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l1P a 2.1 x I0
4
(foe) ( )
~
(3)
11T = ; = 4.56 xio-s(X )=4.6 bafoc
bar
~ 5. The required relief rate due to liquid thermal expansion
is very small , so if another pressure safery device is provided to
~ ~Closed valve JMil 3-way valve prQ(ecr the system from a ny other e me rgency case, it will relieve
1>4 Check valve t><J Open valve the pressure hy pop-up action.
~Gatevalve
6. Draining the liquid trapped benveen block valves is a nor-
mal practice done by the operaror within the process plant; hence,
Design provisions for releasing the pressure due to
a TRY is not normally provided for on-plot piping. If there is
thermal expansion. any specific req uirement for liquid draining, ir should be clearly
mentioned .i n shutdown o r mai ntenance procedures. Draining
l 0% liquid volume is enough ro prevent thermal expansion .
3. The heat source can be internal or external. J\n imernal Conversely, storage area piping or liquid transport lines (off-plot
hear source is usually a chemical reacrion. A heating coil, heat- piping) due to the operation type and accessibility limitation are
ing jacket, heat tracing, solar radiation, radiation from fla res and regularly blocked in without liyuid draining. Utilizing lock-open
ambient temperature are external heating sources. Unlike steam (LO) valves can be considered a reliable preventive device si nce
and hot fluid tracing, electrical Lracing is nor considered a hearing t his valve type is locked in the open position during operation and
source since rhe remperarure is maintained by a control system. closed only under permic.
The maximum temperature expected from solar hearing is usu- 7. T he process designer can consider some provisions such as
ally about 60°C-70°C. A TR.Vis not req uired iffluid temperature drilling a small hole in the check or block valve (if it is gate) or
is greater than heat source temperature. This is because blocked addi ng an open bypass aro und the check valve or block valve if
liquid with relatively high operating temperature tends to cool or leakage through additional faci lities is acceptable. Placing a check
keep its temperature instead of hearing. Flar.e heat rad iation can valve around one block valve is another alternative. The check
increase rhe metal surface temperature to a much higher tempera- valve is closed during normal operation and it will be opened
ture depending on flare gas flowrate, distance from the flare and when thermal expansion takes place. A three-way valve can also
burning duration. be installed instead of a block valve 2 (w here applicable) to ensure
External foe is not considered a heat source if thermal expan- that the piping system never becomes completely blocked in. Fig.
sion is studied for a system consisting of only pipes. The fire case 2 illustrates these alternatives.
is a hear source if rhe system includes liquid-full equipment. In 8. One of rhe piping items that is considered as a weak point,
this case, if rhe liquid's initial boiling point at relieving pressure is a c heck valve. Af>l-521 section 5. 14.4.2 takes no credit for
is lower than the fire temperature, an external fire leads to three reverse A.ow-back (leakage) through a check valve; however, other
stages: lic1uid thermal expansion, two-phase relieving and vapor references consider the check valve's leakage sufficienr to relieve
relieving (fire case- liquid vaporization). From a pressure safety excess liquid.
valve (PSV) sizing viewpoint, a PSY sized for rhe vapor relieving 9. If the blocked liquid is dangerous ro personnel health or
stage is adequate because the first two stages are short transient is highly corrosive, rupture is nor tolerable and a TRV should be
periods. If the fluid's boiling point is very high, rhe relief device provided.
should be sized only for thermal expansion. l 0. If the blocked liquid is combustible or explosive, rupture
4. Jn estimating pressure rise due to thermal expansion, equa- is not tolerable from a plant safety vicwpoinr, then a TRY should
rions recommended in APT-521 section 5. I 4.4. l 1 are used. The be provided.
APT relation needs many design parameters. If parameters are 11 . If releasing liquid through a rupture has a major envi-
unknown, the following simplified equation may be utilized: ronmenral impact, rupture is not tolerated and a TRV should be
provided to direct the liquid to a closed system.
Pf.= p + av (rf - T;) (l) 12. lf highly volatile ma rerials continue ro release through a
, x rupture until liyuid is totally vaporized, maimenance performance
may not be possible for a long time depending on the system's
where: total liyuid inventory. Aside from downtime due to maintenance,
valuable material loss a nd volatile organic compound emissions
(2) are other concerns.
13. If the line or equipment is not critical, it can be hypassed
in a rupture case without any major interruption in a process
When ca lculating final pressure, the final temperature needs ro operation; then, a TRV is not reyuired.
be known. The hearing source temperarure can he considered the 14. Generally, pipes with a diameter more than l V2 in. or
final temperature. Generally, a TRY will pop up long before liquid longer than :30 mare considered large pipes. 3 If pipe diameter or
temperature reaches the source temperature. In other words, a length is less than l l/2 in. and shorter rban 30 m, the pipe rup-
5°C-l 0°C increase in liyuid temperature is sufficient to increase ture cost is expected to be lower than the TRV cost, so no TRY is
the pressure from operating to design pressure. For example, the required in this case. This advice should be considered carefully
av<P (4)
SU BSCRI PTS
q = l,000 dC I First condirion
2 Second condition
Reference 3 prescnrs differenr correlations for calculating rhe Initial rnndition
cubical expansion coefficienc. f Hnal rnndition
for calcularing thermal relief race, some assumptions shall be
applied: LIT ERATURE CITED
1
• ror heat exchangers, the maximum exchanger duty during American Petroleum Institute, API RP 52 1, "Pressure relieving and tkpressur-
0
controlled by free convection of rrapped liquid inside the pipe. CE!', December I993. pp. 35-J8.
Therefore, using maximum exchanger dury is the mosr conserva-
tive assumption. Sanaz No rouzi is a process engineer with Sazeh Consultants,
• lf the fluid properties vary significantly with temperature, Engineering & Co11struction. Tet11a11. Iran . She has a BS degree 1n
rhe most severe operating conditions should be used. chemical engineering from Iran University of Science and Technol -
09y, Iran.
• Fuel co fired hearers or healing medium lO ocher equipment
is continuously flowing at maximum conditions. Concrol valves
on heater fuel or heating fluids will be assumed to be fully open.
• Eliminating TRYs due to die presence of remperatun.: con- Saeid Rahimi M o frad 1~ a process engineer with Petrofac
Eng u1eering and Conwuction, Shaq.ih, UAE He hcl~ published
trol system chat will dose the heat source in case ofliquid block- many articles on pressure relief system design. Mr Rah1m1 h<is an
age, is nor allowed. MS d1!9ree 1n chemical eng1neenng from Shani Un1vers1ty of Tech-
nol09y and a BS degree from Sh1ra1 University, Iran
TRV sizing. Since it is not easy to determine the rdicf rate
through a TRV, in mosr systems N PS -M x NPS l (DN20 x DN25)
relief valve can be used, even rhough it is commonly oversiL.ed.
Two general applications where TRYs are larger rhan DN20 x
DN25 valves arc long pipelines o f large diameter in uninsulated,
aboveground inscallarions and large vessels or exchanger~ opcrar-
ing liquid-full. for Lhese cases, relief rate calculation and TRY size
checking arc recommended.