THE BASICS OF PRESSURE RELIEF VALVES

Contents Pressure relief valves (safety relief valves) are designed to open at a preset pressure
and discharge fluid until pressure drops to acceptable levels. The development of the
The History of Pressure Relief Valves safety relief valve has an interesting history.

Pressure Relief Valve in Operation Denis Papin is credited by many sources as the originator of the first pressure relief
Valve Element (poppet valve) valve (circa 1679) to prevent overpressure of his steam powered “digester”. His
Sensing Element (piston or diaphragm)
The Reference Force Element (spring) pressure relief design consisted of a weight suspended on a lever arm. When the
force of the steam pressure acting on the valve exceeded the force of the weight
Design Parameters acting through the lever arm the valve opened. Designs requiring a higher relief
Relief Pressures pressure setting required a longer lever arm and/or larger weights. This simple
Flow Requirements system worked however more space was needed and it could be easily tampered
Fluid used (gas, liquid, toxic or flammable)
Size & Weight with leading to a possible overpressure and explosion. Another disadvantage was
Material premature opening of the valve if the device was subjected to bouncing movement.
Temperature

Direct-acting deadweight pressure relief valves: Later, to avoid the disadvantages of

Beswick Pressure Relief Valve Options the lever arrangement, direct-acting deadweight pressure relief valves were installed
RVD
RVD8
on early steam locomotives. In this design, weights were applied directly to the top
RV2 of the valve mechanism. To keep the size of the weights in a reasonable range, the
BPR valve size was often undersized resulting in a smaller vent opening than required.
Often an explosion would occur as the steam pressure rose faster than the vent
Beswick pressure relief valves can be could release excess pressure. Bouncing movements also prematurely released
viewed at http://catalog.beswick.com pressure.

Direct acting spring valves: Timothy Hackworth is believed to be the first to use direct
acting spring valves (circa 1828) on his locomotive engine called the Royal George.
Timothy utilized an accordion arrangement of leaf springs, which would later be
replaced with coil springs, to apply force to the valve. The spring force could be fine
tuned by adjusting the nuts retaining the leaf springs.
BPR

Refinements to the direct acting spring relief valve design continued in subsequent years in response to the widespread use
of steam boilers to provide heat and to power locomotives, river boats, and pumps. Steam boilers are less common today
but the safety relief valve continues to be a critical component, in systems with pressure vessels, to protect against damage
or catastrophic failure.

Each application has its own unique requirements but before we get into the selection process, let’s have a look at the
operating principles of a typical direct acting pressure relief valve.

RVD RV2

beswick engineering co., inc. | Miniature Fluid Power Products

284 Ocean Rd. | Greenland, NH 03840-2442 | 603-433-1188
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 PRESSURE RELIEF VALVES IN OPERATION
A pressure relief valve is comprised of three functional
elements:
(1) Valve element, typically a spring loaded poppet valve.
(2) Sensing element typically a diaphragm or piston.
(3) Reference force element. Most commonly a spring.

In operation, the pressure relief valve remains normally

closed until pressures upstream reaches the desired
set pressure. The valve will crack open when the set
pressure is reached, and continue to open further,
allowing more flow as over pressure increases. When
upstream pressure falls a few psi below the set pressure,
the valve will close again.

(1) VALVE ELEMENT (poppet valve)

Most commonly, pressure relief valves employ a spring
loaded “poppet” valve as a valve element. The poppet
includes an elastomeric seal or, in some high pressure
designs a thermoplastic seal, which is configured to
make a seal on a valve seat. In operation, the spring and
upstream pressure apply opposing forces on the valve.
When the force of the upstream pressure exerts a greater
force than the spring force, then the poppet moves away
from the valve seat which allows fluid to pass through the
outlet port. As the upstream pressure drops below the
set point the valve then closes.
Additionally, for a particular relief valve size, it is often
(2) SENSING ELEMENT (piston or possible to provide a greater sensing area with a
diaphragm) diaphragm design than would be feasible with a piston
Piston style designs are often used when higher relief style design.
pressures are required, when ruggedness is a concern
or when the relief pressure does not have to be held to a
(3) THE REFERENCE FORCE ELEMENT
tight tolerance. Piston designs tend to be more sluggish,
(spring)
compared to diaphragm designs due to friction from the
The reference force element is usually a mechanical
piston seal.
spring. This spring exerts a force on the sensing element
and acts to close the valve. Many pressure relief valves
In low pressure applications, or when high accuracy is
are designed with an adjustment which allows the user to
required, the diaphragm style is preferred. Diaphragm
adjust the relief pressure set-point by changing the force
relief valves employ a thin disc shaped element which is
exerted by the reference spring.
used to sense pressure changes. They are usually made
of an elastomer, however, thin convoluted metal is used
in special applications. Diaphragms essentially eliminate
the friction inherent with piston style designs.

beswick engineering co., inc. | Miniature Fluid Power Products

284 Ocean Rd. | Greenland, NH 03840-2442 | 603-433-1188
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 DESIGN PARAMETERS
RELIEF PRESSURES FLOW REQUIREMENTS
The expected relief pressure is an important factor What is the maximum flow rate that the application
in determining which product is best suited to the requires? How much does the flow rate vary? Porting
application. configuration and effective orifices are also important
considerations.

FLUID USED - (GAS, LIQUID, TOXIC, SIZE & WEIGHT

or FLAMMABLE) In many high technology applications space is limited
The chemical properties of the fluid should be and weight is a factor. Some manufactures specialize
considered before determining the best materials for in miniature components and should be consulted.
your application. Each fluid will have its own unique Material selection, particularly the relief valve body
characteristics so care must be taken to select the components, will impact weight. Also carefully
appropriate body and seal materials that will come consider the port (thread) sizes, adjustment styles,
in contact with the fluid. The parts of the pressure and mounting options as these will influence size and
relief valve in contact with the fluid are known as the weight.
“wetted” components.

If the fluid is flammable or hazardous in nature the

pressure relief valve must be capable of discharging it
safely.

MATERIALS TEMPERATURE
A wide range of materials are available to handle The materials selected for the pressure relief valve not
various fluids and operating environments. Common only need to be compatible with the fluid but also must
pressure relief valve component materials include be able to function properly at the expected operating
brass, plastic, and aluminum. Various grades of temperature. The primary concern is whether or not
stainless steel (such as 303, 304, and 316) are the elastomer chosen will function properly throughout
available too. Springs used inside the relief valve are the expected temperature range. Additionally, the
typically made of music wire (carbon steel) or stainless operating temperature may affect flow capacity and/or
steel. the spring rate in extreme applications.

Brass is suited to most common applications and is

usually economical. Aluminum is often specified when
weight is a consideration. Plastic is considered when
low cost is of primarily concern or a throw away item
is required. Stainless Steels are often chosen for use
with corrosive fluids, when cleanliness of the fluid is a
consideration or when the operating temperatures will
be high.
RVD8
Equally important is the compatibility of the seal
material with the fluid and with the operating
temperature range. Buna-n is a typical seal material.
Optional seals are offered by some manufacturers and
these include: Fluorocarbon, EPDM, Silicone, and
Perfluoroelastomer.

beswick engineering co., inc. | Miniature Fluid Power Products

284 Ocean Rd. | Greenland, NH 03840-2442 | 603-433-1188
www.beswick.com
 BESWICK PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE OPTIONS
Beswick Engineering manufactures four styles of pressure relief valves to best suit your application. The RVD
and RVD8 are diaphragm based pressure relief valves which are suited to lower relief pressures. The RV2 and
BPR valves are piston based designs.

MAXIMUM SOURCE PRESSURE

1. RVD model can be used with inlet pressures up to 80 psig
2. RVD8 model can be used with inlet pressure up to 80 psig
3. RV2 model can be used with inlet pressures up to 500 psig
4. BPR model can be used with inlet pressures up to 500 psig

RELIEF PRESSURE RANGE

1. RVD model cracks open in the (3-30) psig range. Please contact us if you need a
higher setting.
2. RVD8 model cracks open in the (3-30) psig rang. Please contact us if you need a
higher setting.
3. RV2 model cracks open in the (3-30) psig range
4. BPR model cracks open in the (0-400) psig range

MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION
A wide range of materials are available but varies between the models.
1. RVD: 303 and 316 stainless steel, brass and aluminum
2. RVD8: 303 stainless steel and brass
3. RV2: 303 and 316 stainless steel and brass
4. BPR: 303 stainless steel, brass and aluminum

PORTING SIZE
10-32 Internal Thread 1. RVD: Inlet and outlet ports are 10-32 UNF internal
2. RVD8: Inlet port is comprised of four 3/64 inch diameter holes and the outlet port is
1/8-27
10-32 UNF external
NPT 3. RV2: Inlet and outlet ports are 10-32 UNF internal
Thread
10-32
4. BPR: Inlet and outlet ports are 10-32 UNF internal for most models
External Type 2: Outlet port is 1/8-27 NPT external (which is also tapped 10-32 internal). Inlet
Thread
port is 10-32 UNF internal.
Type 8: Outlet port is 10-32 UNF external. Inlet port is a 1/32 inch diameter hole.

WEIGHT
1. RVD weighs 25 grams in brass and stainless steel
15 grams in aluminum
2. RVD8 weighs 25 grams in brass and stainless steel
3. RV2 weighs 41 grams in brass and stainless steel
4. BPR weighs 72 grams in brass and stainless steel
33 grams in aluminum

beswick engineering co., inc. | Miniature Fluid Power Products

284 Ocean Rd. | Greenland, NH 03840-2442 | 603-433-1188
www.beswick.com