A mechanical trap, when closed, holds back water. When open, it drains off water, but also releases steam.

When you see a temperature drop through the heat transfer equipment, typically what you are seeing is steam losing BTU's, changing to water, and having time to cool.  When a mechanical steam trap opens, it is losing enough steam to cause a pressure gauge to drop, and when the trap is closed, it is not letting the water out.  The BTU count per pound of steam in that area of the heat transfer equipment is significantly lower.  In addition, the vapor and the water on the bottom of the pipe act as an insulator, so the heat transfer capability through the coils that move toward the trap gets progressively worse.

An Enercon orifice unit is always open to condensate. The heat transfer rate is more consistent from top to bottom.

With Enercon’s orifice system, BTU transfer capability is consistent. If you were to put a pressure gauge on the inlet to the heat transfer equipment (after the control of the equipment), and then put a pressure gauge before the trap, you would see that they have virtually identical pressure readings, and that they both stay constant.

With a conventional trap in the same situation, the pressure gauge on the inlet to the heat transfer equipment would read higher than the pressure gauge before the trap.

With Enercon traps, the total heat transfer capability is improved in the coil, and variances in heat transfer capability throughout the coil are reduced.

Temperature Profile Test Comparing Enercon Permanent Orifices with Mechanical Traps

INTELICOAT TECHNOLOGIES, South Hadley, MA, international producer of quality paper products, compared temperature variations when 18 Enercon assemblies were installed on a photographic paper drying system versus the performance of the mechanical traps they replaced. The Enercon assemblies were installed in September 2000.