RELIEF, BLOWDOWN

AND FLARE SYSTEM

(API STD 520, 521 & 526)
 INTRODUCTION

• Name: …
• Social Status: Student / Employee / Talent Ready Etc.
• Expected results from this training: …

2
 • To give introduction and the understanding on how
importance is Relief, Blowdown and Flare System in a
Chemical Plant, Oil and Gas Facilities, Refineries and
Petrochemical,
• To explain to the audience on how to size, select and
properly installed a Pressure Relieving Devices (PRD)
based on API STD 520 Pt I and Pt II and also API STD
OBJECTIVES 521,
• To explain about the standard PRD orifice size based
on API STD 526 and the difference with ASME PRD
The objectives of this training are: orifice size,
• To give understanding about API STD 521; in regards
to pressure-relieving and depressuring system,
• Final Objective:
So that the audience will understand more about the
importance of Relief, Blowdown and Flare System
and able to properly design the system properly 3
based on the applicable code and standard.
 • Definitions of RELIEF, BLOWDOWN and FLARE,
• The importance of Relief, Blowdown and Flare
System,
• Causes of over-pressure and relief rate
determination,
TRAINING
CONTENTS
• Types of Pressure Relieving Devices (PRD),
• Choosing the right Pressure Relieving Devices
(PRD),
Contents of this training are: • Sizing a Pressure Relieving Devices (PRD) in this
case PRV,
• Installation Criteria of Pressure Relieving Devices
(PRD),
• Blowdown/Depressuring (criteria and noted item),
• Flare/Vent network and Flare system, 4

• Optimization
 DEFINITION
Definition of RELIEF, BLOWDOWN (DEPRESSURING), FLARE and VENT

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 RELIEF
What is RELIEF by definition?

• RELIEF system in a plant?

Is a system in a plant that is used to
release a gas or liquid or gas & liquid in
• A feeling of reassurance and relaxation,
the event of abnormal conditions or
• The reduction or end of pain, emergency to the environment, thru
initiation of manual/automatic valve
• Help that given to people,
which connected to the pressure vessel
and/or piping system when the pressure
vessel and/or piping system is more than
the Maximum Allowable Working
Pressure (MAWP). 6
 DEPRESSURING/BLOWDOWN
What is DEPRESSURING by definition?

• DEPRESSURING in a plant?
• Release the pressure of the gas inside, Is a process of reducing the pressure in a
closed system by reducing the amount of
• To become lower in pressure,
gas or liquid inventory from the closed
system to the environment.

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 FLARE
What is FLARE by definition?

• FLARE system in a plant?

• Blaze, A system that collect gas or liquid from

pressurized process components during
• Burn, abnormal or emergency situation and
• Increase in the brightness of a fire released the gas or liquid in a controlled
manner by burning the collected gas or
liquid to the environment.

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 VENT
What is VENT by definition?

• VENT system in a plant?

A system that collect gas or liquid from
• An opening that allows air, gas or liquid to
pressurized process components during
pass out/in of a confined space,
abnormal or emergency situation and
• Release, released the gas or liquid in a controlled
manner by dispersing the collected gas or
liquid to the environment.

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 PRESSURE

Relation between
pressure level for PRD in percentage vs pressure vessel
pressure

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 IMPORTANCE OF
RELIEF, BLOWDOWN AND
FLARE SYSTEM
Why RELIEF, BLOWDOWN and FLARE system is needed in a plant

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WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE?
A B

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PAY ATTENTION TO
THE VIDEO

Video is courtesy of
youtube.com

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 IMPORTANCE OF RELIEF, BLOWDOWN
AND FLARE SYSTEM IN A PLANT?

• Protecting production facility from over-pressure that may happen during

abnormal operation,
• Reducing flammable gas and liquid inventory from hazard area to prolonged
the safe condition and to provide more time for mean of escape,
• Controlled inventory release of hazardous substance so that the effect of
release can be minimized.

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CAUSE OF OVER-PRESSURE AND
RELIEF RATE DETERMINATION
API STD 521 (2014)

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 WHAT CAUSE
OVER-PRESSURE?

Over-pressure happen due to disturbance or unbalance of flow of material

and/or energy that cause the material or energy or both to built-up in certain
part of the system.

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PROTECTION HEIRARCY
1. Avoiding for the over-pressure to happen,

AGAINST OVER- 2. Controlling the system operation thru engineering

design,
PRESSURE
3. Controlling the operation the control administrative.

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 No. Condition No. Liquid-relief Vapor-relief Guidance*
Item SubSection Guidance*
API 521
1 Closed outlets 4.4.2 Maximum liquid Total incoming steam and
pump-in rate vapor plus that generated
therein at relieving
conditions
2 Cooling-water failure to 4.4.3 --- Total vapor to condenser at
condenser relieving conditions

DEFINING RELIEF 3 Top-Tower reflux failure 4.4.3 --- Total incoming steam and
vapor plus that generated

RATE (1) therein at relieving

conditions less vapor
condensed by sidestream
reflux
4 Sidestream reflux failure 4.4.3 --- Difference between vapor
entering and leaving
API STD 521 (2014) equipment at relieving
conditions
5 Lean-Oil Failure to 4.4.4 --- None, normally
absorber
6 Accumulation of 4.4.5 --- Same effect in towers as
noncondensables found for Item 2; in other
vessels, same effect as
found for Item 1
Entrance of highly 4.4.6 ---
volatile material Use alternative means of
protection to avoid scenario.
7 a) Water into hot oil 4.4.6.1 --- See Item 15 for heat
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exchanger tube rupture
b) Light hydrocarbons 4.4.6.2 --- guidance
into hot oil
 No. Condition No. Liquid-relief Vapor-relief Guidance*
Item SubSection Guidance*
API 521
8 Overfilling 4.4.7 Maximum liquid pump-in ---
rate
Failure of automatic 4.4.8 --- Analyze on case-by-case
controls basis
a) Inlet control devices 4.4.8.3
and bypasses
DEFINING RELIEF 9 b) Outlet control devices 4.4.8.4

RATE (2) c) Fail-stationary valves 4.4.8.5

d) Choke valves 4.4.8.6

Abnormal process heat 4.4.9 ---

or vapor
API STD 521 (2014) input
a) Abnormal process 4.4.9.1 Estimated maximum vapor
heat input generation
10 including noncondensables
from overheating
b) Inadvertent valve 4.4.9.2
opening
c) Check valve failure 4.4.9.3

11 Internal explosions or 4.4.10 Not controlled by Not controlled by

transient pressure conventional conventional 19
surges (e.g. water, PRDs but by avoidance of PRDs but by avoidance of
steam, or condensate circumstances circumstances
hammer)
 No. Condition No. Liquid-relief Vapor-relief Guidance*
Item SubSection Guidance*
API 521
12 Chemical reaction 4.4.11 --- Estimated gas/vapor
generation from both
normal and uncontrolled
conditions; consider two-
phase effects
Hydraulic expansion 4.4.12 --- ---

DEFINING RELIEF 13
a) Cold-fluid shut in 4.4.12 See 4.4.12 ---

RATE (3) b) Lines outside process 4.4.12 See 4.4.12 ---

area shut in
14 Exterior fire 4.4.13 Estimated by the methods
given in 4.4.13.2 or
Annex A
API STD 521 (2014) Heat transfer 4.4.14
equipment failure
a) Heat exchanger tube 4.4.14.2 Liquid flowing across a Steam or vapor flowing
rupture rupture equal to twice across a rupture equal to
15 the cross-sectional twice the cross-sectional
area of one tube area of one tube
b) double pipe 4.4.14.3

c) plate and frame 4.4.14.4

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 No. Condition No. Liquid-relief Vapor-relief Guidance*
Item SubSection Guidance*
API 521
Power failure (steam, 4.4.15 --- Study the installation to
electric, or determine the effect of
other) power failure; size the relief
valve for the worst condition
that can occur
a) Fractionators --- Loss of all pumps, with the
DEFINING RELIEF result that reflux and cooling
water would fail

RATE (4) 16 b) Reactors --- Consider failure of agitation

or stirring, quench or
retarding stream; size the
valves for vapor generation
from a runaway reaction
c) Air-cooled exchanger --- Fan failure; size valves for
API STD 521 (2014) the difference between
normal and emergency duty
d) Surge vessels --- Maximum liquid inlet rate

17 Maintenance 4.4.16 --- ---

* Consideration can be given to the reduction of the relief rate as the

result of the relieving pressure being above operating pressure.

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 TYPES OF
PRESSURE RELIEVING DEVICE (PRD)
Currently available in the market

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 • Spring Loaded PRV/PSV
• PSV Conventional

• Balanced PSV
TYPES OF PRESSURE
RELIEVING DEVICES (1)

• Pilot Operated PSV

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 • Rupture Disk
• Forward-acting, tension loaded

• Reverse-acting, compression loaded

• Graphite, shear loaded
TYPES OF PRESSURE
RELIEVING DEVICES (2)

• Buckling Pin

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 CHOOSING THE RIGHT
PRESSURE RELIEVING DEVICES (PRD)
API STD 520 Pt. I (2014)

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 Guidance in Selecting Pressure Relieving Devices
Maximum
Types of Gas Multiphase Liquid
Allowable Remarks
PRD Application Application Application
Back Pressure
YES, but watch YES, but watch
PSV Up to 10% max
YES out of back out of back
Conventional #
pressure pressure
Balanced PSV YES YES, moderate YES 10% to 50% #
Or when max
Pilot Operated YES, YES, for clean More than 50% operating Pressure is
YES
PSV recommended liquid service # above 90% of design
pressure
For application where
Rupture Disk * YES YES YES immediate closure is
not required
For application where
Buckling Pin YES YES YES immediate closure is
not required
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* Refer to individual installation, not application of rupture disk + PSV
# At higher backpressure capacity correction factors shall be applied to account possible flow reduction
 SIZING OF
PRESSURE RELIEVING DEVICES
API STD 520 Pt. I (2014)

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 PRV ORIFICE SIZE API STD 526 (2012)
DESIGNATION AREA ORIFICE AREA ORIFICE AREA ORIFICE
EFEKTIF (in2) EFEKTIF (ASME) *
(mm2) EFEKTIF (in2)
D 0.110 70.9676 0.134
E 0.196 126.4514 0.273
F 0.307 198.0641 0.373
SIZING OF PRV G 0.503 324.5155 0.589
H 0.785 506.4506 0.881
J 1.287 830.3209 1.457
What do we sized?
K 1.838 1185.8041 2.097
Note * L 2.853 1840.6415 3.284
In ASME BPVC VIII Section I, it was mentioned that the
Coefficient of Discharge (Kd) on API formula shall be M 3.600 2322.5800 4.093
multiplied by 0.9. Which means the Kd in ASME
calculation will be smaller and makes the required N 4.340 2799.9940 4.987
orifice based on ASME become higher. Thus the PRD
that required ASME certification always has larger P 6.380 4116.1210 7.215
orifice than the required orifice area calculated by API
Q 11.05 7129.0180 12.91
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R 16.00 10322.60 17.81
T 26.00 16774.20 28.87
 • Defined the Governing Relief Rate Requirement (API STD
521),
• Define the Coefficient of Discharge (Kd) from Vendor or use
Preliminary Value: 0.975 for Gas service PRV, 0.65 for Liquid or
Gas-Liquid service PRV and 0.62 for Gas service Rupture Disk,
• Define the effect of back pressure, by determine the
PROCEDURE FOR Coefficient back pressure (Kb) from Vendor or from graph in
ORIFICE SIZE API 520 Pt. I Figure 30
CALCULATION OF PRV • Defined (Kc); factor which is used if any rupture disk or not
installed before PRV (1.0 no rupture disk, 0.9 rupture disk
installed (combination); generic factor) .

API STD 520 Pt. I (2014)

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 A is the required discharge area of the device; in2 (mm2)
W is the required flow through the device; lb/h (kg/h)
C is a function of the ratio of the ideal gas specific heat (k=Cp/Cv) of the gas or
vapor at inlet relieving temperature

SYMBOLS Kd Coefficient of Discharge; 0.975 (Gas PRV), 0.65 (Liquid or Gas-Liquid PRV)
P1 set pressure + allowable over pressure (10%, 21%); psia (kPa(a))
Kb Coefficient Back-pressure from Vendor or from graph in API 520 Pt. I Fig. 30
From Equation on Previous Slide Kc Coeeficient for rupture disk installation (combine or not), (1.0 no rupture disk,
0.9 rupture disk installed (combination)
T Relief temperature; oR(oF + 460) (K(oC+273)
Z compressibility factor (gas ideal = 1)
M is the molecular weight of the gas or vapor at inlet relieving conditions
V is the required flow through the device; SCFM at 14.7 psia dan 60oF (Nm3/min at
0oC and 101.325 kPa)
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Gv is the specific gravity of gas at std referred to air at standard conditions (normal
conditions). In other words, Gv = 1.00 for air at 14.7 psia and 60°F (101.325 kPa
and 0°C).
 STUDY CASE PC

A pressure vessel with design pressure of 20

bar(g) and configuration as presented
schematic, functioned as scrubber for gas
methane. With inlet flow of 1000 kg/hr
1) Listed the over pressure scenarios that
may happen in the system?
2) What is the relief rate for the considered
governing scenarios, give reason why it is
governing?
LT
3) What is the minimum orifice size which is
needed based on the governing scenario?
If relieving T is at 50 deg C, Z at 0.98 and
Cp/Cv at 1.3
4) What is the designated orifice size based
on API STD 526? 31

5) What is the rated flow of the PSV?

 STUDY CASE
SOLUTION

A 75.24852 mm2 126.4514 mm2 E ORIFICE

W 1000 kg/hr 1680.45 kg/hr
k (Cp/Cv) 1.3 1.3
C 0.026344 0.026344
Kd 0.975 0.975
P1 22 barg 2301.325 kPaa 2301.325 kPaa
Kb 1 1
Kc 1 1
T 50 C 323 K 323 K
Z 0.98 0.98 32
M 16 16
 INSTALLATION CRITERIA OF
PRESSURE RELIEVING DEVICES
API STD 520 PT. II (2015)

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 • Installed near to the protected equipment/pipe,
• Max. 3% pressure drop from the set pressure for the
inlet pipe,
• Installed in area of equipment/pipe where the pressure
RECOMMENDED fluctuation range is not high,
INSTALLATION • Inlet and Outlet Pipe shall be free draining away from
CRITERIA FOR PRD the PRD,
• Inlet pipe size minimum same size as inlet flange size
of PRD,
In general, based on API STD 520
Pt. II (2015)
• PRD shall be able to be accessed for maintenance
purpose.

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BLOWDOWN / DEPRESSURING
API STD 521 (2014)

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 • Is a process of reducing the pressure in a closed system by reducing
the amount of gas or liquid inventory from the closed system to the
environment,
• 2 conditions; Fire Case (emergency cond. 15 minutes blowdown) and
Adiabatic Case (maintenance cond. From Normal Operating
Condition up to “zero” barg; no time constraints),

BLOWDOWN/ • Initial pressure for Fire case is PSHH ; Final Pressure : 50% of Design
Pressure or 690 kPa whichever is lower,
DEPRESSURING
• Initial temperature: Normal Operating Temperature,
• Depressuring time 15 minutes for vessel with thickness > 25.4 mm (1
inch) (general approach),
Important Points
• Blowdown Calculation is done using depressuring tools, in process
simulation software such as HYSYS, UNISIM, PRO-II and PROMAX,
so we calculate size of orifice to depressurize the system from PSHH
to 50% or 690 (whichever is lower in 15 minutes; governing fire case)
• Minimum Design Metal Temperature, obtain from Adiabatic Case,
• If vessel thickness < 25.4 mm (1 inch) to check the material strength
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mapping to set depressuring time before the material rupture.
WORKFLOW FOR FIRE
DEPRESSURING
CALCULATION

API STD 521 (2014)

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FLARE/ VENT NETWORK
AND FLARE SYSTEM
API STD 521 (2014)

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TYPICAL GAS FLARE
ARRANGEMENT

Courtesy of
Chemical Engineering World

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 FLARE SYSTEM
Types and Components

Types of Flares
• Non-smokeless Flares (Gas)
• Smokeless Flares (Gas)
• Fire or Endothermic Flares (Liquid)

Flare Components
• Liquid KO Drum
• Flare liquid seal
• Flare structure stack (self-support, guy
support, derrick support)
• Flare stack molecular seal
• Flare tip 40

• Ignition system
 CRITERIA OF FLARE NETWORK SYSTEM DESIGN
• Stack Height for FLARE is
determined based on the required
radiation effect to operator and/or
operation equipment and the
required dispersion effect which can
cause unsafe conditions to operator
and/or operation equipment.
• Stack Height for VENT is determined
based on the required dispersion
effect which can cause unsafe
conditions to operator and/or
operation equipment.

purging
• Segregate header HP & LP/ toxic, non-toxic Where:
• Design pressure, based on maximum back pressure uc dropout
velocity
• Design temperature decided from maximum and minimum
g gravity
temperature that may happen
acceleration
• Size of tail pipe, sub-header and header to concern on back D particle
pressure of each PRD Diameter;
• ρv2 < 100,000 kg/m/s2; OK no AIV study. 150,000 < ρv2 < 300 to 1000 µm
200,000 kg/m/s2 AIV Mandatory ρl Liq density
• Minimum Speed 0.5-0.7 Mach min in flare stack, flare header ρv Vap41density
purging
and sub-header, up to 1 Mach in lateral/tail pipe C Drag coef.
API STD521
• Sound level limitation 85dB @ 8 hour and to 94dB @ 1 hour Fig.12
 FLARE NETWORK
HEADER & SUB-HEADER SIZING

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FLARE HEIGHT SIZING

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OPTIMIZATION
ENGINEERING

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RELIEF LOAD CUMMULATIVE (OPTIMIZATION)
Conventional Semi-dynamic approach Dynamic approach
approach

UNIT 4

UNIT 3
relief loads
Cumulated

relief loads
Cumulated
UNIT 2

Cumulated
relief loads
UNIT 1
45

t=0 Total Total

“
ANY QUESTION?

”
THANK YOU
Ir. Erwin Apriandi AER CEng.
erwin.apriandi@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ir-erwin-apriandi-ipm-asean-eng-ceng-b665631a/

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 REFERENCES
• API STANDARD 520 - Sizing, Selection, and Installation of Pressure-relieving Devices, Part I; Sizing and
Selection
• API STANDARD 520 - Sizing, Selection, and Installation of Pressure-relieving Devices, Part II; Installation
• API STANDARD 521 - Pressure-relieving and Depressuring Systems
• API STANDARD 526 - Flanged Steel Pressure-relief Valves
• https://joinoilandgas.com/flares-types-parts-components-operation-and-troubleshooting/
• https://joinoilandgas.com/pressure-relief-safety-valves-prv-psv/
• http://www.mechanicalengineeringsite.com/rupture-disk-types/
• DEP 80.36.00.30-Gen - Relief devices - Selection, sizing and specification
• DEP 80.45.10.10-Gen - Design of pressure relief, flare and vent systems (amendments/supplements to API
RP 520 Part II and API STD 521 Chapter 5)
• DEP 80.46.30.11-Gen - Interlocking systems for pressure relief valves
• PTS 16.52.04 - Design of Pressure Relief, Flare and Vent System
• www.chemicalengineeringworld.com
• www.youtube.com 47