Steam Trap Fault Detection & Diagnostics in Existing Industrial Applications

This is the final project report for a study on steam trap fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) conducted from 2023 to 2025 for the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) Code Readiness Program. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact and feasibility of extending the 2022 Title 24 steam trap requirements to steam trap assemblies in existing industrial steam systems, where the code requirements would be triggered either when steam traps fail or when a boiler is replaced.

Research activities focused primarily on analyzing existing datasets, conducting market characteristic surveys with industrial facilities, interviewing stakeholders, and reviewing existing steam industry literature. To inform the statewide savings estimates, the project team collected an inventory of nearly all permitted boilers in the state by gathering boiler permit data from 31 of California’s 35 local air quality management districts (AQMDs). This report summarizes the findings from the primary research and the project teams recommendations related to potential future code adoption of mandatory requirements for steam trap FDD in existing facilities with industrial steam systems.