The main purpose of any valve, like a Ball valve, Butterfly valve, Globe Valve is to take control over the fluid flow. But like other valves, the Safety valve does not provide control over the fluid flow. And this valve is the most important for the Boiler, steam, and other high pressure applications. The main objective of Safety Valve is the safety of life, property, and the environment. A Safety Valve is constructed to open and release extra unnecessary risky pressure or excess pressure from the vessel and reclose to maintain the ideal and reach the desired pressure as per the process requirements.
The Safety Valve is one kind of safety equipment and in many places, it is the last option of safety & security. For these reasons, it is mandatory to assure that the safety valve is able to work and function properly all the time in any situation under all circumstances. As we know that Safety Valve is not a process valve or line control valve and should not be misused as a pressure regulator. It would be operated and used for only one purpose and that is to get protection from over-pressurizing.
Reason For Excess Pressure in a Vessel
There are many causes that increase the pressure from the predetermined limit in the Vessel or tank. API Standard 521/ISO 23251 Sect. 4 provides detailed instructions about the causes of overpressure. Here we discuss a few of them:
- The first and very common cause is “Blocked discharge.” When the discharge ports are blocked, excess pressure is generated in the tank.
- The vessel or tank’s contact in the external fire. Which is often referred to as a “Fire Case”
- Thermal expansion
- Chemical reaction
- Breaking of heat exchanger tube which leads to high temperature
- Failure of cooling system
All of the above-listed circumstances may occur individually and separately from others. They may also take place together. Each cause of excess pressure will make a various mass or volume flow to be discharged. There is the user’s responsibility to select the suitable safety valve with the correct size and functioning.
Hope you read the above content and are satisfied with our provided details. Because before buying a safety valve you need to know about its deep details so you can buy the perfect safety valve for your plant. There are lots of valve manufacturers who manufacture safety valves in the market but you have to choose the best one that offers quality because compromise in safety valve quality can create problems in your plant.