What is a pressure relief valve?

A pressure relief valve or relief valve is a special type of safety valve system used to control or limit the pressure in a system. It can be manually or automatically controlled from a pressurized vessel or piping system. The pressurized fluid or gas is discharged to a reservoir or atmosphere to relieve pressure in excess of the maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP). The primary purpose of a pressure relief valve is to protect pressure vessels or system from catastrophic failure. Catastrophic failure could be disastrous during an overpressure event, could either be liquid or gaseous. This device is widely used in petrochemical, petroleum refining, chemical manufacturing industries. Industries where natural gas processing occurs and power generation, as well as water supply industries, also make good use of pressure relief valve. Though it’s generally known as relief valve depending on its field of application it can be called pressure relief valve (PRV), pressure safety valve (PSV), or safety valve. Excess pressure is relieved by allowing the pressurized fluid to flow from an auxiliary passage out of the system. The relief valve is designed or set to open at a predetermined set pressure to protect pressure vessels and other equipment from being subjected to pressures that exceed their design limits. When the set pressure is exceeded, the relief valve becomes the “path of least resistance” as the valve is forced open and a portion of the fluid is diverted through the auxiliary route. In systems containing flammable fluids, the diverted fluid (liquid, gas or liquid-gas mixture) is either recaptured by a low pressure, high-flow vapor recovery system or is routed through a piping system known as a flare header or relief header to a central, elevated gas flare where it is burned, releasing naked combustion gases into the atmosphere. In non-hazardous systems, the fluid is often discharged to the atmosphere by a suitable discharge pipework designed to prevent rainwater ingress which can affect the set lift pressure, and positioned not to cause a hazard to personnel. As the fluid is diverted, the pressure inside the vessel will stop rising. Once it reaches the valve’s reseating pressure, the valve will close. The blowdown is usually stated as a percentage of set pressure and refers to how much the pressure needs to drop before the valve reseats. The blowdown can vary roughly 2–20%, and some valves have adjustable blowdowns.