Turning process components into sustainability assets through intelligent monitoring

While attention often focuses on major equipment, significant gains can also be achieved by improving the performance of smaller process components.

Condition-based maintenance offers an effective way to reduce energy waste, lower emissions and improve asset reliability. By moving away from reactive maintenance or fixed inspection schedules, operators can identify developing issues before they affect plant performance.

Steam traps provide a practical example of how intelligent monitoring can transform a routine process component into a valuable source of operational and sustainability data.

Steam is widely used across industrial processes as an efficient method of transferring energy. It plays a critical role in industries including oil and gas, chemical processing, food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and district heating.

For steam systems to operate efficiently, the steam must remain dry. The presence of condensate (liquid water) or trapped air reduces efficiency, accelerates corrosion and can damage downstream equipment.

Steam traps are automatic valves designed to remove condensate while preventing valuable live steam from escaping. Although relatively small components, they have a significant impact on system efficiency.

Operating continuously in high-pressure and high-temperature environments, steam traps are subject to ongoing mechanical wear. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, steam trap failure rates of between 15% and 25% per year are common, depending on operating conditions and maintenance practices. External guidance is available from the U.S. Department of Energy's Steam System Best Practices.

Steam traps generally fail in one of two ways:

Many facilities continue to inspect steam traps manually once or twice each year using acoustic equipment and temperature measurements.

While this approach can identify faults, it also creates significant gaps between inspections. A steam trap that fails shortly after an inspection may continue leaking steam for several months before the issue is detected, resulting in avoidable energy loss and increased emissions.

Manual inspections also introduce operational challenges. Process pipework may reach temperatures of up to 600°C, requiring engineers to obtain work permits, work at height or access hazardous areas to complete inspections. This can be time-consuming and diverts skilled personnel from other maintenance activities.

Many organisations are adopting continuous monitoring to improve maintenance efficiency and reduce energy losses.

Instead of inspecting equipment every few months, permanently installed sensors monitor performance at regular intervals. If a fault develops, maintenance teams receive an alert, allowing repairs to be scheduled before significant energy losses occur.

Clamp-on acoustic monitoring technology enables sensors to be installed externally without interrupting the process or modifying pipework. IMI TWTG Neon Sonic provides clamp-on acoustic, condensate and ambient temperature monitoring, allowing operators to monitor steam trap performance without disrupting production.

Modern monitoring solutions increasingly use edge diagnostics, where data analysis takes place within the sensor rather than being transmitted continuously to a central server.

The sensor analyses the acoustic signature of the steam trap locally and reports only the equipment condition, for example:

This significantly reduces network bandwidth requirements while providing maintenance teams with actionable information.

Low-data communication technologies such as LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) enable thousands of sensors to be deployed across large industrial sites without requiring complex network infrastructure.

Wireless monitoring systems should reduce maintenance activity rather than create additional work.

Advances in low-power electronics now allow battery-powered sensors to operate for up to 14 years, meaning the monitoring device may outlast the steam trap itself before requiring battery replacement.

For facilities operating in hazardous environments, appropriate safety certification is equally important. Sensors certified for hazardous locations, including ATEX Zone 0, can be installed throughout process plants while meeting applicable safety requirements.

The benefits of condition-based monitoring extend beyond steam traps.

Safety relief valves remain closed during normal operation but may not reseal perfectly after activation, resulting in small, difficult-to-detect leaks. Similar acoustic monitoring techniques can also be applied to:

Continuous monitoring also supports regulatory compliance by providing a digital record of equipment condition over time. This can simplify reporting requirements and reduce reliance on manual inspection records where continuous monitoring data is accepted by local regulations.

Reducing energy waste requires attention to every part of the process system, including critical components such as valves and steam traps.

Intelligent condition-based monitoring enables maintenance teams to identify developing faults earlier, reduce unnecessary steam losses and improve overall asset performance. It also helps minimise worker exposure to hazardous environments while allowing skilled engineers to focus on higher-value maintenance activities.

As industrial facilities continue their digital transformation, connected process components will increasingly provide valuable operational insights that support improved efficiency, lower emissions and more informed maintenance decisions.

Forward-looking statement: The operational and sustainability benefits described in this article depend on individual plant design, operating conditions, maintenance practices and technology implementation. Actual results may vary between facilities.

A version of this article was originally published in Process Industry Informer magazine in June 2026