Check Valve as Thermal Relief
Any thoughts on using a check valve as a thermal relief between two isolation valves?
There's fundamentally no reason you can't use a check valve for thermal
relief. Cryogenic piping systems are generally designed and built to
ASME B31.3, so your relief devices do not require ASME stamping. Only
coded pressure vessels require an ASME stamped relief valve per the
code.
When selecting a check valve for cryogenic service, I'd
suggest looking for one that is not only rated for the temperature, but
one without body seals as they have a tendancy to leak at low
temperature.
The valve is very inexpensive (less than $50) and has been extensively
tested by a number of large industrial gas companies. If you're looking
for a larger thermal relief, there are a number of other companies that
make them. Be sure to do an analysis to determine the size of the
valve needed.
Note also that regardless of what is used, the
discharge must be vented to a safe location to eliminate cryogenic
burns, asphixiation from inert gasses, potential oxygen enrichment,
etc...
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