Comparative performance of transport vessel prvs under steam and air testing

摘要

Results of a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion) study conducted by Queen's University have hsown that energy storage in a pressure vessel is a prime factor in predicting the severity of a catastrophic vessel failure. During these tests, a number of unusual behaviours were observed in the PRVs (pressure relief valves) installed on the test vessels. Since these valves play a large role in the control of energy accumulation and storage in a pressure vessel, it was ecided to study their behaviour using air and steam. Code-compliant air tests demonstrate the valves' behaviour under ambient conditions while steam-based testing involves higher temperatures that more closely mimic the conditions experienced during a fire impingement accident. Experience has shown that PRV behaviour may be dramatically different under these disparate conditions. This paper describes the apparatus, procedures, and results of a study of comparative performance using steam and ambient temperature air using 76 transport vessels PRVs representing new and used samples of 3 manufacturers' equivalent designs for 1", 2", and 3" NPT transport vessel PRVs.