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Drip Legs Definition Purpose Configuration Selection Installation and Sizing PDF

Drip legs are vertical piping installed in steam systems to collect condensate. They are located where condensate may accumulate, such as at changes in elevation or bends, to allow drainage via gravity. Properly sized and positioned drip legs ensure high quality steam by removing moisture, while preventing water hammer. Guidelines recommend drip legs be installed at lifts, drops, straight runs over 30-50m, and ahead of valves or joints. Larger diameter drip legs promote better condensate removal depending on the warm-up method used. Sizing tables provide diameters and lengths for effective condensate drainage from steam mains.

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Faizal Khan
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335 views

Drip Legs Definition Purpose Configuration Selection Installation and Sizing PDF

Drip legs are vertical piping installed in steam systems to collect condensate. They are located where condensate may accumulate, such as at changes in elevation or bends, to allow drainage via gravity. Properly sized and positioned drip legs ensure high quality steam by removing moisture, while preventing water hammer. Guidelines recommend drip legs be installed at lifts, drops, straight runs over 30-50m, and ahead of valves or joints. Larger diameter drip legs promote better condensate removal depending on the warm-up method used. Sizing tables provide diameters and lengths for effective condensate drainage from steam mains.

Uploaded by

Faizal Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Drip Legs: Definition, Purpose, Configuration,

Selection, Installation, and Sizing (PDF)


whatispiping.com/drip-legs

Anup Kumar Dey

What is a Drip Leg in Steam Piping?


Drip Legs are vertical piping pockets installed in steam piping to collect condensate.
Installing drip legs in the proper location serves the purpose of a successful, water-
hammer free, system start-up.

Purpose of Drip Legs


Drip Legs are installed in steam mains to serve following purposes:

Drip Legs are used for removing entrained moisture from the steam transmission
and distribution lines to ensure high-quality steam for use in various plant
applications, while also preventing damaging and dangerous water hammer.
As steam travels at high velocity through piping, moisture forms as the result of
piping heat losses and/or improper boiler control resulting in condensate carryover.
Drip legs are therefore located at points where condensate may accumulate to
allow for drainage by gravity down to a steam trap for proper discharge from the
system. Since condensate drains by gravity, drip legs must be located on the bottom
of piping and designed with diameters large enough to promote the collection.

Drip Leg Installation guidelines


Due to heat loss and system start up energy consumption, condensate is formed inside the
steam pipes. For proper working of the steam system this condensate must be drained by
installing drip legs in main lines at appropriate locations.

Drip legs should be located at Vertical Lifts, Drops, or at the end of the steam line.
In the straight run of piping every 30 to 50 meters.

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Installed directly ahead of the regulating or control valve, Manual Valves Closed for
a Long Time.
Ahead of expansion joints or elbows.
Provide proper supports (no sagging)
Provide slope towards Drip legs.

Drip Leg Categories


DRIP Applications: drip traps
PROCESS Applications: process traps
TRACING Applications: tracer traps. Steam tracing refers to using steam to
indirectly elevate the temperature of a product using jacketed pipes or tubing filled
with steam

Drip Leg Configuration


Because condensate drainage from steam systems is dependent upon gravity, drip leg
(Fig. 1) diameter is critical for optimum removal – larger is better.

Fig. 2 below shows a typical loop used in


a drip leg.

Fig. 1: Figure of a properly configured drip


leg.

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Fig. 2: Typical Drip Leg Loops from Steam
Mains

Selection of Drip Leg Sizes


The selection of drip leg sizes for draining the main steam line depends on the types of
warm-up methods as mentioned below:

Supervised Warm-up Method: Warming up of the power plant principal piping


normally follows this method. Such lines are warmed up only once in a lifetime and
hence long drip leg is not required.
Automatic Warm-Up Method: Such warm-up method is used for frequent
steam use leading to the requirement of bigger drip legs. A static head (dimension H
in Fig. 2) is used in such cases.

Fig. 3 below provides the recommended Drip leg Sizes (Drip Leg Diameter and Leg
Length) with respect to main steam piping size.

A carefully designed drip leg enables steam traps to effectively drain the condensate from
steam mains. For that, the drip legs should be large enough to allow the condensate to
drop out of the steam at the pipe bottom. Recommended drip leg sizing table (Fig. 3)
provides a good reference for such a scenario. In case the drip leg is not sized properly,
the condensate will blow along with the steam without separating out as shown in Fig. 4.

Click here to know about Steam Traps: Steam Traps: Definition, Types, Selection,
Features, Codes & Standards

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Fig. 3: Recommended Drip Leg Sizing

Fig. 4: Effect of Drip Leg Sizing

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