Back pressure limits valves

In addition to the above back pressure limitations based on valve capacity, balanced bellows PR valves are also subject to back pressure limitations based on the mechanical strength of the bellows or bellows bonnet, or the valve outlet flange rating. The back pressure specified for the valve is governed by the lowest back pressure permitted by these various criteria. 

Balanced bellows PR valves need not be restricted to the same built-up back pressure limit (10% of set pressure) as are conventional valves, since they are not subject to chattering from this cause. However, maximum back pressure is limited by capacity and in some cases by the mechanical design strength limitations of parts such as the outlet flange, bellows, or valve bonnet. 

In general, the total back pressure on a balanced bellows pressure relief valve (superimposed plus built-up) should be limited to 50% of set pressure, because of the marked effect of higher back pressures on valve capacity, even when appropriate correction factors are used in sizing. In exceptional cases, such as a balanced bellows PR valve discharging into another vessel, total pressure up to 70% of set pressure may be used. 

Effect of Temperature on Back Pressure Limits of PR Valves - Maximum back pressure limits are specified by the valve vendor. Usually the vendor s specification is given to a reference temperature (normally 38 °C) for both conventional and bellows valves. These limits must be reduced for higher temperatures, as follows ... 

A trial and error estimate is made for determining the diameter of the flare header based upon the maximum relieving flare load and considering the back pressure limitation of 10 percent for conventional valves and 40 percent for balanced type valves. Note, however, a single main header in most cases turns out to be too large to be economically feasible. Line sizing procedures are discussed in detail in the next subsection. 

Back-pressure can affect either the set pressure or the capacity of a relief valve. The set pressure is the pressure at which the relief valve begins to open. Capacity is the maximum flow rate that the relief valve will relieve. The set pressure for a conventional relief valve increases directly with back-pressure. Conventional valves can be compensated for constant back-pressure by lowering the set pressure. For self-imposed back-pressure—back-pressure due to the valve itself relieving—-there is no way to compensate. In production facility design, the back-pressure is usually not constant. It is due to the relief valve or other relief valves relieving into the header. Conventional relief valves should be limited to 10% back-pressure due to the effect of back-pressure on the set point. 

Water supply is typically supplied through a properly installed fast-fill connection, whereby the entire system volume can be made up within 2 to 4 hours. Such fast-fill connections normally require a solid connection from a boosted water pressure source, with a double back-flow preventer and a pressure-limiting valve. 

Tlie safety valve is similar to the relief valve except it is designed to open fiillv, or pop, with onlv a small amount of pressure over the rated limit. Conventional safety valves are sensitive to dovvmstream pressure and niav have iinsatisfactorv operating characteristics in variable back pressure applications. The balanced safety relief valve is available and minimizes the effect of dovvmstream pressure on performance. 

For applications involving unusually high superimposed back pressure, a pilot operated valve may be the only possible balanced valve that is commercially available, because of the mechanical limitations which apply to bellows. 

Conventional PR valves and discharge systems should be designed such that built-up back pressure does not exceed 10% of set pressure (both measured in psig), to avoid chattering problems. In the case where a pressure relief valve system is sized for fire conditions, with 21 % overpressure, built-up back pressure up to 21 % of set pressure is permissible. However, the lower rates resulting from other contingencies still must meet the 10% limitation. 

It is important to note that back pressure affects balanced PR valve capacities in the same way as for conventional valves, and appropriate factors are included in the sizing procedures. They are subject to the same recommended limits of maximum total back pressure (superimposed plus built-up) as conventional valves. In the case of balanced bellows valves, mechanical considerations must also be evaluated, since they may limit the maximum permissible back pressure. 

Where outlet pressure losses exceed 10%, bellows valves are often considered. However, substitution of a bellows valve for a conventional valve may not necessarily solve the chatter problem since debits associated with bellows valves reduce the rated capacity of this type valve. Hence, the valve has a tendency to become oversized depending on the amount of back pressure encountered. For this reason, revision of outlet piping to reduce the back pressure within the 10% limit is strongly preferred to the alternative of installing a bellows valve. 

Other types of pressure-relief valves do not depend upon the back pressure for their performances. However, to ensure that the safety valves work at their maximum capacity, back pressure is limited to 50 percent of the relief valve set pressure. In the balanced bellows type valve, the spring does not act directly on the disk. Instead, it serves on a bellows first, which in turn acts on the disk. In case of the piston type, it works on the same principle as the bellows type, except that the bellows is replaced by a piston (see Figure 17B). The cross-sectional area of both the piston and the bellows is the same as the inlet nozzle of the valve and the effect of the back pressure on the top and the bottom of the disk creates equal balancing forces. That is, P,A is always equal to F, as shown in Figure 17B. 

The back pressure developed at the downstream section of any pressure-relief valve connected to the same headers should not exceed the allowable limit, i.e., 10 percent of the set pressure in psig for the conventional type and 40 to 50 percent of the set pressure in psia for the balanced type valve. 

The set points for pilot-operated and balanced-bellows relief valves are unaffected by back-pressure, so they are able to tolerate higher backpressure than conventional valves. For pilot-operated and balanced-bellows relief valves, the capacity is reduced as the back-pressure goes above a certain limit. 

Note The curves above represent a compromise of the values recommended by a number of relief valve manufacturers and may be used when the make of the valve or the actual critical f ow pressure point for the vapor or gas is unknown. When the make is known, the manufacturer should be consulted tor the correction factor. These curves are for set pressures of 50 pounds per square inch gauge and above. They are limited to back-pressure below critical flow pressure for a given set pressure. For subcntical flow back-pressures below 50 pounds per square inch gauge, the rnanufacturer must be consulted tor values of Kk. 

In summary, the back-pressure for relief valves should be limited to the following values unless the valve is compensated. We do not recommend using a relief valve with higher back-pressure than shown below without consulting a person knowledgeable in relief valve sizing and relief system design. 

When the relieving scenarios are defined, assume line sizes, and calculate pressure drop from the vent tip back to each relief valve to assure that the back-pressure is less than or equal to allowable for each scenario. The velocities in the relief piping should be limited to 500 ft/sec, on the high pressure system and 200 ft/sec on the low pressure system. Avoid sonic flow in the relief header because small calculation errors can lead to large pressure drop errors. Velocity at the vent or flare outlet should be between 500 ft/sec and MACH 1 to ensure good dispersion. Sonic velocity is acceptable at the vent tip and may be chosen to impose back-pressure on (he vent scrubber. 

Percent absolute back-pressure is 43%, which is less than the 50% limit for pilot-operated valves. 

Assume that the back pressure on the safety, valve will be limited to 10% of the gauge set pressure. (The back pressure required is the sum of the constant and built-up back pressure. If the relief system discharges direct to the atmosphere, then the constant back pressure will be zero.) If the relief pressure is 4.4 barg, the set pressure is 4.4/1.1 = 4.0 barg, and the maximum back pressure is 0.1 x 4.0 = 0.4 barg. Thus 4... 

Where conventional Safety Relief Valves are used, the relief manifold system should be sized to limit the built-up back pressure to approximately 10% of the set pressure... 

In some cases, after careful evaluation, other valves may be considered for EBVs such as spring-loaded control valves that fail closed, back flow check valves (these are not normally considered reliable enough for EBVs by many engineers), and excess flow valves. Excess flow is the loss of material from the confined environment of a vessel or pipeline. Two approaches are available for the detection and valve action of excess flow valve systems (1) External, where excess flow is detected outside the valve itself, and (2) internal, which is within the valve unit and has limited applications. Excess flow conditions are detected more readily because of loss of resistance to flow than because of loss of pressure. All excess flow detection systems are based on product physical properties as well as flow rate. A change of products or process conditions may require a change in the excess flow detection system. For example, a number of excess flow valves are rated for low pressure and are made of materials not suitable for hydrocarbons. 

There are two main types of safety relief valves. The conventional type is shown in Figure 5-3. A balanced safety relief valve shown in Figure 5-4 is designed to limit the effect of back pressure on opening pressure, closing pressure, lift capacity, and relieving capacity. The balanced valves are mainly the piston type and the bellows type. 

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