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General mechanical trouble shooting
As operating equipment begins to fail due to component wear, breakage or misalignment , sonic and
more importantly, ultrasonic shifts occur. The accompanying sound pattern changes can save time
and guess work in diagnosing problems if they are adequately monitored. Therefore, an ultrasonic
history of key components can
prevent unplanned down-time. And just as important, if equipment
should begin to fail in the field, the ULTRAPROBE can be extremely useful in trouble shooting
problems.
Trouble shooting
1. Use the contact (stethoscope) module.
2. Touch test area(s): listen through headphones and observe the meter.
3. Adjust sensitivity until mechanical operation of the equipment is heard clearly.
4. Probe equipment by touching various suspect areas.
5. To focus in on problem sounds, while probing, reduce sensitivity gradually to assist in locating
6. the problem sound at its' loudest point. (This procedure is similar to the method outlined in
LEAK LOCATION, i.e., follow the sound to its loudest point.)
Locating faulty steam traps
An ultrasonic test of steam traps is a positive test. The main advantage to ultrasonic testing is that it
isolates the area being tested by eliminating confusing background noises. A user can quickly adjust
to recognizing differences among various steam traps, of which there are three basic types:
mechanical, thermostatic and thermodynamic.
When testing steam traps ultrasonically:
1. Determine what type of trap is on the line. Be familiar with the operation of the trap. Is it
intermittent or continous drain?
2. Try to check whether the trap is in operation (is it hot or cold? Put your hand near, but do not
touch the trap, or, better yet, use a non-contact infrared thermometer).
3. Use the contact (stethoscope) module.
4. Try to touch the contact probe towards the discharge side of the trap. Press the trigger and
listen.
5. Listen for the intermittent or continuous flow operation of the trap. Intermittent traps are usually
the inverted bucket, thermodynamic (disc) and thermostatic (under light loads). Continuous
flow: include the float, float and thermostatic and (usually) thermostatic traps. While testing
intermittent traps, listen long enough to gauge the true cycle. In some cases, this may be longer
than 30 seconds. Bear in mind that the greater the load that comes to it, the longer period of
time it will stay open.
