Advanced Analytics and Fault Detection of Industrial Steam Traps via Machine Learning

Steam is flexible and very cost-effective in terms of gases that can be used to transfer heat. All steam systems require that the steam arrives at the right quantity, temperature, and pressure for it to work efficiently. The presence of foreign materials such as air, condensate, and other gases can lead to a reduction in this efficiency. To that end, steam traps are used to remove condensate, debris, and other gases from the steam system to maintain operating efficiency and prevent system damage. Due to constant operation, steam traps have a high failure rate of about 20%, according to the US State Department of Energy. Pulse Industrial’s steam trap sensor provides monitoring capabilities and early detection of these steam trap failures. This leads to vast improvements in the operating performance of partner facilities and reduced operating costs. This research project will optimize the analytics and diagnostics performance of currently deployed steam trap monitors. This optimization will be done by developing the AI model using collected data from partner plants. This will allow for a holistic improvement of the overall system, which is expected to increase the accuracy performance of the steam trap sensors

Faculty Supervisor:

Xianke Lin

Student:

Partner:

Pulse Industrial

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Program: