System and Method for Monitoring and Controlling Pressure Relief Valve Performance

A system for determining operational status of pressure relief valves comprising:

• a pressurized inlet line connected to an upstream end of an internal flow passage of a pressure relief valve, the inlet line comprising:
• a pressure sensor adapted to measure the internal pressure of a fluid in the pressurized line and convert the measured pressure into a representative inlet line pressure signal;
• a temperature sensor adapted to measure the temperature of a fluid in the internal flow passage downstream of a valve seat of a valve plug disposed in the internal passage and convert the measured temperature of the fluid into a representative downstream fluid temperature signal;
• a computing device adapted to determine:
• 1) line pressure status based on a comparison of the line pressure signal and at least one expected pressure value;
• 2) a rate of change in downstream fluid temperature based at least on the downstream fluid temperature signal;
• and
• 3) operational status of the at least one pressure relief valve based at least on the line pressure status and rate of change in downstream fluid temperature.

A computer-implemented method for monitoring operation of one or more pressure relief valves, each relief valve containing an internal flow passage with a valve seat and valve plug disposed therein, the method comprising:

• sensing the temperature of a portion of the internal flow passage downstream of the valve seat;
• generating a valve temperature signal representative of the temperature of the portion of the internal flow passage downstream of the valve seat;
• monitoring the valve temperature signal to detect a rate of change in the temperature of the portion of the internal flow passage downstream of the valve seat;
• sensing the internal pressure of an inlet pressure line connected to the internal flow passage upstream of the valve seat;
• generating a line pressure signal representative of the internal pressure of the inlet pressure line;
• comparing the line pressure signal against at least one expected line pressure value to determine a line pressure status;
• and
• determining operational status of the pressure relief valve based at least in part on the detected rate of change of the temperature of the portion of the internal flow passage downstream of the valve seat and at least in part on the determined line pressure status.

A system for determining operational status of pressure relief valves comprising:

• a pressurized inlet line connected to an upstream end of an internal flow passage of the pressure relief valve comprising:
• a pressure sensor adapted to measure the internal pressure of a fluid in the pressurized line and convert the measured pressure into a representative inlet line pressure signal;
• a temperature sensor adapted to measure the temperature of a portion of the internal flow passage downstream of a valve seat of a valve plug disposed in the internal passage and convert the measured temperature of the portion of the internal flow passage into a representative valve temperature signal;
• a computing device adapted to determine:
• 1) line pressure status based on a comparison of the line pressure signal and at least one expected pressure value;
• 2) a rate of change in temperature of the portion of the internal flow passage based at least on the valve temperature signal;
• and
• 3) operational status of the at least one pressure relief valve based at least on the line pressure status and rate of change in temperature of the portion of the internal flow passage.