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Relief Valve Sizing for Vessels Containing Solids

Relief Valve Sizing for Vessels Containing Solids

Relief Valve Sizing for Vessels Containing Solids

(OP)
The thermal expansion calculations for pressure vessels are based on an empty vessel. If the empty vessel is in a fire and the gas stored starts to expand rapidly the relief valve will protect the vessel from damage.

However, what if the vessel is filled with a solid like desiccant in a heatless dryer. The desiccant pellets will occupy some of the internal space and reduce the volume of gas stored in the vessel.

Is there a correction factor that is applied to the relief valve orifice calculation to allow for the reduction in internal volume?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

RE: Relief Valve Sizing for Vessels Containing Solids

Remember the ideal gas law?   

Patricia Lougheed

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RE: Relief Valve Sizing for Vessels Containing Solids

For your first remark, it is very unlikely that a properly rated safety valve ( installed on fired and unfired pressure vessels) would protect a vessel from an external fire because they are not normally rated for a fire scenario.
For your second remark, a properly sized safety valve is rated based on its energy input (BTU/HR, LBM/hr) at a particular set pressure.  It is independent of its volume but having said that it is possible that energy input may be proportional to size (volume) of vessel.  

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