Pressure Safety Valves play an indispensable role in ensuring the mechanical integrity of our

equipment, for reasons obvious to just about everyone. For this reason, this “cookbook” has
been developed by the Process and Chemical Services Team as part of Facilities
Engineering’s 1999 Safety and Environmental Plan.

The intent of the cookbook is not to provide the user with detailed, comprehensive
instructions for selection, sizing and rating relief valves; there are plenty of industry and
company documents and manuals which exhaust these topics. Instead, the cookbook is
intended to serve as an overall guide in the PSV selection, sizing and rating process, and
steer the user toward the appropriate references at each step in the process. Additionally,
the cookbook guides the user to references covering associated topics critical to
selection/sizing/rating, such as defining relief scenarios and designing PSV piping, to name
a couple.

To begin, open the spreadsheet just below, which is a flowchart of the selection/sizing/rating
process, and follow the steps. Each step is explained in detail below, displayed in a
common format for ease of use and continuity.

As with any engineering task, sizing and rating PSVs requires the application of sound
engineering judgement and relies heavily on the experience of the engineer. That is to say,
no “cookbook” or process is foolproof. So, when in doubt, ask for help, consult the experts,
and check and re-check your assumptions and calculations. The integrity of our equipment
and the safety of our operations depend on it.