Improved Relief Valve Would Be Less Susceptible to Failure

The balanced-piston relief valve with side vented reaction cavity has been proposed as an improved alternative to a conventional high-pressure, high-flow relief valve. The proposed valve would be less susceptible to failure. A typical conventional high-pressure, high-flow relief valve contains a piston that is exposed to the upstream pressure across the full valve-seat diameter and is held against the valve seat and the upstream pressure by a large spring. In the event of an increase in upstream pressure to a level above the valve set point (the pressure above which the valve opens), the opening force on the piston can be so large that the piston becomes accelerated to a speed high enough that the ensuing hard impact of the piston within the valve housing results in failure of the valve. For a given flow cross section, the proposal would significantly reduce the force, thereby reducing susceptibility to failure. A basic version of the proposed balanced-piston relief valve with side vented reaction cavity is described.