12.

Relief Valves
 Purpose of Relief Valves

Relief valves are used to prevent overpressure

of pipework and equipment
Critical safety feature to protect process plant
They are mechanical devices that are used as
a back-up to the Control/ESD systems or as
stand-alone units for exceptional relief cases
eg expansion of trapped in liquids where instrumental
systems are not available
Potential Causes of Overpressure

• Various scenarios must be considered when

designing relief valves ie -
– Blocked discharge (Liquid, Gas, Gas and Liquid)
– Fire causing thermal expansion or vaporisation of fluids
– Thermal expansion of liquid filled lines
– Maloperation of equipment eg opening of wrong valve
– Malfunction of equipment eg utility failure, heat
exchanger tube rupture
– Reverse flow
 Relief Valve Sizing and Relief Scenarios

• It is essential to select the correct relief

scenario to ensure that a pressure relief
valve is adequately sized however there
may be multiple relief scenarios considered
for a single valve
 Chirag Pressure Relief Devices
• Each relief valve is sized according to API520, 521
and 2000 standards
• Pressure relief devices in use on Chirag are based on
different scenarios ie -
– High pressure separation - based on a blocked gas outlet
– Water / sand hydrocyclones - based on exposure to fire
– HP fuel gas scrubber - based on failure of control valve
– Fuel gas filter - based on thermal expansion overpressure
 Types of Relief Valves

• The main types of relief valves used are -

– Conventional safety relief valves
– Balanced safety relief valves
– Pilot operated relief valves
 Types of Relief Valves
• Conventional safety relief valves -
• these are usually employed when the discharge is from a high pressure source to a
low pressure system
• tolerate back pressure, Ps 10% of valve set pressure
• Balanced safety relief valves -
• these valves incorporate a mechanism for minimising the effect of back pressure on
the performance of the relief valve
• tolerate back pressure of 30-50% of valve set pressure
• Pilot operated relief valves -
• operate closer to design pressure however do suffer from problems with ice and
hydrate formation in pilot lines
• used where back pressure is high or variable and when it is not desirable to vent
vessel contents to check the valve
• testing can be done in situ
Conventional Pressure Relief Valve

SPRING LOADED PRESSURE INTERNALS OF SPRING LOADED

RELIEF VALVE PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE
Figure 212
 Pressure Relief Area
• In all relief valves, the actual area available for relief flow is
expressed as the orifice size
• API 520 dictates set sizes for orifices
• the smallest size, a “D” orifice has an area of 0.71cm², the largest “T” has
an area of 165.75cm²
• For a given relief valve body it is usually possible to fit a
choice of orifice size
• Inlet flanges area always rated for at least the inlet pressure
to the valve - normally 300# minimum
• Outlet flanges are usually rated for 150# or 300# system
– (depend on the back pressure built up in the flare system)
 Bursting Discs

BURSTING DISCS BEFORE AND AFTER RELEASE

Figure 213
 Bursting Discs
• Thin diaphragms held between flanges designed
to burst at a specific inlet pressure
• Bursting discs have no moving parts and are
simple, reliable and faster acting than other
pressure relief devices
• These devices cannot reseal when the pressure
decreases below design pressure
• Typically used to protect shell and tube heat
exchangers from overpressure due to tube
rupture scenario
 Bursting Discs
• Disc has to be replaced before vessel/line can be put back in
service
• Discs can be manufactured from a range of materials
• most common materials are aluminium, monel, inconel, stainless steel and plastic
• Can be used alone to protect a vessel
• Also used in series to protect a relief valve but if upstream,
caution must be taken to monitor pressure between bursting disc
and pressure relief valve(not good practice) eg corrosive
applications
• Bursting discs can also be used as backup when in parallel with a
relief valve
 Sizing Pressure Relief Devices
• All the scenarios that may cause overpressure have to be
considered when sizing a relief valve device
• The worst case scenario is used as the required relieving rate
and dictates the size of the relief device
• Allowable overpressures are incorporated into the sizing of
relief valves (see API 520)
• check vessel design code
• Size also depends on service valve is to be used under ie gas,
liquid, two phase, steam etc
• API 520 and 521 contain all necessary information to allow
relief valves to be correctly sized
 Vapour Flow Through Relief Valves

• Vapour flow through relief valves can be either critical

flow or sub-critical flow
• The vapour velocity of a compressible gas increases as
it is expanded across a nozzle
• Mass flow rate of flow through the nozzle will increase
until a limiting velocity is reached in the nozzle
• The flow rate that corresponds to this limiting velocity
is termed the critical flow rate
• Any flow below this maximum rate is sub-critical flow
Relief Valve Sizing - Critical Vapour Flow
13,160  W ZT
AG 
CK d P1 K b K c M

• where - AG = orifice are required, mm2

W = mass flowrate of vapour, kg/h
C = ratio of specific heats
Kd = coefficient of discharge (see API 520)
P1 = set pressure plus allowable overpressure (~10%), bara
Kb = capacity correction factor due to back pressure (see API 520)
Kc = combination correction factor (see API 520)
Z = compressibility factor
T = inlet vapour temperature, K
M = molecular weight, kg/kmol
 Relief Valve Sizing - Sub-critical Vapour
Flow
17.9  W ZT
AG 
F2 K d K c MP1 ( P1  P2 )

• where - AG = orifice are required, mm2

W = mass flowrate of vapour, kg/h
F2 = coefficient of sub-critical flow (see API 520)
Kd = coefficient of discharge (see API 520)
Kc = combination correction factor (see API 520)
Z = compressibility factor
T = inlet vapour temperature, K
M = molecular weight, kg/kmol
P1 = set pressure plus allowable overpressure (~10%), bara
P2 = back pressure (kPaa)
 Relief Valve Sizing - Liquid

11 .78  Q G
AL 
Kd K w Kc Kv p1  p2

• where -
AL = orifice area required, mm2
Q = volumetric flowrate of liquid, l/min
Kd = coefficient of discharge (see API 520)
Kw,c,v = sizing coefficients (see API 520)
p1 = upstream relieving pressure (kPag)
p2 = back pressure (kPag)
G = Specific gravity of liquid
 Sizing Relief Valves
• Once the required relief area is calculated, an
orifice size and valve body can be selected
• Allow approximately 10% difference between calculated and
installed areas
• If orifice is too large then valve can “chatter” and mechanical
failure of the valve could occur
• Often more than one relief valve is used for any
service ie two 100% valves or three 50% valves can
be used to allow valve maintenance / repairs
without requirement for process shutdown
 Sizing Relief Valves

• For mixed phase relief, various techniques are used ie-

• sum of two areas can be used as area required
(rough guide but generally conservative)
• or the HEM method - more accurate estimation (IP
Guide)
 Sizing Inlet and Outlet Pipework
• Careful consideration must also be given to the sizing of
inlet and outlet pipework on a pressure relief valve
• Inlet Pipework -
– Line losses in the inlet pipework must be < 3% of relieving
pressure (API Guideline)
– Must slope towards vessel to prevent liquid build-up
• Outlet Pipework -
– Generally sized based on velocity but is dependant on client
– BP RP 44-3 should be used for Chirag ie 0.9 Mach
– Refer to Flare and Vent module for header sizing
 Back Pressure

• Back pressure is defined as the pressure

existing at the outlet of a pressure relief valve
and may effect the operation of a relief valve
• Sizing of pressure relief valves must include
the effect of back pressure
• Balanced pressure relief valves can be used
when the back pressure is too excessive for
conventional pressure relief valves
General Information on Relief Devices

• Inspection and maintenance -

– for optimum performance, pressure relief devices must be
serviced and maintained regularly
– must be located to allow easy access and removal of valve
• Proximity to pressure source -
– normally located very close to the pressure source
– if large pressure fluctuations occur, device is placed in a more
stable pressure region further from the vessel
• Proximity to other equipment -
– pressure relief devices should not be located where unstable flow
patterns are present
General Information on Relief Devices

• Mounting position -
– should be mounted in a vertically upright position
– other mounting positions may adversely affect operation
• Heat tracing and insulation -
– for materials which are viscous, or where corrosion or ice
formation could occur upon cooling
– heat tracing or insulation should be provided on inlet and outlet
piping
– when insulation is used, care must be taken not to cover any
discharge or vent ports
 Relief Valve Interlocks
• Generally used where 2*100% or 3*50% valves are used so that valves
can be removed and tested without shutting down the process
• It is normal to bench test in a campaign during shutdown

HEADER

LO LO

LC LO

PROTECTED SYSTEM
 Relief Valve Interlocks

• An interlocking system is used between valves

for safety, maintenance or operational purposes
• Typical situations include -
– to ensure that the block valve upstream of a relief
valve remains open
– To ensure discrete train operation as a normal
operating case
– To minimise depressurisation loads