid
    • Y10T137/304With fluid responsive valve
    • Y10T137/3046Gas collecting float [e.g., inverted bucket]
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10TTECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T137/00Fluid handling
    • Y10T137/7287Liquid level responsive or maintaining systems
    • Y10T137/7329With supplemental or safety closing means or bias
    • Y10T137/7332Sinking or bucket type float

Abstract

INVERTED BUCKET STEAM TRAP
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An inverted bucket-type steam trap has a completely sealed casing of uniform wall thickness and preferably made of stainless steel. The casing is comprised of an upper part and a lower part. The lower part and the upper part both have a cylindrical wall portion which is open at one end and closed at the other end by a spherical segment-shaped bottom wall. The upper part and the lower part are affixed to each other by welding. The upper part has sidewardly extending outlet and inlet fitting means welded thereto. A valve is provided in association with the outlet fitting means. An inverted bucket is movable vertically inside the casing in response to the presence of condensate therein to operate the valve between opened and closed positions. An inlet tube is provided inside the casing and it extends from the inlet fitting means into the lower end of the bucket.

Description

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This invention relates to an improved inverted bucket-type steam trap and, more particularly, relates to an inverted bucket-type steam trap made of stainless steel, having a sealed tamper-proof construction and having a side inlet and a side outlet adjacent the upper end thereof. -It is well known to use steam traps in order to trap or .. .. , -retain steam in a device or system, while permitting conden-sate to be removed. One specific type of steam trap is the inverted bucket-type steam trap which has been extensively utilized for controlling the flow of condensate from a steam heated unit to a condensate return line. Such traps are gen-erally utilized to permit disposal of the condensate while at the same time minimizing loss of live steam from the steam heated unit.
Further, known inverted bucket-type steam traps are rather large and heavy and they are subject to corrosion. It is desired to reduce the size and weight thereof and to increase the corrosion resistance thereof, while retaining the known advantages of the inverted bucket operating ~ - . -principle. However, efforts to reduce the weight of these traps also reduced the strength thereof so that they could .:: ~, ... ..
`~ ~ not withstand high steam pressures.
U. S. Patent No. 3 892 256 discloses an inverted bucket-type steam trap in which the casing is made of two cup-shaped ~-; ~ sheet metal parts which are joined together to form a cylin-drical casing havin~ dome-shaped ends. The inlet extends through the lower end of the casing and the outlet extends ~
~ through the upper end of the casing, that is, the trap has a ~- ;
; bottom inlet and a top outlet. The trap of Patent No.
3 892 256 is highly satisfactory, but there are certain types ~ t~
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of applications for which side inlet and outlet piping connec-tions are desired. The present invention is intended to meet this need.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved inverted bucket-type steam trap of smaller size and lighter weight than prior art steam traps of e~uivalent condensate handling capacity and which has a side inlet and a side outlet.
Another object of thi$ invention is to provide an improved inverted bucket-type steam trap, as aforesaid, in which an in-let tube is provided within the casing and extends from the inlet fitting into the lower end of the inverted bucket and the inverted bucket has a recess in its sidewall for receiving the tube so that the overall width of the trap is minimized, vertical movement of the inverted bucket is guided by the tube so as to restrict swinging of the bucket and the tube is :: ' - - .
heated by contact with the fluid within the trap whereby to minimize condensation therein.
A further object of the invention is to provide an im- ~ -proved inverted bucket-type steam trap, as aforesaid, in which, like the trap of Patent No. 3 892 256, the casing can be made primarily of stainless steel sheet so that it can be fabricated by relatively simple and inexpensive drawing op- -~ ;
erations and so that it will possess improved corrosion re-sistance and sufficient strength for handling high pressure, high temperature steam.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved sealed stainless steel inverted bucket-type steam trap which is tamper-proof, like the trap of Patent No.
30 3 892 256.
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Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons acquainted with steam traps of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front view of the steam trap embodying the invention;
Figure 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of the steam trap; ~-Fi~ure 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a view taken along line IV-IV of Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a prior art inverted bucket steam trap having a side inlet .
and side outlet; and ~ . . .
Figure 6 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional - .:: .
view of a modified upper casing section having a one-piece .
member defining inlet and outlet fittings, according to the invention It is known to provide the inlet and outlet fittings for ~-20 an inverted bucket steam trap in the sidewall of the trap .~ .
adjacent the upper end thereof. A typical prior art inverted :
bucket steam trap having a side inlet and a side outlet is shown in Figure 5. The casing C has an inlet I and an outlet 0. The casing C is a casting provided with a passage P
` connecting the inlet I to the tube T. The top D has a pas- .
sage E connected to another passage F in the casing C which ~ :
in turn communicates with the outlet 0.
In general, the objects and purposes of the invention ~ ~ .

are met by providing, in an inverted bucket-type steam trap, a lower stainless steel cylindrical cuplike casing section having an open top and a spherical segment-shaped bottom wall and an upper stainless steel cylindrical inverted cuplike casing section having an open bottom and a spherical segment-shaped top wall. The opposing open ends of the upper and lower casing sections are secured together to define a sealed water-tight hollow casing. The upper casing section has a one piece or a two piece structure defining a sidewardly extending inlet fitting and a sidewardly extending outlet fitting, which fittings are diametrically aligned with -each other and extend from opposite sides of said upper casing section, preferably in substantially the same horizontalplane.
A valve seat is provided on the inner end of said outlet fit-ting. A valve member is movably mounted on the outlet fitting for movement toward and away from the valve seat. An opera-ting lever assembly is coupled to the valve member and is responsive to vertioally applied forces to effect movement of the valve member between opened and closed positions. An ~`; 20 inverted, vertically movable, bucket having a specially ,~; shaped vertical side wall, a top wall and an open bottom wall ¦ i5 vertically movably disposed inside the casing. The inverted bucket has a small vent opening in the top wall thereof.
~; The top wall of the bucket also has a connector which is ~ coupled to the operating lever assembly so that vertical q~ movement of the inverted bucket in the casing will effect corresponding vertical movement of the operating lever assembly and an opening and closing of the valve member in response thereto. A substantially J-shaped inlet tube is dis-posed within the casing. The upper end of the tube is connected to the inlet fitting for receiving steam and con-. --5--., .
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lQt~93~6 densate therefrom. The lower end of the tube extends up-wardly into the lower end of the bucket. The sidewall of the bucket has a concave recess for receiving the vertical leg of the tube.
The steam trap 10 illustrated in the drawing has an exterior casing comprised of a lower casing section 11 and an upper casing section 12, both made of sheet stock of substan-tially uniform thickness. The lower casing section 11 has a cylindrical wall 14 which is open at its upper end and which is closed at its lower end by a spherical segment-shaped bottom wall 16. The center point of the radius of curvature of the spherical segment-shaped bottom wall 16 lies on the ~ :
longitudinal axis of the section 11. The upper edge portion of the wall 14 is flared radially outwardly to define a radial flange 17.
The shaping of the lower casing section 11 is accomplished -~
by drawing a flat sheet to form the wall 14 into the cylindri-cal shape illustrated. The wall thickness is substantially uniform throughout the entire extent of casing section 11 and -said casing section is free of any sharp corners or crevices .
; in which dirt and other types of contaminants could collect.
For example, the radius at 18 between the cylindrical wall 14 and the spherical segment-shaped wall 16 is sufficiently great to prevent the collection of dirt and the llke thereat. This ~::
construction also facilitates the forming of the casing sec-tion 11.
The upper casing section 12 is also made from a sheet having a substantially uniform wall thickness throughout.
This is achieved by drawing a sheet to form a cylindrical 1 ~ .
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3~6 wall 21 which is open at its bottom and which is closed at its top by a spherical segment-shaped top wall 22. The center point of the radius of the spherical segment lies on the longitudinal axis of the upper casing section 12.
The cylindrical wall 21 and the spherical segment-shaped top wall 22 are joined by a smoothly curved radius portion -~
23. The accumulation of dirt and other contaminants in the - -upper casing section is essentially eliminated. This con-struction also facilitates the forming of casing section 12.
The lower edge portion of the wall 21 is flared radially out-wardly to define a flange 24 having a peripheral diameter generally equal to the peripheral diameter of the radially extending flange 17 on the lower casing section 11. The flanges 18 and 24 are secured together, as by a stainless steel weld, thereby to form a completely sealed and tamper-! proof steam trap.
A pair of diametrically aligned circular openings 26 and 27 are provided in the cylindrical wall 21 adjacent the upper end thereof. A stainless steel inlet fitting 28 extends through the opening 26 and is secured to the wall 21, such as by a stainless steel weld 30. The inlet fitting 28 has a tubular extension ~9 extending into the casing.
The extension 29 has a closed inner end and a downward --opening 31. The inlet fitting 28 has an internal thread 32 so that it can be connected to a line carryingsteam and condensate. An outlet fitting 33 extends through the open-,~ ing 27. The outlet fitting 33 has an internal pipe thread 34 in the outer portion thereof so that a condensate header line can be connected thereto. The outlet fitting 33 is -secured as by a stainless steel weld 36 to the side wall 21.

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A downwardly opening threaded recess 37 is provided in the inner end of the outlet fitting 33 and opens into the interior of the upper casing section 12. A passageway 38 extends between the internal pipe thread portion 34 and the threaded recessed portion 37. A hollow externally threaded plug 39 is threadedly received into the threaded recess 37.
The plug 39 has a passageway 41 through the central portion thereof communicating between the interior of the upper casing section 12 and the passageway 38. The lower edge of -the passageway 41 defines a valve seat 42.
A valve member 46 is secured to an operating lever assembly 47. The operating lever assembly 47 is pivotally -mounted on a pair of L-shaped pins 48 which are attached to a plate 45 secured to the fitting 33 so that said assembly ' is capable of pivoting about a horizontal axis. Pivotal ~-movement of the lever assembly 47 about the horizontal pivot ~ -defined by pins 48 will move the valve member 46 into and out of sealing relationship with the valve seat 42 defined by the lower edge of the passageway 41 in the plug 39.
An inverted bucket 53 is disposed inside the casing.
Preferably the bucket is shaped by drawing a sheet of sub-!~ stantially uniform thickness so as to form a vertical wall d 54, which is open at its bottom and closed at its top by a d: top wall 56. In this particular embodiment, the top wall 56 is flat. A small opening 57 is provided in the top wall 56 ~ offset from the center thereof to permit escape of gas from -~ the upper end of the bucket at a slow controlled rate in a -nown manner. The bottom edge of the inverted bucket is flared radially inwardly at 58 to define a lip 59. The ra~ius of the flare 58 is quite large to minimize collection of dirt and the ~` like thereat.
., ~ -8-A connector 61 is secured, as by a pair of welds 62, to the upper surface of the top wall 56. The con- -nector 61 has an upwardly extending extension portion 65 close to the common central axis of both the upper and lower casing sections, 12 and 11, respectively, and is bent to define a hook 63 at the upper end thereof. The hook 63 extends through a slot in the lever assembly 47.
An important feature of the invention is that the vertical wall 54 is formed to provide a concavo-convex portion, whose outer concave side defines a recess 55 which is preferably substantially U-shaped in cross-section.
The recess extends continuously from the top to the bottom of the inverted bucket 53, for purposes to be described below. The lower edge 60 of the wall 54 in the recess 55 is straight.
The inverted bucket 53 has sufficient weight to pull the operating lever assembly 47 downwardly and, conse-quently, pull the valve member 46 away from the valve seat 42 when an insufficient amount of steam has been collected inside the inverted bucket and it is required that con-densate be removed from the trap 10. However, when a sufficient quantity of steam collects in the upper end of -; the bucket 53 to impart buoyance thereto, the bucket will rise and will close the valve member 46 against the ` seat.
~: A substantially ~-shaped inlet tube 66 is disposed entirely within the casing 10. The upper end of the inlet tube 66 is secured in the opening 31 in the inlet fitting
2~. The lower end of the inlet tube 66 extends upwardly into the lower end of the inverted bucket 53. The upright --, ...... . ; , . . : .

lOB~;~16 leg 67 of the inlet tube 66 is partially received in the recess 55 and extends lengthwise therein. The reversely -curved portion 68 of the inlet tube 66 extends under the lower edge 60 of the recess 55 so that the inverted bucket 53 is supported thereon in the lowermost position of the bucket.
The structure of inlet tube 66 and the inverted bucket 53 provides a number of important construction and opera-tional advantages. Because the inlet tube 66 is totally enclosed within the casing, it is contacted by heated fluid therein so that formation of condensate in the tube is minimized. It is not necessary to increase the diameter of the casing, in comparison with the structure of Patent No.
3 892 256, for an equivalent condensate handling capacity.
Moreover, the vertical movement of the inverted bucket 53 is guided by the inlet tube 66, whereby swinging of the bucket inside the casing is essentially eliminated. This greatly improves the durability of the trap and minimizes erroneous operation of the valve mechanism.
In Figure 6, there is illustrated a modified construc-tion o the inlet and outlet fitting means. The same reference numerals are used in Fig. 6 as in Figs. 1 to 5, with the suffix "A" added thereto. In this embodiment, the inlet and outlet fittings are defined by a one-piece mono-lithic member 71, preferably made of stainless steel, which provides both the inlet fitting 28A and outlet fitting 33A.
The use of the one-piece member 71 minimizes alignment problems, and increases the rigidity so as to reduce the danger of weld breakage. Further, it provides a trap which -~ i .

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' l~B93~6 is more resistant to freezing because the heat content of flash steam that forms in the condensate header is trans-mittecl to the member 71 so that its entire mass is heated -~-and keeps the interior of the trap hotter, in comparison with the structure of Figs. 1 to 5. Another advantage is that a heat-insulating jacket, for example, polyurethane foam, can more easily be provided on the trap. In Figure 6, the outlet fitting 33A is round, whereas the inlet fitting 28A has an enlarged hex head so that the outlet fitting can easily be slid through the openings 26A and 27A
for assembly purposes. In all other respects the member 71 provides the same functions and effects as the separate inlet fitting 28 and outlet fitting 33 in Figs. 1 to 5.
Although the operation of inverted bucket-type steam traps is well known, an abbreviated discussion thereof will be described below for convenience, The steam trap 10 is normally installed in a drain line :
between the steam heated unit connected to the inlet coupling 28 and the condensate return header connected to the outlet -coupling 33. When the inverted bucket 53 is in the lowermost position, as shown, the operating lever assembly 47 is in the lower position and the valve member 46 is wide open. The initial flood of condensate enters the steam trap 10 through ~
inlet tube 66 and flows beneath the lip 59 of the inverted -bucket 53 to fill the trap body and completely submerge the l~ inverted bucket~ Excess condensate is discharged through ¦ the wide open valve member 46 to the outlet couplin~ 33. --When steam enters the steam trap 10, it collects at the top -~
portion of the inverted bucket 53 imparting buoyancy thereto.
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The inverted bucket will then rise and lift the valve member 46 toward its seat at the lower end of the passage-way 44. When the valve member is close to the seat, but is still spaced therefrom a small distance, the further flow of cond,~nsate through the outlet opening 44 will effect a snapping of the valve member 46 into the closed position.
When the valve member 46 is closed, any air and non-condensible dioxide gas entering the trap will pass through the vent 57 in the top wall 56 of the inverted bucket 53 and collect at the top of the steam trap in the upper body part 12. Similarly steam which reaches the upper end of the bucket will flow through the vent 57 at a slow con-trolled rate. This steam is eventually condensed by radia-tion from the steam trap. As condensate flows into the trap through the fitting 28, when the condensate level in the steam trap reaches a level which i5 slightly above the floating level for the inverted bucket 53, the inverted ; bucket will exert a slight pull downwardly on the operating ~0 lever assembly 47. However~ the valve member 46 will not be moved to the open position until the condensate level rises to a predefined opening line in the unit for the existing pressure differential between the steam and the pressure in the outlet coupling 33 or condensate return header. When the condensate reaches this level, the weight -of the inverted bucket multiplied by the leverage achieved by the length of the operatin~ lever arm assembly 47 exceeds ~ ~-the pressure holding the valve 46 into its sealing engage- -ment with the valve seat 42. The inverted bucket 53 will then sink and open the valve member 46.

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The smoothly curved surfaces of the trap are flushed clean by the condensate passing through the system. That is, condensate entering the steam trap 10 through the inlet coupling 28 will travel into the interior of the inverted bucket 33 and out through the open bottom wall thereof past the flare 58 and lip 59. Any dirt accumulated on the lip 59 will be flushed into the lower casing section 11. Similarly, the radius 18 provided between the spherical segment-shaped bottom wall 16 and the c,vlindrical wall 14 will minimize the collection of dirt and the like thereat because the flow `~ -of condensate will move these contaminants up into the upper part of the steam trap 10 and eventually out through the outlet coupling 33.
The thin wall construction of the ~pper and lower casing sections, in combination with the spherical segment-shaped upper and lower end walls provides a relatively ~-small size and lightweight construction, which is capable of withstanding high pressure, high temperature and which can handle large volumes of condensate for its size. The spherical segment-shaped upper and lower end walls 16 and 22 of the unit facilitate an even distribution of the pressure over the ends so as to prevent deformation thereof.
It is preferred to make the trap entirely of stainless steel because of the high corrosion resistance, ease of processing and high strength of the material. Austenitic stainless steels having a composition of:
;~ C up to 0.08% (maximum), preferably less than 0.03%
Mn up to 2.0~ (maximum) Si up to 1.0~ (maximum) Cr 16 - 22%
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l(~B~316 Ni 8 - 12%
P up to 0.045% (maximum) S up to 0.030% (maximum) Fe balance are preferred. An especially advantageous austentinic stain- --less steel is AISI No. 304L, having a composition of:
C up to 0.03% (maximum) Mn up to 2.0% (maximum) Si up to 1.0% (maximum) Cr 18 - 20%
Ni 8 - 12~ $ ~ -P up to 0.045% (maximum) S up to 0.030~ (maximum) Fe balance It has been found that this latter material is especially resistant to corrosion under the service conditions of steam traps.
The various parts of the trap can be fabricated by ~ conventional techniques, such as drawing and machining, ;~ 20 in accordance with known procedures.
The steam trap subassemblies, i.e. the lower casing section 11 and the upper casing section 12 including the fittings 28 and 31, or the member71, are treated to remove residual stresses therein. In one satisfactory procedure ~ ~ .
the subassemblies are annealed in a vacuum at 1950F, then cooled in an inert gas atmosphere and particularly quickly cooled through the crltical zone to end up with sub-assemblies that are free from stresses. The inert gas atmos-phere utilized in the cooling process is for the purpose of ~ ~ .
maintaining the stainless steel exterior of the product ~ -14-16~316 bright and shiny. The internal working parts of the trap are then assembled and the parts are secured together by welding the casing sections to each other, as shown, whereby to form the sealed trap assembly.
Although the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings employs flanges 17 and 24 on the mating ends of the sections 11 and 12, the invention also contemplates a modification in which such flanges-are not provided and the casing sections 11 and 12 are secured together by butt welding. In another modification, the adjacent end portions of the casing sections 11 and 12 are sized so as to snugly slideably interfit and they are secured together by an overlap weld.
Although particular preferred embodiments of the inven- -tion have beer. disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

An inverted bucket steam trap, comprising:
a casing defined by upper and lower cylindrical cuplike casing sections of uniform wall thickness which casing sections are joined together to form a completely sealed water-tight chamber having a cylindrical sidewall and closed top and bottom walls;
means defining a sidewardly extending inlet fitting and a sidewardly extending outlet fitting mounted on said cylin-drical sidewall adjacent the upper end thereof, said outlet fitting having a valve seat thereon inside said chamber;
a valve member movably disposed in said chamber and adapted to be moved into and out of sealing engagement with said valve seat;
operating lever means disposed in said chamber and responsive to vertically applied force to effect movement of said valve member toward and away from said valve seat;
a vertically movable inverted bucket disposed in said chamber and having a vertical sidewall which is open at its bottom and has a wall at its top and a connection from the top wall of the bucket to said operating lever means whereby vertical movement of said inverted bucket in said chamber will effect movement of said operating lever means thereby to open or close said valve member, said in-verted bucket having an elongated outwardly opening recess in the sidewall thereof and extending from the top to the bottom thereof; and an inlet tube disposed within said chamber and connected Claims Page 1 at its upper end to said inlet fitting for receiving steam and condensate therefrom, the lower end of said inlet tube extending upwardly into said inverted bucket, said inlet tube being substantially J-shaped and having an upright upper portion received in and extending along said recess and a reversely curved lower portion underlying the lower edge of said bucket and thence extending upwardly into said bucket.

An inverted bucket steam trap as claimed in Claim 1, in which said bucket is made of sheet material and said recess is defined by a concavo-convex portion whose concavity defines a substantially U-shaped recess.

An inverted bucket steam trap as claimed in Claim 2, in which said inlet and outlet fittings are diametrically aligned with each other and extend from diametrically op-posite sides of said casing sidewall in substantially the same horizontal plane.

An inverted bucket steam trap as claimed in Claim 3, in which both said casing sections are made of annealed drawn stainless steel sheets.

An inverted bucket steam trap as claimed in Claim 3, in which said inlet fitting and said outlet fitting are de-fined by separate members which are welded to said casing sidewall and whose inner ends are spaced from each other.

An inverted bucket steam trap as claimed in Claim 3, Claims Page 2 in which said inlet fitting and said outlet fitting are defined by a one-piece member which extends substantially diametrically through said casing and is welded thereto adjacent its ends.

An inverted bucket steam trap, comprising:
a casing having a cylindrical sidewall and closed top and bottom walls defining a water-tight chamber;
means defining a sidewardly extending inlet fitting and a sidewardly extending outlet fitting mounted on said cylindrical sidewall adjacent the upper end thereof, said outlet fitting having a valve seat thereon inside said chamber;
a valve member movably disposed in said chamber and adapted to be moved into and out of sealing engagement with said valve seat;
operating lever means disposed in said chamber and re-sponsive to vertically applied force to effect movement of said valve member toward and away from said valve seat;
a vertically movable inverted bucket disposed in said chamber and having a vertical sidewall which is open at its bottom and has a wall at its top and a connection from the top wall of the bucket to said operating lever means whereby vertical movement of said inverted bucket in said chamber will effect movement of said operating lever means thereby to open or close said valve member, said inverted bucket having an elongated outwardly opening recess in the sidewall there-of and extending from the top to the bottom thereof; and an inlet tube disposed within said chamber and con-nected at its upper end to said inlet fitting for receiving Claims Page 3 steam and condensate therefrom, the lower end of said inlet tube extending upwardly into said inverted bucket, said inlet tube being substantially J-shaped and having an upright upper portion received in and extending along said recess and a reversely curved lower portion underlying the lower edge of said bucket and thence extending upwardly into said bucket.

An inverted bucket steam trap as claimed in Claim 7, in which said fittings extend from diametrically opposite sides of said casing sidewall in substantially the same horizontal plane, said fittings having internally threaded recesses located outside said casing and having passages extending from the inner ends of said recesses into the interior of said casing, said inlet fitting having a downwardly extending opening communicating with the inner end of its passage and located inside said chamber, the upper end of said inlet tube extending into said downwardly extending opening of said inlet fitting, said valve seat of said outlet fitting opening downwardly inside said chamber and communicating with the inner end of the passage in said outlet fitting.

Claims Page 4 End of Claims
CA310,239A 1977-09-06 1978-08-29 Inverted bucket steam trap Expired CA1089316A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US831,078 1977-09-06
US05/831,078 US4149557A (en) 1977-09-06 1977-09-06 Inverted bucket steam trap

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1089316A true CA1089316A (en) 1980-11-11

Family

ID=25258240

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA310,239A Expired CA1089316A (en) 1977-09-06 1978-08-29 Inverted bucket steam trap

Country Status (12)

Country Link
US (1) US4149557A (en)
JP (1) JPS5452337A (en)
AU (1) AU518158B2 (en)
BE (1) BE870176A (en)
BR (1) BR7805806A (en)
CA (1) CA1089316A (en)
DE (1) DE2838822A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2402153A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2004053B (en)
IT (1) IT1098436B (en)
MX (1) MX147458A (en)
ZA (1) ZA784982B (en)

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA1170199A (en) * 1980-12-17 1984-07-03 Ronald D. Schlesch Combined inlet and outlet fitting
US4508135A (en) * 1980-12-17 1985-04-02 Armstrong International, Inc. Combined inlet and outlet fitting
US4468962A (en) * 1982-03-05 1984-09-04 Armstrong International, Inc. Energy loss detection system
US4630633A (en) * 1985-09-13 1986-12-23 Armstrong International, Inc. Steam trap checker
US5065785A (en) * 1990-08-24 1991-11-19 Armstrong International, Inc. Steam trap with separate steam and condensate inlets
US5398267A (en) * 1993-10-12 1995-03-14 Reinsch; Arnold O. W. Passive decay heat removal and internal depressurization system for nuclear reactors
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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU518158B2 (en) 1981-09-17
BE870176A (en) 1979-01-02
JPS5452337A (en) 1979-04-24
GB2004053A (en) 1979-03-21
GB2004053B (en) 1982-03-24
AU3961878A (en) 1980-03-13
IT1098436B (en) 1985-09-07
ZA784982B (en) 1979-08-29
BR7805806A (en) 1979-04-24
US4149557A (en) 1979-04-17
FR2402153A1 (en) 1979-03-30
IT7827298A0 (en) 1978-09-04
DE2838822C2 (en) 1990-01-04
JPS5728839B2 (en) 1982-06-18
MX147458A (en) 1982-12-03
FR2402153B1 (en) 1985-02-15
DE2838822A1 (en) 1979-03-22

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