Industrial boilers are equipment that always operate under high temperatures and high pressure. For this reason, checking their devices at specific times is essential, especially the maintenance of safety valves for boilers.

Proper maintenance of boiler valves becomes essential due to the performance of the valve, which is responsible for regulating the internal pressure of the equipment, protecting the invested capital and, in more serious cases, protecting lives.

Learn about the importance of maintaining safety valves for boilers, see how to do it and the processes involved.

Why maintain boiler safety valves?

Safety valves are automatic devices responsible for relieving pressure in boilers and pressure vessels. They are characterized by an instantaneous opening (POP) when the opening pressure is reached. They are used for compressible fluids such as gases and steam.

Safety valves for boilers are designed to act only as a last resort, when, before them, other devices responsible for showing or stopping the pressure increase have failed, making it impossible for the operator to take the necessary actions to prevent the pressure increase.

This part is intended to open and assess excessive boiler pressure and to restart and prevent further release of fluid after normal conditions have been restored.

As a last resort, boiler safety valves need to work! Otherwise, the consequences will be tragic.

Therefore, the valve is a safety device that must be part of an inspection and maintenance program within the industry.

Safety valve inspection deadlines

Maintenance of safety valves for boilers is a requirement present in Regulatory Standard No. 13 .

NR 13 establishes maintenance deadlines for safety valves for boilers according to the type of fluid, volume and temperature. These deadlines correspond to the internal inspection of the equipment protected by the safety valves, i.e., the inspection and maintenance of the valve must always coincide (at most) with the internal inspection of the boiler.

Thus, according to item 13.4.4.8 of NR-13:

Safety valves installed in boilers must be periodically inspected as follows:

A) at least once a month, by manually activating the lever, in operation, for boilers in categories B and C.

B) flanged or threaded valves must be disassembled, inspected and bench tested (annually).

The deadlines determined by NR 13 are in accordance with the fluid in the protected equipment, however, if the valve is installed in an aggressive (corrosive) environment, shorter deadlines must be better predicted by the user.

Maintenance, Calibration and Gauging of Safety Valves

Maintenance, calibration and checking of Safety Valves are extremely important processes in ensuring the operational safety of boilers.

This importance is also present in Regulatory Standard NR13, which indicates that the lack of calibration of safety devices is considered an RGI, that is, a serious and imminent risk.

Therefore, it is worth emphasizing that maintenance of the safety valve for boilers is extremely essential. It should begin with the removal of the valve from the installed boiler, and sending it to a specialized company qualified for this process.

In this company, the Safety Valve is disassembled and receives the necessary maintenance. After that, the valve will be calibrated, sealed and sent to the company with the calibration report. With that, the Safety Valve is ready to be installed again on site.

Important: the boiler cannot operate without a Safety Valve. Therefore, to prevent the equipment from stopping, it is recommended to have a valve that is properly calibrated to replace the valve that will be removed and sent for bench calibration, until it returns calibrated.

Never neglect the maintenance of boiler safety valves

In industry, it is extremely important to implement a “Check List” for the maintenance of safety valves. This way, we ensure the standardization of procedures and the necessary reliability of the equipment.

As we know, boiler maintenance is essential for the continuity of the industry . For safety valves, the need for preventive maintenance is related not only to maintaining the continuity of the process, but also to preserving the invested capital and the lives of employees.

Furthermore, valve maintenance, if carried out by a reliable company, allows the work of professionals who are always trained, aiming for the best solution and guaranteeing the type of service that best adapts to the machinery.

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