霍夫曼专业钟形浮子式疏水阀
Hoffman Specialty Inverted Bucket Steam Traps

Bear Trap Inverted Bucket Steam Traps

For efficient condensate drainage of industrial process and HVAC equipment.

Inverted bucket traps rely on the density difference between steam and water to drain condensate as it forms. An inverted bucket floats in condensate that surrounds the bucket. As the bucket moves up and down in the condensate, a linkage connected to the bucket closes or opens a discharge valve trapping the condensate or allowing it to escape. Maximum system efficiency results from steam space being kept free of condensate.

Operation of Bucket Traps:

The trap body must be manually primed at initial start-up. (Under low load or superheat conditions, the trap may also need to be primed.) Under operation, the trap body will remain full of condensate.

An inverted bucket floats in the condensate that surrounds the bucket itself. As the bucket moves up and down in the condensate, a linkage connected to the bucket closes or opens a discharge valve located at the top of the trap, trapping the condensate or allowing it to escape.

During start-up, air is vented through a bleed hole in the top of the bucket into the return line. When air or steam flows into the trap, it enters the underside of the bucket and collects in the top of the bucket. The contained air and steam cause the bucket to become buoyant and rise in the condensate causing the lever mechanism to close the discharge valve into its seat.

The bucket loses its buoyancy as the enclosed steam condenses due to radiation losses and steam escaping through the bucket vent hole. When this happens, the weight of the bucket will cause it to fall and pull the valve off its seat, and the cycle repeats.

An optional thermal vent installed in the bucket allows faster air venting during start-up.