Pressure Safety Valve Audits

Have you made process changes without confirming that pressure safety valves (PSV) still protect you? Even small changes to process equipment can affect safety valve service requirements. For instance, changing the trim in a control valve can drastically change the required capacity of a relief valve. Completing a PSV audit not only ensures you have the correct device sizing, but you’ll also meet OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) program standards. You can be confident that your people will work safely and operations will run smoothly.

You may not realize that safety valves are everywhere, including our homes. They need to work when needed to keep your home and systems safe. Your facility’s safety valves are the same. If they aren’t sized correctly, pressure can build past a safe level, and damage could occur. It could be a small leak or more catastrophic, like a pipe bursting with steam or hazardous chemicals. Improperly sized PSVs in your plants could lead to dangerous situations for your people and equipment. Safety valves are often properly sized, but our audits have found PSVs that are either too small or too big. Valves that are too big can relieve too quickly and lead to premature wear and tear of the equipment. If a valve is too small, it doesn’t relieve fast enough to avoid overpressure.