Relief and Safety Valves

Relief and safety valves avoid equipment damage through relieving accidental over-pressurization of fluid systems. The major variations among a relief valve and a safety valve are the extent of opening at the setpoint pressure.

A relief valve, described in Figure, gradually opens as the inlet pressure raise above the setpoint. A relief valve opens just as essential to relieve the over-pressure condition. A safety valve, described in next Figure, rapidly pops totally open as soon as the pressure setting is reached.

Relief valves are classically used for incompressible fluids like as water or oil. Safety valves are generally used for compressible fluids like as steam or other gases. Safety valves could frequently be distinguished through the presence of an external lever at the top of the valve body that is used as an operational check.

Relief Valves