Introduction to Pressure Relief Valve Design Part 3 – Sizing

Orifices and Piping

smartprocessdesign.com /introduction-pressure-relief -valve-design-part-3-sizing-orif ices-piping/

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or bookmark this site. You might find the answers to
another problem down the road. Thanks for visiting!

This is the third in a set of articles introducing the basics of pressure relief valve design from a process designer’s
viewpoint. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Orif ice Sizes

Once you have all of the scenarios that can cause your relief valve to open (see Part 2), and all the key fluid data
for each scenario, you can siz e the relief valve orifice. This is the siz e of the opening the fluid passes through within
your relief valve. In general, a relief valve vendor will have several standard orifice siz es and you will pick the one
that best fits your need.

API 520/521 has some equations to determine the minimum orifice siz e you need, as well as good advice and
factors to put into their equations when you don’t have information from the valve manufacturer yet. There are many
programs and spreadsheets out there to siz e the orifice, so find out what your office uses. By carefully reading the
standard and an example problem or two done by your office’s methods, you should find the actual “siz ing” of the
relief valve is relatively easy.

One key factor that any calculation procedure will have you do is check for choked flow / critical flow. Choked flow is
when a fluid is going so fast that it reaches sonic velocity: after that, it cannot go any faster no matter what the
downstream pressure is. You should know the approximate inlet and outlet pressures of the relief valve, so you can
check if you will reach choked flow. If it is choked, then that changes your results. API discusses this and gives
different instructions and equations for chocked vs. non- chocked flow.

Once you have several orifice siz es calculated, you will select the relief valve orifice siz e just a bit higher than the
maximum area that you calculated. So if you calculate 2.0 square inch for the fire case, 0.675 sq in for the cooling
water failure case, and 0.5 sq in for thermal expansion, you’d probably take the L orifice which is good for up to
2.853 sq in. After that, you look at a catalog of relief valves and you can see what valve siz es are offered for that
relief valve orifice siz e. For example, a 4 N 6 valve means a 4” inlet flange, 6” outlet flange, and a N siz ed orifice. I
would not expect to find a 1 N 2 valve though, because an “N” orifice is relatively large and a 1″x2″ relief valve is
somewhat small. API 526 also has tables you can look at showing typical valve siz es for each orifice.

Accumulat ion: pressures over t he set pressure?

You may notice some discussions of accumulat ion in the siz ing standards: in API 520, figure 1 shows that you can
have 10% accumulation in most cases with a single relief valve, 16% in most cases if there is more than one relief
valve, and 21% for a fire case. What does this mean?

Well, let’s say the relief valve set pressure is 100 psig. The valve you bought is going to start opening at 100 psig.
But it will not fully open immediately and magically vent absolutely everything to a safe location in an instant. Instead,
the pressure will probably get a little above 100 psig as the valve opens; it will open fast, but not instantaneously. An
allowable accumulation (also known as allowable overpressure) of 10% means that the pressure in the vessel can
get as high 110 psig at some temporary point in the process of the relief valve opening. The relief valve vendor is
going to look at your set pressure, look at the flowrate for the worst relief scenarios, and then make sure the valve
acts fast enough that things never ever get worse than 110 psig. (Or 121 psig for a fire).

Inlet and Out let Piping

Design of the inlet and outlet piping of relief valves must be done carefully. For a start, you want low pressure drops.
High inlet pressure drops upstream of the valve can cause pipe stress / vibration, and also a high pressure loss can
“hide” the real pressure in the vessel from the valve. A high downstream outlet pressure can result in back- pressure:
the high outlet pressure “pushes” your relief valve and makes it harder to open or stay open. In general, the inlet
pressure drop from protected equipment to relief valve should be maximum 3% of set pressure (in gauge pressure).
Meanwhile, the outlet pressure of the relief valve should be a maximum X% of the set pressure; 10% is the most
typical. You will check that by starting at the final relief destination (flare stack / vent location / etc.) and doing
hydraulic calculations backwards, until you determine the pressure at the outlet of the relief valve. Also, because
relief scenarios can put a lot of strain onto pipes, you should work with your piping designer to minimiz e pipe stress
and have a mechanically robust layout.

Tip: “balanced” and “pilot” relief valves are two special types of relief valves that may help if you cannot meet these
rules. They have less stringent requirements.

When designing inlet and outlet piping, the flowrates you use are often NOT just the relief scenario flowrates. Rather,
they are the flowrates multiplied by the actual orifice siz e / the calculated orifice siz e. This is called the “rated”
flowrate.

(Example: I complete calculations for all the relief scenarios, and the largest load is from the fire case. I have a fire case
generating 2000 lb/hr, and I calculate I need a 2.000 sq inch orifice using my API rules. But the actual orifice I buy is
going to be the closest orifice size I can find that is equal to or greater than the calculated size; probably the closest
size I can find is 2.853 sq inches. My calculations told me to buy 2.000 sq inch but I actually bought 2.853 sq inch.
Therefore I design all the piping and the flare header as if there were 2000 x 2.853 / 2.000 = 2853 lb/hr at relief.

The relief valve is set at 500 psig, so I aim to keep the inlet pressure losses from the vessel/pipe to the relief valve
below 500 x 0.03 = 15 psig. I need to design the inlet piping such that 2853 lb/hr will not cause a pressure drop over 15
psi. I must also design the outlet piping to ensure that relief valve outlet pressure shall be less than 500 * 0.10 = 50 psig.
If I am discharging to atmosphere (0 psig), that means I can have up to 50 psig pressure drop in my outlet lines. (0 psig
pressure + 50 psig line losses = 50 psi, just barely meeting my 10% rule). Because it is a fire case, as discussed in Part
2, the fire could affect several vessels simultaneously. I must check if the main flare headers may be receiving loads
from several relief valves at once, because the extra fluid from several valves at once will affect the outlet pressure
profile.

Lastly, all my other relief scenarios will be checked and scaled the same way, with the flowrates and minimum orifices
sizes calculated by API. If a cooling water failure caused 500 lb/hr and required a 0.675 sq inch minimum orifice size, I
will have to check my pressure drops against 500 * 2.853 / 0.675 = 2113 lb/hr of the relief fluid generated by a cooling
water failure)

In some cases, when siz ing common flare header lines that serve as a main multiple for several PSVs, it is
acceptable to use the normal loads when considering multiple valves relieving at once. (But you would still consider
rated flows for any scenarios where a single valve pops). Also, sometimes the “normal” load is used for non-
conventional valves like pilot valves. Check API and the rules of your company. If you are dealing with a lot of PSVs
interacting, like say a main flare header in a plant of some kind, it’s recommended you get a commercial package
specializ ing in these types flare/header designs. They will help you keep track of multiple relief scenarios and deal
the complex hydraulics.

One last point: recall that you checked for choked flow in the orifice siz ing. Choked flow is OK in the valve, but it’s a
bad idea for the piping: it can increase vibrations and stresses on the pipes and the noise can be so loud it breaks
safety regulations. To avoid dealing with these complexities, many companies have a rule of thumb like “keep relief
valve outlet pipe velocity below X% of sonic in all relief scenarios.” Where X might be 60- 80%. Larger outlet pipes
will help you avoid sonic flow.

(For a fluid, Sonic velocity (ft/s) = 68.1 x root(k * P/ rho), where k, P (psia), and rho (lb/ft3) are evaluated at the actual
fluid conditions. Alternatively, API 520 Part 1, Section 3.3.3.1.3 has a calculation to help you do a quick check whether
your outlet line will choke or not).

Odds and Ends

Some miscellaneous thoughts to close this relief valve series and encourage further reading:

It erat ion: You notice that to siz e the orifice you need fluid properties at the inlet of the valve, and you don’t
technically know precisely what they are until you calculate the inlet pressure drop. (So that you can know the
exact inlet pressure). Sometimes you can avoid this by just assuming inlet pressure = set pressure, or inlet
pressure = set pressure – 3%. That guess may be close enough. If you cannot make an assumption, you
may need to iterate. Other steps may also require design iteration: doing your relief design may stimulate you
to change the design of the protected process system to make the relief valve cheaper. Also, you may need
to do some relief design to get scenarios and rough flowrates before you start the flare header design, and
then change parts of your relief system as you run through the flare system. (Recall that normally you want to
limit outlet piping pressure drop, and that the relief header can face several relief loads at once in some
cases like power failures or large pool fires…sometimes in the flare header design you find reasons to go
back and change the relief valves)
Two- phase f low: Is common and makes this all more complicated. API 520 Appendix D has some advice.
Information from the Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems (DIERS) may help if you need to get into
real details
Choose t he right set pressure: Don’t make the set pressure unnecessarily low “to be safe.” Each time a
relief valve opens you are losing product. And now someone’s got to go make sure it closed properly, and
test it…you want to design your system so that the relief valve is never used.
Remember that relief valves are saf et y devices, not cont rol devices. Use a normal control loop to
control pressure during normal operation
Chat t ering: You may wonder why we don’t just add really huge relief valves with huge orifices to be extra
safe and to avoid a lot of designer’s grief. One reason is to save money, of course, because bigger valves
cost money and also generate larger releases, which increases the siz e of the outlet piping. Another reason
is you need to determine these loads anyway to design a flare system. A third issue is chattering: recall that
relief valves will close after the pressure in the vessel drops. If you have a huge relief valve, then as soon as
it opens the pressure in the protected vessel will drop rapidly and the valve will slam shut. If you had a huge
relief valve popping up but the overpressure cause that rebuilds the pressure again and again after each
release, then the valve will keep opening, spewing all the fluid, and slamming shut. This cycle of jolting open
and slamming shut wrecks the valve. You would rather have the valve smoothly open and gradually close. I
think pilot valves (a type of relief valve) may help in some cases where chattering is unavoidable.
Mult iple relief valves: Sometimes several relief valves are a good idea. Why? Maybe it is too expensive to
get one giant relief valve, but you can buy two smaller valves that together provide the orifice area to do the
job. In some cases you have two relief scenarios at vastly different flowrates: you can buy two relief vales, set
the small valve to open first to deal with the small scenario, and the big relief valve to open at a slightly higher
pressure (so that if the small valve can’t cut it, the pressure rises more, and the big valve steps in to save the
day). That way when you get the small relief scenario the small valve handles it, and you don’t have some
huge valve experiencing dangerous chattering.
Of f line valves/maint enance: Normally it is OK to have one valve, or one set of working valves, covering a
service. But what about maintenance of the valves, you ask? Well, it is nice if the relief valve inspection and
maintenance schedule syncs with the equipment maintenance schedule, then you can take the equipment and
the valve(s) offline for service at the same time. If the maintenance schedules do not sync up, then normally a
careful procedure can be followed where the relief valve is quickly serviced while the pressure in the vessel is
carefully watched and someone is ready to take manual action in the event of a high pressure.
Inst alled spares: In some critical services people like to spend more and have spare of relief valves kept
“offline.” This could be one valve + one spare, or if two relief valves are called for in the design, have three
valves with one kept offline. Some companies are willing to spend and make spare relief valves the standard
procedure to use in almost all cases – it costs more but makes maintenance easier and safer. You can easily
pull a valve for maintenance and have the spare perfectly placed to take over. But remember, do not have the
offline valve “in service” (connected and with the isolation valves open) while you have with the other standard
valve(s) also connected, because then you risk chattering. 2 valves is not safer than 1, if 1 valve was siz ed to
do the job. Keep the spare valve(s) closed off from the process until you need them
Locked open (LO), locked closed (LC), Car sealed open (CSO), and car sealed closed (CSC)
valves: You may see gate valves marked LO and LC on the P&ID drawings. These valves can only be
opened and closed with a special key, whose use is tightly controlled. The plant will have procedures so that
the key has to be signed out, and can only be taken after a formal work plan has been made. Basically,
these valves are a real pain for maintenance and operations to use, which prevent someone from casually
and accidentally turning these valves. Spare relief valves are a common place to use such valves: you do
not want spare valves open to the process UNLESS the main valve is taken offline, and you definitely do not
want to accidentally close all the gate valves so that no relief valve is connected to the system. You use
LO/LC to put isolation valves around the relief valves, while minimiz ing the risk that people accidentally open
or close them incorrectly. The isolation valves are only turned after a formal work plan has been written and
people have thought through the consequences. (If there is only one relief valve, preferred practice may be to
have NO isolation valves, or it may be LO/LC valves…it depends on how the valve and system will be
maintained). CSO & CSC are “car sealed open/closed” valves, which are a similar idea but replaces the key
with a plastic seal you have to cut open after filling out a plant paperwork procedure. One cannot turn the
 valves without breaking the seal. Reference.
Boilers: They have special rules. Check ASME I or whatever the appropriate standard is for you.
Revamp project s: Whenever an existing plant or process is modified it is called a revamp. Most revamps
intend to expand the capacity of the existing plant, through a combination of installing new equipment and
creatively re- using what is already there. In any modification, the relief valves have to be checked to make
sure they can still be used in the new service, and this is no easy task. However, there is a big savings when
an existing relief valve can handle the new service, compared to the expense of installing a new valve.
Sometimes companies will invest in fancy dynamic simulators and other tools to try to re- use existing relief
valves. By “sharpening your pencil” with these tools and doing very precise scenario calculations, you may
find that the design margins and assumptions in the original siz ing calculations were so high that the old relief
valve can be reused for larger revamp flowrates. This is a big savings! Also, a warning: often in revamps the
hardest part can be gathering the data: finding the original datasheets and calculations available for valves
and vessels, learning the layout, waiting for the records guy to get back to you, etc. The actual calculation
may be relatively easy compared to the difficulties in getting data to work with
Relief valves in equipment packages: Sometimes vendors who sell “packages” of equipment can design
relief valves for you. For example, vendors selling a pressure reducing valve or a chemical injection system
may have relief valves perfectly customiz ed to suit their equipment. This can save you time and trouble
Relief valve vendors: The good ones are quite knowledgeable. Ask for their help and advice. Ask about
things like balanced and pilot relief valves if you are worried about challenges like back pressure, chattering,
etc.

This closes the introduction. Return to Part 1 here or Part 2 here. More topics and advice may come in subsequent
posts under this category. Use the sidebar to browse posts by category.

Edit 2010- 04- 22: Minor rewrit e f or clarit y, added not e on of f line valves/maint enance.

Edit 2010- 11- 04: Expanded example, added not e on Car Sealed Open / Closed valves.

Edit 2011- 04- 26: Not ed t hat in some cases it is accept able t o design some f lare header lines f or normal
f low t hrough several relief valves, rat her t han t he rat ed (scaled- by- orif ice siz e) f low.

Edit 2011- 09- 14: Edit ed def init ion of locked open/closed vs. car sealed open/closed valves.

Edit 2011- 12- 06: Improved descript ion of out let line siz ing.

Related posts:

1. Introduction to Pressure Relief Valve Design Part 1 – Types & Set Pressure
2. Introduction to Pressure Relief Valve Design Part 2 – Relief Scenarios and the Relief Rate
3. Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) Designer Checklist
4. Assign Control Valve Pressure Drops
5. Fluid Controls Institute Articles on Piping Elements