Pressure Relief
Devices
“Grace under pressure”
– Ernest Hemingway
1/51
What is the Hazard?
Despite safety precautions …
– Equipment failures
– Human error, and
– External events, can sometimes lead to …
Increases in process pressures beyond safe
levels, potentially resulting in …
OVERPRESSURE due to a RELIEF EVENT
2/51
What are Relief Events?
External fire
Flow from high pressure source
Heat input from associated equipment
Pumps and compressors
Ambient heat transfer
Liquid expansion in pipes and surge
3/51
Potential Lines of Defense
Inherently Safe Design
– Low pressure processes
Passive Control
– Overdesign of process equipment
Active Control
– Install Relief Systems
4/51
What is a Relief System?
A relief device, and
Associated lines and process
equipment to safely handle the material
ejected
5/51
Why Use a Relief System?
Inherently Safe Design simply can’t
eliminate every pressure hazard
Passive designs can be exceedingly
expensive and cumbersome
Relief systems work!
6/51
Pressure Terminology
MAWP
Design pressure
Operating
pressure
Set pressure
Overpressure
Accumulation
Blowdown
7/51
Code Requirements
General Code requirements include:
– ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Codes
– ASME B31.3 / Petroleum Refinery Piping
– ASME B16.5 / Flanges & Flanged Fittings
8/51
Code Requirements
Relieving pressure shall not exceed
MAWP (accumulation) by more than:
– 3% for fired and unfired steam boilers
– 10% for vessels equipped with a single
pressure relief device
– 16% for vessels equipped with multiple
pressure relief devices
– 21% for fire contingency
9/51
Relief Design Methodology
LOCATE
RELIEFS
CHOOSE
TYPE
DEVELOP
SCENARIOS
SIZE RELIEFS
(1 or 2 Phase)
CHOOSE
WORST CASE
DESIGN RELIEF
SYSTEM
10/51
Locating Reliefs – Where?
All vessels
Blocked in sections of cool liquid lines
that are exposed to heat
Discharge sides of positive
displacement pumps, compressors,
and turbines
Vessel steam jackets
Where PHA indicates the need
LOCATE
11/51
RELIEFS
Choosing Relief Types
Spring-Operated Valves
Rupture Devices
CHOOSE
12/51
TYPE
Spring-Operated Valves
Conventional Type
CHOOSE
13/51
TYPE
Picture: Conventional Relief
Valve
Conventional
Relief Valve
CHOOSE
14/51
TYPE
Superimposed Back
Pressure
Pressure in
discharge header
before valve opens
Can be constant or
variable
CHOOSE
15/51
TYPE
Built-up Back Pressure
Pressure in
discharge header
due to frictional
losses after valve
opens
Total =
Superimposed +
Built-up
CHOOSE
16/51
TYPE
Spring-Operated Valves
Balanced Bellows Type
CHOOSE
17/51
TYPE
Picture: Bellows Relief
Valve
Bellows
Relief Valve
CHOOSE
18/51
TYPE
Pros & Cons:
Conventional Valve
Advantages
+ Most reliable type if properly sized and operated
+ Versatile -- can be used in many services
Disadvantages
– Relieving pressure affected by back pressure
– Susceptible to chatter if built-up back pressure is
too high
CHOOSE
19/51
TYPE
Pros & Cons:
Balanced Bellows Valve
Advantages
+ Relieving pressure not affected by back pressure
+ Can handle higher built-up back pressure
+ Protects spring from corrosion
Disadvantages
– Bellows susceptible to fatigue/rupture
– May release flammables/toxics to atmosphere
– Requires separate venting system
CHOOSE
20/51
TYPE
Rupture Devices
Rupture Disc
Rupture Pin
CHOOSE
21/51
TYPE
Conventional
Metal Rupture Disc
CHOOSE
22/51
TYPE
Conventional
Rupture Pin Device
CHOOSE
23/51
TYPE
When to Use a Spring-
Operated Valve
Losing entire contents is unacceptable
– Fluids above normal boiling point
– Toxic fluids
Need to avoid failing low
Return to normal operations quickly
Withstand process pressure changes,
including vacuum
CHOOSE
24/51
TYPE
When to Use a Rupture
Disc/Pin
Capital and maintenance savings
Losing the contents is not an issue
Benign service (nontoxic, non-
hazardous)
Need for fast-acting device
Potential for relief valve plugging
High viscosity liquids
CHOOSE
25/51
TYPE
When to Use Both Types
Need a positive seal (toxic material,
material balance requirements)
Protect safety valve from corrosion
System contains solids
CHOOSE
26/51
TYPE
Relief Event Scenarios
A description of one specific relief event
Usually each relief has more than one relief
event, more than one scenario
Examples include:
– Overfilling/overpressuring
– Fire
– Runaway reaction
– Blocked lines with subsequent expansion
Developed through Process Hazard Analysis
(PHA)
DEVELOP
27/51
SCENARIOS
An Example: Batch Reactor
Control valve on
nitric acid feed line
stuck open, vessel Raw
Material
overfills Feeds
Steam regulator to Organic substrate
Catalyst
jacket fails, vessel Nitric Acid
overpressures
Coolant system Reactor ~ 100 gallons
fails, runaway Product
reaction
DEVELOP
28/51
SCENARIOS
Sizing Reliefs
Determining relief rates
Determine relief vent area
SIZE RELIEFS
29/51
(Single Phase)
Scenarios Drive Relief Rates
Overfill (e.g., control valve failure)
– Maximum flow rate thru valve into vessel
Fire
– Vaporization rate due to heat-up
Blocked discharge
– Design pump flow rate
SIZE RELIEFS
30/51
(Single Phase)
Overfill Scenario Calcs
Determined maximum flow thru valve
(i.e., blowthrough)
Liquids: Qm Cv A 2 g c P
g M (1)/( 1)
Gases: Q C AP c 2
m choked v o R T 1
g o
SIZE RELIEFS
31/51
(Single Phase)
Fire Scenario Calcs
API 520 gives all equations for
calculating fire relief rate, step-by-step
1. Determine the total wetted surface area
2. Determine the total heat absorption
3. Determine the rate of vapor or gas
vaporized from the liquid
SIZE RELIEFS
32/51
(Single Phase)
Determine Wetted Area
B cos 11 2 E D
A D E L D B /180
wet
SIZE RELIEFS
33/51
(Single Phase)
Determine Heat Absorption
Prompt fire-fighting & adequate
drainage: 0.82
Q 21,000F A
Btu/hr wet
Otherwise: 0.82
Q 34,500F A
Btu/hr wet
where Q is the heat absorption (Btu/hr)
F is the environmental factor
– 1.0 for a bare vessel
– Smaller values for insulated vessels
Awet is the wetted surface area (ft2)
SIZE RELIEFS
34/51
(Single Phase)
Determine Vaporization
Rate
where
W = Mass flow, lbs/hr
W Q /H vap
Q = Total heat absorption to
the wetted surface, Btu/hr
Hvap = Latent heat of
vaporization, Btu/lb
SIZE RELIEFS
35/51
(Single Phase)
Determine Relief Vent Area
Liquid in 2(psi)1/2
Qv ( )
A
ref
Service 38.0 gpm CoKvKpK
1.25Ps P
b b
A is the computed relief area (in2)
where Qv is the volumetric flow thru the relief (gpm)
Co is the discharge coefficient
Kv is the viscosity correction
Kp is the overpressure correction
Kb is the backpressure correction
(r/rref) is the specific gravity of liquid
Ps is the gauge set pressure (lbf/in2)
Pb is the gauge backpressure (lbf/in2)
SIZE RELIEFS
36/51
(Single Phase)
Determine Relief Vent Area
Gas Qm Tz
A
Service CoK P M
b
P Pmax 14.7
A is the computed relief area (in ) 2
where QP is the 1.1Ps flow
discharge for thru
unfired pressure
the relief (lb /hr) vessels
max m
C is the discharge coefficient
m
KPmax o
1.2Ps forcorrection
is the backpressure
b
vessels exposed to fire
T is the absolute temperature of the discharge (°R)
zPis
max 1.33Ps for
the compressibility piping
factor
MPsisisaverage
the set pressure
molecular weight for
of gasthe
(lb relief
m/lb-mol) valve
P is maximum absolute discharge pressure (lbf/in2)
c is an isentropic expansion function
SIZE RELIEFS
37/51
(Single Phase)
Determine Relief Vent Area
Gas
(1)/( 1)
519.5 2
Service 1
where c is an isentropic expansion function
g is heat capacity ratio for the gas
Units are as described in previous slide
SIZE RELIEFS
38/51
(Single Phase)
A Special Issue: Chatter
Spring relief devices require 25-30%
of maximum flow capacity to maintain
the valve seat in the open position
Lower flows result in chattering,
caused by rapid opening and closing
of the valve disc
This can lead to destruction of the
device and a dangerous situation
SIZE RELIEFS
39/51
(Single Phase)
Chatter - Principal Causes
Valve Issues
– Oversized valve
– Valve handling widely differing rates
Relief System Issues
– Excessive inlet pressure drop
– Excessive built-up back pressure
SIZE RELIEFS
40/51
(Single Phase)
Worst Case Event Scenario
Worst case for each relief is the event
requiring the largest relief vent area
Worst cases are a subset of the overall
set of scenarios for each relief
The identification of the worst-case
scenario frequently affects relief size
more than the accuracy of sizing calcs
CHOOSE
WORST CASE 41/51
Design Relief System
Relief System is more than a safety
relief valve or rupture disc, it includes:
– Backup relief device(s)
– Line leading to relief device(s)
– Environmental conditioning of relief device
– Discharge piping/headers
– Blowdown drum
– Condenser, flare stack, or scrubber
DESIGN RELIEF
42/51
SYSTEM
Installation, Inspection, and
Maintenance
To undermine all the good efforts of a
design crew, simply …
1. Improperly install relief devices
2. Fail to regularly inspect relief devices,
or
3. Fail to perform needed/required
maintenance on relief devices
43/51
?? Reduced Inlet Piping
Reduced
Inlet Piping
Anything wrong
here?
44/51
?? Plugged Bellows, Signs Failed
of
Anything wrong
Inspection,
here? Maintenance
Maintenance
Issues
Bellows plugged
in spite of sign
Failed
Inspection
Program
45/51
?? Discharges Pointing
Down
Anything wrong
here?
Anything
Discharges
Pointing
wrong
here?Down
46/51
?? Long MomentLongArm
Moment Arm
Anything wrong
here?
47/51
?? Will these bolts hold in a
relief event
Will these
bolts hold
in a
relief event?
Anything wrong
here?
48/51
Mexico City Disaster
Major Contributing Cause:
Missing Safety Valve
49/51
Summary
Pressure Relief
– Very Important ACTIVE safety element
– Connected intimately with Process Hazard
Analysis
– Requires diligence in design, equipment
selection, installation, inspection and
maintenance
Look forward to …
– Two-phase flow methodology/exercise
50/51
References
Crowl and Louvar – Chemical Process
Safety, Chapters 8 and 9
Ostrowski – Fundamentals of Pressure
Relief Devices
Sterling – Safety Valves: Practical
Design, Practices for Relief, and Valve
Sizing
51/51
END OF
PRESENTATION
