PRESSURE RELIEF SYSTEMS PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICE (PRD)ः

“Device actuated by inlet static pressure and designed to open during

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW BUT HAVEN’T ASKED
Pressure relief systems (PRS) are used at thousands, if not millions, of refineries,
petrochemical plants, and other industrial processing facilities around the world.
Properly functioning relief systems are essential for protecting plant personnel
and equipment from unexpected overpressure events which may result in
equipment damage, loss of containment, environmental damage, costly plant
shutdowns, and/or non-compliance fines.
CODES AND STANDARDS
PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE (PRV)ः
“Valve designed to open and relieve excess pressure and to reclose
emergency or abnormal conditions to prevent a rise of internal fluid and prevent the further flow of fluid after normal conditions have been
pressure in excess of a specified design value. This device may be a restored. Other terms used for PRV include pressure safety valve
pressure-relief valve, a rupture disk device, or a buckling pin device.”¹ (PSV), relief valve, safety valve, and safety relief valve.”¹
POTENTIAL PRS INSTALLATION ISSUES
Installation of a new PRS requires the process engineer to follow the guidelines outlined in API 520. However, older PRS installations may not meet
the latest industry requirements. During a PRS revalidation, the process engineer will look at all relief valve installations, identify any inconsistencies
with RAGAGEP, and develop mitigation strategies to correct any deficiencies.

ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) DESCRIPTION WHAT IS IT DESIGNED TO DO? POTENTIAL ISSUES BEST PRACTICES
Section I, VII, and XIII
Principal basis for establishing pressure relief requirements. In 2021, ASME
BPVC Section VIII was released and outlines the common relief requirements
INLET PIPING Inlet piping should be designed to
minimize pressure drop and eliminate
Valve may become unstable and chatter
leading to loss of containment from
• Meet the 3% rule or perform engineering
analysis.
for boilers, pressure vessels, heating boilers, and nuclear. Improperly designed inlet piping could concerns for acoustic interaction. connecting piping. • Design for acoustic critical line length.
affect the performance and stability of
the PRV.

ASME B31.1, 3, 4, and 8 NB-370 National Board Synopsis

Process & Steam Piping, & Pipelines Stay up-to-date with the jurisdictional DISCHARGE PIPING • Outlet (discharge) piping directs the
processing fluid away from the piping
• Discharge piping is smaller than the
discharge opening on the device.
• Discharge piping connected to the PRV
must not be smaller than the discharge
Principal basis for establishing pressure requirements by State or Province for
USA and Canada. Read more. Improperly designed outlet piping or pressure vessel to a safe location. • Discharge piping is too long and opening of the device.
relief requirements for piping systems. could affect the performance and • Built-up back pressure for conventional changes the flow rate or velocity. • Pressure drop should be minimized to
stability of the PRV. PRV installations is limited to allowable • Outlet piping doesn’t drain to a low point. ensure proper operation of the PRV.
overpressure, typically 10% of set-
API 520 Part I – API 520 Part II – pressure.
• Outlet piping should be self-draining
Sizing & Selection Installation to the flare or other connection point.
Basis for sizing PRVs for vapor, liquid, Guidance on PRV location
and two-phase flow services. and inlet/outlet piping criteria.
ISOLATION VALVES • The isolation valves are installed
upstream or downstream of a relief
• Proper administrative controls on
isolation valves are required to ensure
• Under normal operation, isolation valves
have controls such as locks, car seals,
Isolation valves stop the flow of the valve to allow for maintenance. the pressure relief path remains open. and administrative procedures that
API 521 – Pressure Relieving API 576 – Inspection of processing fluid to a specific location, • Provides isolation while PRV is being • Improper controls on isolation valves prevent accidental opening or closure.
& Depressuring Systems Pressure Relieving Devices typically for maintenance or safety issues. inspected, tested, or inspected. may cause catastrophic events. • Use of redundant spare valves provides
more flexibility for PRV maintenance.
Basic PRS design rules & assumptions Guidance on PRV inspection, testing,
and methodology to determine relieving and repair of for inspection &
flowrates for common overpressure maintenance departments.
scenarios.
RUPTURE DISKS • Typically provide higher availability
than PRVs.
• Rupture disks are susceptible to
pressure spikes and are not re-closing.
• Install rupture disks upstream of PRVs
to improve reliability.
Rupture disks are thin, domed, non- • Protect PRVs from a corrosive environment • Difficult to design in liquid service. • Install rupture disks to protect heat
re-closable devices engineered to or plugging. • Restricts capacity of PRVs when installed exchangers from tube rupture.
CFR 1910.119 OSHA Process Safety Management produce a leak-tight seal until called • Often required where spring-loaded upstream. • Conduct periodic maintenance as the
(PSM) of Highly Hazardous Chemicals upon to “burst” at predetermined PSIG PRVs are inappropriate due to operating life span of the disk is related to stress
to relieve pressure. conditions or environment. history.
14-element PSM is a comprehensive guide to prevent the release of hazardous • Rupture disks open much faster than PRVs.
chemicals, including toxic, reactive, explosive, and highly flammable liquids and gases to
the environment. Note, that OSHA compliance is required for USA-based facilities only.

DUAL SAFETY VALVE • Best practice to ensure 100% design

capacity is available when a PRV is out
Proper administrative controls on spare
valves are required to ensure the
• Allows for easy inspections and
maintenance of a PRV, without
API 2000 – Venting Atmospheric Storage Tanks INSTALLATIONS of service. pressure relief path remains open. interrupting the system’s operations.
• Dual safety valve is in addition to an • Maintain relief protection while
Outlines the protection of atmospheric storage tanks. The 6th edition (2009) Installation of spare valving provides upstream isolation valve installation. switching PRVs.
revised vent sizing methodology to be based on European (ISO) standards. flexibility for maintenance.
INSPECTION & TESTING
To prevent relief valve failures, industry
codes and standards such as the National
Board Inspection Code (NB-23), API 510,
and API RP 581 require periodic testing to
ensure failures are caught and immediately
corrected to reduce the risk of PRS failure.
CONDITION-BASED INSPECTION
Inspection intervals are scheduled based on the
condition of the relief valve primarily as a result of pop
tests. This program only considers probability of failure
(POF).
Maintenance programs based only on probability will
increase or decrease inspection interval.
• Reference API 576 for additional information on
condition-based inspection and monitoring for PRVs
• Note: does not account for consequence of failure
RISK-BASED INSPECTION (RBI)
Allows inspection intervals to be set based on the
probability and consequences associated with PRV
failure.
Maintenance programs based on risk will prioritize
resources by:
• Targeting the most critical PRV
• Allowing deferral of lower-risk PRV
• Considering other “Layers of Protection”
• Optimizing intervals based on plant risk target
IN-SITU TESTING
In-situ testing installs a device on a working relief valve
while it’s protecting a vessel, and tests if the PRV will
open on demand, when needed. This is a less common
form of testing.
Apply on a case-by-case basis to prove the valves aren’t
stuck or delay a turnaround for the four to five valves
that don’t pass.
Note: do not use this methodology on a wide-scale
basis, as there’s a higher potential for valves to “stick”
and not reset.
Sources
1
API 521 Pressure-relieving and depressuring systems
THE 3% RULE API 520 PART II
WHAT IS THE INLET PRESSURE DROP RULE? AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS SHOULD INCLUDEः
The 3% rule recommends that the inlet piping between the protected equipment and the inlet
flange of the PRV be designed so that the total pressure loss in the line shall be the sum total of
the inlet loss, line loss, and valve loss and shall not exceed 3% of the set pressure of the valve.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT VERIFY APPLICABLE
FLOWRATE
VERIFY VALVE
SIZING
REVIEW HISTORY FOR
EVIDENCE OF CHATTER
Valve instability! If the pressure drop in the inlet piping to a PRV is too high, it is possible the valve
will cycle or chatter when the pressure at the inlet to the valve goes below its blowdown pressure
(reseat pressure). NEW
Best Practice: avoid inlet lines that are too small, too long, or contain too many fittings or valves.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR FORCE BALANCE
ASSESSMENT
CHECK FOR ACOUSTIC
INTERACTION
Chatter: The repetitive opening and closing action causes vibration in the piping and may
lead to reduced PRV capacity, high piping vibration or loads, flange leaks, and piping failures.
API 520ः RECENT CHANGES
Best Practice: Know pressure, temperature, media, flow rate, and viscosity to help design the
appropriately sized valve and determine the flow characteristics of the valve when in service. It is now possible to allow the pressure drop to go above 3% of the
set pressure, as long as a plant has completed a supplementary
Acoustic Interaction: Occurs when fluid flowing past a PRV entrance cavity can excite a engineering analysis. It’s important to document every aspect of the
standing wave, resulting in noise and vibration. engineering analysis to maintain compliance with OSHA or other
local regulatory requirements.
Best Practice: Recent API 520 changes recommend conducting an acoustic interaction
check, particularly for liquid lines where most of the chattering valves have been identified.
NEXT STEPS E2G | THE EQUITY ENGINEERING Documentation &
Re-Validation Audits
A PRS revalidation study identifies which PRS are deficient; however, before embarking on
costly repairs to reduce inlet lengths or increase the diameter of inlet piping, conduct the
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engineering analysis as identified in the latest edition of API 520. Often 60% to 70% of those At E²G, our team of internationally recognized experts Process Design, Simulation,
PRS deficiencies will be related to the 3% rule. Conducting either a force balance assessment in PRS design, optimization, and installation assess and & Implementation
or an acoustic interaction study will identify which PRS need to be repaired or replaced, evaluate new or existing systems to provide practical
saving the facility significant time and money. recommendations to maximize reliability and profitability. Heat Exchanger
Threat Assessments
Once the engineering analysis is completed, it’s important to proactively improve PRS safety Our engineering analyses help facilities to maintain safety
and compliance by combining equipment design and optimization services with standardized critical PRS and develop practical mitigation solutions to
corporate Best Practices. The Equity Engineering Practices (EEPs) help facilities make informed meet risk management targets, compliance requirements, Safety Instrumented
design and maintenance decisions, minimize deviations, and promote safety and reliability. and business objectives. Systems
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