PSVs Discharging to Atmosphere: What to Consider
Pressure safety valves (PSV) are used extensively in oil and gas applications to protect vessels, pipes, and other equipment against overpressure. More commonly, the PSV discharge is sent to a flare via a flare header which collects several relief sources through a flare network of headers and sub-headers. Alternatively, the PSV discharge can be directly sent to the atmosphere on some occasions. The setup required to connect the relief sources to a flare system could be too expensive or complex for remote gathering systems and hence the PSVs might be directed to the atmosphere in such cases. Relieving PSVs directly to the atmosphere, however, requires special safety attention and considerati...
