Safety Relief Valves: The Basics

Safety relief valves by Kunkle

The safety relief valve is used to control or limit the buildup of pressure in a piping system, tank or vessel. Uncontrolled pressure can occur because of valve malfunction, process system upset, instrument failure, or fire.

In generally accepted practices, pressure build-up is relieved by allowing the fluid to flow from an alternate path in the piping system. A safety relief valve is engineered so that it opens at a predetermined pressure setpoint to protect vessel, piping or ancillary equipment equipment from being subjected to pressures that exceed their design limits.

When process pressure is exceeded, a safety relief valve becomes the “weak link”, and the valve opens to divert a portion of the fluid to another path. The diverted liquid, gas or liquid–gas mix is usually routed through a piping system to a process where it is safely contained or burned off via a flaring system. Once the liquid or gas is diverted, the pressure inside the vessel drops below the safety relief valves' re-seating pressure, and the valve closes.

The Data Supplement below presents a wealth of technical information on Kunkle relief valves.

Data Supplement for Kunkle Safety and Relief Products from Mead O'Brien, Inc.

A Modern Industrial Hot Water System Saves Money Through Efficiency and Safety

State-of-the-art hot water heating systems
improve efficiency and safety, and
increase production and yield.

The use of hot water systems for process heating pre-dates World War II, and initiated an ongoing effort for engineered materials to accommodate higher pressures and temperatures. After WWII the need for instantaneous hot water generation, distribution and precise temperature control for industrial applications continued to rise. High temperature hot water systems became increasingly popular because they were relatively inexpensive to install, provided long operating life, and were inexpensive to operate and maintain. Their closed system design made these systems more tolerant to corrosion and scale, while the use of pumps eliminated the need for complex piping for managing condensate.

By developing a comprehensive strategy that includes state-of-the-art water heaters, water temperature controls, hose stations, variable frequency drive (VFD) pump assemblies and ancillary accessories such as storage tanks, and pressure-reducing valves, processing plants can improve efficiency and safety, and increase production and yield.

Advanced hot water heating systems typically include:

• Steam/water hot water systems with digital control technology and instantaneous heat exchanger design—shell and tube or plate and frame.
• Industrial mixing center with digital control valves, pre-piped as an IMC with requisite installation components for compact design and ease of installation.
• Digital control valves for delivering hot water immediately on demand, and maintained at precision temperatures (+/-1°F, +/-0.5°C).
• VFD pump assemblies application-engineered and configured for your site.
• Hot & cold water hose stations with thermostatic mixing valves that replaces the old, basic Y as the temperature controller.

The brochure below, courtesy of Armstrong International, provides more insight where specific components are used.

Hot Water for Industry from Mead O'Brien, Inc.

Triple Eccentric Disc Valve, Metal Seated, with Flow Balancing Trim

Neles Triple Eccentric Disc
Valve, Metal Seated with
Flow Balancing Trim

TRIPLE ECCENTRIC SEATING PRINCIPLE

The disc of the valve is machined to close tolerances to create an elliptical shape similar to an oblique slice taken from a solid metal cone. When the valve is closed, the elliptical disc at the major axis displaces the seat ring out- ward, causing it ring to contact the disc at the minor axis. When the valve is opened, the contact is released and the seat ring returns to its original circular shape.

CONTROL STABILITY AND SUPERIOR TIGHTNESS

The S-DISC® control valve unit provides outstanding control performance and excellent long-lasting tightness in the same valve. The very simple and robust construction guarantees long trouble-free operation and maximum reliability.

The S-DISC design consists of a standard NELDISC® triple eccentric disc valve equipped with a flow-balancing trim. The trim has been located on the downstream side of the valve body. The ingenious idea of this design is to transfer fluid forces out of the disc to the body. 

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the flow treatments with a concentric-type conventional butterfly valve compared to the S-DISC-design. The S-DlSC design offers stable flow control and reduced dynamic torque, noise level and vibrations. The dynamic behavior of the valve is very smooth and stable, which means less load on the shaft bearings, less required torque, smaller actuators and more economical control unit total costs. All of the excellent features of the standard NELDISC are available.

The most standard NELDISC can be easily modified to the S-DISC design, just by changing the flange ring.

FEATURES

• Excellent flow and control performance.
• Wide temperature range from -200 ... +600 °C /-330 ... +1110 °F.
• Reduced dynamic torque and noise.
• Mechanical and flow dynamic stability allows higher pressure drop service than a conventional disc.
• ASME 150/PN 20, ASME 300/PN 40 and ASME 600/
• PN 100.
• Sizes DN 80...1500/3"...60"

For more information, visit http://www.meadobrien.com or call (800) 892-2769 for immediate service.

A Magmeter Designed to Withstand the Most Common Failure Modes

Foxboro magnetic flowmeter and transmitter.

When it comes to the application of Magmeters, the biggest problem our customers have is reliability. These devices commonly breakdown due to the corrosive and abrasive materials they measure, and the effects of the internal pressure of the liquid flowing through them.

Foxboro magnetic flowmeters, however, solve these industry-wide issues with superior construction, compact design, the widest selection of options, combined with low power consumption.

Foxboro magnetic flow tubes utilize a superior electrode. By using large electrodes, the flowmeter output is less sensitive to the effects of entrained air, and unaffected by higher internal pressures.

Rugged Teflon liners are resistant to chemical attack which makes it possible to use the Foxboro magnetic flowmeter in hard to handle corrosive liquids and slurries.

Finally, Foxboro magnetic flowmeters offer system  accuracy of plus or minus 0.25 percent of reading.

Foxboro flow tubes can be paired with there IMT 25 and IMT 96 transmitter for complete compact system that provides unequalled durability measurement accuracy and performance with virtually no maintenance and minimal replacement cost covering the widest choice of industry applications available.

For more information on Foxboro magnetic flowmeters please contact Mead O'Brien at (800) 892-2769 or visit http://www.meadobrien.com.

Understanding Differential Pressure or Delta-P

Differential pressure or Delta-P

Commonly, filters and strainers are positioned to capture solids and particulate. The filter will obstruct the flow through the pipe lowering the pressure on the downstream side. These effects may vary depending on the filters construction. Filter media is the material that removes impurities. The smaller the pores the larger the friction. Higher friction means greater pressure drop. Contaminants for particulates that buildup in the filter will reduce media flow. As the filter becomes clogged the downstream pressure drops. This results in an increased differential pressure, also referred to as the Delta-P. Saturated filters may also begin to shed captured particles.

With the filter no longer functioning properly, the contaminants can escape into the process. This is why proper monitoring of pressure drop is crucial. So how can we measure the DP? Placing taps both before and after the filter, a differential pressure measuring instrument can be connected to detect the high side and close side pressures. the instrument will report the difference between the two sides. The saturation point will be indicated when the Delta-P value reaches a predetermined threshold. This value is derived from a calculation that factors in the flow rate, fluid viscosity, and filter characteristics.

When specifying a differential pressure instrument there are two important factors to consider. The first is the DP range, which is based upon the most difference in pressure that the restriction is likely to produce. The second is the instruments ability to contain the line or static pressure level.

For more information on pressure measurement, call Mead O-Brien at (800) 892-2769 or visit www.meadobrien.com.

Here is a great video, courtesy of Ashcroft, that provides an excellent visual understanding of differential pressure.

Enhancing Cyber Security in Industrial Control Systems and Critical Infrastructure with Dynamic Endpoint Modeling

A white paper courtesy of Schneider Electric (Foxboro)

Cyber attacks against Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are on the rise, putting nations’ critical infrastructure at risk. In a paradigm shift from the traditional network security systems, a new approach — Dynamic Endpoint Modeling — learns and models the behavior of all devices on the network and triggers alerts when algorithms detect changes in learned behavior.

Read the entire white paper below.

Enhancing Cyber Security in Industrial Control Systems and Critical Infrastructure with Dynamic Endpoint Modeling from Mead O'Brien, Inc.

Typical ASCO Fluid Automation Applications in Power Plants

Here is a partial listing of typical applications in a power plant where ASCO products provide reliable solutions.

ASCO Solenoid Valves
Ideal for steam, air, or liquid flows. Throughout the power plant, our solenoid valves provide superior service in areas such as SO2 scrubbing, turbine lubrication systems, and igniter burner No. 2 fuel lines to name a few.

Numatics FRLs
Filters, regulators, and lubricators treat air quality and pressure in your plant’s pneumatic system. Apply them to control pressure or meet filtration requirements for your pneumatic equipment. These high-performance products are available in multiple configurations, including electronic regulators.

ASCO Angle-Body Piston Valves
Well suited to replace ball valves in air, water, and steam applications with pipe sizes 2 1/2" or smaller and up to 150 psi. This compact solution reduces cost of ownership, eliminates water ham- mer, and creates tight shutoff in both directions. Available with limit switches, AS-interface®, and DeviceNetTM protocols, Class I, Div. 2 HS Series position indicators, and low power solenoids.

ASCO Dust Collector Valves
ASCO integral or remote pilot valves are especially designed for dust collector applications, combining high flow, long life, and extremely fast opening and closing to produce reliable and economical operation. Valves with quick mount connections eliminate time consuming thread cutting and sealing.

ASCO Pressure Sensors
A range of high-quality sensors with long-life designs and ensured repeatability, these signal when process media reach pressure set points. They play a vital part throughout the entire power generation process.

ASCO Redundant Control System
The ASCO RCS is a redundant pilot valve system that acts as a single 3-way valve. Features include the ability to perform automatic online testing of the redundant solenoid valves, automatic partial stroke testing of the process valve, and online maintenance capabilities. Use this product in high reliability or critical applications. Certified per IEC 61508 Parts 1 and 2 and are SIL 3 capable.

ASCO Solenoid Pilot Valves
Designed to operate at high cycles or for long periods of dormancy, these 3 and 4-way models provide ensured action in demanding applications. Features include, manual operators, high flows, and explosion-proof options. Plus new 0.55 W models are perfect for networks with low power limitations. Brass and stainless steel versions available.

Numatics Cylinders
A large range of high quality Numatics cylinders that can withstand the harsh environment of power generation systems. Whether you are operating a scrubber, bag house, or damper controls, Numatics cylinders are used to open and close large orifices in these systems. Available in 17 bore sizes from 1 1/2" to 24".

For more information about any ASCO product, contact:

Mead O'Brien
www.meadobrien.com
(800) 892-2769

Fluid Automation Solutions for Power Generation Market from Mead O'Brien, Inc.