PRV REPAIR

Common
“Poor”
Maintenance Practices
Let’s examine some possible causes of
poor maintenance practices.
Possible Causes

• Substandard Training
• No Training
• Outdated Maintenance Manuals
• No Maintenance Manuals
• Wrong Tools and Equipment
• Wrong Replacement Parts
• Bad Habits (That’s what the other guy did!)
• Bad Attitude (Who cares?)
Now, let’s examine some possible effects
of poor maintenance practices.
What are the most important things that a
Pressure Relief Valve must do?

 Open at a Specified Pressure

 Relieve a Specified Volume at a Specified Pressure

 Close at a Specified Pressure

 
Poor maintenance practices can result in a change in the
valve’s set pressure causing the valve to open (or not) at a
point other than the specified pressure.
 
Poor maintenance practices can result in restricting the
valve’s lift in such a manner as to prevent the valve from
relieving a specified volume at a specified pressure.
 
Poor maintenance practices can result in excessive
blowdown preventing the valve from closing at a specified
pressure. This can result in having to lower operating
pressure.
Additional Effects Include:

• Hang-up
• Flutter
• Chatter
• Excessive Simmer
• Leakage
 All of these effects, either
individually or collectively, can
have a negative effect on a
Pressure Relief Valve’s ability to
function properly.
 Now that we’ve examined some
possible causes and effects of poor
maintenance practices, let’s
discuss specifics.
 Valve Handling:

• Over-tightening in vise
• Lifting/carrying using lifting lever
• Inadequate preparation for shipment
• Improper storage
• Exposure to the elements
Replacement Part Fabrication:

• Never use fabricated replacement parts

• Always use OEM replacement parts
 Re-machining Parts:

Improper re-machining of worn or damaged parts may

result in altering the intended design characteristics of the
component.
 Lapping:

Improper lap sizes and/or improper lapping techniques

can result in damage to seating surfaces, causing the
valve to leak.
 Valve Settings:

Verify and set valves according to the manufacturer’s

specifications when putting a Pressure Relief Valve into
service.
 Inspection:

Always inspect valve components according to

manufacturer’s inspection criteria to identify and correct
deficiencies.
 Disassembly/Assembly:

When disassembling/assembling a Pressure Relief Valve,

always refer to the manufacturer’s procedures contained
in their maintenance manuals.
 Testing:

Test Pressure Relief Valves on the medium for which

they’re intended for use. Ensure lift meets or exceeds the
manufacturer’s specified minimum lift.
What backs up a Pressure Relief Valve
that fails?
 Case File #1735WB-2-S

Unorthodox Customer Repair

Submitted by:
Dresser Field Service Technician
 As per our conversation 3/1/XX, here’s a write-up
with illustrations (as requested) on the unorthodox
repair of a Maxiflow by other than trained service
technicians.
As I was not there when the repair was made, I can
only surmise what actually occurred based on the
physical evidence I found.
 The compression screw was chewed up.
Obviously, the customer was using a pipe wrench on it
(Fig. A) and damaged it to the point that it wouldn’t
screw down anymore.
 Consequently, the valve probably still popped light
(Fig. B).
 The customer found a fiber washer 1/8 inch thick
with a hole big enough to fit over the spindle (Fig. C).
 They placed it over the spindle between the
compression screw and the top spring washer (Fig.
D).
This probably gave enough compression on the
spring to keep the valve from popping light.
 The mechanics who devised this repair were
undoubtedly the recipients of endless praise for their
ingenuity and, in all likelihood, have since been
promoted (Fig. E).