PRESSURE RELIEF VALVES

GENERALITIES

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 Why Needed
PROTECTION OF PERSONNEL AND
PROPERTY AGAINST EXPLOSIONS DUE
TO OVEVERPRESSURE CAUSES

SATISFY REQUIREMENTS OF APPLICABLE

CODES AND REGULATIONS

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 Main Causes
Of Overpressure in a Pressurized Vessel
BLOCKED DISCHARGE

EXPOSURE TO EXTERNAL FLAMES

THERMAL EXPANSION

POWER FAILURE

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 Blocked Discharge
Blocked Discharge
Inadvertent Closure of Valve PRD
on the Discharge Side of the
Pressure Source.
Resultant Pressure Increase
Requires PRV to Protect
Equipment

Pressure
Vessel OUTLET BLOCK
VALVE CLOSED

FULL INPUT
FLOW

(FROM
COMPRESSOR
OR PUMP)

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Fire Exposure

Fire Exposure

Massive Heat Input to a

Vessel Vaporizes Liquids or
Rapidly Expands Gases.
Pressure Relief Valve is
Required to Prevent Vessel
Explosion until Fire is
Brought Under Control.

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 Thermal Expansion
Thermal Relief
Blocked-in Section of Piping.
Heating & Cooling Thermal
Cycles Expand the Trapped Fluids.
Capacity Requirement Difficult to
Determine.NPS 3/4 x NPS 1 PRV
Commonly Used.

PRD

LIQUID FULL PIPE OR

PRESSURE VESSEL
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 Must Consider The One
Worst Case

BLOCKED DISCHARGE
BLOCKED DISCHARGE
EXTERNAL
EXTERNALFIRE
FIRE
THERMAL
THERMALEXPANSION
EXPANSION

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 Terminology
Pressure Relief Device

A Pressure Relief Device is designed to open to prevent

a rise of internal fluid pressure in excess of a specified
value due to exposure to abnormal or emergency
conditions.
Pressure Relief Device which is designed to re-close
and prevent the further flow of process fluid after
normal conditions have been restored.

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 Overpressure Relief Devices

PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE

RUPTURE DISC

RUPTURE DISC UNDER PRV

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 Pressure Relief Valve
(PRV)
A GENERIC TERM WHICH INCLUDES

SAFETY VALVES, RELIEF VALVES, AND

SAFETY RELIEF VALVES (A SAFE & ALL-

ENCOMPASSING TERM)

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 Pressure Relief Valve
(PRV)

OPENS AT SET PRESSURE

CLOSES AT RESEAT PRESSURE

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 Safety Valve
A PRV ACTUATED BY STATIC PRESSURE
RAPID OPENING (POP ACTION)

FULL LIFT

LIFT

SET ALLOWABLE
PRESSURE OVERPRESSURE
USED ON COMPRESSIBLE MEDIA (GAS,
VAPOR, STEAM)

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 Relief Valve
A PRV ACTUATED BY STATIC PRESSURE
OPENS GENERALLY IN PROPORTION TO
OVERPRESSURE

FULL LIFT

LIFT

SET ALLOWABLE
PRESSURE
NORMALLY USED ON NON-COMPRESSIBLE
OVERPRESSURE

MEDIA (LIQUIDS)

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 Safety Relief Valve
(SRV)
A PRV THAT MAY FUNCTION AS

EITHER A SAFETY OR RELIEF VALVE

WITH SATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE

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Boum! The valve did not open

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 Conventional Direct Spring PRV
(Unbalanced)
Set Pressure
Adjustment Screw

P2 Out
Blowdown
Blowdown
Adjustment
Adjustment Ring
Ring
P1
Huddling
Huddling
Chamber
Chamber
In
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 Balanced Bellows Direct Spring
PRV
Set Pressure
Adjustment Screw

Bonnet Vent

PA
Metal Bellows

P2 Out

Blowdown
Adjustment Ring
P
Huddling Chamber
1
1
In
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 Rupture Disc
(RD)

A PREDETERMINED WEAK POINT

IN A PRESSURIZED SYSTEM
OPENS AT BURST PRESSURE
DOES NOT RE-CLOSE

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 Pressure Relief Valve & Rupture Disc

RD BURSTS OPEN
PRV OPENS IMMEDIATELY
PRV RE-CLOSES AT A PRESSURE BELOW
RD BURST PRESSURE

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 Pressure Relief Valves
in Combination with Rupture Disks
Typical Applications

Systems Containing Substances

that could Corrode the PRV or
Render it Inoperative
Minimizes the Loss of
Hazardous or Valuable Fluid
Leaking Through the PRV

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 Pressure Relief Valves
in Combination with Rupture Disks

Rules and Guidelines

ASME Stamped PRV Capacity
must be Derated by Combination
Capacity Factor of 0.90
Additional Information Found in
ASME Code Section VIII,
Division 1, UG-127

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 Pilot Operated PRV

Pilot
Pressure
Sense Line
P1
Piston Seal
Resilient
Piston Liner P2 Seat

Out
Unbalanced
Moving Member
(Piston)

P1
Pitot Tube

In
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 Terminology
Operational Characteristics of Pressure Relief
Devices
Maximum operating pressure
Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP)
Overpressure
Rated Relieving Capacity
Stamped Capacity
Set Pressure
Relieving Pressure

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 Terminology
Operational Characteristics of Pressure Relief
Devices

Cold Differential Test Pressure (CDTP)

Back Pressure
Built-up Back Pressure
Superimposed Back Pressure
Blowdown
Opening Pressure
Closing Pressure
Simmer

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 Terminology
Dimensional Characteristics of Pressure Relief
Devices

Actual discharge area

Bore diameter (nozzle area)
Curtain area
Effective discharge area (Orifice area)
Inlet and outlet size
Lift
Huddling chamber

Weir Valves and Controls

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 Maximum Allowable
Working Pressure (MAWP)

DESIGN PRESSURE

NORMALLY USED WITH PROCESS

VESSELS AND ASSOCIATED PIPING

NORMALLY PRV SET PRESSURE OR

RD BURST PRESSURE

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 PRESSURE %
WHERE PRDS NORMALLY
SIZED (EXCEPT FIRE CASE) 110

SET PRESSURE
TOLERANCE ALLOWABLE
OVERPRESSURE

100 MAWP

BLOWDOWN, TYPICAL SET

% OF SET PRESSURE
95
TYPICAL
RESEAT TYPICAL
PRESSURE OPERATING
90 PRESSURE

Weir Valves and Controls

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 % MAWP

USUALLY 110% MAWP

ALLOWABLE ALLOWABLE
ACCUMULATION
OVERPRESSURE (SYSTEM)
(PRD)

100 MAWP
SET PRESSURE

Weir Valves and Controls

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 Back Pressure

Pbb
(back pressure)

Inlet
THE PRESSURE AT THE OUTLET
OF A PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICE.

Weir Valves and Controls

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 Back Pressure
Superimposed Back Pressure
Pressure Existing at the PRV Outlet Prior to
Opening
Two Types:
Superimposed Constant
Superimposed Variable

EFFECTS
Increase in Set Pressure in Conventional
PRVs
Valve Instability
Reduced Capacity
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 Superimposed Constant Back
Pressure
When PRV Outlet is
Connected to a Static
Pressure Source
Doesnt Change
Appreciably Under any
Conditions of Operation.
Conventional PRV can be
used if Spring Setting is
reduced by Amount of
Constant Back Pressure
PUMP

Weir Valves and Controls

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 Superimposed Variable Back
Pressure
Present Prior to PRV Opening.
Usually Result of One or More
PRVs Discharging into a
Common Header.
Causes Set Pressure to Increase
by Amount of Back Pressure.
Bellows Valve Required since no
Predetermined Set Pressure is HEADER MANIFOLD
Possible.

Weir Valves and Controls

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 Built-up Back Pressure DISCHARGE

Develops After PRV Opens.

Usually due to Friction and

Pressure Drop through
Discharge Piping.

Can be up to 10% of Set

Pressure on Conventional
PRVs.

Will Cause Reduced Capacity

or PRV Instability if over
10%.Balanced Bellows PRV IS OPEN
Valve should be specified. AND IS FLOWING

In
Weir Valves and Controls
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 Effect of Built-Up Back Pressure
Unbalanced, Conventional Direct Spring SV

100

90
% RATED CAPACITY

80 10%
OVERPRESSURE
70 PER API RP520 and
ASME SECTION VIII,
60 BPBU << 10 %
BU =

50
0 10 20 30 40 50

% BUILT-UP BACK PRESSURE

Weir Valves and Controls
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 Effect of Built-Up Back Pressure
Balanced Bellows Direct Spring PRV
100

90
10%
80 OVERPRESSURE
Kb
70

60

50
0 10 20 30 40 50
% Built-up Back Pressure
Weir Valves and Controls
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 Bellows Design
Bellows Effective Area
Equivalent to Seat Area.
Isolates Top Side of Disc
Holder.
Offsets Effects of Variable
Back Pressure
Set Pressure Stability

Weir Valves and Controls

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Bellows Design

Other Functions of the

Bellows:
Protects Spindle
Guiding Surfaces
from Corrosive Fluid.
Isolates Spring
Chamber from
Process Fluid

Weir Valves and Controls

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 Lift of a PRV
Defined as the travel of the moving seating component of a PRV away from
the stationary seating component (normally the nozzle)

Orifice Area of a PRV

The area through a PRV which determines the flowing capacity of the PRV.
Determined by:
Area of the inside diameter of the nozzle - or -
Flow area created by the lift of the valve and is cylindrical in shape (nozzle
bore circumference x lift)
Whichever is greater.

Weir Valves and Controls

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 Valve Trim
Component Parts in Contact with Process Fluid during
Normal Operation (i.e.: Valve Closed)
Nozzle
Disc
Nozzle
Pressure Containing Component that Constitutes the
Inlet Flow Passage.
Includes the Fixed Portion of the Seat Closure.
Disc / Disc Insert
Pressure Containing Movable Component in a PRV
which Affects Closure.
Seat
Pressure containing contact between the fixed and
Weir Valves and Controls
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 Bonnet Components
Stem
Adjusting Bolt
Adjusting Bolt Lock Nut
Spring
Spring Washers

Weir Valves and Controls

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 Non-Wetted Component
Parts
Valve Closed

Guide
Disc Holder
Spindle
Set Screw

Weir Valves and Controls

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 END OF CHAPTER

Weir Valves and Controls

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