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General Definition of Safety Relief Valve (SRV)

A pressure relief device is any device that can purge a system from an overpressure condition. More particularly, an SRV is a pressure relief device that is self-actuated, and whose primary purpose is the protection of life and equipment. Through a controlled discharge of a required (rated) amount of fluid at a predetermined pressure, an SRV must prevent overpressure in pressurized vessels and systems, and it operates within limits which are determined by international codes. An SRV is often the final control device in the prevention of accidents or explosions caused by overpressure.

 

The SRV must close at a predetermined pressure when the system pressure has returned to a safe lever at values determined by the codes.

SRVs must be designed with materials compatible with many process fluids, from simple air and water to the most corrosive and toxic media. They must also be designed to operate in a consistently smooth manner on a variety of fluids and fluid phases. These design parameters lead to a wide array of SRV products available in the market today, with the on constant being that they all must comply with the internationally recognized codes.

Where do SRVs fit in the process?

Where do SRVs fit in the process?

Every industrial process system is designed to work against a certain maximum pressure and temperature called its rating or design pressure. It is in the economic interest of the users to work as close as possible towards the maximum limits of this design pressure in order to optimize the process output, hence increase the profitability of the system.

Nowadays, pressures and flow in the process industry are controlled by electronic process systems and highly sophisticated instrumentation devices. Almost all control systems are powered by an outside power source(electric, pneumatic, hydraulic). The law requires that when everything fails regardless of the built-in redundancies, there is still an independent working device powered only by the medium it protects.

This is the function of the SRV, which, when everything else works correctly in the system, should never have to work. However, practice proves the contrary, and there are a variety of incidents which will allow the system pressure to exceed the design pressure. Although many pressure relief devices are called SRVs, not every SRV has the same characteristics of or operational precision. Only the choice of the correct pressure safety device for the right application will assure the safety of the system and allow the user to maximize process output and minimize down-time for maintenance purposes. Making the correct choice also means avoiding interference between the process instrumentation set points in the control loop and the pressure relief device limits selected. There SRV operation al limits can vary greatly even when all are complying with the codes.