Compressors relief valves

For the standby pump start test, which is an important test to ensure the pumps transfer without large pressure swings, a check should be made to see if the relief valves lift or the pressure falls to a pressure one half the difference between the standby pump start pressure and the compressor trip pressure. The transient pressure is best measured with a multipen chart recorder. The chart speed must be high enough to fully display the pressure variation. While not as good as the chart recorder, a simple shop-made test setup can be substituted. A spare switch is temporarily connected to the same location as the other switches. This switch is calibrated to close at the threshold acceptance pressure. The contacts are wired to a test light through a seal relay. The purpose of the relay is to maintain the cir-... 

If casing limitations are fixed by user-supplied relief valves, this information should be conveyed to keep the vendor from rating the compressors on other data. Evaluations can be more of a problem if the same design basis isn t universal with all vendors. Startup and shutdown consideration influence various components, shaft end seals, seal system pressures, and even thrust bearings in some instances. The use of an alternate startup gas, or the desire to operate a gas compressor on air to aid in plant piping dryout should be covered. 

A PR valve is not required for protection against fire on any vessel which normally contains little or no liquid, since failure of the shell from overheating would occur even if a PR valve where provided. Examples are fuel gas knockout drums and compressor suction knockout drums. (Note Some local codes require pressure relief valve protection for "dry drum" situations.)... 

The pressure upstream of the suction valve will increase until sufficient back-pressure is established on the wells or equipment feeding the compressor to reduce the flow to a new rate in equilibrium with that being handled by the cylinder or until a flare valve or relief valve is actuated. 

Often, the blowdown valve is routed to a closed flare system, which services other relief valves in the facility to ensure drat all the gas is vented or flared at a safe location. In such instances, a separate manual blow -down valve piped directly to atmosphere, with nothing else lied in, is also needed. After the compressor is shut down and safely blown down through the flare system, the normal blowdown valve must be closed to block any gas that may enter the flare system from other relief valves. The manual blowdown valve to atmosphere protects the operators from small leaks into the compressor during maintenance operations. 

The compressor can operate at any point on the performance curve. For the maximum value of suction pressure, the pressure rise across the machine at the surge control point must be less than the system pressure rating. If not, a relief valve should be installed,... 

A vessel can only be overpressured if the upstream vessel has a higher pressure than the vessel in question. A compressor scrubber with a MAWP of 285 that gets flow from a 285 MAWP separator does not need to have a relief valve sized for blocked discharge. The upstream relief valve will keep the upstream separator pressure from going higher than 285, so there is no way it can oveipressure the downstream scrubber. The scrubber PSV only needs to be sized for fire. 

Many operators use a simpler system, using V for pressure vessel, T" for tank, P for pump, C for compressor, and E for heat exchanger, in which case the relief valve would be designated ... 

Prepare drafts of line schedule and/or summary sheets (Figures 1-24 A-D), and equipment summary schedules (Figures 1-27, 1-28, 1-29, 1-30), plus summary schedules for safety relief valves and rupture disks, compressors and other major equipment. 

Always install a relief valve that is capable of bypassing the full-load capacity of the compressor between its discharge port and the first isolation valve. Since helical-lobe compressors are less tolerant to over-pressure operation, safety valves are usually set within 10 per cent of absolute discharge pressure, or 5 psi, whichever is lower. 

If the back-pressure is too high or demand too low, the compressor will generate a discharge pressure higher than designed. It will continue to compress the air or gas until it reaches the unload setting on the system s relief valve or until the brake horsepower required exceeds the maximum horsepower rating of the driver. 

Most state laws and safe practice require a safety relief valve ahead of the first stop valve in every positive displacement compressed air system. It is set to release at 1.25 times the normal discharge pressure of the compressor or at the maximum working pressure of the system, whichever is lower. The relief valve piping system sometimes includes a manual vent valve and/or a bypass valve to the suction to facilitate startup and shutdown operations. Quick line sizing equations are (1) line connection, (i/1.75 (2) bypass, ii/4.5 (3) vent, dl63 and (4) relief valve port, cU9. 

To prevent overpressure within a compressor, a relief valve or bursting disc is often fitted between the inlet and discharge connections. 

Excessive plant noise can lead to complaints from neighbouring factories and local residents. Due attention should be given to noise levels when specifying, and when laying out, equipment that is likely to be excessively noisy such as, compressors, fans, burners and steam relief valves. 

Noise can cause a serious nuisance in the neighbourhood of a process plant. Care needs to be taken when selecting and specifying equipment such as compressors, air-cooler fans, induced and forced draught fans for furnaces, and other noisy plant. Excessive noise can also be generated when venting through steam and other relief valves, and from flare stacks. Such equipment should be fitted with silencers. Vendors specifications should be checked to ensure that equipment complies with statutory noise levels both for the protection of employees (see Chapter 9), as well as for noise pollution considerations. Noisy equipment should, as far as practicable, be sited well away from the site boundary. Earth banks and screens of trees can be used to reduce the noise level perceived outside the site. 

Smaller rotary positive displacement compressors are controlled with external bypass. Such equipment usually has a built-in relief valve that opens at a pressure short of damaging the equipment, but the external bypass still is necessary for smooth control. Large units may be equipped with turbine or gas engine drives which are speed adjustable. Variable speed gear boxes or belt drives are not satisfactory. Variable speed dc motors also are not useful as compressor drives. Magnetic clutches and hydraulic couplings are used. 

In a hydroelectric plant it is necessary to decrease the flow of water to a turbine very rapidly in the event of a sudden drop in the load. In such a case a relief valve may be opened so as to bypass water around the machine, and then this relief valve may be slowly closed. Alternatively, an air chamber may be used to absorb the shock. Some excess water may flow into this device and compress the air to a higher pressure. One disadvantage is that water under pressure absorbs air, so it is necessary to renew the air supply periodically by the operation of a small air compressor. Also, an air chamber has distinct size limitations. 

These creative individuals had set up a scheme to purge through the top of the air dryer and out of a partially opened ball valve on the lower piping. They, no doubt, failed to realize that the dryers were not individually equipped with safety relief valves. The overpressure protection was on the compressors. A new operator to the area did not open the exit valve sufficiently during the cool-down step. 

Mr. Kletz provides a story about a packaged unit containing a reciprocating compressor. The compressor was started in error. The discharge valve was in the closed position, and the pressure increased until the packing around the cylinder rod blew out. This compressor was equipped with a relief valve that was merely a sentinel to warn the operator to take action. The sentinel was incapable of relieving the full output of the equipment. It is not an acceptable design standard today, but this example supports the need for available process-safety information on all equipment. [2]... 

Lubricating relief valves on enclosed systems, such as compressors, turbines, and generators—every 36 months. 

---