saftey valve

A special section just for steam engines and boilers, as without these you may as well fit a sail.
Post Reply
johnp
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 242
Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2009 6:43 pm
Boat Name: Cardinal Queen
Location: Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

saftey valve

Post by johnp »

How do i determine what size saftey valve i need, not pressure size. it`s a 20 sqft vft i plan to run at 100-125 psi.
daysaver1
Steam on Deck
Steam on Deck
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:21 am
Boat Name: No Boat Yet
Location: Livermore, CA
Contact:

Re: saftey valve

Post by daysaver1 »

That depends on your boiler plumbing. Whatever size the nipple or threaded port is.

ie: if you have a 1/2" nipple from the tank, use a 1/2" valve. A larger valve will work but definitely don't use a valve with smaller inlet than the cross section outlet from your boiler.
Co-Captain...S.L. Reward
User avatar
fredrosse
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 1925
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:34 am
Boat Name: Margaret S.
Location: Phila PA USA
Contact:

Re: saftey valve

Post by fredrosse »

The ASME Boiler Code required a safety valve capable of passing 108 PPH if hand fired, 173 PPH if fired with Gas / Oil / or PC. Our boiler sizes are very similar, I have 20 ft2 tube surface, 1 ft2 furnace surface.
87gn@tahoe

Re: saftey valve

Post by 87gn@tahoe »

Safetys have a Pound Per Hour (PPH) rating. The rating corresponds with the evaporation rate of the boiler it is suitable for. As detailed in the other "Safetys" thread, this rating is critical, as too little will not vent enough steam and too much will vent too much steam and cause water to carry over.

:!: Just because it corresponds in size with a nipple or outlet on the boiler, it does not mean it is the correct size for the boiler :!:
User avatar
DetroiTug
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead
Posts: 1863
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:56 pm
Boat Name: Iron Chief
Location: Northwest Detroit

Re: saftey valve

Post by DetroiTug »

The 42 sq-ft VFT in the tug has a 6010DC 1/2" Kunkle/640 pph, it will drop the boiler pressure 10 psi in very little time - like 10 seconds. I was unaware at purchase, someone mentioned they are also rated in % of let-off. This is a 10% which means it drops boiler pressure 10% before re-seating. Would rather have a 5% let off if there is such a thing.

-Ron
Post Reply