Sabp J 600
Sabp J 600
Sabp J 600
1 Purpose
The procedure for in-place testing of safety valves installed on power Boilers is
required by SAEP-319, when it is not feasible to adjust the PZV on a test bench, and the
PZV has satisfied the disassembly requirements. The safety valves on the above
mentioned boilers fall under this requirement.
2 Scope
Safety valves on Steam boilers are tested in-place every twelve (12) months. Boiler
safety valves are removed and taken to the Relief Valve Shop every twenty-four (24)
months during the T&I where they are stripped, serviced, reassembled and then shop
tested. When returned to service, the safety valves undergo in-place testing as required
by ASME SEC-I.
The testing procedure presented in this practice addresses ASME SEC-I steam safety
valves and should be used during in-place testing of these PZVs. It also mentions
general safety considerations and preparation work needed prior to performing the in-
place testing. Moreover, it identifies responsibilities of different stakeholders involved
in the in-place testing. Safety relief valves are referred to as RVs in Saudi Aramco SAP
system and as PZVs in SAES-J-600 and 34-SAMSS-611. PZV and RV will be used
alternatively in this document to denote safety valves.
3 Disclaimer
This document intends to provide accurate guidelines for In-place testing of pressure
relief valves in compliance with industry practices and vendors recommendations. This
document shall be considered as a general guideline for the benefit of plant maintenance
and operations, but it does not take away overall responsibility from the end user. Plant
Engineering, Maintenance and Operations are still responsible to follow all pertinent
safety requirements and to ensure the installed PZVs on steam boilers, steam drums and
headers are fully functional.
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
Recommendations in this SABP are not mandatory. In the event of a conflict between
this Best Practice and other Mandatory Saudi Aramco Engineering Requirements
(MSAERs), and international codes and standards like ASME SEC-I, ASME SEC-VIII,
APIs, the latter shall take precedence and govern.
5 References
The testing and maintenance of PZVs at different facilities covered by this practice shall
comply with the applicable parts of the latest editions of the references listed below,
unless otherwise noted.
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
6 Responsibilities
The following requirements are in addition to those outlined in SAEP-318 and SAEP-
319.
6.1. In-place testing is initiated by issuing Form PM02, Maintenance Work Order
(MWO). The MWO shall state "Approved for In-Place Testing" and list the safety
valves tag numbers prior to being signed by the Operations Superintendent or his
delegated representative.
6.2. The Operations Unit Foreman shall be responsible for:
6.2.1. The safe and continued operation of all boilers in the plant by assuring the
equipment is in satisfactory operating condition, qualified personnel are
available for operating the equipment, and ensuring this Instruction is being
implemented.
6.2.2. Initiating a maintenance work order (MWO) to perform the in-place test.
6.2.3. Ensuring that a copy of this procedure is available in the Control Room
and Operators are familiar with it.
6.2.4. Concurring with approval to conduct In-Place test.
6.3. The Supervising Operator on shift or Operations Unit Foreman shall be
responsible for:
6.3.1. Issuing a Work Permit and ensuring that the procedures outlined in this
Instruction are properly performed and carried out safely, for the duration
of testing during his shift. He will directly supervise all operating
personnel during testing of boiler safety valves and shall follow these
instructions.
6.3.2. Conducting the field visit along with Area Inspector and RV Technician
for the safety valves that are going to be In-place tested.
6.3.3. Alerting all personnel (including contractors) about the impending relief
valve testing.
6.3.4. Bringing the boiler under test offline and adjusting boiler pressure prior to
and during the safety valves testing as detailed in this document.
6.3.5. The control of the drums level to prevent water carry over (approx. 4
inches lower than the normal operating level).
6.3.6. Returning the boiler to service after successful In-placing testing.
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
6.4.6. Certificate of calibration for gauges shall indicate the date of testing along
with the name and ID number of the qualified person who performed the
calibration.
6.5. The Relief Valve Technician shall:
6.5.1. Provide all necessary mechanical tools required to perform the in-place
testing of the relief valves. This includes pipe wrench, ring & open spanner,
adjustable spanner, cutting pliers, vise grip, screw driver, ball peen hammer,
gauges 2-each, test gags and hand gloves.
6.5.2. Adjust all safety valves per manufacturer's instructions, and record all ring
settings, notch turns and test results for PZV records.
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
6.5.3. Provide safety valve "In-place testing" test record in the field. The Safety
Valve "In place Test Record" (Supplement to this document) shall be used
for recording the test results in the field during the "in-place" test activity.
The data on this form is to be filled out, concurred and signed by both the
R/V technician and the Area Inspector. Report the final test date and
pressure settings on form SA-3750 for each relief valve, if the safety valve
is in-place tested in shop or field and sign it along with Inspection
Representative. Forward this signed form to the Maintenance Relief Valve
Planner for data entry into the computer.
6.5.4. Install identification tag as required by SAEP-318 paragraphs 9.1 & 9.2.
6.5.5. Car seals the PZV adjustment mechanisms per SAEP-318 and SAEP-319
requirements.
6.6. The Inspection Unit Supervisor shall:
6.6.1. Provide an Inspector to witness In-place testing. The assigned Inspector
shall check that the safety valves are properly functioning and all Saudi
Aramco, ASME standards are met.
6.6.2. The assigned Inspector shall verify that all valves are installed in the
correct location as per SAP database and the adjustment mechanisms are
properly secured against tampering by Stainless Steel wire sealed with lead
seal.
6.6.3. Relief Valve Coordinator shall ensure that all results of the "In-place"
testing for safety valves are recorded on the Maintenance Report SA-3750
and dually concurred and signed by both the R/V technician and the Area
Inspector. He is also responsible to make sure that the test results recorded
on the Maintenance Report SA-3750 submitted by the R/V Shop are
matching the data on the "In place" Test Record (Supplement) for the tested
safety valves.
7. Safety Requirements
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
7.1.2. Person performing work, shall have proper PPE, such as but not limited
to safety glasses, safety shoes, safety hat, ear plugs, face shield, body
harness, gloves and personal gas detector. Heavy ear plugs shall be
used. All personnel involved in the in-place test shall have arms and
body completely covered by clothing to avoid steam burn hazards.
7.1.3. Obtain copy of work order from SAP and hot work permit from
operations prior to starting the work.
7.1.4. Perform Job Safety Analysis (JSA) to identify any hazard in the work
area.
7.1.5. Work area should be easily accessible. Barricade the test area with
necessary warning signs. Only people involved in the job should be
present at site.
7.1.6. The person performing the work should be equipped with a
communication device e.g., radio to communicate to CCR, if needed.
7.1.7. Qualified stand by and fire watch from operations shall be available on
test area.
7.1.8. Tools must be inspected and fit for the service. Cheaters bar shall not be
used.
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
8.4. All safety valves shall close at a pressure not lower than 96% of their actual
popping pressure/set pressure. The minimum blowdown shall be 2% and maximum
of 4% of the actual popping pressure/set pressure (ASME, Section I, PG - 69.1.4,
2015).
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
8.5. Leakage testing and criteria shall be as per the manufacturer testing procedure as
long as the requirements of ASME are met.
9 Test Preparation
9.1. Operations shall prepare the boiler for In-place testing of safety valves upon
receiving the Preventive Maintenance Order (PM02). In-place testing of boiler
safety valves is conducted with the boiler off-line. The boiler to be tested shall be
isolated from the common headers by closing the outlet Valve (usually MOV) of
the boiler being tested. The vent valve must be opened to control the steam drum
pressure and avoid tubes overheating.
9.2. Operations shall maintain boiler pressure at the normal operating pressure till the
arrival of assigned Inspector and Relief Valve Technicians.
9.3. Maintenance Instrument Crew shall install the two (2) recently calibrated pressure
gauges. One gauge shall be installed on the steam drum, the second pressure gauge
shall be installed on the outlet steam header adjacent to the isolation outlet valve
(MOV).
9.4. The Relief Valve Technician shall prepare all the necessary mechanical tools
required to perform the job. This includes pipe wrench, ring & open spanner,
adjustable spanner, cutting pliers, vise grip, screw driver, ball peen hammer, gauges
2-each, test gags and hand gloves.
NOTES:
(1) The water level in the drum shall be at a minimum of two inches lower than the
normal operating level to prevent carry over. Moreover, bypass all the High-
High steam pressure ESD points for this test.
(2) Never close the vent valve completely. A flow of steam through the boiler is
required to avoid tubes overheating.
(3) As soon as the safety relief valve pops, immediately the vent valve shall be
opened fully.
(4) Allow sometime (approx. 15-20 minutes) between each test to cool down the
valve to operating temperature.
(5) Record all final pop and reseat pressures and the rings and overlap collar
adjustments in terms of number of notches left or right on the Safety Valve Test
Record.
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
10 Testing Procedure
10.1. RV technician to check and prepare all necessary mechanical tools as mentioned
in paragraph 9.4.
10.2. Team to obtain the required work permit and conduct a joint site inspection as
stated in paragraph 6.3.2.
10.3. Ensure all the safety valves to be in-place tested are installed in their proper
locations and all of them are included on the MWO.
10.4. Check all test gauges being used have been recently calibrated, and properly
installed. The test gauges must be mounted in the vertical position and at a
location easily seen by the Inspector and the Operator.
10.5. Check all test gauges display the same pressure readings. (The reading should be
zero before installation).
10.6. The safety valve with highest set pressure installed on the steam drum of the
Boiler being tested, will be tested first.
10.7. Notify the Supervising Operator and the Field Operator before installing the gags.
Boiler pressure should be brought up to 80% of the lowest steam drum safety
valve set pressure before installing gags.
10.8. Remove the cap, lifting lever assembly and install gags on the other safety valves
on the equipment being tested. Tighten the gags by applying light force on the gag
screw head.
10.9. Each safety valve may be warmed up by raising the lifting lever prior to testing if
required by the Inspector. The lifting lever should not be raised unless there is
normal pressure in the boiler being tested (pressure should be 75% of pop pressure
or greater).
10.10. Operations will increase pressure smoothly by closing the steam header vent
valve until the safety valve "pops".
10.11. When the safety valve "pops", the Inspector will signal the Operator to open the
steam header vent valve to reduce the boiler pressure until the safety valve re-
seats.
10.12. The Inspector and the R/V Technician will observe and record the pressure
indicated by the gauge for the popping and the reseating pressures of the safety
valve.
10.13. If the safety valve pops at the correct set pressure or within the allowable limit
stated in Section 8 and the blow-down is in the acceptable range (2% to 4%) and
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
reseats tightly, then the valve is considered satisfactory. Record the pop and
reseating pressures.
10.14. If the safety valve does not pop within the applicable limits as stated in
paragraph 10.13, then the pressure should be reduced by opening the steam header
vent valve slowly and the popping pressure adjusted as mention in paragraph
10.14.1.
10.14.1. The cap and lever assembly should be removed. The lock nut should be
loosened and the compression screw turned clock-wise to increase the
pressure setting, or counter clock-wise to decrease the pressure setting.
Pipe wrench shall not be used. After each adjustment of the compression
screw the lock nut should be tightened. The arm on top of the spring
washer should always be free from bearing against the yoke rod.
A maximum of three test trials (paragraph 10.10 through 10.13) are
allowed to achieve the popping pressures limits of paragraph 10.13. The
pop and reseat pressures are to be recorded for each test trial. Should the
safety valve fail to achieve the acceptable popping tolerances of
paragraph 10.13, the valve shall be removed and sent to Relief Valve
Shop for repair and re-testing.
NOTES: (A) The compression screw should not be adjusted if the boiler pressure
is more than 90% of the popping pressure.
(B) Relief valves should be in vertical position and thoroughly secured
during transportation to and from valve shop. Cover flanges, threads
and nozzles with tape or plastic plugs to protect the relief valve from
dirt and mechanical damage during transportation.
10.15. If the re-seating pressure is higher than 98% of the set pressure or lower than
96% of the set pressure, the blowdown needs to be adjusted, as given below.
10.15.1. Remove the gag from the relief valve, which is the next lower pressure
set prior to installing a gag on the relief valve that requires adjustment.
Removing gag from the next lower pressure set relief valve is for safety
reason, in case of boiler pressure raises for any reason, such as sudden
closure of startup vent valve. On the other hand relief valve that requires
adjustment, needs to be gagged for protection in case boiler pressure rises
while making ring adjustments.
10.15.2. Remove the upper adjusting ring pin. Now the blow-down can be
adjusted by turning the upper ring (do not attempt to adjust blow-down
with the lower ring) using a screwdriver through the hole previously
occupied by the pin. To increase the seating pressure (reduce the blow-
down) the ring should be moved upwards, by turning the ring counter
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
10.24. Follow steps 10.10 through 10.17 of this Instruction in a sequence of decreasing
recommended set pressures until all steam headers safety valves are tested
satisfactorily.
10.25. After all safety valves for steam headers are tested satisfactorily, record all the
readings on the Safety Valve Test Record. Saudi Aramco Form SA-3750 and get it
duly signed as mentioned before. The assigned Inspector shall countersign the test
report. The forms are to be sent to the RV Coordinator for processing and upload
into SAP.
10.26. Remove all test pressure gauges and close the work permit.
10.27. Open the outlet steam header vent upstream of the stop/check valve to control the
boiler pressure at the normal operating pressure.
10.28. Open the 2" bypass valves of the isolation outlet Valve (MOV), of the applicable
header to equalize the pressure between the main (auxiliary) header and the main
steam header. The applicable Valve (MOV) can now be opened.
10.29. Maintain the steam pressure of the steam drum and the main steam header while
closing the vent valve on the outlet steam header.
10.30. The boiler should be put back in normal operation.
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
11 Supplement
EQUIPMENT
TEST VALVE ACTION VALVE ADJUSTMENT
CONDITION
COMPRESSION
ADJUSTING RINGS OVERLAP COLLAR REMARKS
POPPED PSIG SCREW
STEAM
DRUM ANTI- LOWER RING UPPER RINGS
STEAM WATER B/D CLOCK-
TEMP. LEVEL SIMMER CHATTER RESEAT READING CLOCKWISE WISE NOTCHES NOTCHES NOTCHES NOTCHES NOTCHES NOTCHES
No. TIME (DEG,)F IN (PSIG) (PSIG) PARTIAL FULL PSIG DIFF. TURNS TURNS UP DOWN UP DOWN UP DOWN
TESTER INSPECTOR
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Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee SABP-J-600
Issue Date: 20 April 2017
Next Planned Update: TBD In-place Testing of Safety Valves
Revision Summary
20 Feb 2017 New Saudi Aramco Best Practice
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