Features CEW

How to Determine the Fire Case PSV Relieving Temperature

This is one of the most confusing and contradicting concept of how to determine the accurate relieving
temperature and how to develop HYSYS simulation model to predict it accurate. There are many ways for
process engineers to use this concept in the hydrocarbon design industry. But very few methods could
predict the accurate relieving temperature. To develop the HYSYS simulation model for determining the most
accurate relieving temperature, we need to build HYSYS model in such a way that it represents the exact
same situation which happens during fire, specially across an equipment on which PSV is mounted. During
fire case, equipment is isolated by automatically closing inlet and outlet valves across a vessel. Now there is
a trapped inventory in the vessel closed loop, which consists of some piping volume and the vessel volume.
There may be two scenarios for calculating the inventory volume trapped in the equipment loop – normal
liquid level operating case and maximum liquid level operating case. The inlet flow rate is not dependent on
building a HYSYS simulation model whether plant is running on design flow rate or turndown flow; instead,
it is impacted by the liquid level in the vessel, operating pressure, and operating temperature of the vessel at
the moment fire happens. As because the liquid level contributes to the wetted area calculation and P&T play
a critical role to know the time length when the relief valve will open, how much heat energy will be generated,
and how long it will consume before the vessel get pressurized to the PSV set pressure. In this article, the
author has explained the fundamental concept to calculate the PSV relieving temperature for fire case, and
also enumerated the step by step guide to build the HYSYS steady state model.

R
eaders might be interested to know why
this topic has been selected, and what
is so special & important in calculation
of PSV relieving temperature for fire case?
In PSV sizing calculation for fire case,
as a Process Engineer, we use process
simulator like AspenHYSYS to do the
modeling and obtain the results for further
design work. Many methods are being
used by the process design engineers with
different approach for simulation modeling to
calculate the PSV relieving temperature for
fire case. Author here has explained why the
proposed method of simulation modeling is
more realistic and accurate in comparison
to other methods being used by the process
engineers in design consultancies.
First of all, readers should know that both
Pressure Safety Valve (PSV) or Pressure
Relief Valve (PRV) are almost the same; the
only difference is in opening mechanism, and
the time of opening when the PSV or PRV
set pressure hit due to some emergency
or unexpected disturbance in the plant
operation. PSV and PRV both act as the
ultimate protection mechanical device for
any equipment. PSV is designed to protect
the equipment for burn-out conditions
where all the primary protection by means
of instrumentation or electrically controlled
devices is burnt out during the fire case.
Therefore, PSV is the very important device
to protect the vessel in case of fire, where all
other devices already stopped working due
to the burn out of electrical and instruments
facilities. As PSV plays such an important
role in safeguarding the equipment on which
it is mounted, therefore it should be designed
with utmost care. The major parameters for
designing a PSV is its orifice area calculation
based on the maximum allowable peak mass
flow from the PSV discharge to flare network
during fire; and the second parameter is
calculation of PSV relieving temperature
for verifying the PSV outlet line material
temperature design limits. This article also
explains about the PSV relieving temperature
calculation for fire case by using process
simulator AspenHYSYS. It is assumed that
process engineers working in the design
industry might be doing HYSYS simulation
and might be capable enough for calculating
the PSV orifice area for the maximum
allowable peak mass flow or PSV peak load.
Simulation & Modeling Executive Summary
To develop the HYSYS simulation model
for determining the most accurate relieving
temperature, we need to build HYSYS model
in such a way that it represents the exact
same situation which happens during fire,
especially across the equipment on which
PSV is mounted. During fire case, equipment
is isolated by automatically closing inlet and
outlet valves across a vessel. Now there is a
trapped inventory in the vessel closed loop,
which consists of some piping volume and the
vessel volume. There may be two scenarios
for calculating the inventory volume trapped
in the equipment loop – normal liquid level
operating case and the maximum liquid level
operating case. The inlet flow rate does not
get impacted by building a HYSYS simulation
model no matter whether plant is running on
design flow rate or on turndown flow. What
matters is – liquid level in the vessel, operating
pressure, and the operating temperature of
the vessel at the very moment it catches fire.
This is as because the liquid level contributes
to the wetted area calculation, and P&T plays
a very critical role to know the time length
required for relief valve to open, the amount
of heat energy to be generated, and also
the time to be consumed before vessel get
pressurize to the PSV set pressure.
Basis and Assumptions
1. There is a vessel on which PSV is
mounted and the normal operating liquid
level in the vessel is 40 percent. In real
scenario, it can be any value depending
on the process and its operation.

Chemical Engineering World October 2019 • 67

CEW Features
2. Volume of the vessel and that of the associated piping have already
been calculated. The combined volume of vessel and associated
piping is known as total volume of the vessel.
3. Although it is assumed that vessel’s normal operating liquid
level is 20m 3 and the total vessel volume as per vessel
dimension is 100 m 3, in real case it will be different. Therefore
it is to be kept accordingly.
4. It is assumed that readers are aware of the basics of AspenHYSYS
viz. steady state simulation and modeling, defining the material
stream, simulating it to get the fluid properties, and the model
building components.
Simulation Methodology
This simulation is to be performed in steady state by using
multiple adjusters.
1. First, it is to define the vessel inlet fluid streams in HYSYS at
normal operating pressure and temperature, and to simulate it.
2. In HYSYS model, a two-phased separating vessel is to put to
connect the inlet material stream to this vessel.
3. The liquid volume denotes the total liquid volume in the vessel,
in addition to the one trapped in the associated piping. If the
vessel inlet stream is of two-phased and the fluid trapped in
the piping has both liquid phase as well as vapor phase, then
the associated piping volume is to add accordingly based on
the liquid volume fraction. Let’s say, in the vessel inlet, the
stream is two-phased; it has 20 percent vapor fraction and 80
percent liquid fraction; and the associated calculated piping
volume is 10 m 3. Therefore the total liquid volume in the vessel
is 10+20=30m 3.
4. Next step is to define the vessel volume in m3; and it is also to
manually adjust the liquid level percentage in the vessel to define
the liquid volume 30 m3.
5. In the fifth step, the two outlet-streams are to be defined from this
two-phased separating vessel. Top stream 1 is of the vapor outlet
and the bottom stream 2 is of the liquid outlet.
6. Now, at this step, stream splitter is to be used to split stream one
to 2, 3, & 4; similarly stream 2 to be split to 5 & 6.
7. Further step is to adjust the mass flow rate of stream 4 to actual
volume flow with the user defined level of 70m3. To run the
adjuster, one needs to define some initial value of mass flow in
the stream 3.
8. Now the mass flow rate of stream 5 is to adjust to its actual volume
flow with an user defined level of 30m3. To run the adjuster, one
needs to define some initial mass flow value in the stream 6.
9. A stream adder is to be used to add adjusted streams 4 and 5, and
to define the adder outlet stream as 7.
10.Stream 7 here represents the actual liquid and gas volume
condition in fire case when the vessel is isolated by closing the
vessel inlet and outlet boundary valves.
11.During fire, this vessel gets heated up, however PSV will not pop
up until and unless the pressure inside the vessel reaches to the
PSV relieving pressure. It means, during the heating procedure
because of fire, the mass inside the vessel will be constant till
the vessel reach to the PSV relieving pressure; because the fluid
mass will come out only when the PSV will open up at the relieving
pressure, and thus will release the mass.
68 • October 2019
12.Now stream 8 is to be defined which has the same composition
as stream number 7, pressure is to be defined as PSV relieving
pressure, and the temperature as operating temperature.
13.Next is to adjust the temperature of stream 8 in such a way that
mass density (mass/volume) of it remains the same as that of
stream number 7.
14.Adjusted temperature of stream number 8 will be PSV relieving
temperature for fire case.
3
1 4
A
A
Inlet Stream
7
8
A M
2
5
6
=
Legend
^
Adjuster
Splitter
Adder
Material Streams
j=
Mass Balance
Confirmation towards the Efficiency of the Model: This type of
process simulation modeling for PSV relieving temperature calculation
for the fire case is being used in many top design companies and well
accepted by the operating companies like Shell,Petronace and Exxon
mobile. Therefore, this is the first qualification of using this method;
and the second qualification is the technical background which proves
the practicality of this model to the fire case scenarios as compared to
any other methods. In this model, by mass flow rates of gas and liquid
streams coming out from the two phase separator is to be adjusted
to the actual volume flow rate based on the actual vessel volume
occupied by gas and liquid. It means if the adjusted gas and liquid
streams are added to make the stream 7 in the model, then the actual
volume flow of stream 7 will represent the actual condition of the
vessel at steady state on which PSV is mounted. Stream 8 represents
the actual situation when the vessel is isolated by closing the vessel
boundary inlet and outlet valves. That’s why stream 8 is heated by
adjusting the temperature keeping the mass density of the stream
8 same as the mass density of stream 7. As the volume of vessel
is constant and the mass is also constant inside the vessel, till the
inside pressure of the vessel increases to the PSV relieving pressure
due to heating by fire, hence the mass density remains constant.
Author Details
Lokesh Kumar Singh
BEng CEng MIChemE, Lead Process Engineer
China Petroleum Abu Dhabi
Chemical Engineering World