Selection of emergency venting system for hydrogenation unit
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Seeking advice: For the emergency vent valve in a hydrogenation unit, is a high-pressure gate valve or a high-pressure ball valve a better choice? Which hydrogenation plants in China are currently using high-pressure ball valves at this location and have been operating safely for three consecutive years? Please, experts, provide some information. Thank you! :P
When selecting, the opening time of the vent valve is taken into consideration, and there are restrictions in the process package design. Generally, quick-opening ball valves are used; gate valves can be chosen if the pipe diameter is relatively small.
I have used both gate valves and ball valves. As far as I know, ball valves are generally used these days. Let’s talk about their advantages: emergency pressure relief valves require a fast opening speed – the faster, the better. Ball valves are much faster to open, as they complete opening after just a quarter of their travel distance, whereas gate valves need to complete an entire travel distance for the gate to be lifted. Secondly, with gate valves, if the valve disc comes off, it becomes impossible to open the valve to release pressure; in an emergency situation, this puts you at a disadvantage. Taking everything into account, such as costs and the suppliers of valves for the entire device.
Gate valves are generally used; they open quickly and require little force to operate. The actuator for gate valves takes up a lot of space. The imported ones we use have been in service for eight years now, and their sealing performance is excellent.