PSVs are Important
A key piece of equipment in any process system is the Pressure Relief Valve (PSV).
These items are typically the final line of defence against the over pressuring of vessels or pipework should the process control and emergency shutdown systems fail.
PSVs sit there; passively doing nothing at all, maybe for a number of years, until they are are called upon, suddenly and without warning; and at that point they must operate as a last resort to prevent a major failure.
Many Major Accident Events associated with process plants can be traced back to some kind of PSV related issue.
PSVs are taken for granted
PSVs are a final line of defence, and typically multiple systems need to fail for them to be called upon. Their importance is therefore often underestimated and they are often not given the respect that they deserve.
As a result of this, opportunities for improvement are missed. All too often, too much time is spent testing and changing out low criticality PSVs while at the same time safety and production critical PSVs are insufficiently maintained leaving much more critical plant vulnerable.
PSVs present a huge opportunity for Cost and Risk reduction
Because PSVs are taken for granted there are usually opportunities for improvement with regards to cost savings and risk reduction.
PIM's PSV RBA methodology while being aligned with industry good practice and guidance documents, allows for the robust and timely adjustment of testing intervals.
Adjustments are primarily based on failure consequence and valve performance. Keeping the process simple and managing the data competently and coherently within the framework of PIM Relief ensures that all stakeholders have full confidence in the condition and availability of their PSVs and retain a transparent and complete overview of the inspection and RBA process.
PIM Relief has been actively updated and improved, for update details visit our Version History page.
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