Authors:

Oluwatosin Shokunbi

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

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About Paper:

Steam heating systems rely on steam traps to maintain efficiency and proper operation, yet most systems lack modern monitoring solutions and depend on reactive maintenance practices. As a result, failures are often detected only after significant energy losses, safety risks, and increased operational costs have already occurred. Without affordable, real-time diagnostic tools, steam trap malfunctions remain a persistent and expensive problem in commercial and industrial facilities. This research focuses on developing a low-cost, continuous Steam Trap Monitoring (STM) device capable of accurately measuring temperature differentials and ultrasonic data to assess steam trap efficiency. By capturing both thermal and acoustic signatures, the system enables early fault detection and overcomes the limitations of current diagnostic methods, which are typically costly, labor-intensive, and performed infrequently. A custom printed circuit board (PCB) was successfully designed in KiCad and deployed within an operating steam system. The device is designed for easy installation, scalability, and wireless integration with building control systems for centralized monitoring. Data collected from deployed STM units shows that temperature measurements before and after the steam trap provide useful insight into its functional state, helping distinguish normal operation from potential failure conditions. Overall, this work presents a practical, scalable, and cost-effective solution to modernize steam trap diagnostics, reduce energy waste, improve reliability, and support predictive maintenance strategies.

Source:

Illinois Institute of Technology

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Co-authors:

Oluwatosin Shokunbi