Safety Valves

A pressure relief valve is a safety device intended to protect a pressure vessel or system during a positive pressure event. An overpressure event refers to all conditions in which the pressure in a container or system would rise above the specified design pressure or the maximum permissible working pressure (MAWP). The main purpose of a pressure relief valve is to protect life and property by draining liquid from a pressurized container. Today, there are many electronic, pneumatic and hydraulic systems for controlling fluid system variables such as pressure, temperature and flow. Each of these systems requires a power source such as electricity or compressed air to operate. A pressure relief valve must be operational at all times, especially during a power failure when the system controller is not working. The only source of energy for the pressure relief valve is therefore the process fluid